Short Film analysis

Dry Spell Analysis

Cinematography

The short film uses mainly close ups to not give too much detail away. This is done by close ups of the hammer and of the man’s face looking concerned, but the camera doesn’t show what has concerned him. This creates a really spooky atmosphere especially when the feet are shown under the door. The wider shots are shown only to set the scene of the bathroom but only after twenty seconds of the clip so you think he is going to be attacked by the man with the hammer.

There is also a good over the shoulder shot which shows the man’s face in the mirror. This shot makes the man look concerned for who is in the bathroom with him. It also puts the viewer in position of someone watching him. This show adds to the tension of the situation.

The clip also shows the camera zoom in on the man’s back as though it was a predator stalking its prey. This effect makes the man look weak and vulnerable in the bathroom especially because his back is facing towards the camera. This is after feet are shown in one of the cubicles. Therefore we are aware that there is someone in the bathroom with him.

Editing

The clip is edited in a normal way until at the end where the editing is shown to be less fluent and more like stop motion animation. This happens when the man realises that he is not alone in the bathroom. The effect of this is that it creates a sense of panic as the man is worried, it is then shown again when he has burned his hands. This clip reminds me a lot of Jan Svankmajer, who did a lot of creepy animation. 

Sound

I think that the sound is really empathised the clip as it makes the clip seem more surreal and strange. There is also some incidental music in the clip to add to the suspense off the whole clip. The sound at the end of the clip is also very lively and upbeat which makes the clip more jolly at the end when the threat has been revealed. The man in the cubical also makes lots of noises but you cannot tell if he is crying or if he is laughing until the very end scene when he is shown to be laughing.   

Mise en scene

The bathroom is shown as a traditional quite posh bathroom because of the suits the men are wearing and the cleanliness of the bathroom. The men are shown to be quite smart well dressed because of the suits they are wearing, which sets the scene in the working day. This is also shown as the repair man is shown in his work overalls.  The bathroom is lit quit dimly which adds to the tension over who is in the cubical.