A Short Story Set In A Single non-descript room

August 29, 2023 6:34 AM

I have a classroom of students, learning video production, in a nondescript black box studio (we have lights, cameras, sound equipment, and black curtains; we can film B-roll outside, maybe even a short scene, but it'll largely be in the studio space and normal props people can bring from home). To inspire their creativity, what're some solid examples of interesting videos that were made with limited resources? Shorts or discrete segments from larger films/tv-shows.

The more creative and engaging, the better. Stuck in the studio, I want them to think outside the box.

posted by history is a weapon to Media & Arts (20 answers total)

Response by poster: To be clear, it should have some sort of narrative structure and we can bring in/make props and costumes, but we have a effective budget of zero.
posted by history is a weapon at 6:39 AM on August 29, 2023

The first thing that comes to mind for me are multicamera sitcoms, US and British, primarily from the 1970s and earlier but some newer ones too. Sanford and Son, All In The Family, I Love Lucy, etc. They rely heavily on a single set, with maybe one or two side rooms, but if you're looking for full scenes there's a lot where it all happens in one place, a few pieces of furniture and a handful of props.

The reason I say earlier ones is that the mechanics of having a camera on set in those days, let alone three or more, means you really had to commit to the main set.

For a newer example, the IT Crowd does a whole lot with just the IT office set. Also, Big bang Theory, Two and a Half Men (I just realized I don't watch much multicam sitcoms these days).

Another source, although finding a visual part may be harder, but look at your school's library for books of short plays, they usually have a single set with simple props.
posted by AzraelBrown at 7:10 AM on August 29, 2023

Any of the Inside No. 9 series (BBC). One of the constraints of the entire series is that once you are IN the room, all action stays in the room. Wuthering Heist is a great example of what can be done with great blocking, props, and imagination.
posted by Silvery Fish at 7:30 AM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

These each have a bit of FX, so they may not exactly apply, but We Need to Do Something, Exam, and Revealer are all horror films that are primarily based on person-to-person conflict and implied/offscreen stuff and take place (basically) in a single room. (To various degrees of success, but some great ideas in each.) I *think* outside of a few flashbacks, the unnerving thriller Compliance is also a one room two hander. Large chunks of Glorious take place in a rest stop bathroom.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:35 AM on August 29, 2023

Also: the "episode" of Hulu's Into the Dark called "Down" (which is really a standalone film in an anthology series) takes place in an elevator car.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:41 AM on August 29, 2023

Breakfast Club is basically in one room. Also 12 Angry Men, Phonebooth, Rope, My Dinner with Andre, Reservoir Dogs.
posted by Ideefixe at 7:47 AM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

The Answers, One-Minute Time Machine, and The Voorman Problem are short films with narrative structure that might work as inspiration.
posted by Wobbuffet at 8:09 AM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

A good example of the "one room" concept: The episode of Friends called "The One Where No-one’s Ready" takes place entirely in Monica and Rachel's apartment, where Ross is waiting for everyone to get ready to go to a ceremony where he's getting an award, and getting gradually more irate about how none of them are ready.

The episode weaves 4 different situations (Joey and Chandler arguing over a chair, Monica freaking out about her ex, Phoebe getting a stain on her dress, and Rachel taking her time to get ready) into a coherent episode tied together by Ross' increasingly failed attempts to stay calm, which could conceivably be shot in one 25 minute take if your actors and crew are good.

But mainly it shows how well a script can hold a plot and the viewer's attention together without any need for locations, effects, etc. The only prop you'll need is a glass of fat....
posted by underclocked at 8:18 AM on August 29, 2023

Warning that TVTropes can be an addictive rabbit hole to fall down! But their examples of "bottle episodes" of live action TV shows may be of interest. One episode it mentions is Babylon 5's Season 4 episode "Intersections In Real Time" (basically a long interrogation) which came to mind immediately upon reading your question. The Friends episode is a great example!

I think music videos would be another promising avenue of exploration, such as the all-in-one-shot OK Go videos. Similarly: The Way Things Go (1987), a.k.a. "Der Lauf der Dinge" which is like watching a Rube Goldberg machine.
posted by brainwane at 8:31 AM on August 29, 2023 [2 favorites]

The Old Grey Whistle Test was a long-running BBC TV music series that used very minimal sets - typically the bare studio walls plus a couple of flats. Here's a classic performance. You could argue that Tiny Desk Concert is an updated version of the same idea.

The Avengers had a generous budget for its time, but the stylised production design in the later series often led to doing interesting scenes with a very plain background - either a film stage or a real-world environment. The DVD commentaries note in a few places that really all you're seeing is a couple of props placed between the camera and the action, and some clever lighting to get you to focus on the actors.
posted by offog at 9:15 AM on August 29, 2023

You could also look at shooting action in the studio that's inserted into a matte painting or model shot. The making-of features for the Lord of the Rings films have lots of examples of these.
posted by offog at 9:19 AM on August 29, 2023

Essentially any cop/detective show that has an interrogation scene or a courtroom drama where a person on the witness stand is being questioned (think the end of My Cousin Vinny) would work in your scenario. You'd have wide shots, close-up shots of the cop/lawyer, close-ups of the suspect/witness, plus maybe some shots of a judge or a stenographer or other cops standing on the other side of a window frame.
posted by sardonyx at 9:35 AM on August 29, 2023

Scenes from restaurants or diners would also work. I'm sure it's not appropriate, but think about that scene from When Harry Met Sally: two shots, close ups of both Harry and Sally, reaction shots from the restaurant's patrons, etc.
posted by sardonyx at 9:38 AM on August 29, 2023

Do you want the focus to be on the video content or the production?

For maximum engagement with production I would suggest finding a local theater group or school that is practicing a short play and bribe them with pizza to come and rehearse at your facility. Plays that are exactly 10 minutes long commonly used in educational theater settings, are expected to travel well, and generally feature only a few performers. This would allow your class to focus on the production. Putting aspiring actors in front of your class's camera obviously involves higher stakes and logistics for you, but shifts the burden of 'content' off of your students.


And this whole world of "10 minute plays" is readily accessible and folks have put lots up on YouTube, including is classics like Hamlet that have been smashed down to 15 minute run times, comedy troupes or contemporary theater. The scripts are readily available, and range from for theater groups to practice their craft, over to basic ones to learn. None of involve much in the way of props and almost never have actual prop/scene changes. There is short play festivals and award winning scripts can be purchased cheaply (just watch the licensing terms).

As for inspiration from Hollywood I would expand sardonyx's suggestion to include scenes that take place inside cars - like the argument in Prisoners (2013), or the spicy Once upon a time in Hollywood.
posted by zenon at 9:54 AM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

Community's "Cooperative Calligraphy" is explicitly a bottle episode.
posted by Gorgik at 11:50 AM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

Some of the classics have been mentioned... but think about Waiting for Godot, or Rosencrantz and Guilderstern are Dead, or Chorus Line, or No Exit.

Improv is classically created and performed with nothing but chairs.
posted by zompist at 4:24 PM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

Is setting up a green screen and teaching some basic virtual production stuff an option?
posted by St. Sorryass at 7:08 PM on August 29, 2023

The Honeymooners with Jackie Gleason and Jane Meadows.
posted by SemiSalt at 5:02 AM on August 30, 2023

Combat's The Pillbox takes place almost entirely in...a WWII pillbox.
posted by Gorgik at 6:29 PM on August 30, 2023

I've been obsessed with this (pretty dark!) Mitchell and Webb Look sketch series ever since I first saw it--it aired as recurring segments on separate episodes, but edits together cohesively, as seen here. It's a single location with a truly impressive amount of soft worldbuilding accomplished through suggestion and dialogue.
posted by Nibbly Fang at 7:49 PM on August 31, 2023