GENRE: Drama
'The Last 3 Minutes' is an example of drama because it focuses on the retrospective narrative of the protagonists life at the time of his death. The audience are asked to empathize with him through the continuous use of POV shots and the themes of alcoholism, war and divorce are all communicated through mise en scene. A variety of editing techniques are also used to connect the various scenes together, developing the audience's understanding of the protagonist
NARRATIVE:
'The main character in this short is William Turner, a janitor whose life seems mundane on the surface but as it develops, many interesting layers are revealed.' - synopsis by cinematographer, Shane Hurlbut
The piece seems to challenge the conventions of shorts films as the narrative is quite complex, with a total of 15 settings being used in just four minutes dwarfing the two in Mixtape! However, the audience are able to comprehend the story as the POV shots anchor the change in setting as another part of William's life. This is a great example of carefully choosing shots that convey the narrative
In addition, the piece focuses on key events in William's life that an audience can easily deduce. For example, the shot on the left immediately communicates the idea of engagement through the use of mise en scene (the ring) and her shocked facial expression - this is further supported by her 'I do!'
Although The Last 3 Minutes is evidence that short film narratives are not wholly limited to a simple narrative and one or two settings, I feel that our group will create a more successful short film if we adopt Mixtape's approach to narrative, rather then the complexity demonstrated in The Last 3 Minutes
SOUND:
The main purpose of the sound utilized in this short film is to act as a sound bridge. This continuity technique connects the various settings of the film and supports the editing techniques used, such as fades and graphic matches. A key example of a sound bridge in the film is the cut from the placid beach scene to the intense Vietnam scene. The female character is shown splashing water at William - however, an explosion is heard and then the action cuts to the middle of the war
The lack of dialogue from William himself gives him an ambiguity and allows a wider variety of audience to empathize with him. For example, if he were to communicate through dialogue with the audience, his accent and manner of speech would develop his identity and could isolate parts of the audience. Chan seems keen to leave William as ambiguous as possible so that his message and purpose of the piece can be communicated to a wide and varied audience
However, William's lack of dialogue also isolates him from the audience - in the opening shot, he is shown on his own and isolated from other people (ie. the guy that walks past him and ignores him). In a similar way, Chan's decision to prevent William from offering his own commentary of his life develops his insignificance - the audience can engage with his life without his explanation or opinion
CAMERAWORK / MISE EN SCENE / EDITING:
There are several interesting examples of camerawork throughout the piece. For example, the first close up on William's face signals indefinitely that he is the main character in the piece and the subject of the film's narrative. Lighting is used effectively to draw the audience's attention to his face, generating audience empathy. This is important to the narrative - if the audience lack concern for him, the purpose of the piece is defunct.
The lighting also hints at the consequent insight into his life, with the lighting offering connotations of death ('head towards the light') as well as interrogation. In a similar way, the intense light on his face could signal his imminent death to the audience. However, it could also develop into an 'interrogation' of William's life - as he nears his death, the audience are asked to judge the events of his life.
The piece seems to challenge the conventions of shorts films as the narrative is quite complex, with a total of 15 settings being used in just four minutes dwarfing the two in Mixtape! However, the audience are able to comprehend the story as the POV shots anchor the change in setting as another part of William's life. This is a great example of carefully choosing shots that convey the narrative
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| POV shot during 'engagement' scene |
Although The Last 3 Minutes is evidence that short film narratives are not wholly limited to a simple narrative and one or two settings, I feel that our group will create a more successful short film if we adopt Mixtape's approach to narrative, rather then the complexity demonstrated in The Last 3 Minutes
SOUND:
The main purpose of the sound utilized in this short film is to act as a sound bridge. This continuity technique connects the various settings of the film and supports the editing techniques used, such as fades and graphic matches. A key example of a sound bridge in the film is the cut from the placid beach scene to the intense Vietnam scene. The female character is shown splashing water at William - however, an explosion is heard and then the action cuts to the middle of the war
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| Sound bridge from beach scene to Vietnam scene |
The lack of dialogue from William himself gives him an ambiguity and allows a wider variety of audience to empathize with him. For example, if he were to communicate through dialogue with the audience, his accent and manner of speech would develop his identity and could isolate parts of the audience. Chan seems keen to leave William as ambiguous as possible so that his message and purpose of the piece can be communicated to a wide and varied audience
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| Opening shot of The Last 3 Minutes |
CAMERAWORK / MISE EN SCENE / EDITING:
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| Close up on William |
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| A conventional 'interrogation' scene |
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