Research and Planning - video CLOSED DOORS (2011) short film case study one

Short film analysis of – Closed doors (2011)

Closed doors- A dark thriller written & directed by James Button (Orpheus, Rocket Boys)
Starring: Connor Jenkins, Luciana West & Craig Beedim
Shot by Kristaps Kazaks of galjafilms (Orpheus, Rocket Boys)
Produced by Peter Wolf. Sound by Liam Bauckham.

I have chosen to look at this film as I intend to produce a similar short film based on this genre which is thriller/horror, this short film consists of some elements that I could consider using in my production.

Closed doors consists of a linear structure as from the start of the scene we follow that one character throughout the film till the end. The structure does consist of a flashback.

The film is shot in live action

The film plot is about a student hearing noises from the next room while working and so he goes next door to investigate with unexpected consequences. The characters are based around the same age all categorized as students. You can say that the main character who we follow is more educated neat looking, whereas the other two boy and girl sort of are presented differently, this is shown by their outfit.

                                                                

Camera techniques:

Throughout the short film there are many techniques that are used which establish he scene such as

: Long shot - the main character standing in the all way at a long distance

: Medium close up- of all three characters, used quite oftenly 

: Extreme close up- of the women bleeding from her nose.

: Over the shoulder shot - of when both male characters are speaking to each other

: Shot reverse shot -when there is conversation going on between all characters. 

Editing

: There is an order of shot starting  with the main character and end with the same character (privileged)

: Cutting shots to tell a narrative story – continuity which helps the viewer make sense of action by implying 

 spatial relationships and ensuring a smooth flow form shot to shot. This creates realism which makes editing invisible so the action appears real rather than constructed.

: Match on action – we see the character move in one shot having continuous movement. 

: Shot reverse shot – having a conversation which makes it clear of who the character is speaking to.

Mise en scene:

Location: the location is set in a block of flats where there is student accommodation.

Lightning: the lighting plays a big part in this short film. Especially the use of dark colours to portray a 

suspense effect. Being a thriller film it is important to follow the codes and conventions therefore using dark colours relates to violence.

Props: the costume used in this film is very simple and casual, the main character wears casual clothes which looks normal for a student whereas the other two we see the other two male and female in black clothing representing a rough class. The use of glass to hear through the walls so that we can listen closer to the noises, the bottle used in a fight between the two male characters. Also the use of laptop used by the main character portrays he may still be in education due t the fact he is in a student hall. 

Make up: not much make up is used, however the use of blood dropping from the girls nose as well as the male figure that is beaten up by the main character during the fight.

Sound:  Sound used in this film has a great use especially being a thriller movie. The use of sound diegetic sound such as the dramatic sound effects that lead to suspense keeping the viewer engaged. Which include the use of echoes, which gives a hollow effect, which leads the scene on. Also the use of heart beat where everything slows down, which creates real tension emphasising fear of the character. The sound effects used in this film is really good and I plan to do the same, throughout the film through the use of sound effects the feeling of tension stays put throughout the film which is ideal for a thriller movie.

Target audience:

The ages targeted is around 17-24, those that are currently studying, the film uses students or young age characters simply portraying a student’s life as we see the main character studying/ doing some work.

What ideas can you take to help you in your own short film?

I could utilize various things from this short film as I plan to make one of a comparable kind, however i would not take any plans from the story yet the way this short film figured out how to make anticipation by taking a gander at the altering and sound impacts in subtle element and take a gander at the why the short film is shot, for example, by utilizing low lighting.

Narrative: 

within this sequence there is different elements of telling the story, for instance looking at genre we arent quite sure at the beginning of what the genre is about but the sound effects give an insight towards horror/thriller.

in this film i think that this is an open structure as we do not know most of the times how the ending will be therefore, i would say it has a minor ending. 

The plot consists of enigma where, there is a puzzle for us to solve for example figure out how the ending will be or what will happen next. 

characters that are functioned in this plot are different, the main is wearing casual and the other looks wild. 

Location set is in a student accommodation which is one of the reason it is an open structure. 

there is sort of plots that lead to suspense and create a tense scene due to sound effects.