Narrative short / 01
The Cigarette
A framed photograph changes the temperature of a conversation in a room. The film uses black and white photography, close-ups, and shifting angles to build tension between two performers.
Writer, director, co-editor · 2:55
Play filmProject notes
Behind the work
The storyboard maps an entrance, a shift in focus, and the distance between the two performers. The finished scene carries that staging into a real room with a small cast.
Film credits list Emma Garcia Banos for camera and shared editing, and Madison Press and Mariana Ferguson as performers. The theatrical poster also lists Emma as co-director and credits shared cinematography.
Previsualization
Planning the encounter.
Five storyboard panels map the entrance, the distance between the performers, and the intended changes in focus. Clara used posemy.art to plan these shots.
01 / The entrance
A medium shot gives the door slam a clear position in the scene. The arrival interrupts the room before the two characters speak.
02 / Redirecting attention
The over-the-shoulder composition uses a rack focus to move attention from the nearer figure to the person across the room.
03 / Closing the distance
The planned medium shot follows his approach. Changing the distance between the figures changes the pressure of the encounter.
04 / Reading both performances
A full shot holds both figures together. His glare and her smile can be read in the same composition.
05 / Holding a point of view
The second over-the-shoulder setup returns attention to her. The focus notes make the intended viewing order visible.
On screen
The scene takes shape.
From plan to performance
The finished over-the-shoulder shot places her raised hand in the foreground and his entrance across the room. Both actions share the frame.
A photograph becomes a focal point
The prop gives the performer a physical action and gives the viewer an object to follow. Attention moves between the photograph and the person holding it.
Tilting the balance
The late low-angle framing tips the room around the performer. The change in angle makes the visual tension more pronounced.
Theatrical artwork
A title in smoke.
The poster carries the film’s black and white treatment into its artwork. The smoke gathers into a cluster of faces above the cigarette, giving the small object a larger presence.
The original production credits remain visible at the foot of the poster.