Short film analysis One-minute Time machine

Film : One Minute Time Machine

Produced by : Empty Box Productions 

Budget : $1000

Released : 29th March 2014

Genre : Short, Comedy, Romance

For my upcoming analysis I am going to personally rate each clip on the 4 key areas of any media production, Sound, Mis En Scene, camera and editing.

 I will also explain my reasons for my decision and state what in particular I enjoyed about the clip.

Sound

Sound does not play a key role throughout this film, throughout there is a constant "Romantic" piano riff non-diagetic incidental soundtrack that is played for comedic effect to imitate the style of a romance film.

This sound track is then muted in moments when the male character makes a "mistake" when attempting to romance the girl and is immediately continues as he activates his time machine and works out the correct thing to say, this is done to parody the normal cliché "guy meets girl" romance scenario with a twist and works very well.

Sound effects wise there is only really the activation noise of the time machine which is quite crucial in indicating that the scene is switching to the next time scenario thus moving the story on for the viewer.

Overall judgement 6/10

Mis En Scene

The setting of this film much like the sound track is set to try and imitate the Cliché of a romantic film, it is set on an isolated bench in a well lit location that would be deliberately set in a romance film to stage an emotional connection between two characters with no environmental distractions.

The high key natural lighting of the area creates a tranquil climate and shows of the characters in a positive light, it certainly present the female character to be in a state of relaxation.  

The costume of the woman clearly presents her as an character of intellect, this is shown by her sophisticated looking cardigan and shirt that is quite stereotypical of a woman in a doctoral or educational position, this is further reflected by the style of her hair which is neatly tied up in a professional style, she can also seen with a scientific book prop that adds to her representation as a character of intellect.

The male character however is dressed in more casual attire, his outfit does not really stereotype to any particular class of person and does not really do much to present him as a character.
His hair however does more to address his personality, his hair is styled in a way that shows that he has clearly put a lot of effort into looking his best, this clearly matches his aims in the film which is to gain the attention of the female character.

Overall judgement 7/10

Editing

The most consistent edit shown throughout the film is the transition from scene to scene that follows the pushing of the time machine button, it is a mere flash to white along with the sound effect this is quite a simple effect but it very clearly signifies to the audience the change in the film and in a way is more effective than a traditional melodramatic sci-fi time machine, the simplistic manner of this adds to the comedic effect.

During the dialogue between the two characters there is a fairly moderate paced shot reverse shot which alters between a mid-shot and close up of the characters as the intimacy between them grows this is meant as an imitation of the romantic style, the way the editing works almost makes the film seem like outtakes thus adding to the comedic effect.

Overall judgement 9/10

Camera

The camera angles does not stay consistent throughout, as i stated with the editing it changes levels as the intimacy between the two increases for example, at the start when the two are distant strangers they are shown from a mid-shot which is remains until a clear connection is made which is indicated when the female states "I like weird", at this point the zooms into a close up this signifies clear feelings of intimacy.

Other than the occasional long shot to establish a twist in the plot the camera angle does not have much variety and is not very vital to the advancement of the story.

Overall judgement 6/10