Short Film Analysis

 

Over

Film form:

The film plays backwards starting with the cleaning process all the way up to the main event to keep the spectator waiting as it creates mystery and excitement. The clever cinematography immerses the viewer the whole way through without manipulating the way the film is interpreted. The film typically has still shots to create a dramatic effect, as the things in shot have been placed in our vision to be interpreted but without being explained to us as to why they are there. Some scenes, such as the cleaning up of the blood, look like handheld shots to create a feeling of being in the scene and to make the scene appear real. The use of natural sounds such as slow wind, dog barking and car alarms makes the film appear real and gives the impression that the scenes are natural & progressive. The aesthetic of the film is great because the film is a mysterious crime scene, where early on we see a couple with some flowers, which leaves you guessing “has someone died”? Then it goes on to a clean-up crew then onto police to gradually build up ideas for the audience, however when it is finally revealed it isn’t what the spectators expected.

Narrative:

The film is placed in a logical order however we are left not knowing what to expect. In the early parts, we see a couple visit some flowers, which originally makes us think that someone may have died there or nearby.  Then a few hours later it goes onto the clean-up crew and police, and again it makes you wonder might have happened for there to be a clean-up in the street. As it progresses it shows a man who discovers the body whilst out walking his dog and it gives ideas as to what might have happened but doesn’t give any clues as to what caused the death. The structure was clever as it kept a logical and a reverse-chronology order.

 

Operator

The film is based around a call operator for a fire service handling a mother with her young child being stuck in a fire, and ensuring the mother and child are calm and can get put safely and efficiently. The narrative starts with the operator at work, when the mother calls with her problem, it shows the spectators a real life situation in an intense way.

Echo

This short film is based around a desperate girl who selfishly decided to use a valid disability as a way to steal from her own family and friends. This short film uses many medium and close-up shots to make sure the audience is always kept intrigued and to keep a strong narrative of the impact that this scam is having on the girls mental health over time. The lighting is natural, which may represent the emotions shes feeling being her actual real reactions. The audio is mostly diegetic, again it could be representing her emotions through the narrative and film form. Most scenes are shot outside, which helps with relatability. This short focusses on unemployed and working-class people as to shoe that when people are desperate they may take advantage of people they care for, or even random people. This creates a viewpoint that all working class people are like this using mise-en-scene, cinematography and effective editing. I think this film is an intriguing way to show how someone may deal with grief, through sneaky needs when desperation forces