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JIANTING LIANG

film poster.png

Gravity, Gravitas

Experimental Short Film Based on a Poem

ROLE

Editor,

co-Photography，co-VFX

Jianting, Eunice, Yuki, Jillian
TEAM
DURATION
Jan-Apr 2024

Final Cut Pro X (video), Reaper (Audio)

TOOL

PROJECT OVERVIEW

A poetic short film that transforms a tragic memory into immersive visual storytelling.

Gravity, Gravitas is a short experimental film based on a poem by Gary Geddes, reflecting on the collapse of the 1958 Second Narrows Bridge. The project reimagines the emotional journey of a worker falling from the collapsing bridge, using water as a symbolic and narrative device.

As the editor and storyboard coordinator, my role focused on shaping the film's visual continuity through annotated shot lists, rough cuts, and final edits. I also contributed to art direction and conducted technical tests for complex underwater shots, aligning the visual tone with the themes of memory, grief, and release.

PROJECT PROBLEM

How can we communicate the layered emotions of a historical tragedy through water and image, without being too literal or distant?

The poem we adapted is deeply emotional, with shifts from fear and disconnection to sorrow and peace. Our challenge was finding a visual strategy that could express those feelings without directly restaging the event, which would be historically inaccurate or unconvincing on a student budget. We had to construct meaning carefully through symbolic imagery, mainly water, reflections, and fragments of memory, while maintaining visual and narrative continuity across all five stanzas of the poem.

AUDIENCES

The intended audience includes viewers familiar with poetry, experimental cinema, or Canadian history.

This project was created for both artistic and academic presentation. Our viewers are expected to interpret metaphor and emotion visually, without needing traditional dialogue or dramatic acting.

Key audience needs:

  • Clarity of pacing and visual rhythm

  • Emotional connection to the poem’s themes

  • Recognizable references to historical context

  • Immersive sound and visuals to guide understanding

OUTCOME

I worked on several major phases of the project:

  • Contributed to the collaborative shot list by organizing scenes according to each stanza

  • Revised storyboard panels to improve visual pacing based on instructor and peer feedback

  • Created an annotated shot list with image references and scene breakdowns to guide production

  • Designed a visual moodboard using references from Pinterest, considering tone, framing, and color themes

  • Filmed an underwater scene using a phone in a waterproof case, which required multiple on-location tests for light and motion

  • Edited the rough cut using CapCut, then final cut using Final Cut Pro, with attention to rhythm, scene transitions, and sound layering

Final edit highlights:

  • Added animated bubbles and archival images rising through water to simulate memory and emotional disorientation

  • Reorganized the opening to focus on the memorial plaque and bridge imagery

  • Adjusted pacing with speed changes to simulate falling and breathlessness

  • Stabilized shaky shots and color-graded reshot scenes to match the film’s colder, grey-toned aesthetic

A 5-minute short film blending live-action, underwater footage, and symbolic editing to express the poem’s emotional arc.

REFLECTION

Working on Gravity, Gravitas helped me build confidence in managing complex footage under time and resource constraints. I learned how to balance artistic intention with clarity, how to create annotated shot lists that streamline production, and how to use editing to intensify feeling without words.

Key takeaways:

  • Camera movement and transitions are just as important as composition

  • Good editing can resolve visual limitations in the footage

  • Feedback from collaborators and instructors is crucial to evolving creative direction

  • Sound design and timing deeply impact audience immersion

This project pushed me to consider how visuals can carry historical and emotional weight. More than anything, it showed me how experimental film can honor memory not through literal reenactment, but through carefully constructed metaphor.

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