This short film analysis summarizes the key shots and scenes in the short film "If I Could Talk". It analyzes how different shots are used to develop the relationship between a man and dog over many years, from when the man first finds the dog abandoned to growing old together. Shots convey that the man cares for the dog and they bond through playing. Later shots introduce the man's partner and daughter, showing the passage of time. The analysis examines how shots create emotion and move the narrative along in a concise manner.

1. ‘IF I COULD TALK’
SHORT FILM ANALYSIS
A2 Media Studies

2. This high angle shot introduces the audience to the narrative and the
characters that they are going to get to know. Even though the camera
has not shown the characters faces, we as the audience can immediately
acknowledge that there is a man and a dog in the film who have a strong
relationship, just like every other own and pet.
This is one of the first shots when the audience is first introduced to one
of the protagonists, adhearing to Propps ‘character types’ theory. Using
this close up the audience are able to read the facial expressions and try
to understand what he is thinking. In this shot we see the character
frowning and noticed that he has stopped running for a reason, however
only seeing how the character is reacting make it more interesting for the
audience to watch as it leaves us thinking ‘what is he looking at?’ ‘why is
he confused?’.
Mise en scene is everything you put into a frame. This is used in this shot
to inform the audience on the type of character the man is. The audience
are able to recognize his personality characteristics by the type of clothes
he is wearing; a plain coloured jacket and dark trousers. Wearing these
types of clothes immediately indicates that the man is an normal man you
would see in public. The audience can also assume that the character is
social class, and has a job to pay for his living.

3. This wide shot, already has given the audience a logical layout of what has
happened to the other protagonist – the dog. This is done through mise en
scene, as we see the man uncover the dog who has been left in a plastic bin bag.
This suggests that the owner of the animal didn’t know what to do or didn’t want
the dog anymore and from the wide shot we can understand that the dog has
possibly been left in the lake, that is seen in the background for a few days. This
is shown through digetic sound as we can hear the dog crying because he is
scared.
The over the shoulder shot, gives the audience the view of what the actor sees
however not through the characters own eyes. We can see that the dog is finally
being cared for as he is having a wash which was more than likely needed as he
has been left in a muddy lake. This was also shown during the transformation of
the dogs fur when the man had first collected him and after the dog has been
washed, showing his clean white shiny fur. This use of this shot also informs the
audience on what type of person the man is, showing that he is managing to care
for the dog that he just found, suggesting that he is a kind hearted man.
As the sequence continued of the man taking care of the dog. This is the first
shot we see after the dog has ‘recovered’. The close up shot of the man
showing the new favourite toy, a tennis ball, suggests that the man is willing to
bond with the dog and give him the life he deserves especially after the
dramatic start. The high key lighting used informs the audience that the time
frame is during the day and that the dog and man are going to spend the day
playing with each other. This also supports that the man and dog are starting to
develop their strong bond.

4. The smooth transition of the ball becoming a big ball and the close up shot of
the dog being older, is emphasizing on how time has passed. The narrative is
trying to explain to the audience that even though the dog has grown up the
man and dog still do their favourite thing together – going to the beach and
playing fetch. Producing a scene like this, connects with audience and makes
them feel some type of loving, happy emotion as they are able to
acknowledge the journey they both have come along – from finding a dog left
in a lake to bonding with each other for years.
This is a consistent feature in the film between each clip of the dog and man.
The text written is in 1st person and is clear that it is from the dogs point of
view. This relates to the title of the film, ‘If I could talk’ meaning that if the
dog could talk to his owner these are the words he would say. The shot
length in this short film usually lasts 2-3 seconds however the transitions are
very slow and smooth, allowing the audience to take in what is being shown
and fully understand the narrative feeling the deep emotion. In comparison to
films that would be drama or action this film is easy for the audience to
comprehend.
This is an extreme close up, gives the audience a few beyond the eye of an
individual would experience. The audience are given the opportunity to see
how the dog is feeling. Even though a dog can’t show much emotion, the
audience can see he has been properly taken care of with his clean none
scared face. This reassure the audience that the man has been treating the
dog with compassionate love.

5. The short film doesn’t consist much dialogue, only a simple piano soundtrack playing
in the background, playing a role of sound bridges. As the piano continues to play
new locations are introduced as well as a new character. The women is introduced
through a close up, allowing the audience to analyze the type of person she is. From
this shot, it is clear that the women wears natural makeup, leaves her hair down
natural whilst wearing a simple black jacket, suggesting that she is a normal women
who is comfortable and confident in her own skin on the type of person she is. As
there is a new character introduced who is holding a camera, it is understood that
she is taking pictures of the man and dog assisting the audience that this women
knows these characters and is now a part of their life.
These three shots come in order, to give the audience more visuals
to look at within the scene. Doing this has added some humour to
the narrative, as they are acting like they are playing a football
match however, it’s just the two of them. In the first shot proxemics
is used to emphasize on the relationship between the man and dog
by showing only a personal distance. As the sequence continues,
the director used close ups as each characters point of view. This is
where the humour is added as it almost looks like the dog is
smiling, which is stereotypical as a dog is always happy as long as
they are loved. Then we see a close of the man who is jokingly
trying to be aggressive as that is known within the sport they ‘are
playing’.

6. The smooth transition due to editing between these two
shots, inform the audience that the young girl is the baby
just grown up. This suggests how time has passed and the
journey that has already been experienced with the dog
along the mans side, seeing him fall in love and become a
father.
This is a two shot, to inform the audience on the relationship between
the two characters shown through a visual image. It captivates the
audience and makes them feel a happy emotion as the shot shows that
the dog has accepted that his ‘hero’ has become a father. This is shown
as the dog is laying on the daughters chest as she relaxes and reads a
book, emphasising on the idea that he trusts her enough to be laying
almost on her.
A high angle shot looks down on a character, making the observer feel
like they are dominating and are at a higher position. This relates
immediately with the narrative, as the daughter has hurt herself badly
and is a lot weaker to the observer/audience as they are just watching
the short film play. Another way that benefits the audience from
understanding this particular part is by being able to still see her facial
expressions. It is a well known one that anyone can relate to, seeing a
crying face as she holds her leg to support the pain from going away is
evidently being emphasised. This is done to make the scene as clear as
possible for the audience as it is only a few seconds as well.