A downcast afternoon sunshine filters into a decaying study room. Shelves upon shelves of aged books, eaten by time, line the walls. Dust particles swirl in the languid light. The view is from a low angle, the lens gazing up at an old wooden desk, its surface worn and grimy. On one side of the desk rests a tired character with his body cloaked in the melancholy shadows, embodying decayed ambition. His lips are moving slowly, he’s speaking with clear pronunciation but the audio is unheard by the audience, generating interest and suspense.
On the mirror-like polished area on the desk, where the sunlight hits, a group of faded photographs are placed showing happier times with fellow teammates in the past, raining down nostalgia and sadness of a gone companionship. The contrast of light and darkness perfectly balance the shot, hinting at the past and present. The camera slowly and steadily zooms onto the character’s face, showing the duality of his emotions. Focus shifts between the photographs, the character, and the sloppy environment around him, throwing in a profound feeling of longing and past sense of duty. The color tone throughout the scene is saturated, leaning towards sepia, intensifying the feeling of abandonment and movement of time.