A thirty-second editorial film introducing Nikolina’s aquatic identity. Her face meets its reflection, her eyes open, and she walks towards us, dripping with water. We discover the Siren through her gestures, her skin and the prosthetic details of her body.
Dark water, thin backlights and drifting particles surround her. Reflections shift our sense of space, while the speakers give each image a physical pulse. A faint blue-hour sky and a last glimpse of grass suggest a world beyond the darkness.
DARK WATER / MIST / ATMOSPHERE
01THE WATER PIPE
A constant water flow through a lit canal runs out. An isolated detail, surrounded by darkness.
RUNNING WATER
02THE EMERSION
Nikolina is rising from the depth. We only see a brief shot of her moving towards a surface that reflects her face; as soon as she touches it, we understand it’s water. An abrupt cut brings us to the next image. This shot is mainly built in VFX.
FACE / REFLECTION / CONTACT
An abrupt cut to a photograph of her eye at the instant of opening. A brief, intimate detail before we see her walking towards us.
AWAKENING / EYE DETAIL
03THE WALK / THE REFLECTION
Shot from afar, she walks slowly towards the camera, dripping with water. We zoom in very slightly as the camera advances and tilts down. During the slow tilt, her prosthetic modifications reveal her as the Siren.
Thin slits of backlight and slight diffusion from above give the image an eerie look. Soft light reflected up from the water carries simulated water movement across shots 01–03. Flying dust and debris in the foreground convey a sense of relentless motion. A minimal array of regular speakers sits behind her.
Her fragmented reflection then fills the frame. As she drips, the falling drops break the surface. An eerie water transition takes us into the closing images.
FRAGMENTED REFLECTION / WATER TRANSITION
04FROM BELOW
From an extremely low viewpoint, Nikolina poses above the camera. A wide lens and slow dolly make the space feel impossible; a low pedestal keeps the practical water shallow.
THE IMPOSSIBLE VIEW / ANGLE REFERENCE
05A LAST GLIMPSE
Seen from above, Nikolina rises from a crouch and walks away. A side dolly pivots around her; we will assess the rounded pond environment reconstruction later.
OVERHEAD / ROUNDED POOL / SURROUNDING NATURE
SOUND
The speakers follow us through the whole sequence. The first bass beat lands exactly as she emerges. Vibrations are timed to the images, and a faster and faster bass beat builds tension until the end.
In close detail, the bass becomes visible in the water: fine droplets and particles tremble, lift and settle in waves. A grazing backlight catches each pulse against the darkness.
Screenshots, OG ungraded frames and edit notes. Private review access.
POST-PRODUCTION TIMING // NIKOLINA
–
Editing
True Colors
EOD
RC1
True Colors
Client feedback
Client
VFX
The Circumstances
VFX + share out
The Circumstances
–
VFX
The Circumstances
Client feedback (final)
Client
Picture lock
Client · Giorgio Cassano · True Colors
Color grading
True Colors
Color feedback
Client
Reformat & exports
True Colors
Delivery
True Colors
THE SHOTLIST
Eleven shots plus two detail inserts in the first morning big-pool setup. Non-negotiable shots: the main pool tilt-down (01), the view from below (03), and both afternoon mirror shots (05–06). Lighting studies are shown separately alongside the framing references. Each shot lists its talent and capture requirements.
MORNING / BIG POOL + WATER VEIL
01
Website / water veil, backlight, speakersLIGHTING SETUP / FIRST POOL SHOT
NON-NEGOTIABLE / MUST SHOOTON-SET VIDEO
Pool / main tilt-down
Nikolina walks toward camera across the water veil, dripping with water. The camera advances and slowly tilts down to reveal her mermaid prosthetic details.
CAMERA / TIMING
Ember extreme slow motion; dolly in, very slight zoom and slow tilt down; slow-shutter inserts.
SET / CAPTURE
Dark cloth below the veil; backlight, faint overhead diffusion, and soft light reflected up from the water. Simulate moving water in that reflected light.
TALENT
Nikolina required on set
02
Glazer scene / upright feet and inverted figure
ON-SET VIDEO
Inverted reflection
A tighter horizontal full-body view: the reflection is upside down while the upright feet remain visible.
CAMERA / TIMING
Ember extreme slow motion; dolly pivots and tilts down toward the water.
SET / CAPTURE
Same dark-cloth water veil, backlight and faint overhead diffusion. Add soft reflected light from the water below, with simulated water movement.
TALENT
Nikolina required on set
03
Website cover / extreme low angle
NON-NEGOTIABLE / MUST SHOOTON-SET VIDEO
From far below
Nikolina poses above the camera while standing one step higher on a pedestal.
CAMERA / TIMING
Wide lens; very low view; slow dolly; slow motion.
SET / CAPTURE
Pedestal keeps the water shallow; test camera clearance and tub edge. Add soft light reflected from the water below, with simulated water movement. Cover image is an angle reference.
TALENT
Nikolina required on set
04
Round pool / woman seen from above
ON-SET VIDEO + POSSIBLE POST
Overhead / exit
Nikolina starts crouched, stands and walks away.
CAMERA / TIMING
Overhead view; side dolly pivots around her; real time and slow motion.
SET / CAPTURE
Assess the rounded pond environment reconstruction later.
TALENT
Nikolina required on set
04A
Webbed glove detail / texture and finger webbing
MORNING POOL INSERT / ON SET
Insert / mermaid gloves
A tight detail of her mermaid gloves: wet texture and small finger gestures in the pool.
CAMERA / TIMING
Detail / macro framing; slow motion; hold on the gloves and fingers.
SET / CAPTURE
Morning insert in the first big-pool setup, with Nikolina. Keep the pool lighting and wet continuity; capture before the changeover.
A tight detail of her soaked hair, with water dripping from the strands and tips.
CAMERA / TIMING
Tight hair / water-drop detail; slow motion; backlight the droplets.
SET / CAPTURE
Morning insert in the first big-pool setup, with Nikolina. Re-wet the hair between takes and keep the same pool lighting; capture before the changeover.
TALENT
Nikolina required on set
LUNCH BREAK
AFTERNOON / MIRROR
05
Ghost in the Shell / full reflectionLIGHTING SETUP / MIRROR RAISE
NON-NEGOTIABLE / MUST SHOOTON-SET VIDEO
Mirror / full body
Nikolina lies on a gym bench or applebox, her head and legs appearing to float beyond the support as the mirror rises.
CAMERA / TIMING
Full-body view; Ember extreme slow motion.
SET / CAPTURE
Faint diffusion from below; light opposite the camera; mirror on a controlled rig.
TALENT
Nikolina required on set
06
Ghost in the Shell / face in reflection
NON-NEGOTIABLE / MUST SHOOTON-SET VIDEO
Mirror / shoulder close-up
From behind Nikolina’s shoulder, her face becomes more visible in the descending reflection.
CAMERA / TIMING
Close-up from the back of the shoulder; Ember extreme slow motion.
SET / CAPTURE
Same gym bench or applebox and lowering mirror; faint diffusion below and light opposite camera. Shoot in the second half of the day.
TALENT
Nikolina required on set
AFTERNOON / INSERTS & ELEMENTS
07
Attached speaker image
ON SET WITHOUT TALENT OR FULL AI
Speaker cone
The speaker cone may visibly vibrate to the hard bass.
CAMERA / TIMING
Tight front or three-quarter detail; test whether the vibration reads.
SET / CAPTURE
Film the actual speaker on set without talent, or create the full AI shot starting from a photograph of that actual speaker. Capture the speaker photograph even if the insert is made later.
TALENT
No talent required
08
Therabody / Slow Down to Speed Up — water vibration
ON SET WITHOUT TALENT OR FULL AI
Contact / water vibration
The speaker wall makes the water pulse: fine droplets and particles tremble, lift and settle in rhythmic waves.
CAMERA / TIMING
Macro detail across the water surface; shallow focus, grazing backlight and slow motion, timed to the bass.
SET / CAPTURE
Film the water vibration on set without talent, or create the shot entirely in AI.
TALENT
No talent required
09
Attached blue eye image
ON SET WITH TALENT OR FULL AI FROM HER PHOTO
Eye at the instant of opening
An intimate detail of Nikolina’s eye at the instant of opening, with no visible technical motif.
CAMERA / TIMING
Tight eye framing; use the attached image for colour and scale.
SET / CAPTURE
Shoot on set with Nikolina, or create the full AI shot from a photograph of her. Capture the eye reference photograph during the mirror block before she wraps if the AI route is chosen.
TALENT
On set: Nikolina required. AI: photograph of Nikolina required.
10
Existing static pipe reference
ON SET WITHOUT TALENT OR FULL AI
Draining water pipe
A pipe drains into darkness, with light at its far end.
CAMERA / TIMING
Static view; real time if filmed as video.
SET / CAPTURE
Film on set without talent, here or on another day, or create the shot entirely in AI.
TALENT
No talent required
11
Attached drifting-debris image
ON SET WITHOUT TALENT OR FULL AI
Aquarium / drifting debris
An aquarium against a dark background holds debris drifting eerily through the frame.
CAMERA / TIMING
Slow motion if captured as video on set.
SET / CAPTURE
Film the aquarium and drifting debris on set without talent, potentially another day, or create the shot entirely in AI.
TALENT
No talent required
SETUP SCHEMES
Conceptual side views, not to scale. Final framing and rigging will be tested on set.
MIRROR & BENCH
Nikolina lies on a gym bench, with head and legs beyond the support, while the mirror lowers. Soft light comes from below; the main light stays opposite camera.
WATER VEIL
She walks on the shallow water veil over dark cloth. Backlight and faint top diffusion combine with soft light reflected from below; simulate water movement in that reflection.
LOW ANGLE / PEDESTAL
From a very low camera, a wide lens and slow dolly look up at Nikolina on a low pedestal. Keep the water shallow and carry the moving water reflection up from below.
SETUP NOTES
Production order and practical requirements for the day.
01 / WATER VEIL
First morning big-pool setup: dark cloth beneath shallow water, backlight, faint overhead diffusion and moving reflected light from below. Protect the main tilt-down (01) and very low view (03). Capture the walk, inverted reflection, overhead exit, mermaid-glove detail (04A) and dripping-hair detail (04B) before the changeover.
02 / MIRROR + EYE
Second half of the day: both mirror shots (05 and 06) are non-negotiable. Nikolina lies on a gym bench or applebox; raise the mirror for the full body and lower it for the close-up on a controlled rig. Faint diffusion from below, light opposite camera. The eye can be shot with Nikolina or made in full AI from her photograph; capture that photo before she wraps.
03 / ELEMENTS WITHOUT TALENT
Speaker, water vibration, draining pipe and aquarium / drifting debris can be shot on set without talent or made in full AI. The AI speaker shot must start from a photograph of the actual speaker. Pipe and aquarium elements can also be captured another day.
