Everything is more dramatic is slow-motion. That’s a given. Mundane acts like sneezing and laughing become epic adventures in physiology. A bullet piercing an apple becomes some kind of sensual metaphor. But instead of stringing together a bunch of unrelated, clichéd shots showing off Phantom high speed HD cameras, Superfad decided to go the extra step and weave a loose narrative in this amazing promo produced for NAB.
There’s something mythical about the story. It has just enough suggestion of a narrative to keep you going: a protagonist (the woman in white), an antagonist (the dog/ink splatter) and god-like figures that watch over everything (the birds). But honestly, if this was shot at normal speed, it wouldn’t have worked at all. Superfad seems to understand the peculiar way that slow-motion implies narrative in the simplest of acts.
This didn’t give Superfad license to be sloppy, though. The piece is rife with beautiful (though slightly unorthodox) compositions that underscore the dramatic tension set forth in the music and editing. It’s lovingly crafted and full of detail.
I don’t mean to make too much of it. I’m sure many of you will scoff at my mini-dissertation above. Something about this film, though, snared me, and I don’t think it was accidental.