Rainbow Girls — Pulling a Heist on a Student Budget
Two panes of glass, C-stands and a side angle: how Nana Duffuor’s crew filmed a risky heist on day one of a student-budget shoot.
Watch on YouTubeConstraint: student-budget shoot, the heist as the first shot, and only two panes of glass. Solution: prototype the effect, rehearse blocking, shoot from a side angle, and build tension in post with a music-led mix.
On-set method
Nana Duffuor (director) leaned on a small, trusted crew to make the stunt reliable. "What if they break the store window?" collaborator Nava Mau suggested; Duffuor took the idea to production designer Olivia Kanz and cinematographer Evan Weidenkeller. They improvised a smaller pane of glass propped on C-stands and framed the action from the side to sell a full-door break with only two panes available. The stunt was the first shot of the day — "we were all holding our breath," Duffuor says — and the team committed to a single take when it worked.
Locations and props
They used Finding Labels consignment store in Walnut Creek for the interior; owner Lynn Nice lent merchandise and space. Exteriors were shot across San Francisco’s Union Square, the Tenderloin and West Oakland to keep costs down.
Post and sound
The final mix was done in Durham, North Carolina with Saman Khoujinian (composer) and Sowj Kudva (editor). Duffuor: "We discussed how we could use the score and sound design to build moments of internality." Sowj cut the heist to the track "Fashion Killa"; Saman then composed the score to escalate the sequence as it goes awry.
- Camera: not stated
- Lens: not stated
- Aspect ratio: not stated
- Frame rate: not stated
- Day count: not stated
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