Short film analysis

This film is a psychological thriller with film noir aspects. It tells the story of a girl who has been tied up and kidnapped. At the time there's a serial killer and it's assumed that the kidnapper is the killer, this is implied through a Newspaper at the beginning. It is revealed that the man is just pranking the girl. He lets her go and she has a gun, she shoots the man and it is revealed that she is the serial killer.

Use of Shots/movement
The first shot used is a close up of a snow globe, it then fades and shows a close up of the girl's feet. It then fades to black and then the camera pans across the desk, it then pans again in a different position to a picture of a man and a ring on a chain. It then goes to a close up of the girls's hands which are tied up. These shots are to give the audience an idea what is happening and builds up tension, especially with the close up of the girl with hands tied up. There is a close up of the girls face who has a bandana around her mouth, which is obviously to keep her quiet. This adds further tension.
There is use of longer shots which establish the location and situation, i.e. that the man has the girl captive. There are high angle shots on the girl and low angle shots on the man to further emphasise that the man is in control of the situation. `

This shows a close up of the girl to reveal emotion

There is camera movement to follow the man's movement around the chair where the girl is, always close up on his face. It often returns to a close up of the girl's face to show her reaction and emotion when she is speaking.

Cinematography
As there are only two characters within the film, the shots usually just have one person in them, however when there are both characters in the same shot they are both usually centred. The man is usually higher than the girl as he is stood up and she's sat in a chair. This shows the man's authority over the girl for the most part of the film.

These images show that both characters are in the image, in the first image the man is in the forefront because he is the dominating character, he is also stood up whilst the girl is tied in the chair which adds to his power status and domination over the girl.

This is an image of only the girl in the image she is on a lower level than the male, often it is only he head that is framed in the picture, this is to show her reaction. The close-ups are used to add suspense and show reaction because of it's thriller genre.

 This is a close up of the male who is the dominating character at this point. This is used to show his reactions and is often sniggering which further adds to his dominance over the girl who is whimpering.

 This is the start of the turing point in the film, the girl is freed and the guy is sat down, the girl is just to the left of the man shadowed, this is to add more mystery and suspense and the guy is in the full light to show full attention is on him.

The girl is stood up and subverts the power over the guy who is sat down, she pulls out the gun to reveal she was fully in control of the situation all along.

















Sound
There is non diagetic sound at the beginning of dialling a phone, this is to go with the title 'Prank Call'. There is other non diagetic music throughout the film to show eeriness. This is to give the idea that there is a horror sense to the film, it also builds up suspense with the audience and creates tension. It is low and slow placed which is continual through the film.

Mise en scene
The man is wearing a cowboy hat and other cowboy style clothing such as his shirt, jeans and belt which reveals that he is probably a southern state North American.  As there is sand or something similar on the floor it is probably located in a barn to go with the Cowboy theme.

Lighting
The film is completely in black and white as it is a film noir. However, there is use of shadowing i.e. where one side of the man's face is shadowed while the other isn't, this reveals two sides. At first he is shown as keeping her captive and it is assumed he is the serial killer, however it is later revealed it is in fact the girl who is the killer.

Shadow effect on one side of the face, shows he has two sides