When we hit take eighty-seven, it might be time to keep the camera rolling. In Connor Morley’s short film The Scene, a frenetic director (Connor Morley) is fraying at the edges and butting heads with his incompetent lead actor (Samson Zilic) as they attempt to finish filming a scene by whatever means necessary.
With a premise as clear cut as this, it’s no doubt that Morley’s film is short, sweet, and to the point. At the tail end of their production, director Morley desperately wants his lead Ed to remember his last two lines, but even cue cards do little to help remedy the problem. A line of cocaine is just what Morley needs to get him through this, but as take one turns into take ten, then turns into take eighty-seven, we wonder which of Samson’s outlandish line readings will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back?
Arguably best described as a sketch, characters, plot, and dialogue step out of the spotlight here to allow the film’s core joke to shine. Humor is without a doubt the goal, and Morley’s team succeeds in eliciting the occasional chuckle. Morley’s slapstick acting takes the cake for most melodramatic, and while his fellow actors don’t necessarily match him, his own chaotic energy is more than enough to carry us through to the end. Of course, Morley’s performance is secondary to the central joke that the film hinges on: Ed the actor can’t remember his character’s job. This core joke is simple and clear, but even in a film as short as five minutes, things quickly begin to feel repetitive and predictable. The first half of the film mirrors the second half, both characterized by a series of failed line readings and little else. As a result, the build-up to the punchline loses its novelty quickly, and we’re left wanting something more.
With that said, the pacing and cinematography (Alicia Kowalski) work hand in hand to keep the film’s momentum up and the audience engaged as much as possible. The film bounces from one take to the next in a hectic manner that mirrors our very own cocaine-addled director. As the film barrels through actor Ed’s various incorrect line readings, the dialogue gets sharper, the music louder (Paul Abel), and the camera punchier, pushing us closer and closer towards potential disaster and the eventual comic block that the joke lands on.
Overall, The Scene is a reminder that filmmakers don’t need permission to play. Have fun, crack jokes, and a silly and upbeat film may come out the other side ready to make audiences laugh.
