I see this as being entirely on tripod. I think handheld here is a crutch. To me, it feels too documentarian for the elevated idea you’ve come up with. That’s not to say there won’t be any movement — in fact, I think the perfect whip pan could be a lovely tool to play into the comedy without being on the nose. Still, the refinement of mostly static images is what’s going to immediately separate this spot as being noticeable. It’s a simple choice that commands attention, allows us to make specific movement decisions, play with height and levels, and lets our characters remain the focus.

Using time of day to our advantage. I see shooting this in one day as a strength. I would love to allow the sun to guide our setups — or even play into some of our scenes.

A strategic use of directed light to make the mundanity of the office or the repetitiveness of the forest feel focused, warm, and memorable. Think: pockets of sun hitting desks in the right place, the movement of light through branches on someone’s face, or the glow of a monitor illuminating the coolness of blue hour. In a 30, we always have less time than we think. Let’s use light to make every frame more memorable than the last.