The Spider
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zdj9vMH4BfQ&feature=related
This is a 9 minute film from a film maker called Nash Edgerton. What I really love about this short is that the first four or five minutes of it feel like the beginning of a feature film, it seems as though it is going somewhere. This in itself says something about the quality and attention to detail for what is just a mini movie. The slow pacing that creates this feeling inevitably heightens the twists and surprises that hit the audience in the concluding minutes of the piece. Just when you think a long storyline is about to unfold, a series of shocking events tie the whole thing together and somehow make it feel like you've seen enough and that it couldn't have been any longer. The film has a very cinematic feel to it, due to the widescreen ratio, the slightly desaturated look, and the filming from inside a travelling car also evokes a movie feel. The long pauses without dialogue are very effective, you can't help but be glued to the screen out of intrigue. I am interested in somehow utilizing this in my own work. I think it is a skill to be able to convey something strongly or engage an audience without using a single word, but instead letting the camera, lighting, body language and other signifiers create a message or narrative. What I think is a great achievement about this film is how the director has managed to draw out so many different emotions from the viewer in just 9 minutes, all without it feeling crammed in or forced. There is suspense, drama, action, comedy, shock and relief, all delivered in one strong dose.
Slap Attack
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctrMwH92D9Q
I stumbled across this short comedy by accident through a friend of a friend's youtube account. It is an extremely stylistic, clever and gripping comedy. I am particularly impressed by the way it is edited. The deliberately exaggerated dramatic cuts create some very amusing parodic moments of film noir, silent-horror film. There are some really effective transitions between scenes, such as panning from one into another via a neutral seam that is part of both compositions. This is a technique that I would like to apply to my work if it ever becomes appropriate, especially if the intention is to keep the pace of the footage coherent and flowing. It can be a refreshing alternative to cutting between scenes and relying on fades. The other main aspect of this film that stands out to me is the use of sound effects and over dubs. It is so integral to the way this sketch is portrayed as it maintains the exaggerated action and suspense and also helps tell a story that has very little dialogue. For my Viral Advertising I will need to spend some time getting sound effects right because it will be all the more effective, especially when I am trying to communicate something over such a short time scale.
Surprise - Single Shot Film
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbb0jPZlFMU
This is a really impressive single shot short by Ben Dodd, which is played in reverse at extreme slow motion. What at first appears to be a Hitchcockian murder scene in a bathroom, eventually unveils itself as you are taken back in time to reveal that a tragic and clumsy accident has taken place. At first a man is sprawled across the edge of the bath with a woman standing over him and ther is a knife on the floor, therefore initially signifying that she has just murdered him. However as the footage slowly reverses we find out that the girl accidentally knocks the man over as she comes in through the door. The reason for the knife being that she is also holding a birthday cake, which is one half of the 'surprise', the other being the audience's surprise at the turn of events that actually takes place (contrary to initial suspicion). However it is not just the clever idea/concept that struck me when I first saw this. It is a visually impecable piece of filming that is astounding both aesthetically and technically. I find it amazing how the whole film is all from one single shot. First of all, the details that need to come across are so subtly and delacately revealed, which must have taken a great deal of fine measuring and perfect timing for everything to work like clock work and happen at the right moment. Again, this is another example of good pacing to refer to, in order to successfully communicate something in a short amount of time whilst maintaining the viewer's attention. It is one thing achieving all of the above in one shot, but the complexity of the way the camera has been used positionally is very impressive as it begins from a birdseye view perspective and then gracefully pans and floats around the room, touching upon the required details for the story and capturing everything at the perfect moment.
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