Point of Departure (Milano panic)

In Point of Departure, a woman is on a quest to find the man in her life who has gone missing under very suspicious circumstances. One night, I was shooting at midnight on the Piazza del Duomo in Milano, Italy. It was very still and quiet but suddenly the piazza erupted in a cacophony of noise as crowds of celebrating fans from a football match spilled onto the scene.

The quiet introspective moment I was there to shoot would no longer be possible and I made use of the commotion to create a scene of fear and dread for the character who had the sense of unseen and malignant forces focusing their attention on her. As she tries to get away from the crowd, I use jump cuts to accelerate her attempted escape and to imply a sense of futility as I repeat her last few steps three times before cutting to the next scene where she receives further news that adds to the mystery. One can see the use of responsive reactions underscoring the tension of the encounter. The music was composed by Michael Chanslor.