Harry McHale - Analysis of 'Alone' directed by Brock Torunski

VIDEO HERE

"Alone. Alone is what this man is. Years after the world ended and the human race perished; this is the only man left standing. How did he survive? What caused the outbreak? We don't know. No one does. This short film gives you an inside look on what the only man left alive does on a day-to-day basis, what he does to survive, kill time, and keep himself sane."

The short film begins with a medium close up shot at mid angle of the protagonist whose facial expression is completely visible. The spectator sees that the protagonist appears rather straight faced but not sombre. Alongside the facial expression of the protagonist one can also see his hair and makeup which is neat and not extravagant with hair being kept uniformed and make up being minimalistic. A small amount of the protagonists costume is also showing, though most is cut off from the frame, what the spectator can see shows that the male is dressed in a smart and formal manner.

The lighting of the medium close up shot is high key and unnatural, as shown through the lamp prop in the corner of the shot. The colour of the shot is, again, natural and appears to be de-saturated in the smallest way possible, this gives a pristine and very crisp look to the short film.

In the following array of close up shots at mid angle many props and décor are shown and a setting is almost established. The spectator sees the props of a mouse, keyboard and computer screen. Coupling this with the costume of the protagonist the spectator can make an assumption of the male being at work perhaps in an office. Showing the protagonists facial expression even more shows how the male appears to know what he is doing and may be finding it quite tedious, giving the impression that he does the same work every day. When a focus pull from shallow depth of field leads to a large depth of field medium close up it creates the sense of realisation and fluidity. The panning camera movement used also assists this.

After the sound of a knock - most likely a Foley - a mid-shot at mid angle is used showing the stomach of another male whose costume also suggests office worker. The restricted narration used here creates an impression of ambiguity.

When match on action is then used to show the male protagonist answering the phone prop it gives the action of answering the phone a larger build up and creates emphasis around the importance of it. The close up shots at mid angle that follow alongside the dialogue show why the phone call was so important. The sound effect of the police sirens and the hurried dialogue informing of an apocalypse over the close up shot showing the protagonists facial expression (shocked and worried) create major effect and add to the enormity of the affair. With a big close up and extreme close up soon following, it’s as though the information (being given through a sound bridge) is becoming more and more dramatic and getting 'inside his head', generating a sense of urgency. Promoted through the use of the crescendo.

The crescendo builds to a medium close up at mid angle after a cut transition of the male protagonist in a bedroom setting; the spectator then realises that the previous shots were a dream. When the feet of the male are shown at extreme close up at mid angle, Foleys are used as he walks away, the music soundtrack being constant over this. A range of shots of the shower prop (including one extreme sloe up at worms eye view) are then used to establish setting and décor again. The use of the worms eye view angle here is particularly interesting as it is the only shot that varies from the more commonly used angles, e.g. mid angle, low angle, etc. Whilst in the bathroom setting the spectator can read a lot from the décor and props used. The use of the masses of toothpaste tubes in the drawer suggests that the man has a long term need for the toothpaste - perhaps because he is unable to find any. When the medium close up shot at low angle of the mirror prop shows the males reflection it creates an interesting impression juxtaposed to him being alone.

Manipulation of time and space is used cleverly throughout this short film. As the males entire routine seems very procedural it manipulates the spectator into thinking that the male does this day after day; which in fact he does. Manipulation of space is used in the fact that a large amount of extreme close ups, big close ups and close ups are used which create a sense of intimacy and loneliness.

The spectator is then assisted in understanding that the male is within his thoughts as he remembers better times, shown through the misty edged effect of the shots. The shots themselves also being important with a wider range being used than in the current world, for example, the extreme long shot.

When the male protagonist enters the house setting the props and décor along with the mid shot are very blocked in the sense that techniques such as slit shots have been used. The panning, tilting and tracking movements add to the ordeal as the male protagonist wanders aimlessly around the house setting as though it was his own. The spider prop being used to show the seriousness of the apocalypse and how something as simple as a spider can become one of the only life forms left.

The props of the items within the survival kit add to the semantics of the short film and used in company with the other props and décor within what seems as the basement setting add to the amazement of finding this safe-haven. The tilt down movement and fast motion use both manipulate time again and add to the glory of finding the house. After leaving the house setting the lighting is low key and the close up of the male protagonists face is rather blurry. The shadowed and silhouette effect adds to the darkness and adds to the astonishment and horror as the light goes on. After the stop in dialogue and the start of a tense soundtrack the light prop turns on and creates shock in both characters and spectators. The light is prominent, both in the darkness and in the male protagonist’s life.

The representation of age is the key concept to be applied to this short film, with the protagonist being represented as 'old before his time'. The flashback shots used manipulate time and assist this representation; showing his life before the apocalypse. The protagonist’s life before the apocalypse seems as though it is a dream and contrasts well, showing what he should be living and how he is actually living. The dialogue used helps to create a sense in the spectator’s mind of what the male would do before the apocalypse.

When the protagonist goes on to say that his life is almost repetitive it creates the representation of perhaps years rather than age being tedious, as though he is thoroughly bored of his current life. Continuing with the idea of the representation of years and time, the prop of the spice helps to visualise just how long the male has been alone, insinuating from his facial expression and body language that the spice is out of date.

Another prop that creates the representation of age as well as time is the baby picture frame, giving the sense that the protagonist is looking back at better times and remembering of when he was a baby. This creates the representation of being a 'grown up' as a negative thing and creates preference towards being a child again.

The dead flowers are the last prop that are used to show the representation of how long-going and monotonous post apocalypse times have been for the protagonist.

One technique used to attract a certain demographic is the use of the character. The male protagonist is aged around 20 - 30, suggesting that the target audience could be males in their late teens or early twenties who can relate to the protagonists role and situation.

Another method used to attract the target audience is the protagonists job, as aforementioned it is an office job which is very common and he is of a middle/upper class. This could be used to the advantage of the producers in order to attract anyone who has an office job and is looking for a thrill away from reality; or anyone of a middle/upper social class who again would like to relate to something fictional.

The flashback shots used also create another demographic which could be teenagers. The dialogue used and shots of the protagonist "driving around aimlessly", "taking walks" and "going out with friends" relate very much to a typical teenagers life. It could be assumed that the producers are targeting teenagers here as they are known to have a liking for fictional and unrealistic scenarios. By allowing the teenagers to relate to the protagonist it helps them feel more involved in the plot and story.

In conclusion, I believe the target demographic for this short film is young adults. The majority of techniques and concepts used appeal most too young adults of the age of 16 - 30. Even the titling at the end of the short film is particularly appealing to young adults rather than a more formal title appealing to a more middle aged and elderly audience.

This short film can be related mostly to a linear structure. However, at the start of the short film and in the flashback the structure could be seen to be non-linear as the plot is non-chronological. Mostly, the short film makes use of unrestricted narration, though at the beginning of the film in the dream 'flashback' restricted narration is used in the viewing of other characters.

NOTICE: Blogger was acting funny and the images 'glitched' out halfway through. :(