Seconds

This short film is about the choices we make in the seconds of our life. The
narrative consists of a man who describes how many seconds there are in life and
he chooses to talk to a woman, they end up being together and we as the
audience can see their relationship and different pictures of them being together.
However, the soundtrack on the back still talks about the seconds in life and
flashbacks to the place where they met and the scene changes. He chooses not to
speak to her then all the pictures of them vanish and their relationship is gone.
The structure is following the mans life and him speaking to her, then if he doesnt.
the structure has a high degree of narrative closure. The scenes follow one
another and makes sense, also the ending ties in with the overall message that we
choose what to do with our time. Split decisions within a second can change your
whole life, we return to the starting scene which provides narrative closure.
The director created meaning such as empathy and compassion for the characters
throughout personal touch. The director begins with several close ups of the mans
things as we follow his day with him. These micro elements allow us as the
audience to have compassion with the character. Applying this to Pam Cooks
theory we achieve centrality of the narrative agency of fully rounded characters.
Also, the technique of using flashback photographs of their relationship as they
stay together is a clever macro element to the text. It allows a linear narrative and
provides temporal and spacial relations around their relationship.
I believe this text was made for a wide range of audience. Most likely from
ages 16+ because it is about the choices we make within the time we live
and how it can lead to something greater. I think this text was very
effective because it shows the two paths where you can go making
decisions. The mis en scene and cinematography shows a life of typical
people which creates a social realism. The various mid shots and micro
elements such as photographs of them both create an underlying value
that dont waste the seconds in your life by not doing something you could
that will lead you to greater happiness.