BREAKDOWNS
CASH IN CASH OUT
Director Francois Rousselet takes us on a 19th-century zoetrope-inspired journey for Pharrell Williams.
No. 1 - June 02, 2023
Breaking Down is where we dive into the most requested films to explain every visual technique used, talking about it’s origins, and how it’s made.
Today we’re breaking down “Cash in, Cash Out” – a beautiful stop-motion zoetrope-inspired music video for Pharrell Williams, featuring an array of artists.
The entire film revolves around a single zoetrope like structure, but clever camera work brings us into the action and helps bring the characters to life.
Let’s dive in.
Zoetrope Stop-Motion
From the beginning, Director Francois Rousselet shows us that this spot will take place on a zoetrope, and we see many of the visuals used throughout the spot right away from the beginning, similar to the quilt in Ari Aster’s Midsommar opening credits which secretely gives away the plot to the movie.
Of course, filmmaking traces back to the zoetrope, a 19th century animation device that creates the illusion of motion by spinning still images in rapid succession (aka frame rate).
See more Zoetrope shots
Tracking Shot
Often used in moments of dialogue or for character introductions, most famously used by Quinton Tarantino in Kill Bill and Wes Anderson in Grand Budapest Hotel and The French Dispatch.
See more Tracking Shots
Fixed Camera
Akin to a camera being attached to an object. Unlike Object Focus, the background can change, but the object is constant.
See more Fixed Camera
Dolly
A dolly is similar to a zoom in that it will make it look like you’re moving closer or further from your subject, but instead of a lens distorting the image the actual camera is moving in physical space.
This creates a sort of parallax effect between objects in the foreground and background that can’t be achieved with a zoom. This look is a lot more realistic and desirable to a viewer's eye and provides a dynamic sense of depth within the space.
Of course, this isn’t a real dolly shot, but it mimics it’s characteristics so we’ve included it.
See more Dolly Shots
