2. Synopsi
s
The film ‘In Chambers’ (Aleksander Nordaas,
2011) is the directors interpretation of
purgatory. The theme of purgatory is shown
by the way the people who are ‘murdered’
and thrown off the roof wake up in hospital.
The short film follows a few moments of the
protagonist, named by the number ‘2148’,
time in purgatory. A series of flashbacks
shows the events of the accident which
lead to her being in hospital and therefore
the ‘chambers’ in which the film is set.
3. Sound
The short film is introduced to the
audience with dark, grievous music.
The use of minor notes create a more
morose and feeling to the music which
mirrors what is being shown on screen.
4. Shots
• After the title sequence we are
introduced to the main
protagonist with a high angle
medium-long shot. Because she
is the first character shown to the
audience it highlights that she is
going to play a major part in the
film.
This establishing shot of the city
gives the audience an insight
into the devastation and
destruction of the world ‘2148’
has awoken too. This shot
synced with the music
manipulates the audiences
emotions so they feel grief for
the situation the woman is in.
5. A zoom is then used to focus on
the protagonists
face, emphasising her features
and movements as she
awakens.
• A long shot is then used to show
the characters surroundings
being shabby and run down, this
contrasts with what the
protagonist is wearing. Though
the dress is dark which matches
the room her dress looks formal
and elegant showing that she
doesn’t belong to this room/world.
6. Editing
• Flash editing is used to signify
flashbacks/memories and is used a
few times throughout the short film.
During these flash backs the images
are in low key lighting and are usually
extreme close ups. The shots are fast
paced and sometimes distorted, this
shows confusion for the protagonist
but also a to create sense of mystery
for the audience as they, like the
character, don’t understand the
images or know what they signify.
7. This shift in focus helps
the audience to see a
close up of the syringe
and then the reaction shot
of this from the woman.
8. •When the woman is falling it fades to
white which symbolises purity and life.
From this it then dissolves into a shot of
the woman waking up in a hospital bed
with a man sat next to her. The slow
motion used whilst the woman is falling
could be viewed as a representation of
the woman struggling to awake from her
coma . The way that the fade to white
comes straight after this scene could be
seen as a way of showing her falling
back into life.
9. Mise en scene
• This two shot shows who we assume
to be ‘villain’ in this short film. The
way they are dressed, in black
leather/hazard suits and also the
masks make them seem sadistic.
Also the way the older mans face is
half covered in shadow shows he has
something to hide and influences the
audience to see him as an enemy to
the protagonist in which they now
identify with and like.
10. The corridor and the room in
which the film is set help to
add to the genre of the film.
The corridor has low key
lighting which results in
there being a lot of shadow
which is as convention of a
horror film. The room which
the woman wakes up in is lit
by the light coming from the
window which is a very
harsh light. The room is
furnished with only a bed
and a lamp and the walls
are dirty which all help to
show that the place is
unpleasent.
