Short Film Analysis Essay
C3 Short Film Analysis
Curfew (Shawn Christensen, 2012) - 19 minutes
The stunning short-film 'Curfew', directed by Shawn Christensen, follows protagonists Richie (played by director Shawn Christensen) and his niece Sophia on their night out together. Prior to this Richie is contemplating suicide as a way to escape his seemingly empty life but he receives a call from his estranged sister asking if he can watch her daughter Sophia. Richie takes Sophia out and the two get to know each other, talking a lot about Richie's issues/past and why they aren't close anymore. As the night goes by the two make a connection that ultimately convinces Richie not to take his own life. The film deals with intense themes such as suicide and the concept of self-worth and shows nicely how a simple connection can be worth so much.
The film showcases few yet powerful narrative techniques. We see the use of jump-cuts time and time again, initially when Richie is on his way to pick up Sophia and again right near the end of the film when Richie is getting back into his bath. We also see an interesting hallucination of Richie's about 11 minutes into the film. These techniques coupled with the constant references to drugs elude to a disconnect Richie has with reality, we get the impression that he doesn't function the way a normal person should function and are hinted as to why (the potential drug usage). As well as being entertaining to see, these narrative features do a significant deal for the film by way of making us sympathise and connect with Richie as a passive viewer as many viewers will recognise their own insecurities and failures within his character.
The narrative structure of this film is very much linear and fits in well with the three act structure. Initially we meet Richie and get to make our own impression of him and his situation. His sister Maggie then calls and asks him to look after her daughter and his niece, Sophia. We then see Richie get ready and go pick up Sophia for their night out. The characters have all been introduced, we understand why these characters have come together and what they will be doing, the scene is set. The second and longest act has Richie, the main protagonist, overcome the narrative barrier that of his negative image and form a lasting bond with Sophia. For the third and final act we see Richie drop off Sophia back home where he has an uncomfortable interaction with his sister. Maggie clearly isn't fond of him and attempts to send him away but Richie's speech and newfound connection with Sophia causes her to change her mind and ask Richie if he can help look after Sophia from time to time, giving him a sense of purpose which ultimately saves his life.
Beyond the structure we also see binary opposition between the two leads due to their contrasting personalities. Richie seems to be very lost and depressed whereas Sophia is very intelligent and aware. The idea that this girl has her life more intact than her adult uncle is a fun binary opposition/concept to play around with. Other binary oppositions include; boy vs girl, child vs adult, happy vs sad etc. I also noticed the opening and closing scenes were the exact same, a common convention for short films.
Curfew had a lot to say for film form, the mis en scene and cinematography being especially powerful. Right at the beginning of the film we see Richie covered in blood with a blade and some cigarettes. These three are common props for mis en scene and elude to the ill-being of Richie, setting up the tone for the rest of the drama. It was also interesting to see Richie being told he cannot smoke shortly before meeting Sophia for the first time, as if to say that the ill-being symbolised by the cigarette was rejected as Sophia would help him to get onto a better track in life, which eventually happens. Richie smokes progressively less as he gets on more with Sophia until eventually she tells him not to smoke, this is the last time we see Richie smoking. The film for the most part takes place in a very dark setting with people wearing dull clothing to symbolise the mood Richie has, this is however sharply contrasted by Maggie and Sophia's home which is very bright, resembling a sort of hope Richie cannot find anywhere else. The cinematography was another strong point. The camerawork consisted mostly of medium close-ups, keeping the focus mainly on our characters as to create emotion and sympathy for them but also allowing us to get a feel for the setting. The dark lighting used in most scenes is a strong tool which is symbolic of Richie's mindset. The sound was mostly diegetic as to keep us in line with the characters. Because we could all hear the same things it created a more realistic atmosphere. The performance was also great, both Richie and and Sophia were portrayed well and more so were relatable characters who drew sympathy.
The film showcases few yet powerful narrative techniques. We see the use of jump-cuts time and time again, initially when Richie is on his way to pick up Sophia and again right near the end of the film when Richie is getting back into his bath. We also see an interesting hallucination of Richie's about 11 minutes into the film. These techniques coupled with the constant references to drugs elude to a disconnect Richie has with reality, we get the impression that he doesn't function the way a normal person should function and are hinted as to why (the potential drug usage). As well as being entertaining to see, these narrative features do a significant deal for the film by way of making us sympathise and connect with Richie as a passive viewer as many viewers will recognise their own insecurities and failures within his character.
The narrative structure of this film is very much linear and fits in well with the three act structure. Initially we meet Richie and get to make our own impression of him and his situation. His sister Maggie then calls and asks him to look after her daughter and his niece, Sophia. We then see Richie get ready and go pick up Sophia for their night out. The characters have all been introduced, we understand why these characters have come together and what they will be doing, the scene is set. The second and longest act has Richie, the main protagonist, overcome the narrative barrier that of his negative image and form a lasting bond with Sophia. For the third and final act we see Richie drop off Sophia back home where he has an uncomfortable interaction with his sister. Maggie clearly isn't fond of him and attempts to send him away but Richie's speech and newfound connection with Sophia causes her to change her mind and ask Richie if he can help look after Sophia from time to time, giving him a sense of purpose which ultimately saves his life.
Beyond the structure we also see binary opposition between the two leads due to their contrasting personalities. Richie seems to be very lost and depressed whereas Sophia is very intelligent and aware. The idea that this girl has her life more intact than her adult uncle is a fun binary opposition/concept to play around with. Other binary oppositions include; boy vs girl, child vs adult, happy vs sad etc. I also noticed the opening and closing scenes were the exact same, a common convention for short films.
Curfew had a lot to say for film form, the mis en scene and cinematography being especially powerful. Right at the beginning of the film we see Richie covered in blood with a blade and some cigarettes. These three are common props for mis en scene and elude to the ill-being of Richie, setting up the tone for the rest of the drama. It was also interesting to see Richie being told he cannot smoke shortly before meeting Sophia for the first time, as if to say that the ill-being symbolised by the cigarette was rejected as Sophia would help him to get onto a better track in life, which eventually happens. Richie smokes progressively less as he gets on more with Sophia until eventually she tells him not to smoke, this is the last time we see Richie smoking. The film for the most part takes place in a very dark setting with people wearing dull clothing to symbolise the mood Richie has, this is however sharply contrasted by Maggie and Sophia's home which is very bright, resembling a sort of hope Richie cannot find anywhere else. The cinematography was another strong point. The camerawork consisted mostly of medium close-ups, keeping the focus mainly on our characters as to create emotion and sympathy for them but also allowing us to get a feel for the setting. The dark lighting used in most scenes is a strong tool which is symbolic of Richie's mindset. The sound was mostly diegetic as to keep us in line with the characters. Because we could all hear the same things it created a more realistic atmosphere. The performance was also great, both Richie and and Sophia were portrayed well and more so were relatable characters who drew sympathy.
The Gunfighter (Eric Kissak, 2014) - 9 minutes
'The Gunfighter', directed by Eric Kissak, is a short Western film featuring a very unusual narrator to carry the plot. This unique take on the classic genre presents a lot of opportunities for the movie to create humour and poke fun at itself. The plot of this film is relatively simple as to focus more on the laughs and uncertainty that the Narrator brings. A lone gunman enters a bar only to hear a voice speaking very publicly about who he is and what he's been up to. Upon inspection he, and the rest of the saloon's customers, realise that there is a seemingly omniscient entity in the room.
By far the most standout aspect of this film is it's big narrative feature, the Narrator. A stereotype in the Western genre is to have somebody narrate over the story, the Gunfighter is largely about poking fun at this stereotype by having the narrator be diegetic and problematic, constantly agitating and misleading the characters.This single narrative technique is the base of everything great in the Gunfighter.
The narrative structure of the film is extremely simple as a result of the Narrator being the focus point of the short. Apart from the structure being linear there is nothing to the structure beyond a gradual progression of anger. Although it does feature the equilibrium, disruption and new equilibrium, there is nothing to be said about any of the typical hero characters or battle for good vs evil. The movie isn't tailored in a way that makes us empathise or support anyone and character development is very minor. This lack of connection to the characters allows them and their differences to be more humorous. The film does however set up interesting binary oppositions such as the powerful vs powerless, god vs man etc. The narrative is closed as most characters are dead by the end so there could be little story left to tell. This closed narrative emphasises the futility of the human's attempt to survive and showcases the true power this entity has over them the whole story.
Throughout the film we saw a lot of guns, alcohol and cowboy hats, close-ups of guns and alcohol specifically were used throughout and became an integral part in creating the atmosphere. The characters all wore stereotypical Western outfits and the whole scene was filmed in a saloon, a common feature of the Western genre. The mis en scene was very accurate. The cinematography was subtle yet effective. Upon the first confrontation between the Gunfighter and the Henderson boys we saw a dolly shot starting on the Gunfighters face and moving onto a two-shot of the Henderson boys. The film featured mainly medium close-ups and two/multi-shots of characters as to create different groups and build a barrier between them, escalating the tension. The sound, apart from a bit of background music in the very beginning, was all diegetic, this was done deliberately as part of the humour. At one point a character, Sally, makes reference to "ominous" music playing as anxiety builds. This is just one example of the movie poking fun at itself and the concept as a whole. The music being almost entirely diegetic also helped in separating the movie from a drama and shifting it into more of a comedy. The performance was great, every character was made fun at in some way and was used as a vehicle for laughter which was one of the overall aims of the movie. I did not notice any significant editing techniques although considering the way the movie was filmed I doubt there was much room at all to use any fancy techniques, the narrative features and film form was enough to carry the movie.
Connect (Samuel Abrahams, 2010) - 5 minutes
'Connect' the short film by Samuel Abrahams, shows us the mind of a commuter on her monotonous journey with public transport. As far as short films go, this one is exceptionally short so there was not the full roster of techniques and quirks to be seen but what the film did, it did well. The film made use of some 'imaginary' scenes created by the protagonist, these illusions are a relatable attempt to find a sense of joy or meaning in an otherwise dull task, the commute. Apart from the fact the structure was linear and left open, there is not much to say about classic narrative structures being present here. Throughout the short this woman connects with a fellow passenger, they admirably begin develop a bond in a very impersonal place. When he departs the bus we are left with a sense that they may meet again. This open ending is a nice touch and accurately conveys the repetition of this ritual but how it may not be a bad thing, we are left wanting to know more about these two people. This uncomfortable commute is a very relatable experience. The mis en scene was quite generic with the exception of a gun imagined by our protagonist. This gun has an interesting impact as it momentarily creates an enigma in that we ask ourselves if this will be a crime drama, upon realising it's not real, although shocking, we can empathise with the wanting for something interesting to occur. The cinematography included mainly extreme or medium close-ups of people/symbols to create a sort of claustrophobic feel reminiscent of an actual bus journey. The sound was diegetic for the protagonist but not for the other travellers, as to give us a feel of being in her head and seeing things from her perspective. The performance was good, downplayed but that goes with the loneliness of these journeys. I did not notice and special editing techniques.
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