When making documentaries of living people, filmmakers typically arrange for their subjects to talk about themselves. Although used less frequently in fiction films, the same technique can provide intimate and dramatic moments. Self-revelation in a drama is usually done in voice-over while the character carries out a defining activity, such as running a marathon or robbing a bank. In Taiwanese filmmaker Ming-Yi Liao’s “Parking,” the key activity is—no spoiler alert needed—parking. The four-minute movie, offering a surprising take on OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), won the Grand Prize in this year’s FiLMiC Pro Mobile Film Festival. which drew more than 1,500 submissions from filmmakers around the world.

Techniques Used in “Parking”

If you view “Parking” a second time, you’ll identify about a dozen cinematic techniques including high and low angle shots, close-ups, frames within frames, and B roll (the two other OCD characters). But perhaps the most endearing element is the narration, which presents the protagonist as an honest and vulnerable person.  The opening line—“Like most people, I have some strange habits and quirks.”—closes the gap between the protagonist and the audience.

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The editors of MobileMovieMaking have chosen “Parking” as a Mobile Movie of the Week.