Can You See?
3 minutes 2 seconds. A woman walks through a wet brick alley at blue dusk. She wears a chainmail mask adorned with rhinestones—a blindfold made of armor. She checks her phone. She keeps walking.
A black supercar arrives. It parks. She walks by on the sidewalk. She stops. She admires it.
Inside LEX'S bar, she drinks alone. Her phone buzzes. A disturbing message. She presses her lips together. Her jaw tightens. She stands. She leaves without looking back.
She waits outside, against the brick wall. Frustrated. She does not know the car is occupied. She does not know LEX has been watching her the entire time.
He steps out. He holds her gaze. He gives one slow, small nod. He opens the passenger door. She hesitates. She gets in.
The night ride. The city. The rain. The look. Neither speaks.
They enter the parking garage. The rooftop. The reveal. He owns the entire block.
She looks down. She sees LEXWORLD.
She turns. She looks at him. She smiles.
They return to LEX'S. The kiss. The door. The lights switch off.
The car drifts into the intersection. LEX exits. He pats the hood. He walks away.
And then—GG appears in "white". Unmasked. Unguarded. All white. She meets him in the middle of the street. It is her time to drive.
She takes the wheel. She pulls forward. The headlight flare washes to black.
The morning after. The rooftop. Golden sunrise. She walks toward the car. She runs her fingertips along the fender. She looks directly at camera. She holds the look.
Fade to black.
She wasn't waiting to be saved. She was waiting to be seen.
0
Seconds
The Worlds
LEXSWORLD. A city at dusk after rain. Wet pavement reflects neon. A brick corner building with a dark awning and a glowing orange "LEX'S" neon sign. A tall modern structure with a vertical "LEX'S" neon sign. A red building with lit windows. Skyscrapers silhouetted against twilight. Deep blues and grays with warm orange and yellow pops.
LEX'S. A bar at the corner. Red brick facade. Warm amber neon sign. String lights under the awning. Wet sidewalk with reflective puddles. Rain falling. A side street receding into the distance. Dark brick walls inside. Blue neon spill. Warm amber Edison bulbs. Wooden bar counter. Moody atmosphere.
The Rooftop. A covered rooftop parking deck at night. Exposed steel beams and support columns. Wet concrete floor with reflective puddles. The city skyline visible through the open sides. Heavy rain falling through the overhead light. Red taillight reflections spreading across the wet concrete.
The Morning After. The same rooftop at sunrise. Warm golden light flooding through the open sides. Pink and amber sky. Long soft shadows. The wet floor reflecting the sunrise in golden pools.
The Characters
GG
A Black woman with dark skin and a short, spiky black pixie haircut. An intricate chainmail mask adorned with pink and clear rhinestones covering the upper face like a blindfold. Brown eyes with black winged eyeliner and pink eyeshadow. Silver nose ring and silver horseshoe septum ring. Glossy pink lipstick. Pink blush. Large silver-studded hoop earrings. Black leather collar with silver rivets. Thick black studded choker. Fingerless black leather gloves with silver pyramid studs. Blue denim jacket with silver-studded collar. Matching denim highline bra over black fishnet. Tight black leather pants with zipper details. High-heeled black leather boots.
She is masked. Guarded. She knows this shortcut by heart. She drinks hard liquor alone. She presses her lips together and leaves without looking back.
GG — In White
The same woman. Unmasked. Unguarded. Short spiky black pixie haircut. Brown eyes. Silver nose ring and horseshoe septum ring. Glossy pink lipstick. Pink blush. Fitted white short-sleeved crop top. Fitted white jeans with diamond rivets down the middle. High-heel black platform wedges with spikes on the back. Pink globe transparent dangle earrings resembling the planet Saturn. Thick black studded choker.
She is different. She is open. She is smiling. She runs her hand along the car. She looks directly at camera. She holds the look.
LEX
The man who owns the block. He sits in the driver seat of LEXRIDE. His eyes stay on the road. His jaw is set. His left hand rests on the steering wheel, silver watch catching the blue ambient light. He does not speak. He gives one slow, small nod. He knows exactly what she is about to discover.
LEXRIDE
A sleek, black, modern supercar. Glossy black paint finish. Sharp aerodynamic lines. Low stance. Bright white LED headlights. Black multi-spoke wheels. Low-profile tires. Curved roofline. Opaque blacked-out tint on the windshield and every window. Carbon fiber front splitter. Carbon fiber side skirts. Fender vents. Aggressively sculpted side intakes. Curved red LED taillights. Carbon fiber rear spoiler. Carbon fiber rear diffuser with integrated exhaust outlets. Black license plate reading "LEX" in clean white sans serif lettering.
GGSPHONE
A black smartphone in a black protective bumper with silver trim around the screen edge. Small circular rhinestones along the sides. Silver volume buttons. Dark grey brushed metal back panel bordered by a continuous row of sparkling diamonds. Ornate circular rear camera module with six lenses around a central lens. Engraved "LEX" logo enclosed within a stylized laurel wreath.
02
The Framework
Structure. A wet brick alley at blue dusk. LEX'S bar. LEXRIDE. A city at night. The world holds watching.
Intrusion. GG walks. LEXRIDE arrives. GG enters LEX'S. Her phone buzzes. She leaves. LEX steps out. He holds her gaze. The world intrudes on her solitude.
Integration. She gets in the car. The night ride. The rain. The look. They enter the garage. They reach the rooftop. She sees LEXWORLD. She smiles. She is one with the city, the car, the man.
Intimacy. They return to LEX'S. The kiss. The door. The lights switch off. She takes the wheel. She pulls forward. The headlight flare washes to black. The morning after. She runs her hand along the car. She looks at camera.
Release. She holds the look. The sunrise. The rooftop. The car. She is seen. Fade to black.
Info
Stacey Wiggins
Creative Director + WorldBuilder + Composer
Design — LEXRIDE, GGSPHONE, GG's wardrobe
The mask was never who she was. It was what she carried.
The Critique
"Black excellence. A nocturnal noir about trust, power, and being seen. You answered the assignment with an exclamation point."
This is poetry: visually and vocally.