Institutional Information:
I found this short film on the website shortoftheweek.com. This short film is a unique third-person perspective of an insight into a paranoid over-thinker as he tries to get over his anxieties in everyday life. This short was made in the USA, directed by Paul Trillo and produced by Big Block. This shormt film is a branded film and was created for Olympus as part of their Point of View Series using the OM-D Camera. The director Paul Trillo recently won 'The One Show's One To Watch' and the 30 Under 30 Film Festival's Director To Watch' award.
Narrative Technique:
This short film uses one continuous camera angle throughout the film as the director's aim was for the audience to experience the film from a similar point-of-view as the main character. The whole film is linked together with a voice over, this represents the characters paranoid thoughts and explains what the character is thinking based on his surroundings. This short does not follow Todorov's film theory with an equilibrium followed by a disruption which is then resolved at the end. The majority of this film fits into a linear narrative however towards the end of the film there are some flashbacks.
Shots:
This short film uses the same camera angle and shot throughout. This is a wide angle mid shot located from behind the main character giving us an almost point-of-view shot of his day. This wide angle shot from behind works better than an actual point-of-view shot as the focus of the short film is on the nervous actions of the paranoid character. If we saw the world from his eyes we wouldn't be able to see his reactions to things that make him nervous. For example at 1:04, when the lady on the left of the shot on the subway carriage looks up at him while he is wondering what game she is playing, he quickly turns his head away embarrassed. From this angle we get to see the actions and movements of the character which add to and help explain the paranoid voice over we hear, this is achieved through the OM-D camera which was used to capture the short film.
This camera angle used is also effective through the way the background blurs as the man turns and looks behind him. Many times throughout the short film the man looks behind him or looks from side to side to check whats behind him or whether he is going the right way. The fact that the background blurs with this movement adds to the idea that he is doing these actions because he is paranoid and anxious. It gives the effect that he is dazed as he is so overly conscious of everything he is doing.
This camera angle also allows the background the quickly change around the man while he still remains the same in every shot. This could represent how the world is constantly moving around him while he is staying the same due to his irrational fears which he carries around with him. This shot is also well correlated with the short film as the main character is constantly talking in the voiceover about how he feels like someone is behind him watching him, this could be dismissed as his paranoid thoughts however it could also be interpreted as the audience behind him watching him.
Right at the end of the short film the camera rotates and we see a shot of the man from the front. This finishes off the short film as the man is back in the same setting he was in the first shot of the film. This creates the idea that this is his everyday life and the cycle will begin again tomorrow.
Editing:
One interesting editing technique is the sweeping transition used between the flashback of the man after he had filmed a fish finger advert and back to present day as he is thinking about that memory. This is an effective way of linking these two scenes together and making it clear to the audience that this is a different time period. If there had just been a simple cut between these two scenes then it wouldn't have been obvious it wasn't during the same day.
Another prominent editing technique throughout the short film is the quick cuts between different locations. These helps to give the effect of the man's thoughts constantly running round and around in his mind as the location around him is moving quickly. This also adds an underlying tone of urgency to the shots which excels the idea of him being anxious. This is quickened even more towards the end of the short film after the man realises he is being followed, after the slow motion, many short sharp shots are used which blend well with the commentary in the voiceover, this represents him panicking.
Another editing technique used is the slow motion used at 4:20 after the man realises there is a man following him. This slow motion and the extreme blurring of his surroundings represents his thoughts overcoming him. This gives the audience an insight into the panic he is experiencing as he has made the idea of a man following him into something dramatic due his fear of everything. The slow motion and the blurred surroundings greatly resemble the characteristics of a panic attack. The fact that the man isn't blurred in the shot shows how isolated he is from the world due to his fears.
Jump cuts are also used in the short film. One scene in particular is the flashback where the main character meets a girl in the coffee shop. Jump cuts are used to represent time passing as even though the scene is short we as an audience understand that they sat and talked for some time due to this editing technique.
Sound:
The voiceover used in this short film is the main element that makes this film so effective. The voiceover gives the audience an insight into the mind of the main character and as paranoid thoughts as he goes about his day. The tone and pace of the voiceover reflects the panic and dread the character is experiencing. For example the voiceover starts slow and calm in the opening of the short film when he is waking up reflecting his more peaceful mood when at home compared to when he goes outside. As he starts to leave his house the pace quickens as he is about to leave, this show his anxious thoughts increasing, this is shown through the thoughts in the voiceover over-lapping each other. Another example of a technique used to demonstrate his paranoia is at 1:04 when the Women on the train looks at the man, his thoughts all saying 'pretend you're looking at something else', one of the layers we hear is a whisper. This could hint at the idea of him being paranoid that people are listening to his thoughts therefore he whispers them. The voiceover also uses key words such as 'anxious', 'hypochondriac' and 'worry'.
The music in this short film is also a key element. When the main character is calm and the voiceover is slow the music tends to be very slow or there is none at all. However when the voiceover tends to quicken when the character is starting to panic the music picks up and gets a lot louder, almost too loud to hear conversations over the top. This reflects his inability to think clearly as he panics due at small things such as a man looking at him on the underground. Another example of this is during the section when slow motion is used the music gets very loud as he panics and then almost immediately cuts off afterwards. There are also sections in the short film when sharp piano notes are used to be dramatic, an example being after the slow motion, when he turns around again and sees the man behind him. These negative sounds throw the audience off and make them on edge, similar to what the character is experiencing. Throughout the short film the tempo of the music correlates with the events happening which helps set an anxious or calmer tone.
Another element the film maker has used is the use of enhanced sounds in certain scenes. The main example of this is the use of a ticking clock in the background of many scenes. For example you can clearly hear the sound in the opening scene. This adds a sense of urgency and time to the short film creating an anxious tone. Clocks are also used later in the short film at 4:45 as he panics at the man following him.
Mis En Scene:
The main character in the short film is presented wearing a natural toned jacked throughout the majority of the short film. This could be used to display him as an ordinary man who doesn't stand out from the crowd. This could also tie into the idea behind the film with the main character fearing everything when there is no real problem as he is just an ordinary guy. The fact that the main character also lives alone in a house also implies that his fears control his life as they have stopped him from settling down and having a family, leaving him to idealise a girl he met once in a coffee shop as he imagines what if?
Having the short film being set in New York city links well with the idea that the protagonist is paranoid as the city is a very big place where its easy to get lost, you are surrounded by many people and there is so much going on at one time. Busy scenes are also a common feared scenario for many people. This setting clearly adds to the fact that the character is overwhelmed as so many things make him anxious and this is city full of different people all living different lives.
Conclusion:
One particular element of this film that was really effective was the use of a voiceover, this was something Georgie and I had thought about while planning our initial ideas. This film has given me an idea about how you can use the voiceover to display certain moods. This voiceover also carries the film as without it the short wouldn't make sense. I will take what I have learnt from looking at this short film into consideration when planning my own.
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