Studying Short Films

  Recently our class has been studying different camera angles and movements with the different shot sizes in more depth so we can apply all of the techniques to several short films that we come to analyse. One short film that we used this on is 'The Dipper' which is full of various camera movements and shot sizes, this is good because it gives us loads to write about and we can deconstruct certain areas of the film that are important.

Here is a link to 'The Dipper' : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtZ9fCwux64

Throughout the short film there are many techniques used all to create a sense of enigma towards the viewer. It starts of with a man speaking to what we know as a voice over, we don't know who is speaking until we get a zoomed in camera movement which lets the viewer focus ont the dipper himself, this emphasises him leaning against the wall so we get a sense that he must be a main character.

The voice overs throughout the short films signify the Dipper's thoughts and observations without him saying it out loud. At the start we hear car engines passing through the streets and then the diagetic sound of an ambulance beeping, this creates enigma because the audience feels unease and we want to know what has happened.

There are several panning shots following everyday people in town very busy and doing everyday chores. As the Dipper talks we see close ups of people's items and there 'goods' to emphasise the fact that the Dipper is observing what they have on them.

 For insatnce, a close up shot of a mans gold watch to highlight if it is expensive or not, the Dipper describes it as 'fake' and so he moves to observe the next person. While this is happening there is upbeat non diagetic music that creates tension, the build up adds to the enigma.

Next, there is a zoom drawing the viewers eyes in to a designer Dolce & Gabanna bag that the Dipper has been observing,  the non diagetic sound in the background is a heart beating, this slows down the pace and it entices the viewer to want to know what is in the bag, what is inside that is so imprtant?

    I like the wording on the shots for example the image of the bag says 'happiness', this represents what the Dipper must be thinking as he knows it looks expensive so wants to take whatever might be in that bag. It's a clever way of letting the onlooker know what the Dipper is about to do or thinking.

There is a clever screen shot which splits the screen in half, by this we see the Dipper himself and the victim whom he is following, we get to see what both characters are doing at the same time without edits from character to character.

Half way through the shirt film, the Dipper gets caught by a police man, there is a tilt shot which creates enigma because we see the woman he just stole from standing and looking pleased with herself. The camera tilts upwards and in the background she is stood on a hill looking more powerful, we get the sense that she had it planned all along, this therefore adds more tension and confusion.

The short film then replays again from the begining but this time it's from the woman's point of view and how she has been observing the Dipper all this time. It confuses the viewer as we don't know whether she is the one who set the dipper being caught. It becomes clear as to why there was an ambulance at the start.

There are questions at the end that the audience wants answers too for example we want to know is it the woman that knew and planned for the Dipper to rob the purse or was it just a coincidance?

The Sandman, (1992) Short Film, Directed by Paul Berry.

 The Sandman 1992 short film is a chilling representation of a European story character.

 Starting by a close up view of the moon which tracks a hillside landscape, the camera leads to an establishing shot of a cottage during the night time to give the sense of a misty atmosphere. While zooming in through the window leading inside the cottage there is diagetic sound of a clock ticking to which we see a woman sewing and a small pale boy maybe the womans son, banging some play drums moving along with the sound of the clock by the fireplace. The viewer then actually see's the clock with a long shot and as well the clock is associated with the moon which we have already seen once before at the begining of the short film.

By this point already the viewer feels a sense of mystery and tension. There is a high angle shot looking down from the top of the stairs at the boy with a candle in his hand, this could maybe signify a sense of protection for the boy as he is alone in the dark. The staircase itself gives off a gothic feel to the short film as everything is dark and weary. In addition, the effect of shadows throughout also add to the horror feel.

There is several point of view shots to make the viewers see and feel how the boy might be feeling. For instance when he looks up the stairs, it shows us his view and how long he has to walk upstairs for, this signifies a atmosphere that is empty so would be scared to walk up there alone. When the boy is walking up the stairs there is a birds eye view looking down on the boy at the top of the stairs finally and how long he had to walk up them.

The boys bed in the middle of the room is isolate with nothing around it, this could represent the fact that he is alone and feeling very vunerable and also that he has no where to hide. 
   
  
 This shot shows the isolation of the boy and we see the moon in the background through the windows, this creates the impression that maybe the sandman is watching over him whilst he sleeps alone and there is no protection. The fact that the window is open makes the viewer at unease and implies a sense of enigma to what is about to happen to the boy. 




 There is a tracking camera movement from when the boy gets into bed which then move upwards to a close up of the moon. At this point the viewer does not know what the moon represents but we know it has something to do with it.  

The Sandman himself represents the actual moon, his face is the same shape of the moon. Although he looks like the moon we can tell that the sandman is not at all kind, he consists of cold colours like white and light blue. These colours are not typical colours that you would pick to make someone feel safe and warm so instead it signifies the fact that he is evil and got a cold heart. The sharp facial features and the yellow evil eyes represent what a bad character looks like.