Short Film Analysis

Maniac (2011) is a short horror mockumentary about a camera crew that follows two serial killers. This is not a very interesting film however the cinematography throughout the film looks very professional. 

The films starts in what looks to be a suburban neighbourhood, the camera pans alone the street and you can already notice the lack of colour, a feature that is effectively used throughout the film. I would not go as far to say that the film is shot in black and white however the colours are extremely unsaturated in order to give a very gritty feel to the content. The camera continues to pan and eventually we pass a house, similar to the others that have already passed, however this house is on fire. The camera does not stop on the house on fire or even slow down which would indicate interest. It continues to pan and eventually the pan shot become a tracking shot when two males are seen walking down the street with a gasoline can. The track lasts a number of seconds before the pace of the camera increases and eventually returns to a pan.

The location changes and as does the camera view, now set in a diner we see a birds eye view of people eating and drinking at a diner, the shot is also panning to the right. Dialogue is heard whilst the camera is panning and the pan eventually slows to the two main characters who are also enjoying a meal at the diner. A very interesting camera angle and shot is used when one of the character's is finishing their sentence. The camera angle changes to eye level and the character looks directly down the lens when he is speaking. This gives the audience a very personal connection to the character talking as if he was talking to them and also creates a very tense and dark atmosphere given the nature of his dialogue. The camera changes to face the man he is talking to, who again is looking directly down the camera, he smiles, but only for a second before his face turns back to normal and the scene changes.

The second man is now seen sitting on a bench, a wide shot is used as a men walking a dog enters the scene from the right and passes the bench behind where the man is sitting. As the man passes the exact middle of the bench the angle changes to show us the face of the man sitting on the bench who turns to follow the direction of the man walking the dog. This is an very good example of professional cinematography and continuity. The scene changes now to the first man who is seen getting on a bus, however the camera is extremely shaky and we can tell from this that the director is trying to replicate a handheld camera in order to give the audience a sense of realism. We later find out that the two men are being followed be camera crews and so the use of the "handheld" camera was a very effective move. This is also made clear as we don't follow the man onto the bus, instead we watch him get on it and then track him to the back of the bus, through the bus windows where he eventually finds his seat.

As the bus pulls away we notice the handheld camera effect used again, this time not focusing on either of the men and instead focusing on the camera crew, we hear a small piece of dialogue saying "come on we are losing them" as the camera crew continue to enter a large black van. 

The scene changes to a woman walking in the snow, the camera shot is from behind and it gives the audience the illusion that she is being followed. The camera is again very shaky, however very effective, especially when the first man comes in from the right and appears to be walking very aggressively. The man grabs the woman and attempts to strangle her before hitting her and pushing her into the snow where the scene changes. This is very effective as we are unsure as to the woman's fate.

The scene very quickly changes in this case to the second man who is now in an alleyway following the man walking his dog. The scene again is shot from behind as to add to the sense that the man is being followed. The second man continues to attack the man and drags him down into the snow. The scene changes yet again, this time back to the first man and the woman in the snow. The show is looking up at the man giving the connotation that the man is powerful, he is dominant. It also helps add to the feeling of helplessness the woman must feel in that situation. The man pulls out a knife and continues to stab the woman. The scene changes one more time to the second man who is now strangling the man with the dog. 

We return to the first man, the camera is very still and we are on level with the snow looking at the woman's corpse and the man lingering above it. He continues to kiss the woman on the lips, this really does add to the psychopathic feeling felt from both of the two men. It is also gives us a clear indication as to why the film is called "Maniac" as this is exactly what both these men are. The man finishes kissing the woman and stand up, the camera follows, following the trend of the handheld camera effect used throughout the film.

The entire film continues following the gruesome and gory killings of innocent people committed by the two men. I feel as though this is an appropriate short film to analyse because of how dark it is. We are making a phychological thriller and I feel as though our movie can learn vastly from the effective use of cinematography shown throughout this short film. 

Perfection (2004)

Perfection is a film about an Asian-American woman who from birth is pressured into living a perfect lifestyle, forced primarily by her mother. At the beginning of the film the child is presented with a game known as "PERFECTION" which involves placing differently shaped counters into their respective holes. The film starts with a black screen which moves gently over the screen revealing the name of the film, which is also the name of the game This is an effective use of cinematography and editing as it adds supsnese and mystery at the very beginning of the film. Other features are also revealed of the game including the ticking clock and also the holes in the game board.

The entire film is shot in black and white and this may indicate the feelings felt by the little girl by the film. It is an connotation of how boring her life is. No colour is used throughout the film in any shape or form. Seome very interesting shots are used thoughout the film, medium long shots and close ups are used throughout however the focus remains the same on two things in the film. The game (Perfection) and the girl. Even the shots that include the mother do not show her face and only show her from the next below. Almost as though she is not important, but her daughter is exceptionally important.

The film follows the girl throughout her life as she begins to win trophies, however the scences are almost always followed by close up, disoreintating shots of the PERFECTION game and although it becomes expected as the film progresses it still is an effective way of reminding the audience that this girl was deep effective by the concept of the game and the pressure by her parents to be perfect. 

As she gets older, the woman finds it harder and harder to achieve perfection, she tried to expand the concept of perfection to everything, Her weight, her job, the way she dresses and even attempts to fix another woman's wedding dress veil however the expression on her face clearly shows at that point that she feels she has not achieved Perfection and therefore is not happy. 

The film speeds up towards the end, particularly within the transistions between the different shots of the different parts of her life, the metronome, the working out and her job. The disorientating close up shots of the "PERFECTION" game is really effective in emphasising the importance and impact that the game had on her life and also is good at throwing off the audience, attempting to represent the busy, stressful life that the woman now has to deal with.