expressionist fantasy

IMMORTALITY AWAITS… but alas, the Sorcerer’s beloved servant does not wish to join him. Rest assured, dear viewer, the Sorcerer shall get what he wants. 

starring jordan and david hadley

written and directed by zolomon zelko

produced by terese simone corbin

cinematography by max losson

production design by finley stein

edited by isabela de la grana

music/sound by zolomon zelko

Movie magic progresses at a breakneck pace, but under the floorboards, the tell-tale heart of Olde Filmmaking beats… and beats… and beats. Digital cinema didn’t truly bury the rubber masks and black velvet and matte paintings of yore. It stands upon it. “WANT” is an exhumation of the Ghost of Pictures Past, but it is not a mere grave robbery. It is a mad alchemical experiment to resurrect the old by building something new.

The laboratory in question is a virtual production stage, the monster constructed of digital, opera-style flats, and living human flesh. Our crew placed physical humans in a 2D world, staged in 3D digital space. One must imagine the insanity of lighting an enclosed room that physically does not exist, but does depict light sources—unlike a greenscreen, or a wide virtual exterior. Physical shadows were created for digital pillars. The actors stepped in and out of augmented, digital moonlight. A smaller camera was bolted onto our main rig, tracking pieces of tape on the ceiling; the layers of paintings displayed real-time parallax as the primary camera moved and zoomed. It enabled us to physically improvise and play within a 2.5D digital interior. Shots didn’t have to be programmed. They could be discovered. They could even be zollied.


It was an immense privilege for my crew and I to work in uncharted territory, in an entirely experimental workflow. We created a new reality where the dynamic freedom of modern filmmaking can exist alongside the all-encompassing design of Gesamtkunstwerk films. I am grateful for Florida State’s unwavering support as we waded into strange, virtual tides where success was not a guarantee. “WANT” was a fairytale education—one with a creative blank check, endless opportunity for failure, and complete encouragement to just try and cast that damn spell.

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