Short film analysis

1. Short film analysis - ‘Dust’ – By Ben Ockrent & Jake Russell
(shortoftheweek.com)
Millie Price
In the short film extract ‘Dust’ it uses a wide range of
camera angles. Firstly, over the shoulder camera
angles are used a few times in this film. This occurs
when the man is watching/stalking the little girl and
mother, which is used to show the scene from the
stalkers point of view. This is used again when he
starts to follow the girl and mother home, where the
camera is over the mans shoulder to almost show
what he is looking at, and to show the importance and
significance of the little girl and mother to the
audience. Also, an eye level shot is used, whereby the
camera is positioned as though it is a human
observing a scene (in this case the man). This is
effective as it conveys to the audience exactly what the
man is seeing from his eyes, making the audience
connect with the storyline.
In addition close up shots are also used on the little girl
at the start when she is waiting for her mum outside
ballet practice. This is effective as from early on we see
she is a main priority and character in the film. The
close up shot shows the innocence of the little girl and
almost makes the audience form a connection with her
and also build up a fear for what may happen to her.
Abduction and being taken is a primal fear found in all of us, and the fear that
something bad will happen to someone we love is a huge fear factor, therefore
this is effective of giving of a vibe of something ‘not being right’ or tha t
something bad is going to happen to the little girl which we
don’t want to happen as she is innocent and cute. Also close
up shots are used of the man aswell to show his important
in the film and his main role. A wide camera angle is also
used when the man is following them. This way the man is
positioned to the left of the frame while getting the whole
background in the frame too. This is effective as it lets the
audience get a good look of what the we think ‘antagonist’
and the surrounding scenes.

2. Likewise, there is also a range of different sound elements that have been put in
place to achieve tension and effectiveness. Sound in this short film plays a huge
role as there is no initial speaking in it (diegetic sound), it is completely reliant
on non-diegetic sound such as music and sound effects to Increase tension.
Firstly, right at the start music is played; this has a mystical and suspicious feel to
it. It uses piano sounds and a creepy monotone drone of one pitch for a few
seconds. This gives to the audience that perhaps something isn’t right or that the
man is suspicious from the outset. Also this creepy music is foregrounded when
the man knocks over the vase when creeping around the house while the mother
is in the bath and little girl in bed asleep. This signifies to the audience that
someone is going to happen and increases the tension to a maximum to the
viewer.
In addition, the diegetic sound of an ice-cream van music that passes the man
and little girl connotes children and the innocence of children. Along with the
uneasy music together with the ice cream van music it creates a feeling of worry
and anxiousness of what’s going to happen next, with is perhaps involving the
child. Likewise, other diegetic sounds are also used such as dogs barking and car
alarms going off to portray a spooky and uneasy feeling when the man is
approaching their house at night.
Also, I believe the ideology of this short film is a feeling of yes, being aware of its
powerful context of child abduction in present in modern-day society. Where we
are in an age where never-ending news reporting has us all too aware of the
dangers present in every day life, on the corner of every street. But I think it also
teaches us a lesson that we shouldn’t judge someone by a stereotype (as we later
discover the man is innocent). They have cleverly Presented us with the image of
a solitary-man, of an older age looking suspicious following a young girl home
from school, and it appears at first as if the journey of this tale can only follow
one path. Yet, just as it looks like the storyline will play-out exactly as expected it
changes.
Moreover, mise-en-scene is also used to set the
audience into thinking a certain way. The area
the film is set in seems like quite a rough city
town of cars and commuters, along with sky-high
flats and derelict buildings. The setting appears
dark with the use of dark colours in not only the
setting but the costume too. The man wears dark
clothing (browns, greys and blacks) to perhaps
reflect a gloomy storyline and setting. And also
the woman and little girl wear dark gloomy colours too.
Lastly, the short film also uses a range of transitions and camera shots. Firstly,
the film uses a considerable amount of slow edits. The transitions of a slow edit
from the man to the little girl show there is going to be an event or connection
between them. These are used to engage the audience into the storyline and to

3. create a dramatic effect. The crosscutting between the man and little girl is used
to establish the action occurring at the same time in two different locations.
Suspense is then added as the audience can see the story unraveling. Moreover,
the transition ‘fade to black’ is used when cutting from one scene to the next.
This is used when the woman and little girl enter their house in the daylight to
then cutting to nighttime when the man returns to the house to enter it. This
signifies to the audience the passing of time.