Three Seconds
Work/Short Films/Three Seconds
For an unnamed extra, three seconds in the background of a war film are a place to exist. With his scene marked for removal, fourteen hours remain to find somewhere he can stay.
Behind the story
Why I made it
I explore the desire to remain through an extra given neither name nor dialogue, placing his need beside an editor's pressure to finish. A familiar filmmaking task becomes a tension between completion and an easily overlooked background performance; the fictional war, with generic equipment and no national insignia, keeps attention on that human scale.
The world
I ground the story's uncertainty in physical places of filmmaking: a muddy trench within a fictional war film and an editing room governed by a deadline. Unmarked helmets and generic equipment leave the battle outside any named historical conflict, while sets and editing machinery retain the tangible demands of working environments.
The characters
The extra
Unnamed extra in a trench. At thirty-four, the extra has neither a written name nor dialogue, yet wants a place in the film. His brief background appearance is already marked for removal.
The editor
Film editor approaching her deadline. At forty-seven, the editor works alone under the demands of a large production. With fourteen hours remaining, finishing on time defines the work still before her.
The soldier beside him
Silent soldier seated nearby. Three places away, the neighbouring soldier rests his forearms on his thighs. Dried mud on his cheek and a thick beard give his broad face a weathered presence.
Registered works
Every film, series and book on this site is a registered work and the exclusive property of Jeff Zambrano. Stories, characters, titles, scripts and images may not be copied, adapted or used to train any system without written permission. Copies and derivative works are traced automatically, and any infringement will be pursued under the laws of the country where it originates.
