IN CHAMBER

SShort Film Analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j8zhTiBIhQ

Synopsis

The film ‘In Chambers’ (Aleksander Nordaas, 2011) is the directors interpretation of purgatory. The theme of purgatory is shown by the way the people who are ‘murdered’ and thrown off the roof wake up in hospital. The short film follows a few moments of the protagonist, named by the number ‘2148’, time in purgatory. A series of flashbacks shows the events of the accident which lead to her being in hospital and therefore the ‘chambers’ in which the film is set.

Sound

The short film is introduced to the audience with dark, grievous music.

The use of minor notes create a more morose and feeling to the music which mirrors what is being shown on screen.

This establishing shot of the city gives the audience an insight into the devastation and destruction of the world ‘2148’ has awoken too. This shot synced with the music manipulates the audiences emotions so they feel grief for the situation the woman is in.

• After the title sequence we are introduced to the main protagonist with a high angle medium-long shot. Because she is the first character shown to the audience it highlights that she is going to play a major part in the film.

Shots

A zoom is then used to focus on the protagonists face, emphasising her features and movements as she awakens.

• A long shot is then used to show the characters surroundings being shabby and run down, this contrasts with what the protagonist is wearing. Though the dress is dark which matches the room her dress looks formal and elegant showing that she doesn’t belong to this room/world.

• Flash editing is used to signify flashbacks/memories and is used a few times throughout the short film. During these flash backs the images are in low key lighting and are usually extreme close ups. The shots are fast paced and sometimes distorted, this shows confusion for the protagonist but also a to create sense of mystery for the audience as they, like the character, don’t understand the images or know what they signify.

Editing

This shift in focus helps the audience to see a close up of the syringe and then the reaction shot of this from the woman.

•When the woman is falling it fades to white which symbolises purity and life. From this it then dissolves into a shot of the woman waking up in a hospital bed with a man sat next to her. The slow motion used whilst the woman is falling could be viewed as a representation of the woman struggling to awake from her coma . The way that the fade to white comes straight after this scene could be seen as a way of showing her falling back into life.

• This two shot shows who we assume to be ‘villain’ in this short film. The way they are dressed, in black leather/hazard suits and also the masks make them seem sadistic. Also the way the older mans face is half covered in shadow shows he has something to hide and influences the audience to see him as an enemy to the protagonist in which they now identify with and like.

Mise en scene

The corridor and the room in which the film is set help to add to the genre of the film. The corridor has low key lighting which results in there being a lot of shadow which is as convention of a horror film. The room which the woman wakes up in is lit by the light coming from the window which is a very harsh light. The room is furnished with only a bed and a lamp and the walls are dirty which all help to show that the place is unpleasent.