“Descendre“ jokingly titled descend in french, was a one day video project shot on location at the illustrious ROC Leiden. Featuring such asteamed actors as “the first guy I could convince to be a part of it“ and “the second guy I could convince to be a part of it“. Hicham Mourid and Stan Schrama, both classmates.

 

The Idea was to illustrate the fact that my elevator card had never been properly activated resulting in me having to go up eight flights of stairs every day for the last two and a half years.
During the editing process Hicham suggested the idea of making the video black and white which started the idea of making a spoof “Film Noir“. From there everything came together nicely. The obvious musical accompaniment was Frederic Chopin’s Prelude in E minor op.28 no.4. I’ts a unique blend of hopelessness, despair and finally acceptance which fits very well with the theme.

 

Our story opens on the elevator doors opening. Our subject ,Stan, out of focus approaches the elevator. We cut to a flipped perspective of him walking as the elevator doors open. He walks inside and places his card against the reader which lights up red in response. Distrought he walks out and prepares to take the stairs. We see him start his journey and slowly fade out of the shot. We return at the top of the stairs. Stan emerges crawling, exhausted from his climb. He makes his way toward the door barely managing to open it. As he crawls through, finally, he collapses.
In the same shot Hicham walks out of the elevator. He looks at Stan for a moment. Having no idea of the path that lay behind him he simply shrugs and goes on his merry way. The camera moves towards Stan, perhaps to comfort or to help him. Alas it gets cut off by the credits. With no resolution we are left to wonder: “Did Stan make it to class in time?“, “Will my card ever work?“. The credits appear and the video ends.