At first I was trying for a shot with no shadows and discovered that the shadows made the whole thing much more interesting. You live and learn (I certainly do ;-)
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This is a very strong composition, and I like it alot.
I might have tried three things differently. The strong diagonal lines that are created by both the negative roll and the shadow it casts are great. However, I might have cropped a little tighter on the right side. If you notice just a few milemeters of white space exists in the bottom left, as the negative roll fades out of the frame. In the top right, several milemiters of white space exist. I think that is throwing the composition out of whack, like the photo is too long for it's width.
I also might have rolled the marble a little more into the lower third. Cropping the right side would have moved the marble into a more dynamic position as well, but I think you would gain a seperation from the shadows cast by the film and the marble by creating some extra distance. Never underestimate the rule of thirds. Put that marble on the cross-hairs.
The last suggestion is to tone down or crop out the reflection on the film roll that is creating a sharp bright triangle just to the left of the marble. It definately draws my eye, and almost looks like the film is cut. I think without that competing distraction your unrelated subjects would contrast more.
One of my favorites, even though it relies on the title to help us see a connection (i.e. the "make some sort of sense out of their combination" part).
I just love the clean simplicity and the play of shadow and light. 9
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