Analysing the short film 'Room 8' for media

1. MatthewDelicate
Instantly, the credit of the production company ‘Bombay
Sapphire’ (suggesting that the setting is perhaps foreign (if the
audience hasn’t made the difference of architecture) with
‘Bombay’ being a location in India) is superimposed on top of a
long-shot of the exterior wall of a prison, therefore the
establishing shot shortens down the time needed with 2 things
shown.
The mystery is bridged through the cut, with the over shoulder
from the match box man’s shoulder, shot in a deeper focus
that keeps his identity hidden and the protagonists expression
clear. Perhaps this was done to show the audience that the
unknowing villain has an awareness of his new cell mate. The
interior room’s colour theme is bleak like the exterior,
conveying a sense that the situation lacks clarity, adding to
the sinister atmosphere.
The next shot is used to continue the credits, however this
time it implies that the prisoners are isolated with brutally
secured parameters. The low angle shot makes the wall seem
superior, positioning the audience from the PoV of the
prisoners and how daunting it is to try to escape. The inclusion
of the sky also shows that the prisoner’s hopes of escaping are
bleak enforcing the point of security.
Breaking the typical laws of character introduction, they first
show the protagonist in a close-up. This is possibly because
there is little point in familiarising the audience with this
specific character’s uniform if many other characters would be
wearing it, therefore are relying on facial features to
distinguish between the characters. The wound on the
characters and the strong endured facial expression the
protagonist poses builds him to be quite a bold powerful
character, a typical feature in a thriller.
The almost worm-angled shot of the prison wall, making an
eye-line match with the protagonist amplifies his hopes of
survival.
The shaking of a matchbox arouses suspicion from the
audience as there are few organisms tenacious and small
enough to fit in one and to move it around, creating the
sinister atmosphere that is natural with the Thriller genre.
Enhanced when a finger presses it down to conceal the
movement, therefore there is a mysterious force that will be
announced later, providing the hook for the audience to hang
on for the discovery.

2. MatthewDelicate
The editing again is continued with the ceiling being lifted and
the protagonist being able to appear as though he is climbing
out. In addition, the background beyond the opened ceiling is
the room in a much higher resolution giving a blurred look. The
title of the film ‘Room 8’ could be dedicated to this idea, with
‘8’ being an infinite sign and the room becoming eternal when
the ceiling is lifted. For the third time the over the shoulder
shot is used from the villain’s perspective, this time the
protagonist appears vulnerable as he journeys in to the
unknown, with the idea the villain knows what he is doing if he
knew the box’s capability.
The narrative twist (which is essential in thriller films) appears
with the antagonist capturing the protagonist in the matchbox,
confirming why the there was a shaking matchbox to begin
with. The aerial shot of the draw showing tens of matchboxes
creates a bigger impact, as thought this plot had been cyclical
in order to trap so many prisoners.
A lesser second twist occurs when the antagonist demands (in
another language, sounding eastern European, stereotypically
representing Russian people as the enemy), to ‘Send in the
next prisoner’ suggesting the police and this man are
cooperating. The fluency of both Russian and English and the
clarity of the accent impacts the audience further as the
antagonist’s identity is unveiled. The age of the man
(portrayed through the receding hairline and glasses also
implies this has been going on for a while.

3. MatthewDelicate
The bleak interior allows the red of the box to stand out, red
in this case could connote danger. The fact that the shot is
still an over the shoulder one from the villain suggests there is
a relation between him, the protagonist and the box.
Protagonist glances at it a few times as if there is some
supernatural attraction to it, building on the suspense. The
neglected bed frame adds further isolation to the atmosphere.
When the protagonist goes to touch the box, the villain turns
round for the first time, this sharp reaction makes the
atmosphere tense, especially when the villain says the
protagonist will ‘regret’ opening it. The red around the
villain’s eyes add an eerie cold feeling to the narrative as well,
therefore an effective use of make-up.
The editing of a bird’s eye shot effectively being placed inside
the box indicates the production has been done professionally.
A complex event in the narrative is common amongst the
thrillers, and with the professional editing it would go far in
the industry (hence the film winning a BAFTA).
The villain puts on an innocent anti-social façade, keeping his
identity masked and the mystery lingering. The limited natural
light adds to the feeling of isolation the prisoners would have
to undergo while under captivity. The protagonist attempts to
talk to him but is ignored; at this point tension starts to build.
The enlargement of the protagonist’s hand shows further
quality of the editing level, especially when the hand is nicely
detailed. However, the shadows on the hand are inaccurate in
correlation with the window, indicating that the production
team would not get as much funding from a publisher like
‘Paramount Pictures’ to buy software to correct this.