#i am. VERY sane i promise yall i pinky pinky promise (fingers crossed)

[ijustwantagoodurl]

Overanalyzing WoH ep 1

Hey folks! Name’s Erazmus, I’m a chicano ex-cinema major, and was in a few AV camps/programs so lemme share my “i am thinking about the crew” thoughts w yall. i need yall to know the LOVE and THOUGHT that went into everything you see in this show. Spoilers for each episode, obviously.

This first shot isn’t like . particularly “CAN YOU BELIEVE THEY DID THAT?” i just appreciate it. its the governer’s lil lamp- a moth gets caught in the flame just as window of heaven comes knocking, and the moth dies just as he attempts to flee for safety. It’s an additional lil “this guy AINT surviving the night” a few min before he dies and it really struck me the first time I watched it. something so apt about how the moth dies without any fanfare i think?

but THIS. THIS is the shot I need yalls attention for. this. its just SO much. this is when ZZS is leaving the lil Makeup Hut as I’ll go ahead and call it, after leaving Window of Heaven and after doing his lil transformation. I didn’t quite catch it, but the beginning of this shot is ENTIRELY dark. and as Zhou Zishu steps forward, away from the camera, he lets in all this VIVID light and takes a moment to adjust his robes and enjoy the sunlight.

LOOK!

THAT BRIGHTNESS? The way the green and the bright sun and the soft brown of the building and finally Zhou Zishu himself is ALIVE? the way this shot goes from Complete Darkness to Bright and Colorful... the c a r e. the love the crew had . the way Zhang Zhehan’s blocking starts off this shot, this moment in the story, in absolute darkness and how he has to step forward first into the light so that it comes in on the edges first as he steps into the middle of this pavilion the editors and script not only allowing us the time to slowly adjust to the light and the colors with Zhou Zishu himself, in this moment in his own story, but the way the next shot is STILL letting us breathe with him and his freedom.

This? how we are ENCOURAGED to sit a moment, in this place with this character. Zhou Zishu taking a moment to breathe, close his eyes and simply feel the sun on his face (his new face!!) and . how Simple it is to enjoy the sun, and how much Light is a thing in word of honor. The Respect the script writers and actors and camera and lighting crews, not to even fuckin mention makeup and costume designers, the Respect and Love and Care they take with this, with us, with them and their story and their world. its insane.

I’m trying to keep it to about one shot an episode for now but this HAD to be the shot. I’m about to cry just thinking about this shit. the fucking. ghghhh.

anyways. I also made a google slides about ep 1, its got a few extra shots and the various counters I have for visual cues/symbols they have here.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1GOo2a1vrUq1WGhA_NuEJKj-qvqjvjGChiN0HXWQWtOw/edit?usp=sharing

Uhh lemme kno if that doesnt work. anyways have a very good brainrot <3