Analysis of a short film No Words By Kike Arroyo (depict.

org)


In the short film extract No words it
uses a range of camera angles to portray
the mood and feelings of the woman.
Firstly, a close up is used on the woman
whimpering and crying at the start of
the extract. This camera angle is used to
show the womans feelings and
emotions and to show the audience her
pain and connect with her story. This
allows the audience to form a relationship with the character and really
feel her pain. Using a close up shot it gains the audiences attention to what
they want them to see. In this case they want the audience to see the
woman, and the woman only and to really focus on her emotions and facial
expressions. In addition, a high angle shot is used of the woman to show
her desperation and loneliness of that moment in time. Using a high angle
shot and elevating the camera slightly makes the person seem smaller,
perhaps in this case it is portraying that the woman is helpless and lonely.

Furthermore, in this short film sound is
used to increase tension and emotion.
The music, which is a mysterious
monotone drone of one continuous
pitch, uses low pitch instruments, which
is foregrounded when the woman
appears on the screen. The music sets a
gloomy and emotional mood, perhaps
showing a build up to something.
Therefore it is a parallel sound (matches the mood of the scene). After a
short time of the woman being filmed, the music suddenly cuts off; this
could be to emphasis on the story and to make the audience really focus on
the woman. Although the sound is also foregrounded at high-tension times
when a dramatic moment is about to happen. E.g. when she is waiting for
the pregnancy test to develop. Also, Diegetic sound is used in this clip to
emphasis her feelings. Her heavy breathing and sighing is foregrounded
for effect to the audience in feeling her struggle. Also her sniffling as she is
crying is made louder, they have purposely made everything else silent at
this moment, all you hear is her whimpers and crys in a silent large room
to show her loneliness and desperation. Also there is a sound bridge that
happens, this is when you can hear the sound before it appears on the
screen. The shot switches to the other room while you can hear the
womans cries from the bathroom but cannot see her yet. This shows her
emotions and despair.
07/09/14 Millie Price
Moreover, I think the ideology/ message of this clip is showing us how
lonely and helpless some people are, perhaps teaching us to be more
caring and compassionate for those in need of a help in hand. Also I think
that maybe the clip is trying to tackle the issue of unwanted pregnancies
and rape. The woman in this clip seems very distressed and heartbroken
that she is pregnant; it is unwanted and makes me think that she went
through a trauma of rape and thats why she is so distraught that she is
pregnant. She is also quite young, I would say early 20s and maybe it is
portraying that young girls dont have to be alone, there is help out there
for them.

Likewise, this clip uses low-key lighting to
set the mood of the story. Using a low-key
lighting shows a dim and sad setting.
Shadows on bathroom walls behind the
woman perhaps show the uncertainty of
whats going to happen. Making the setting
dark shows unhappiness and depression, it
shows perhaps that the woman feels alone
and in a dark place and that time in her life. Also throughout the short film
the lights flicker on and off to perhaps show she is in a dark and unknown
place of uncertainness.

In addition, in this scene the mise-en-scene used links to the ideology of
the costume. The woman wears dull and depressing colours. She is
wearing grey showing her sad mood. She also has her hair scrapped back
in a messy way showing mirroring her life being a mess too. The colours
used in the film are also dark greys and neutral monotone colours to show
a distressed and unhappy mood. The bathroom shows no sign of life just a
plain sink; also the walls surrounding her are white and plain with no
colour.