The short film Love Field uses elements of horror, suspense, and drama to tell the story of a woman giving birth alone in a corn field. Various cinematic techniques are used to build fear and lead the audience to believe violence has occurred, including ominous music, scattered possessions, and shots of blood on a knife and the woman's foot. However, the film subverts expectations by revealing the man is actually a farmer helping the woman deliver her baby, and others have arrived to assist. The accompaniment plays a key role in manipulating the audience's perceptions throughout the film.

1. Analysis of the short film Love Field by Mathieu Ratthe
Lovefield combines elements of horror, suspense and drama to create a story that takes the
audience on a roller coaster ride of emotions. After watching this short film I was able to have a
better understanding of how signs and codes relating to the conventions of a typical horror, work
together in order to build fear and suspense in a piece.
The film begins with an introduction
to the producers.
After a brief pan of the corn field the
title fades into centre screen. The
long shot of the corn field and no
one present in shot shows the
element of isolation, a common
convention of a horror film and
therefore indicates the genre in the
establishing shot.
The silence of the accompaniment
at this point with only the swinging
of the sign and the bird’s screech
create an eerie tone to the opening
of the scene. The ‘crow’ is a
common convention of horror films
playing on people’s knowledge of
horrors and therefore appealing to a
specific audience.
The accompaniment of eerie orchestral sounds
is on a crescendo up until the silence before
the action of the next screen shot. The shot of
the woman’s foot appears far away originally
as the camera moves slowly along at ground
level passing her possessions which are strewn
across the corn field. This poses a suggestion of
some kind of struggle or an element of
violence. Although we cannot see the woman,
the polysemic sign of a scream allows the
audience to believe the worst.

2. This shot ends a short silence as the
hand slams down the knife into the
ground and a loud cutting sound
happens along with the re-joining of
the accompaniment. Blood on his
hand a sign of danger and the close
ups create curiousity among the
viewer as we cannot see exactly
what is happening.
Male character introduced at a
medium shot within the corn field.
Scruffy appearance and large build
creates fear towards him as the
audience, shot from slightly below
so her is the superior.
Shot from floor suggesting he has
control in the situation. Blood on
woman’s foot again suggests danger
and violence has taken place.
Smiling faces and change to the
accompaniment as it is now more
relaxed with a happy vibe indicates
that our suspicions were wrong
from the very beginning. The baby
presented shows that the woman
has just given birth.
The long shot a change from many
close ups of the whole piece allows
us to now understand the scene to
be a farmer who has stopped to
help a pregnant woman and is not
the villain we assumed him to be.
Sense of isolation is lost as most
people at one point are present in
the scene; ambulance driver,
farmer, woman.

3. End credits typical of all films to
accredit the production team on a
more personal level.
The accompaniment throughout is eerie with this builds fear and tension. I felt from watching this
that the accompaniment was the main factor which shaped my expectations as to the ending. I will
keep in mind the importance of the buzz track when creating my short film.