“Let Us Roam” is an ongoing short film series supported by Leica Camera. This short film features the story about Atiba Jefferson, a professional photographer from Colorado Springs, CO.
It starts with an L-cut, an edit transitions from the window view of Los Angeles, CA to Jefferson’s life as a photographer.
At 0:10, we can see Match on Action examples of him packing the cameras.
At 0:16, music transitions from the background noise to piano music. As A-roll, the video keeps rolling with Jefferson’s daily life. B-roll as the supplemental footage intercuts between the piano, skateboarding, and Jefferson’s art philosophy.
- close-up detail shot: his foot on the piano pedals, fingers bouncing on the keyboard
- medium shot: from the back to show the audience who is playing the piano
- creative shot: Jefferson’s reflection from the piano
- establish shot: his piano area inside his house
- close-up detail shot: Jefferson’s face
At 0:43, Jefferson starts talking about how he discovered photography in high school and how his desire to capture the movement of skateboarding pushed him to chase his dream of becoming a professional photographer.
Starts at 0:57, the film cuts back and forth between videos and still photographs. Through the lens, this short film tells the story of the path that led Jefferson from skateboarding to photography.
At 1:31, the film shows a face-to-face interview of Jefferson talking about the story behind his success.
At 1:41, the film cuts to a super-8 video clip and transitions to Jefferson’s previous life in Colorado Springs, CO.
By using still images, it helps the video to visualize his previous life in Colorado and how he started his career in skateboarding.
When the background music shifts over his voice, the video transitions to a new stage of his life. At 3:48, the video cuts back to the A-roll of him driving on a freeway in Los Angeles, CA.
As his story reached the peak of his career, the background music fades out. At 4:33, the video transitions to a slideshow of his famous photographs : NFL, NBA, Kobe Bryant, Katy Perry, and Ice Cube.
With the music coming to an end, the film slowly transitions from Jefferson’s crazy life to himself skateboarding in the alley. It eventually fades into the title “Let Us Roam.”
At 6:48, the title was overlaid with Leica logo and floor marks.It is neat and clever.
I really love this short film because it combined video, audio and still images perfectly together. In short, Jefferson’s story illustrates the inside of the skateboarding culture and how it breeds creativity in different paths of expression.
A-Roll
B-Roll
