Uncouth Reflections

Paleo Retiree writes:

Was trickery (CGI? editing tomfoolery?) involved, can anyone tell? In any case, I want to point out what a shrewdly constructed little piece of entertainment this 37 second long, all-in-one-shot clip is. Here’s how it goes:

• Closeup of Punk Assistant eyeing the camera. She’s a striking combo of blonde, hot pink, and attitude.
• She gives a flounce, then turns and walks away from the camera. She plants herself, once again facing the camera, about 15 feet away, her arms wrapped around her, her hands holding ping pong paddles raised oddly to her sides. The surface of the paddles is coal black.
• At the same moment she takes her stance, Knife Guy steps into frame from the left. He’s in bright blue, quite a contrast to the girl’s pink. He’s eyeing the camera in that “masterly” way magicians often do, and he’s stroking two big, dangerous-looking knives against each other as though sharpening them.
• At that same moment, about five feet behind the girl, an arm (dressed in a blue that matches Knife Guy’s) extends out from a doorway at head level, holding a pineapple — a nice Magritte-like touch as well as a foreshadowing.
• Note as well how effectively the pinks and blues stand out against the stained cream colors of the setting.
• Knife Guy puts one of the knives in his mouth and pulls a ping pong paddle from his back pocket. Its visible surface is black.
• Knife Guy whacks the one knife with the ping pong paddle — who saw that coming?
• Punk Assistant opens one arm and “catches” the knife with one of her paddles. As this happens, Older Male Assistant leans into the image from his doorway. The side of the girl’s paddle the knife sticks into is bright red — one of many striking surprises in the clip. Punk Assistant maintains her surly deadpan.
• Thwack: same thing, other side.
• The moment the second knife nails its paddle, Older Male Assistant walks up to Punk Assistant. As he positions the pineapple over her head, Knife Guy withdraws yet another knife (from his belt) with a little flourish, and gives the camera another “masterly” look. He isn’t really going to do what we fear/expect him to do, is he?
• Yes he is, and he does. The top of the pineapple flies away.
• Older Male Assistant withdraws the pineapple from above Punk Assistant’s head and stands quietly as Knife Guy brings out one further unexpected prop: an actual ping pong ball. After all the knives-and-pineapple craziness, we’re back to where we started.
• Thwack — and the pingpong ball flies straight into Punk Assistant’s mouth.
• There’s a nicely-judged pause for effect.
• Punk Assistant lets the pingpong ball drop out of her mouth at the same instant Knife Guy turns to us and gives us a thumbs-up sign.
• Random Passerby descends the stairs. He’s in nondescript jeans and jacket. The performers hold their poses as he makes his way by.

I could be wrong, but among other things I’m seeing two Rules of Three going on here. In one of them, we’re given a Prologue (girl, pineapple and Knife Guy set themselves up — an introduction), an Action (the stunts), and a Coda. And embedded within the Action act itself is another example of the Rule of Three: 1) first knife; 2) second knife; 3) Climax (pineapple); and 3.5) Coda/wrapup/return-to-origin (ping pong ball).

Hats off to whoever worked this act up, and staged, designed and shot it — as well as, of course, to the performers. It’s just a handheld, 37-second-long clip, but real thought, skill and preparation went into it. And thanks to co-blogger epiminondas for turning up this brilliant little clip.

Here’s some more ping pong amazingness.