Single Camera Production: The Black Hole
In this article I will be explaining about The Black Hole
short film that was directed by Phil and Olly in 2008, where I will be
discussing about the format, genre, the narrative structures and its technical
features like camera, editing, sound and lighting.
Format
The format of The Black Hole short film is a single drama.
For instance the short film drama is a two minute installment featured on ‘You
Tube’ which is a single clip with no episodes linked to the storyline. This
suggests that The Black Hole is a single one off drama as it is only a two
minute film established on ‘You Tube’ with a short storyline based on an office
worker using a supernatural piece of paper with a black hole displayed on to it
to steal money from a safe that creates a strong message of using power as
simple purpose to commit a crime.
Genre
The genre of The Black hole is a drama with the sub-genres of
dark comedy, science fiction, fantasy and thriller. For instance the scene
shows an average bored office worker operating a photo copier where he prints
out an image of a black hole which he discovers has powers to get him in to
vending machines, rooms and the safe of the organisation. This illustrates that
the short film is a drama as is focuses on the single strand of the bored
office worker which then follows on to the sub-genres of science fiction/ fantasy
as he has discovered the black hole and its supernatural powers. The storyline
also presents that the short film has the genre of thriller as it relates to
crime where the office worker uses in the black hole to gain access to a locked
room and steel money from the safe where he accidently locks himself into which
signifies the genre of dark comedy. However this shows that the Black hole is a
drama with the elements of different sub-genres included into the storyline. Narrative structures
The Black Hole short film is presented in a single narrative
as it focuses on one character realistically. For instance the whole storyline
focuses on a single office worker who has the impressions of boredom and looks
like he had a tough day at work until he discovers the black hole which he uses
to gain access to a vending machine and then uses it to steal money from a
locked safe. This demonstrates the character that was featured throughout the whole
storyline of The Black Hole is presented as a single strand narrative as it
focuses on one office worker realistically in order for the audience to relate
to as the individual relates to real life offices workers and the work and
stress they go through each day.
Technical features
Camera
The Black Hole short film uses a number mid close up and close
up shots throughout the two minute sequence. For instance this can be seen in
the beginning where the office worker was using the photocopier. This practically demonstrates that
reason why the producers of The Black Hole uses these mid close up and close up shots for the photcopier scens was to represent the theme and
the mise en scene of the enviroment and the machinery of an ordinary office department in order to relate it to employement in real life dramtcially and towads the audience to relate towards. The producers uses thes shots to highlight the chracter of the the office worker in order to represent the sub genres of the programme and to relate to the stressful employement lifestyles of the audience realistically.
Editing
The Black Hole uses a jump cut shot at the end of the film.
For example at the end of the scene where the office worker gets himself
trapped inside the safe a jump cut is used where the camera pans out three
times before the closed ending. This illustrates that the producers use the
jump cut in order to form the closed ending to conclude the story which clearly
disrupts the new equilibrium as it was left to the audience to imagine the fate
of the office worker trapped inside the safe or black hole. This also shows
that the jump cut was used as an effect to engage the audience as it panned
away from the safe which gives the characteristics of the mise en scene and the
theme of claustrophobia from the office worker’s point of view and the
isolation of the office department.
In The Black Hole short film there is use of the reverse shot
as part of continuity editing. For instance the camera focuses on the office
worker eating the snickers bar which then focuses on the locked door and then
back to the office worker. This demonstrates that this form of continuity
editing used during this scene has used a slightly similar technique of the
reverse shot where the purpose here is that it reflects to the thoughts of the
office worker where after using the black hole to get hold of a snickers bar
from the vending machine he then thinks of using the powers of the black hole
to gain himself access in to the locked room. Furthermore this also shows that
the technique of the reverse shot was used to represent the real personality of
the office worker for the audience to relate to and understand the plot of The
Black Hole itself.
Sound
Throughout the short film of The Black Hole there was manly
the used of diegetic sounds. For instance there were sounds of computers, the
photocopier/ printer, eating the snickers bar and the sound of when the office
worker opens the door to the locked room that contained the safe. These diegetic sounds where used in order to
represent the mise en scene of the office department realistically towards the
audiences as it is similar towards real life circumstances of a business
working environment. The use of the diegetic sounds were also used by the
producers to suit the theme of the film to create dramatic and realistic
effects and surroundings to relate towards the genres and to represent the
personality of the office worker’s character for the audience to understand.
Lighting
The lighting that was used in The Black Hole was used to
represent the mise en scene, theme and reflect towards the personality of the
office worker. For example the lighting in the main office area and the locked
room is at a low key grade with a mixture of cool colours as shown by the
toning of grey and light blue. This suggests that the producers used low key
colour grading in The Black Hole to create the mise en scene of the office in
order to make the sequence look realistic and dramatic to relate to the theme
and genre of a crime thriller combined with supernatural science fiction and
dark comedy. This also demonstrates that the producers also used the blue and
grey cool colours within the tone of the low key lighting to represent the
personality of the office worker as he is stressed with his job and these
colours however may also represent the realistic lifestyles of employment for
the audience to understand and to be engage to the storyline.
I have done my research on The Black Hole by watching https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5_Msrdg3Hk
I have done my research on The Black Hole by watching https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5_Msrdg3Hk
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