Splitscreen: A Love Story

With the development of science and technology, in today’s world, we can use our iPhone to shoot 4k video clips and cut into a beautiful low-budget cinematic film. However, the quality of the film characters’ on the image resolution, the subjects and themes determine the value of the film. “Splitscreen: A Love Story” was shot entirely on a Nokia N8 Mobile phone in 2011.This two minutes and twenty-five seconds’ film directed by James W Griffiths and produced by Kurban Kassam. Five years ago, the cell phone’s camera lens did not have the 4k quality or f 1.4 apertures, what they do have is the idea and the editing skills for this unusual love story.

It starts with an L-Cut.  We can hear the alarm sound before we see the title “Splitscreen: A Love Story.” The graphic title uses the effect of the alarm clock screen which matches perfectly with the alarm sound. It is smart and neat.At 0:07, the story starts with two evenly split screens, the female character is on the left, and the male character is on the right

In the following thirteen seconds, the videographer shot four different close-up shots of showerhead, egg, coffee and newspaper.Two split screens were edited perfectly to illustrate the character’s morning routine. At 0:23, the camera as the character’s point of view shows what they see while they are walking to the subway station. There are two color tones in this video separated by the screen; the left side is warmer and right side is colder. At 0:28, we realized the female charter is in Paris (Tolbiac Station), and the male character is in New York City (168 Street). At 0:29, the train arrived at the subway station; two different trains was edited perfectly as one matched shot.At 0:32, we can see the differences between the color on the left and right. More importantly, the picture is edited entirely as one neat screen. Every scene matched evenly and delicately, from graffiti to bridge to the subway station to taxi, etc. At 1:00, the most iconic cut/edit: a male from the right screen walks into the left screen, male with hat transited to the male with glasses.  

The camera continued to be the point of view presented two characters who were doing the exactly same thing in two different cities. At 1:22, we realized two characters of this love story is a plane. At 1:31, double-decker bus arrived on the same frame and edited evenly for the two split screens.In the next series of jump cuts, we realized two characters might meet up in London.

At 1:48, they are both walking on the same bridge, from one side to another. At 1:53, a vertical panning shot from maps to two character’s face, cameras continued to be the character’s point of view. Finally, this long-distance relationship couple met each other in London.The story ends with a medium shot of this couple smiled at each other on the bridge. At 1:59, film faded to black.

“Their smiles were the garrets of a fairy palace where the real world would never come.” A beautiful love story shot by Nokia N8. The whole story does not use any words, dialogue or narrative. It used two separate screens to illustrate the love story of a long-distance relationship couple finally met each other in London. It is simple and well executed.