Short Film Analysis no.2 - Connect

Connect 

(Samuel Abrahams, 2010) 

The film starts off with a medium close up shot of the main female character, this connotes from the start of the film that she's going to be important to the narrative. As well as this, the intimate and personal proximity of the camera to the character also allows a moment of connection between her and the audience, as she's the only focus from the very start. This ideology of personal connections to people we barley know is prominent throughout the entirety of the film, and so therefore by setting up that feeling very early on with the audience and main character, it makes it much more noticeable through the narrative as something we want to happen to others. However, the low-key lighting of the woman does suggest a very dull and mundane energy to her emotions at the start of the film, suggesting that she is going about a very monotonous life deemed very boring in her eyes.  

The film then continues to show her trying to get on a bus but being pushed out of the way by other passengers. The medium shot then used to show her at the back of the line and detached from the rest of the people helps to reflect the idea that we're almost detached from each other as a society, taking what we want and need before looking to other people first. The low-key lighting on her still connotes the negative and low mood she's feeling after being pushed aside by so many people without a thought. 

The scene then cuts to her eventually getting on the bus and looking at the environment around her. The medium long shot of the inside of the bus to show the passengers together helps heighten the realism of the situation, and the everyday life of workers around the world. The mise-en-scene of the shot with the bland and dull colour scheme, especially the costumes of the people indicate a very boring and repetitive life of everyday workers and people - there is nothing exciting and bright about the normality that each of these people share. However, the tiny bit of colour that does contrast to the rest of the aesthetic of the bus is the red on the bag strap of the man in the forefront of the shot. This vibrancy could suggest this man has some bright energy about him and that even though we look and perhaps judge people for having boring and monotonous lives, there might just be something exciting and vibrant hiding within all the dull colours. The high-key lighting of the lights by the bus windows could also connote that a lot of the most exciting and inspiring things are in fact outside in the world, not trapped within the bus. The diegetic sound of the bus and the engine also heightens this realism of the situation as many audience members could possibly relate to being in a bus themselves and seeing how similar the situation is in the film to everyday life. 

The film then cuts to another medium close up of the woman and her watching the people around her, to her then putting on her earphones. This details her reaction to the people on the bus showing her facial expressions to be almost exhausted by the lack of social communication between one another and the fact that although people are so close, they still seem so far apart. The woman's mise-en-scene of costume however contrasts that of many of the other people on the bus. She's wearing a bright red dress with a blue cardigan and white headphones. This variety of colour, although seemingly small, connotes the difference between her and the others around her, as she seems to having a colourful and optimistic personality in which she isn't presented as seeming very dull and boring compared to that of the more mundane passengers.

The scene then cuts to a variety of shots of the woman looking at the different people on the bus individually. The different medium close-ups of the people reflects the idea that each person has their own story to them and that they are each different despite the first impression that they all fit into the very normal and dreary image of everyday societal life. As well as this, the medium shots of the passengers also emphasises even further the idea that although they seem very close together, they couldn't be further apart and detached from one another. The diegetic sound of the woman's music from her earphones contrast the shots of her looking at the people on the bus, as many of them seem very tired and sombre, where as the music seems quite cheery and happy.

The diegetic sound of the music then becomes a lot louder as the camera focuses on the man in the suit pulling out a gun and putting it against the older lady's head. The close-up shot of the gun and the lady creates a tensions for the audience as well as a shocking response as the situation completely contrasts that of the very tiresome and dull environment that was previously seen. However, the lack of response from the older lady's performance, as well as the slow motion editing of the man pulling the gun form his blazer creates an impression of fantasy coming from the film and that what is going on is just in the woman's head. This is amplified further by the diegetic sound of the music becoming more real and direct for the audience, as well as the louder guitar sounds coming as a response to the reveal of the gun- it is so perfectly timed that it comes across planned and made up within the woman's imagination.

The unpredicted and slightly jarring scene is then interrupted by the diegetic sound of the stop button being pressed. The close up shots of the 'stopping' sign as well as the card readers on the bus create a normality that contrasts that of the gun scene and brings us back into the realism of the film that was presented at the start. As well as this, it interrupts not only the woman's fantasy whilst she's stood on the bus, but it also interrupts the audience's perspective as well on the situation and reminds them that they're are seeing things from the woman's perspective that might be unreliable. This idea is also implied further by the connotations of the colour red on the stop sign and how they might be seen as a warning for the audience.

The scene then cuts to the woman being pushed closer the main male characters in the film with more people getting on the bus. The medium close-ups of their faces each create the same personal and intimate feeling seen at the start of the film, perhaps foreshadowing that the two characters will perhaps connect as the narrative continues. As well as this, the use of the close-ups helps to focus on the characters and therefore the narrative, and not the environment, implying the message further that we should to connect to people more around us. 

The camera the cuts to close-up shots of the characters hands, at first to show them distanced apart, much like that of the people in the bus, to then touching each other. The red colour scheme of the mise-en-scene of the person's coat in the background and the woman's dress present connotations of love and passion, therefore perhaps suggesting that this form of connection with another person shows a caring and affectionate side of humanity that is becoming more distant as time goes on for generations. The close-up shots also connote the importance of what the characters are doing and how significant it is to connect to someone that you don't know, even for a minute, at the present time. The non-diegetic sound of the music also used helps to heighten this idea of importance and compassion for those around us and for human connections as well, as the music is very lighthearted and happy.

However, the shot is then interrupted by passengers getting off of the bus and the diegetic sound of the bus doors opening and outside traffic. This mimics the previous interrupted shot which creates an idea that the connection between the two characters was one based from an ideal fantasy of what the world could be. The medium over-the-shoulder shot of the woman and man return the audience to the ideology of the distance of people in society, as the two characters are no longer connected. However, the high-key lighting over the woman in the shot does suggest that although the direct connection with the man is over, the memory and long lasting personal connection between them isn't, as the shot is brighter now over the woman than it was at the start of the film. 

The narrative then continues to a sequence of the passengers dancing on the bus. The medium long shots of the passengers dancing, paired with the non-diegetic music create an uplifting and joyful environment that contrasts that of the previous shot with all the passengers. The mise-en-scene of their performances and positioning also connote an idea that perhaps people are more connected than first realised, and that the ideal society is where we can easily communicate and connect with each other much like that of dancing. The non-diegetic music also lets the audience know that this is another fantasy played out in the woman's head, however, unlike the last, this is much happier and optimistic, suggesting the significance and impact of what connecting to others can do to someones outlook on life.