Post 1b- Researching Existing Short Films

Texual Analysis of two other short films of my own choosing

Short Film - 'Cargo' - GENRE: Horror (Zombie)

CAMERA

• As the father begins to 'turn' into a zombie, the camera fazes around the outside, matching how he feels; tiredness, confusion, fear. This faze also is emphasised by the shaking of the camera especially the repeated shots of the ground with the camera shaking and running.
• The camera deliberately cuts out features of the whole shot to create and air of confusion, after the father used the pen to write on his arm, we aren't shown exactly what he's written. When he picks up the flesh (or meat) and places it in a bag, we aren't shown it to a full extent, so the audience is not aware of what he is using it for.

EDITING

• The quick transition cuts between shorts emphasis' the father character's struggle, as he takes his daughter around and tried to find objects to help aid her after he turns, it creates a fast pace.
• Similarly to above, the transitions between shots after the father turn into a zombie slows down dramatically. The pace slows matching the movements of the father.

SOUND

• The panting sounds when the camera is shown to be running add to the dramatic genre of the movie, it also shows the audience that the father character is STILL human and hasn't become a zombie yet, however after he turns, the sounds become groans, rather than pants. The slow paced shot of the bag of flesh/meat is the first instant where panting is replaced with groans, as we are shown the father has finally turned.
• The sound of the gunshot at the end is a key aspect in relation to the film. The echo and sheer volume of the shot suggests it was from a long distance even before we are shown where it was from. Also, the fact that after the shot is fired the characters whom are still human are not ambushed by zombies, who from texts and other films are suggested to react quickly to sudden noise, emphasises the idea of loneliness and how empty the world is within the film.
• There is no full dialogue in this film, except for the occasional word from the rather and the panting/groans of the zombies, it gives the film a real sense of emptiness.

M-E-S

• The scene in which the father enters a children's birthday party which has been deserted emphasis' the theme is disillusion and loneliness  the party has been ended suddenly, the food still there whilst the area is a slight mess. It also introduces what I view as a plot point, the balloon, as without the balloon the baby would have continued crying and the father, after he turned, would have noticed her more, and also at the end when the father pops the balloon, humans are then aware of him and he is killed, thus saving the baby.
• The make-up/costumes for this short film are well done, the zombie make-up, the white contact lenses, the very obvious veins and the generally rotting skin add to this film, the bite at the start also does this.

Short Film - 'The Tea Chronicles' - GENRE: Psychological horror comedy

(The film cannot be embeded due to the maker of the film not allowing an embedding link)
CAMERA

• At the start, the conversation between Chris and Charlie consists of over the shoulder shots which hold the non talking character to the side, however this breaks the 180 degree ruling, as Chris is shown to be on the right side of Charlie, but is shown on the left of the over the shoulder shot from behind Chris. This is not a bad feature, at it places the audience within each character's position more, as we are closer to the characters.

EDITING

• The shot in which Khyan's finger moves across a 'tea chart' there is a focus change from one side to the other, this emphasis' the plot point of the sugar he uses, as the amount of sugar on the chart is highlighted through the soft focus.
• The 'tea-bag Charlie scene' a green screen was used. In a behind the scenes video, we are shown this. The editing of the scene is mixed with the non green scene shots, one of the key parts being when the tea-bag Charlie is picked up, the editing adds to the psychological sense of the film as he's in more of a sharp focus throughout the scene in comparison to the rest of the shots.

SOUND

• The headphone music that Charlie is listening too changes depending on how the headphones are placed, when he takes them off to talk, to Khyan, the music looses it's clarity and becomes muffled.
• Similarly to this, when Charlie has the headphones on and Khyan talks to him, the speech is muffled until the headphones begin to slip off his head.

M-E-S

• The lighting of the film is dark, this incorporates the typical horror film and the dark creepy aspect of psychological films.