Short Film Analysis

Release: 27th Jan

Length: 7:52
Title: Tunnel
The first short film that I will be analysing for my short film analysis is one
called ‘Tunnel’. The short film starts off with superimposed text which
connotes the production company who made the film and also the title of the
film, it is used during the opening film as it is conventional to use your credits
either at the start or the end of the film so that they audience can gain an
understanding of who has made the shot film. As the short film moves
forward, we see a long take
used for the first shot of the film
as the guy in the film is parking
up in a forest ready to explore it.
It then cuts to a range of various
different shots ranging from long
shots, establishing shots and
extreme long shots to connote
the guy moving through different
parts of the forest. It can also be
established that the guy is a photographer through the use of props in the film
as the guy is taking photographs around the forest. Whilst the audience are
seeing the guy move through the woods, they hear a voice over of one of the
guy’s friends ringing asking him to come out with them. The use of the voice
over is important for the start of the film as the use of dialogue sets up the
narrative of the film as the audience hears the friend say “don’t get lost” which
later foreshadows what the narrative of the film is about. As the short film
progresses, the audience sees a short reverse shot used as the guy first finds
the tunnel, the use of the tracking shot of the guy walking past the tunnel to
cut to his facial reaction is
important to the audience as it
connotes that he is intrigued by
the tunnel. The use of the long
shot of the tunnel signifies the
action code of the tunnel and
tells the audience that this
tunnel is going to be the main
point of the story of the short
film. As it moves forward, the guy uses a duck caller to create an echo in the
tunnel to which the audience sees a medium close up of his face as he is
about to walk off in the other direction when suddenly the sound of the calling
comes back from inside of the
tunnel and the use of the
medium close up signifies the
guy’s fear as he hears his
caller being used back to him.
The use of the exaggerated
sound of the duck caller is
used to signify the echo and
connotes that the tunnel is
deeper than it looks. We cut
back to the medium close up of the guy as he goes to blow the duck caller for
a third time until the caller echo’s back to him without him blowing, the tension
of this is reinforced through the use of suspenseful incidental music when the
callers get echoed back to the guy and the shot stays in a medium close up to
signify the fear in the guy’s face. As the film continues, the audience sees an
extreme long shot of the guy
walking into the tunnel as it
turns to a fade to black which
connotes that he is walking
through the tunnel. As the guy
is walking out the tunnel we
see a POV shot of him looking
at where he started as this
should not have happened
since he went through the
tunnel. It is further signified through the use of a sting as we get the POV shot
of him starting back where he was previously. The sound of the incidental
music starts to get more suspenseful as we see the guy go back into the
tunnel and come back out the same place again and the fear from the guy is
signified through a close up of his face looking scared that he is stuck. As the
film continues, the audience sees a use of different extreme long shots of the
guy walking in the forest identically the the way he walked before getting to
the tunnel which connotes that he is trying to escape but ends up always
finding himself back at the tunnel. The use of the incidental music used is key
to this film as it creates that tension for the audience and they can also hear it
building up as he tries to find a way out which connotes that it is building up to
something. We see the pace of editing and the incidental music of the film
both match in pace as it starts to get quicker as the guy is trying to find a way
out. We can see from the use of quick cuts of the big close ups of his face
looking scared and stressed to the long shots of him running that he is trapped
in this endless loop of ending up back to the tunnel and as the build up in
music comes to a halt we see a cut to black. As it comes back to the film we
see long shots and extreme long
shots from both outside and inside
of the tunnel of the guy crying as
he can’t find his way out as the guy
hears the duck caller once again
from the tunnel. As the guy hears
the duck caller once again, the
audience sees a close up of the
guy’s face as he looks blank in the
face which has connotations that
he has given up and tries to find answers from within the tunnel which can be
further reinforced through the long shot of the guy’s silhouette as he walks
towards the camera which cuts it to black once again. The use of music used
as the guy is walking towards the camera has connotations of calmness which
could signify that the only way the guy can get out of this is if he goes into the
tunnel. As we get the the final part of the film, the audience sees the guy’s
camera and bag on the floor and someone coming up the the bag not in focus
which creates enigmas for the audience as it makes them question who this
person is and where the other guy has gone as he has not returned from the
tunnel. As the person is looking at the guy’s stuff he hears the sound effect of
the duck caller and goes inside the tunnel to look. As he is walking to the
tunnel we see a medium close up of the guy’s hat on the floor which further
connotes that he has not been seen since he entered the tunnel. During the
final shot, the audience sees a long take POV shot of the guy looking around
the tunnel and the use of natural
low key lighting creates more
suspense for the audience. The
use of of exaggerated sound
effects of the water dripping from
the ceiling and also is feet
squelching on the floor which
creates a more tense atmosphere
for the audience and as the film
comes to an end we see a pan left
as the new guy sees the previous guy in the tunnel and as he turns around the
audience sees that the guy has blood around his eyes which connote that
something has happened to him whilst in the tunnel.

Release: 23rd July

Length: 4:09
Title: The Smiling Man
The second film that I will be analysing for my short film analysis is called ‘The
Smiling Man’. The film starts with a fade from black as the audience first gets
a glimpse of the main protagonist in the film in a medium close up. As the shot
continues we see the superimposed text of the production company appear on
the screen as this is not only conventional for a film but it connotes to the
audience of the production company
that created this short film. The
audience sees the mise en scene of
the film as they see the natural low
key lighting used to connote that it is
past sociable hours and also adds
to the horror theme of the film. The
use of the lamp posts creating a
spotlight effect on the pavement further connotes the horror theme of the film
and creates a tense atmosphere for the audience. We see the superimposed
text of ‘2AM’ to signify to the audience the time frame of the film which follows
by the first interaction we see of the antagonist ‘smiling man’ as he is seen in
long shot as he starts stepping
closer and closer to the guy. The
shot reverse shot of the man's
reaction and the smiling man
connotes that the guy gets
uncomfortable which can be seen
during the the second reverse shot
of the guy’s face. The creepy
incidental music as the guy walk’s
away from the smiling man further
creates that tense atmosphere for the audience and keeps them on the edge
of their seat. As we move further into the film, the use of a sting is used as the
guy turns around to find the smiling man stood behind him which signifies the
genre of the film further but also creates jump scares for the audience. We see
a medium close up with a low aperture setting of the guy walking away from
the smiling man but the use of the background of the shot being out of focus
leaves the audience on edge and creates enigmas for the audience on where
the smiling man is and is he still following the guy. As we get a mid shot of the
guy’s reaction to seeing the smiling man once again the audience also hears
the incidental music go higher as
the smiling man stands up and
walks weirdly towards the guy.
The audience also hears the use
of sound effects of people
screaming as the smiling man is
walking more towards the guy
which connotes that maybe the
guy is not the first victim of the
smiling man. As the smiling man gets closer to the guy we hear the incidental
music cut off which creates an eerie atmosphere for the audience and also
creates tension between the two characters as the audience don’t know
what’s going to happen which is seen by the audience through a shot reverse
shot used between the smiling man and the guy. As we get towards the final
part of the film, after the interaction between the characters we get a close up
as the guy walks away but as he turns his back the audience hears the
exaggerated sound effect of footsteps fastly coming towards him which is
followed by a long shot of the smiling man running towards the guy. It is also
followed with a fast paced incidental music which connotes to the audience
that there is going to be a chase and puts the audience on the edge of their
seat. The use of handheld camera work as the guy is running away from the
smiling man connotes how the guy is panicking and creates that realism in the
shot as us as spectators align with the character of the person running away.
The use of the exaggerated sound effect of the heart beat further connotes the
panic of the guy and creates a tension for the audience as they are unsure if
the guy has lost him or not. As
the film ends, we see a tracking
shot of the guy looking up to see
the smiling man looking at him,
the use of the sting of the music
during this shot connotes to the
audience that it is the end of the
line for the guy and that
something bad is going to
happen to him. The film however is left on an open ending as it cuts to black
on the smiling man’s face which leaves the audience in suspense to what has
happened to the guy.
Release: 11th November
Length: 3:30
Title: Afraid
The third short film that I will be analysing for my short film analysis is one
called ‘afraid’. The film starts off with very dramatic incidental music which
connotes the theme of the film and grabs the audience’s attention instantly.
The first shot the audience sees in the film is an establishing shot of the shop
that the woman works in which gives the audience an understanding of the
character. The use of a long take is used as the woman is closing the shop up
but the use of dramatic incidental
music behind this shot leaves the
audience in suspense as it leaves
them questioning on what’s going
to happen to the woman. As the
film moves forward, we see a
crabbing shot as the woman is on
her way home followed by a long
shot of a group of 4 guy’s walking
towards her direction. The use of
the exaggerated sound effect of police sirens connote there being an
uncomfortable atmosphere in the film which is also further reinforced through
the incidental music. The natural low key lighting used at the start of the film
connotes the uncomfortable feeling of the film for the spectator so far. As the
woman gets closer to the group of guy’s we see a close up of the woman’s
face as she put’s her ear phones in which signifies that she does not want to
be bothered by the men and we also see her walking faster which also
connotes her fear of being
stopped by the group. The
audience hears a distorted
incidental music playing which
raises in volume as the audience
sees the mid shot of one of the
men barging into the woman. As
the man barges into the woman
the audience hears a deafening
sound to the big close up of her
dropping her keys which could connote that the barge from the man threw her
off. Following up from this shot we see an over the shoulder shot as the
woman stands up to see a dark hodded fighure stood infront of her which
creates a jump scare for the audience. The use of the sting as the woman
comes to contact with the dark figure signifies the fear of the woman and also
creates a jump scare for the
audience. As the audience sees
the medium close up of the
woman scrambling the use of the
incidental music get’s higher
which creates a tense
atmosphere for the audience and
signifies that something may
happen to the woman and the
use of the mediu close up
connotes to the audience the fear that the woman has on her face after seeing
this figure. Following this, the audience see a long shot of the woman as she
looks back up to see nothing infront of her whichcould connote to the
audience that it could be in her head. The incidental music cutting off as we
see the long shot of the woman with no dark figure in front of her which could
connote to the audience that it is all in her head. As the short film continues,
the audience hears the use of ambient sound used as the woman walks
towards the car park. The use of the ambient sound of the wind against the
leafs and the police sirens creates a tense atmosphere for the audience and
puts the audience on the edge of
their seats. As the woman walks
into the car park there is a
medium long shot used showing
her between two elevators and
the use of non diageitc sound
effect of a creepy horn used to
connote the elevators going down
which connotes a creepy
atmosphere. As she is waiting for
the elevator there is a high angle medium close up of the woman looking
around which connotes how she is paranoid since seeing the black figure and
creates tension for the audience. The tension is further seen through a over
the shoulder shot of the woman on her phone with a notification saying ‘no
service’, this further adds to the tension from the audience as they question
what is going to happen to the woman. As the doors of the elevator open there
is a long shot as there is a hooded figure waiting for the woman on the other
side and the use of the incidental scary music as we see the hodded figure
which creates that scary aspect to film . The use of a glitch editing style as the
man goes from a long shot to a
mid shot creates a jumpscare for
the audience which keeps them
on edge. We see the reaction of
the woman through a big close
up which let’s the audience see
her expression and connotes how
scared she is of this figure. As we
go a mid shot of the woman
scrambling to press the buttons,
we see the same long shot used to show the hooded man again expect this
time there is no figure which could connote that it is all in her head and
creates these different engimas for the audience as it makes them question if
this hooded figure is real or not. The use of the exaggerated sound effect of
the woman breathing further connotes how scared she is of the hooded figure.
As the film comes to an end, the audience can see the tension rise in the film
through key parts of the closing of the film as the audience can hear the use of
non diageitc piercing sound followed by extreme close ups of the womans
eyes fixated on the door and a extreme close up of her mouth as she breathes
heavily which connotes how scared she is and the use of them cancelling out
the sound apart from her heavy breathing creates a high tension for the
audience and makes the audience scared for the woman. The tracking shot of
the woman fastly walking to her car further connotes how scared she is and
there is a use of fast paced incidental music to mirror what is happening in the
film. To end the film, there is a
medium close of up the woman in
her car as the lights go out and
hands at the back of her pull her
back in her chair which is
followed by a cut to black which
connotes that she has been
captured and keeps the audience
on their seat as it is left on an
open ending as the audience do
not get to know what happen to the women.

Release: 1st May

Length: 3:01
Title: Make me a sandwich
The fourth and final short film that I will be analysing for my short film analysis
is a film called “make me a sandwich”. The film starts off with the
superimposed text of the title of
the short film being “make me a
sandwich” this is used as it
makes the short film
conventional for the audience.
The first shot of the film we see
is a close up of a guy screaming
“where’s my sandwich” to which
it cuts to an over the shoulder
long shot of the woman quickly
walking over the to man with the sandwhich. These first two shots instantly
connote to the audience that theman in this relationship has all of the power
and that the woman is spoken down to and shroud at when the man does not
get his sandwich. The use of exaggerated sound effects of the guy’s lips
smacking together followed with the extreme close up of his lips signifies to
the audience that the man in this short film is an annoying character who the
woman is afraid of upsetting. We see a mid shot of Marcy making the man
another sandwhich following the diagetic sound of the man’s voice shouting
“make me another sandwich”, this further signifies how Marcy is scared of the
man and that she has no voice in the marriage and just goes along with what
he says. As Marcy is making the sandwich, we see an big close up of her
putting washing up liquid in the man’s sandwich which makes us an audience
question their relationship and makes us feel sympathy for Marcy as she does
not want to be controlled by her
husband anymore. The audience
once again hears the man shout
“make me another sandwich” as
Marcy is seen in the doing her
knitting again which connotes to
the audience that she get’s
mithered to do things for the man
constantly throughout which
further creates the sympathetic
tone from the audience. As Marcy is making the third sandwich, we see a
close up of Marcy’s facial expression as she looks in disgust after hearing her
husband say “what part of a sandwich do you not understand”. This is
followed by a zoom in close up of the dog litter tray which creates action
codes for the audience as they know that Marcy is going to use the dog litter
in her husbands food. As the
audience sees the long shot of
Marcy slowly walking up to her
husband with the sandwich it is
followed by the close up of the
man inhaling the sandwich
followed by the exaggerated
sound effects of his lips
smacking together which creates
disgust in the audience as we
know what the woman has done to the sandwich. As Marcy gets shouted at by
her husband for the third time, the use of the midshot as she throws her
knitting equipment to the ground connotes her frustration with her husband
and how she is sick of it. The mise en scene of the kitchen is seen as quite
scruffy to the audience as we see a lot of dirty plates and bowls around in the
kitchen and also all of the crumbs on the counter which connotes to the
audience that not many jobs get done around the house and that it is only
Marcy who ever does anything helpful around the house. As Marcy is making
her third sandwich, there is a mid shot of her dropping the mayo followed by a
intense incidental muisc. The incidental music is carried on as we a big close
up of a shard of glass being put into the husbands sandwich by Marcy which
could connote that she is sick of him ordering her around and making her do
everything around the house. The extreme close up of the husband eating the
sandwich followed by the sound
effect of the glass crunching as
he takes a bite makes the
audience feel uncomfortable and
this can be further reinforced as
we see a close up of the
husband bleeding through his
mouth. As the film comes to a
close, the audience once again
hears Marcy’s husband shout
“make me another sandwich” but as she goes towards her husband there is
the use of the diagetic sound of flies which is then followed by a close up of a
deceased skeleton which connotes the man has passed away. However, it
could also be interprated in a different way as the audience sees different
close ups of piles of sandwiches not eaten which could suggest that her
husband died a while ago and she keeps making his favourite sandwich for
her sanity. As the scene comes to a close, the audience sees the woman
having back and fourth conversations with herself which could further suggest
that she is going crazy and could back up how she has been making
sandwiches for a while even though her husband has passed.