Love Hate Short(2009) Film-Textual Analysis
The mise-en-scene of costume is of baggy clothes which are bigger than him and therefore seem as if they are wearing him rather than him wearing them and this connotes that he lacks confidence and self-control so a lot of things overwhelm him. This is also reflected in the high angle extreme long shot with him in the middle of the frame which signifies that he is a very small person in a big world therefore connoting that he has very little impact resulting in him being of little importance.
The medium long shot of him are presented with slow pace editing around everyone else with straight cuts briefly showing his collegues then quickly back to him which could signify his lack of energy and failure to keep up with the rest of the world. Also this is presented in the diagetic dialogue where his mode of address is civilised and of a low tone compared to the harsh, quick loud response consisting of inappropriate language which he received back. Despite his lack of 'hate' the mise-en-scene of body language is showing him slouched accompanied by the facial expression of exhaustion and disappointment which could imply that he is at breaking point and that infact he has had enough of way of being.
The two shot with his 'hate' behind him with the mise-en -scene of costume showing her dressed in all black carrying a black umbrella which could connote that she is his dark shadow also she is carrying an umbrella although it's raining could signify how she is out of place when standing next to him perhaps connoting that she is something ( his emotion of hate) that he is trying to keep in the back of his mind. However the non-diagetic voice over of him portraying his inner thoughts says "Joy used to tell me you are a genuinely nice person" but then as a bright picture of 'Joy' blows away he says "not anymore" and this may connote that he used to be joyful and when he was it resulted in him being a nice person however now he no longer feels joy so explaining the sudden appearance of his 'hate' right after 'Joy' goes. When his 'hate' appears the editing is slower to ref;ect how he is attempting to figure out who she is. He does not recognise her at all but feels that he should as the mise-en-scene of facial expression shows his confusion. This could connote that he has never displayed the emotion of hate before although he may have felt it inside therefore he hasn't come to terms with this emotion and if you do not know something or how it is yo u will not know how to control it.
Tom has lost his happiness which is why 'hate' has come to him personified. She builds control over him now that 'Joy' is no longer in his life however he doesn't realise how much of a control the hate part of him has until he's pushed everyone away from him. When finally he cuts out 'hate' out of his life his joy comes back but he still has to deal with what happened when he endured and indulged in hate. This being the breeding of more hate. It can also be taken also be taken as a countdown to his next outburst. The pregnancy of 'Hate' as a character being the wait before he blows up again like he did when 'Hate' first came along. Therefore the moral of the story is to not let your anger and fustration build up otherwise you will explode all at once and release too much hate in one go.
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It begins with a black out shot, in which you can only hear the diagetic sond of their voices 'ooing', this could connote mystery and make the audience intreged to find out what is happening.
Then there is a 'worms eye' view of their hands in a circle alongside digetic sund of which now sounds cheerful and optimistic which could connote that they are wishing for something of which we don't know yet, to go right for them this time.
Their is then a clue from the mise en scene of the characters costume that they may be volunteering or helping out with some sort of charity work due to the name badge tag with the charities name on it, around his neck.
Their is then a long wide shot of the male chracter standing by himself which could connote that maybe he is left to always feel little as the shot is from a high anagle which makes him look small, this could be due to his work. The editing pace seems to be faster when shown on his work colleagues working and slower on him. This could be because maybe they are always quick of the mark to attract an audience and some attention whereas he never knows where to start because everyone seems like they don't want to approach him,even though he tries his hardest.
There is a medium close up of the male character who isn't getting any sales this shows the mise en scene of his facial expression,which shows frustration and a hint of jealousy of his team mates. This reflects the lack of sales his been unable to make. Then straight after there is a close up of one of his colleagues whose mise en scene of his facial expression seems delighted, ecstatic and joyous that its been his 'lucky day' and he's been able to gain some donations/sales. This conveys the film titles meaning Love Hate, because at this moment in time his colleague loves the job and what he's managing to acheive and the main male character hates the fact that nothing is going the way he wants it to and he hasnt made a single sale.
Thre is also a wide establishing shot which could connote where they are which seems to be on a bridge in a 'prestigious area' or even a tourist attraction. There is also over the shoulder editing which helps us to gauge it's a conversation, which is also kept at a 180 degree which makes it easier for us as the audience to follow the conversation.
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Identity
The non-diegetic sound of radio stations changing quickly shows that who ever is controlling it is not sure what they want to listen to. The radio signal's volume starts off low then there is a crescendo as the title identity appears which is presented in a stiff and plain font that could signify no personality being presented but instead a broken individual due to the chipped edges and scratches on the word 'Identity', which could also overshadow how the girl's mask breaks to connote that she can no longer keep up the fake image she is displaying to the outside world. This metaphorically implies to the audience that the mask is what people put on in order to fit in with certain social groups in present society.
A medium close up of her in the bathroom showing the mise-en-scene of the costume being dull and blending in with the grey gloomy colours of the room to signify that she is not confident in herself. Secondly the choice of make up making her appear pale and lifeless may connote how she is not interesting or have an outstanding presence. Also the mise-en-scene of facial expression before she places the mask on her face changes from a smile to a look of disappointment as she acknowledges herself in the mirror which dennotes that she is not happy with what she sees therefore resulting in her putting on the mask. The mask signifies that she is trying to hide who she trully is perhaps so that she doesn't draw attention to herself for people to judge her.
The diegetic dialogue of the teacher refers to humans living as slaves chained in a cave for a lesson on 'Plato's Allegory of the Cave'. This diegetic speech can be seen as a narative for the film because as he spoke the mise-en-scene of the props shows a sketch book that she flicks through with drawings of a little girl sat on her own with a closed posture for body language which could be seen as a representation of her therefore connoting that she is like a slave chained up in a 'cave' called 'Society' due to constantly wanting and longing to be what society thinks we should be and if you are not then you're not good enough for this earth.
The medium close up of the girl and her peers in the classroom scene with a unique mask showing all of them woth the same body language, sitting in exactly the same possition and are all looking down at their desk which connotes that they are like robots so as if they were all programmed to behave in the same way by who controls them, which in this case is soceity
The slow pace editing of her as she walks down the school hallway with a long shot connotes that she is trying to take in and and analyse what she is seeing from her peers. The non-diegetic voice over of the teacher as a narrator talks about slaves being freed.
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Room 8
(James W Griffiths,2013)
The opening sequence of Room 8, begins with quite fast, straight cuts, of close ups of certain parts of what seems to be a prison. There is then a quick pan of the prison again to enable us as the audience to establish where he may be. Connotations of a prison usually involve isolation and confinement in a small space, where you are constantly watched, with no form of escape.
There is quick flash of the short film title 'Room 8' in white against a black background, which when contrasted to the shaky movements of the camera is very stern and certain, in a way that foreshadows, room 8 is the only cell which holds all the answers and is almost certain about what will happen to the new prisoner.
There is a shaky close up of the new prisoner being held aggressively by the prison guard. This could reflect the erratic movements of this and also the uncertainty that he doesn't know what he is going into or what may happen. The mise en scene of his facial expressions convey this because its of blankness and slight anticipation. After this there is a straight cut, on to a close up of the matchbox, alongside a synchronous digetic sound of it shaking violently,before it is picked up and thrown into a draw full of other moving matchboxes. This immediately raises all types of questions in the audiences head such as why there is so many moving matchboxes? Why is it moving by itself? how did it get there? and what is inside it? There is a close up shot of just the man's hand stopping this shaking and picking up the box, this creates more suspicion for us about this person we can't see.
You can constantly hear the ambient sound of what seems like a conversation in the background in Russian, this creates further suspicion and mystery to not only the audience but the new prisoner as well, because he is being put in a prison where only Russian is spoken as the main language. This adds to the secrecy and confusion as to what they may be saying.
In the background there is a non digetic subtle eerily score, which could be reflecting the mystery around this prison and prison cell, this is also accompanied by lots of ambient sounds of the movements in the prison, and almost an echo sense, which makes it more easier for us as the audience to engage in this and focus, because it feels so life like, as if we are in there as well.
As the new prisoner is put in his new cell with the old room-mate which we the audience can only see the back of, through a wide shot. of him at his desk.
The long shot of the new prisoner allows us to see the mise en scene of his costume and body language as he is clenching his hands, which may be reflects his nerves, uncertainty and feeling uncomfortable. He is portrayed here as someone who can easily be manipulated. Also the prison guard's uniform, which is cunningly similar to the colours of the match box, which could be portraying, the constant watching. As soon as the original room mate shuts the drawer full of matchboxes, the prison door slams shut as well. This could be foreshadowing that there is no escape even if you think there is. The new prisoner asks the original room mate what his name is, to which he gives no replies, again hiding his identity, which could be reflecting the genre of mystery and suspicion around his character.
Straight away we can tell that the new prisoner is eager to escape at any cost, and doesn't want to do his 'time'. So as soon as he notices the red box, he quickly wants to know what it is and what it can do. Red connotes danger,which could be in for him, as the original room-mate warns him that he may regret it. He asks the original room-mate lots and lots of questions about the box, to which the original room-mate either replies with one worded answers or doesn't reply at all. It is at this point suspicion and doubt raises in the audiences head about this guy, and he becomes the antagonist. The new prisoner continues to ignore his advice so he tells him to open the box,using reverse psychology, with certainty in his voice because he is aware of what is going to happen next. You can interpret from here already that the antagonist is much more smarter than the new prisoner, because the new prisoner continues to be stubborn and persistent about opening the box, that he rushes to open the box anyway without realising this. Once he opened the box and realised its a replica of their cell with miniature versions of them,and he can escape, he takes no chances and goes for it, he just wants to escape at any cost. It is here that there are lots of cross cuts between the new prisoners facial expressions and the original room-mates facial expression. The mise en scene of both their facial expressions, convey across to us as the audience both something different. The contrast between the new prisoner, who is ecstatic and dazzled that he has discovered a way out, where as the original room mate seems more relaxed, calm and laid back, as if to say he already knows the consequence. This allows us to reinforce the idea that the antagonist is much ore experienced. Also here the new prisoner is sitting down on his bed at a lower level/angle compared to the original room mate at a higher level/angle on his seat at his desk. This reveals a hierarchy of discourse because already it shows that the original room mate is of greater authority and importance compared to the new prisoner. The original room mate is sitting next o a window full of light. This could subtly show that only he knows the real way out. Which could be the moral of the story, which is there is no escape from your mistakes unless you have learnt from them. Which is exactly what the new prisoner tries to do, because he naive to believe that, escaping from such a place like prison would be easy.
As well as this, as the new prisoner opens the box there is like a non digetic score, which plays through this, conveying that there may be something illusive about the box, because it almost sounds magical. It continues to build into a crescendo, as if anticipating something bad is yet to happen, when the new prisoner realises what the box can do, when he sees his hand appearing enlarged. This could be reflecting the shock of the new prisoner at this discovery. As the new prisoner 'tries' to leave he says to the original room mate 'so long pal', to which he doesn't reply, again this could be emphasising the idea that he knows what is going to happen next. There is then a close up of the mini man running away, before he is trapped into a matchbox, by the original room mate. it is here that all the questions surrounding the original room mate is revealed like, who was holding the matchbox, what was the match box used for and what was inside the match box. He then throws it into the drawer with all the other match boxes, but if listened carefully you can hear the faint yells of help me, by the prisoners, this could be interpreted as realising the errors of their ways, far too late. Before he says 'send in the next prisoner' in Russian. This creates a further suspicion to not only the audience but the new prisoner as well, because he was put in a cell where only Russian is spoken as the main language. This adds to the secrecy and confusion as to what they may be saying. We can also infer from here as the audience that the man may be trying to teach the new prisoners a lesson, of being clever enough to realise that the box is a trap, and be clever enough not to open the box and just deal with their fate , and serve their time in the prison.
Throughout the short film there was lots of hand-held camera effects, this could be because, it makes it easier for the audience to engage with the film and makes it more realistic, as if we are also in this prison cell with the two room mates.
As well as this throughout the short film there are quite a few genre signifier, in particular the red box. This is due to the fact that it lends itself perfectly to being able to grasp the real character of the original room mate, because this is the box he uses to capture all the new prisoners that end up in a match box in his drawer. this red box also connotes a sense of mystery and uncertainty towards the audience, which is the exact genre of the short film, so from early on we as the audience are able to understand what the short film is trying to create.
The ending of the short film allows us to tell that the narrative is a cyclical one, because what happened at the beginning and the end of the short film is just going to repeat itself again and again, until someone is clever enough not to tamper with the box.
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Awake
(Danny Blackstock,Glen Cheng, Stephanie Bourgeois & Melinda Ng,2013)
This short film begins with a one word title 'AWAKE' in a faded white colour on a black background. The white of the title against he black background could also represent the extreme close up of the eye against a dark area. Showing that he is awake. Also its simplicity and the way the title stands alone could reflect the actual film because the boy is alone, and has been alone for 93 days. After there is an eye line match of the protagonists looking out of his window through the blinds, which goes straight to an establishing shot of the road. The road is bare and empty, this emphasises the fact that the boy is alone not only in his household but also in his neighbourhood. This reflects the key theme of loneliness within this short film. However at the moment the non digetic background music of a piano is still very vibrant and upbeat which contradicts how the protagonist is feeling. This is followed by many medium shots and close up of the boy, which shows us the mise en scene of his facial expressions, which is of despair at his situation. This allows us as the audience to be able to understand his emotion and feelings, however this alone is not enough in order for us to grasp clearly his emotions. That is why the voice over throughout of the boys voice is very useful l in being able to make it easier as the audience to gauge clearly exactly how the protagonist is feeling at each time in the short film.
There is a close up shot of the boys food, which appears very simple to make. This could be to reinforce the fact that the boy is all alone therefore he doesn't have any one there to help him make a proper breakfast. Throughout the opening scene there is lots of long takes, this could be deliberate to show us that his days have become very long, since there is no form of entertainment or company to keep him going again emphasising that he is alone.
Here is then a clever long shot of his grandpa's walking stick, before a straight cut to the facial expression of the protagonist in his reaction towards the stick, before another straight cut to a close up of the grandpa's stick. This highlights the importance of the walking stick during this film. The voice over that happens during this is 'this was my grandpas room, Never found out what happened to him after he got sick.' This scene is quite important for the film because here is were it is revealed that the protagonist may not be alone. Also this is the stick we see in the grand shot of the short film, held in his grandpa's hand, it helps us as the audience to recognise that it is his grandpa in the dark shadow at the end. As well as this the voice over becomes dialogue for the first time and only time in the short film, 'grandpa?'. This as a whole creates so much suspense and questions in the audiences head as to how he got there, why he is there, etc. It also allows the audience to be able to interpret it in any way they feel. Although it is revealed the purpose of the walking stick being shown at the beginning, none of these questions are ever resolved.
Their is then a medium close up of the protagonists shoes, however the purpose of this shot could be to focus on the gnome next to it. This is then followed by the pedestal effect where he picks the gnome up, there is a constant focus on the gnome as it is picked up. The voice over says 'stupid gnome'. This could be because the gnome may carry some subtle undertone of importance during the film from now on. As he finds company in this gnome, there are several foreshadowing shots which follows. The first one being the long shot of the boy walking along the shore and then a close up of the waves coming up to the shore. Before we see him and the gnome laying down like they've been washed out to shore. Next as the voice over explains what happened the first time he was learning to drive, there's another shot of water flooding out of the car as he opens the door. Lastly as there are subtle tracking shots where the boy is playing games by him self, starting with domino's, where he pushes one over for the 'domino effect' however only one domino remains, which could represent him because it's all alone. Then when he is playing cards, here the camera is at eye level with the boy as he unexpectedly grabs for the cards. This attracts the attention of the audience which at this point is vital because because of the next shot. This is of the boy playing with a car truck before he puts it in the fish bowl full of water which drowns. This is the penultimate foreshadowing because this is what happens at the end of the film to the boy.
Coincidently all this happens after the gnome was picked up, although this may not be obvious or even what the film maker intended for. The meaning behind gnomes are that they are very knowledgeable, there name derives from the Latin word 'gnomis' which comes from the Greek word 'gnosis' meaning knowledge, which contradicts the voice over saying 'stupid gnome' . Also they have the magical power to protect, punish and reward people with happiness. They are important elemental spirits of the earth. As well as this, there are quite a few black outs, and when the light is turned on things have been moved, and the boy keeps seeing things. This could be the gnome because when is dark it is said that this is when they come alive, which again could leave us as the audience thinking if the gnome may be his granddad?
Consequently the non digetic music begins to turn up the pace and becomes dark which could be hinting that something bad is yet to happen. This is when we see for the final time him entering his house, where he places his gnome down, then goes to the next room, before being shocked of his grandpas reveal. Then there is a black out before a smooth transition to the newspaper of the protagonist being shown as found dead in a car. It is here the main confusion for us as the audience is created because it leaves us with so many questions like who did it? who even wrote the newspaper? could it be his granddad?
hen the credits at the end are the exact same as the opening title,simple. This helps with the continuity. As they fade in and out, there is another screen of the actors name on its own, which could be reminding us of the key theme of loneliness throughout the film, and the fact that being awake doesn't make it go away.
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