Squish effect

A full shelf compresses like foam and rebounds with a wobble. a wide shot of a tall loaded bookshelf against a plain wall in flat daylight as a hand presses down on the top edge, the whole unit and the books inside it compressing like soft foam to two thirds of its height, the shelves bowing and the spines squeezing together, then the shelf springing back up and swaying twice before it settles, the wall, floor and light unchanged, locked camera

A car flattens under a giant press while its neighbour stays rigid. a wide shot of two plain unbranded cars parked side by side on a quiet street, an unseen weight presses the near car straight down until it is half its height with the roof dimpling and the panels bulging like soft rubber, then it springs back to full height with a slow wobble, the far car staying rigid and untouched throughout, the kerb and light unchanged, locked wide camera

One brick in a pair squashes while its neighbour stays hard. two identical clay bricks sit side by side on a workbench under a hanging bulb, a hand presses the left brick and it flattens like soft jelly to half its height with its sides bulging and its edges rounding, then springs back with a wobble, while the right brick stays completely hard and still under the same hand pressure, the bench and light unchanged, close side camera

A lamp post narrows under a pinch then snaps back thick. a hand pinches the middle of a cast iron lamp post on a quiet street at dusk and squeezes inward, the metal narrowing like soft dough to a waist with bulges above and below the fingers, then the hand releases and the post snaps back to its original thickness, ripples travelling up the column and fading, the lamp glow and the street unchanged, medium close camera

A heavy garden ornament compresses like jelly and bounces back. a hand reaches into frame and presses down on the head of a painted garden gnome standing on a gravel path, the solid stone compressing like soft jelly to half its height, the surface dimpling around each finger and bulging out at the base, then springing back up as the hand lifts, overshooting taller than it started and wobbling to a stop, gravel and daylight unchanged, close camera

A street bollard flattens under a palm then bobbles upright. a palm presses down on the top of a short concrete street bollard on an empty pavement in flat grey daylight, the bollard compressing like soft rubber to a third of its height with a ring of ripples spreading around its base, then springing back up as the hand lifts, swaying side to side with decreasing wobble until it stands still again, the pavement unchanged, low close camera

A stone statue compresses to half height and springs back to pose. a wide shot of a plain unmarked stone statue on a plinth in an empty courtyard in overcast light, an unseen palm presses the head down and the whole figure compresses like soft jelly to half its height with the shoulders spreading wide and the plinth edge rippling, then it springs back to its original pose, overshoots once and wobbles still, the courtyard unchanged, slow push in

A ceramic mug pinches like putty and snaps back to its shape. two fingers pinch the rim of a plain ceramic mug on a kitchen table in warm window light and pull upward, the ceramic stretching like soft putty into a tall narrow neck with ripples running down it, then the fingers release and the mug snaps back down, the walls wobbling side to side twice before settling into the original shape, the table and tea inside unchanged, close camera

Stone slabs dip like jelly under each step and rebound behind. a wide shot of an adult walking across a plain stone plaza in low sun, each slab dipping like soft jelly under the weight of the step with ripples spreading out to the neighbouring slabs, then rebounding and wobbling to a stop once the foot has moved on, the walk staying at a steady ordinary pace, the plaza and the long shadows unchanged, tracking camera alongside

A helmet squashes down to the ears and pops back to shape. an adult stands calmly on a plain building site in a yellow hard hat, a hand presses the crown of the helmet and the rigid shell compresses like soft jelly down over the ears with ripples running around its brim, the head and face staying completely normal and unchanged, then the shell springs back up, overshoots slightly and wobbles to a stop, static camera at head height