The Apocalypse- Short Film Analysis

The Apocalypse

This is a short film that was produced in 2013, for release on the internet and at the Sundance film festival. It is a film that could be classed as a drama and perhaps also partly as a comedy. It will be for a target audience of people who are fans of that sort of genre, males aged about 15-30, and are also fans of the slight gore present in the film. This film does not really have a purpose such as in the narrative and its meaning, rather it appears to be meant only as an entertaining and interesting peice, and so is not really desinged to make the audience think about much, rather just to enjoy it. There is a similar sense to the film that I am producing as it is not clear what is going on, and it never does become clear.

The film opens with a wide shot, which has a slight dolly backwards. This shot acts as a sort of establishing shot, establishing the main setting of the film. This shows three of the characters in very normal surroundings. This begins the film in equilibrium and does not tell the viewer much about what is to happen. This shot keeps, slowly, moving back to reveal the fourth character. This is not an opening used to instantly show what is happening though its use of sound does give hints that something bad is or may occur. The film opens with all the characters silent. There is no non-diegetic sound, only the sound of the news on the tv, talking about the technological advances of the human race and, presumably, the ‘American’ culture. There is also the sound of the man strumming his instrument, in diegetic sound. This creates and almost unnerving and unsettling feeling that does suggest that something may soon occur.

 From both the opening scene, with knowledge of the later scenes, and the rest of the film, it is clear that feel and type of film from the use of colours. This film does not use lots of dark colours, and is set around morning, giving it a bright feeling, with the white light and use of white walls and clothing it keeps the film feeling light and neutral, creating a slight juxtapostion to the theme of the film, which involves people's heads exploding.

This is the narrative of the film, creating the titular event, the apocalypse through this. The narritive follows multiple characters trying to stop having thoughts, in order to prevent their heads exploding. To some, this adds the comical element to the film, but also creates a worrying and almost disturbing feeling at the same time, escpecially to some characters who do not really seem to be too worried, like the neighbour and the paramedic, who share the final scene.

The mise-en-scene of this short film uses a bright lighting, giving the film the feeling of a warmer morning, setting up a light and, almost, pleasant, atmosphere, distracting and deceiving the audience as to what the later and current events are. The costumes that are used in the film is all the basic clothing, giving the characters a normal look, allowing the audience to learn little bit about them and connect with them without much dialogue or any back story, a restriction of short films. The use of these basic costumes also allow, to some extent, to show the culture of these people as they are not wearing any particular clothing that is related to any specific culture, rather it just gives the audience the knowledge that they appear to be from the 'wester world', particularly America. The costume for the paramedic is used to show his profession so that the audience instantly knows who they are. The costume for the neighbour, only a towel, is not only used to interest the audience, but is also used as a possible narrative technique, in which it is supposed to give the men thoughts, which would cause their heads to explode. 

This film uses a range of different shots, movements and angles throughout. The film quite often uses wide shots or medium shots to show the many characters within the film. The film does not really use close-ups, as the shots that may use them are often continuos, like this first one. This shot goes from around the first image showing the two main characters in the scene, to the woman's head exploding, to shoing the man trying not to think, with his hands placed together, to showing a new woman, the neighbour, who is only dressed in a towel. This shot has a slight shake feeling at the beginning, until after her head explodes, where it becomes quite still, focusing on him. This shake gives it a more energetic feeling and enhances the terror being experienced by the characters. The stillness that it becomes gives it the same unssettling feeling, making the viewer begin to think that everything has become calmer. This shot then moves around the man to show the neighbour moving through the doorway. This, at first gives the worry-like feeling as The viewer does not know who it is and so could break the peace that the man has. This is also shown later in this shot where the woman is looking to him and talking to him, yet he is not looking back at her. This is used, narritivly, to prevent the character from having ideas or thoughts, but the fact she is dressed only in a towel, after coming out of the shower, could be said to give him thoughts. This creates a worrying atmoshpere as it may cause his head to explode.

 This short film use the hand-held feeling quite often, from around the time the first person's head explodes to around the end of the film. This creates the tense and worrying atmosphere of the film that creates tension. The film also uses a lot of fast movements, mostly in the form of quite quick pans. This use of fast movments adds to this quick feeling of the film and shows that everything is happening quite quickly around all the characters.

The main star of the film, the main male character, is a person, called Martin Starr, who has been in a range of big comedy films like, Adventureland, Knocked Up and Superbad. The blonde female is also a person who has been in some well known television shows like Gossip Girl. Most of the other cast has been in a few small things, or are models. The writer and director is not someone who is well known. This use of stars for the film will draw in audiences who are fans of these people, as well as giving the potential viewer an insight as to what the film may be like, particularly through the main male star.

The film: