RESEARCH - Over

Over - (2015) - Jorn Threlfall

Narrative: The inciting action would be the flowers/blood washed away. It's a film made of natural noise, there is no dialogue for the duration of the film. It is non linear, the time line jumps around beginning with the end and ending at the start. This allows us to slowly discover what has happened. The frame hardly moves instead the action moves in and out of the frame. 

Genre: Mystery and/or crime. Slightly Documentary style in some cases.

Representation:  It is filmed through the eyes of onlookers on the street. We view everything from afar without any explanation as to what is going on. Just like you would if you were an onlooker. Represented mystery until very end when all is explained and then we are very sympathetic.

Audience: Positioned far away. We are treated as outsiders. Sometimes we can hear diabetic sound. The time of day is shown on the screen and slowly as the time goes backwards we are taught more about what is going on.

Micro Elements: Title text at the end to explain what the film was about and how it was based on a real life event. There is a long establishing shot for the most part of the film which makes us feel on edge and curious as to what's going on, we feel perhaps we aren't supposed to be there. Straight cuts make it feel official and police like style. Diagetic sound. It zooms on flowers and on the hose so these are shown as significant features. There is a sudden jump cut to montage of clothes from the accident twice. It's in reverse chronological order.

What did I like?

I loved the way the story line was unveiled to us through the use of reverse order. Meaning that we were on edge and constantly hooked. It also allowed for the shock factor at the end. I also loved how the whole film was framed. Having most scenes in the film as still establishing shots meant that characters walked in and out of the frame. This was clever as then it's the illusion that you are an uniformed onlooker a sort of peeping Tom.

What didn't I like? 

I didn't like having the close up of the hose. I didn't really appreciate the close up shots in general as personally I felt they ruined the 'onlooker' illusion - a feature of the film I really respected. I think perhaps there could've been another way to show the blood stain. Also it is easy to guess that's what's being washed away so it really isn't needed.

What can I take from this?

I would like to take the style of framing from this and see if there is a way I can include that into my own short film. Perhaps if I create a good enough story line then I could film the whole thing Ext/Int looking through a window... I will also take from this the need to have a gripping tale. It makes me think that perhaps basing it on a true event is a good idea. Then I could focus more on the style and way I am going to tell the story. It also helped me to understand how I don't need to worry about diagetic sound that is there on location, that it can in fact be used to create a mood to the film.