Analysis of Short Films

The Black Hole
Philip Sansom and Olly Williams (2008)



The Black Hole is a 2008 short film written and co-directed by Philip Sansom and Olly Williams. It stars Napoleon Ryan, who has acted in seven short films, as well as writing one himself. The film is a moral story of greed and human nature in modern society.
The film opens with the title written in white font which looks similar to old sci-fi films. The opening is accompanied by the diegetic sound of a photocopier scanning, before and during a right to the right to reveal the protagonist of the short film. He is wearing clothes that are follow the typical codes and conventions of an office worker i.e. shirt and tie. The man appears to be bored and uninterested in what he is doing. This is reinforced when he sighs. As he is alone in the office, the audience can assume that he has been working late. Also, his hair is quite messy and the top button of his shirt is undone. This could be an indication of his personality.
When the man tries pressing the button on the photocopier, the audience get the impression from his reaction that it has broken. He gets increasingly frustrated with the machine, and ends up kicking it. After he kicks the photocopier, the normal sound you would expect of a successful print occurs at the same time as a piece of paper prints. The audience can tell by the confused look on the man’s face that what has printed isn’t what he expected. The character and the audience, at the same time, realise that something is wrong. He checks that there is nothing wrong with the original sheet he was trying to copy and finds that there isn’t. He checks his watch for the time, suggesting that he has been there for a long time. After this, he has a drink of coffee, showing he is tired and lacking any energy or motivation. A low angled shot is then used from beneath the black hole on the paper, warning only the audience that something will happen. When he goes to put the cup back down on the table, the audience don’t actually see what happens. Instead, they are only shown the man’s reaction and can hear the warping sound of the black hole. The man is obviously confused by what is happening and lowers his head closer to the paper. There are a variety of medium/close shots to show the man’s reactions to what is going on. He carefully reaches inside the black hole to get his coffee cup back, and the familiar warping noise can be heard again. He holds the piece of paper up parallel to the camera to prove to himself he isn’t imagining it. He once again puts his hand through the black hole. By using a close up of the man’s face, the audience realise that the man is getting more excited. He looks around the room to see what else he can do.
The next shot is a long shot which shows the man walking to a vending machine. He places the paper over the glass of the vending machine, reaches in, and pulls out a chocolate bar. He looks around to check that nobody else is around or watching him.
The man is shown within a series of close-ups again to show his greediness of eating a stolen chocolate bar. His eyes then light up with excitement as he sees something intriguing off screen. The camera then cuts to a long-shot of a door saying keep-out. From the man’s previous offence with the vending machine, and the lack of commitment to his workplace we know he is going to enter the room for some unknown reason. The man then walks up to the door and opens it with ease by using the black hole. The lights then turn on, flickering at first to connote indecision, and he is inside the room, however we still do not know what else is open in the room with him. The constant diegetic sound of the photocopier scanning is still present to remind the viewer of the location.The protagonist then walks up to a safe and repeats what he done with the vending machine, and the sound is again present. The man then draws his hand back and forth picking up more and more money each time. The cuts get faster and faster each time as well, as this matches the mood of the scene and the greediness of the man. He then starts to climb into the safe through the hole, and the warping sound gets more and more intense. A close-up of the sellotape holding the paper up foretells the man’s fall into the safe. Another close-up is shown as his feet knocks the paper off of the safe locking himself in. The constant diegetic sound of the photocopier continues to play to show that life is going on as normal and no-one is around to realise he is locked in the safe. The camera then cuts out with longer and longer shots to show that is truly trapped inside.The short film is extremely clever and easy to understand. Although it is quite subtle, the moral message behind the film is clear.


Doodlebug
Chris Nolan (1997)



Doodlebug is a 1997 short film starring Jeremy Theobald. It is one of a number of shorts directed by Chris Nolan whilst studying English Literature in London. Chris Nolan is now better known for directing films like Memento (2000), Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008).
The film, that is shot in black and white, explores the depths of insanity as a man is chasing something in his apartment with a shoe.
At the beginning of the film, the title appears on screen with the “oo” missed out and replaced with eyes looking from side to side. This indicates that there will be a sense of paranoia in the film.
A man is trying to catch some sort of bug running around his room. He takes his shoes off and intends to crush it under the heel of his loafer. However as he slowly begins to track the bug down and trap it, things change dramatically but the man continues his course of action.
Part of what makes the film so interesting is the atmosphere that is created through various camera shots/angles and the grainy black and white images. The lighting used in the dark room has an impact on the audience, which is intensified by the fact that it is in black and white. The character is constantly moving, giving the chance to use extensive shots and angles.
The story develops from what seems like a simple narrative to a more abstract plot. Towards the end of the film, we discover that the main character is trying to catch another version of himself, who is doing exactly the same thing as he is. The film ends when it is revealed that there is also another version of the main character who is actually trying to catch him. The setting of the film is in just one small confined space, which could represent that the main character is trapped in some way.
I believe that there is an underlying message in Doodlebug, which may not seem so obvious at first. The lesser character overpowered by the larger one is always oblivious to what has hit him, which in a way, reflects our socially conditioned minds whilst powerful corporations are ‘hitting’ us without our conscious awareness. Also, it could be interpreted like a food chain, in the sense that there is always something better than you that can overpower you. Another way of looking at the film is that, in the end, the character himself was responsible for his own downfall and it could be considered that his course of action was destiny, which cannot be altered.
Whichever way the film is perceived, I believe that Doodlebug is an excellent short film. Even without dialogue, it gives a clear narrative whilst still letting the audience have their own opinion.


Vincent
Tim Burton (1982)



Tim Burton is the perfect example of an auteur in today’s film industry. His films are most recognisable for their gothic style, and his early films like Vincent (1982) are no different.
Vincent is a black and white stop motion film based around a poem written by the film maker, depicting a young boy who wants to be his hero Vincent Price, with Price himself providing narration. The classic horror star’s role also reinforced the theme of the film, which is that fantasies about monsters and mad scientists can become more important to kids than their own mundane lives. As Burton later said, “It was probably one of the most shaping experiences of my life.”
Tim Burton has said himself that Vincent Price is his idol and inspiration, and this film could be seen as a way for a younger Tim Burton to show his respect to the actor, who also did the voiceover for Michael Jackson’s Thriller video. Vincent takes a look at the twisted creativity of a child’s imagination. Maybe some insight into the perspective of a young Tim Burton?
Vincent is the story of a young boy, Vincent Malloy, who pretends to be like the actor Vincent Price. He is obsessed with the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, and it is his detachment from reality when reading them that leads to his delusions that he is in fact a tortured artist, deprived of the woman he loves, mirroring certain parts of Poe's "The Raven". The film ends with Vincent being tortured by the goings-on of his make-believe world, quoting "The Raven" as he falls to the floor in frailty, believing himself to be dead.