Depict - Short Film Reviews

Picking Sides
The first short film I watched was called ‘Picking Sides’ by Dotty Kultys & Beatriz Pinto. This was an animated film about a man and his dog who get caught in the middle of two warships. The film starts off with just the man and his dog in their little boat. Right from beginning there is a very calm tone set. The sea was very tranquil and the colours that they used set a very peaceful scene. Even when the action increases the colour still quite light. I think this has been done to show the hope that people must have when they're stuck in the middle of war.

We are lead to believe that this short film is going to be free from strife however this harmonious mood is quickly dismissed when the two warships are brought into frame. Since this film never changes it shot type or shooting perspective it all it allows the watcher to take in every detail of the scene. If you look closely at the warships you notice how you can see the hull below the water. This is done to emphasize how inferior the small boat is in comparison to the two warships. Another minor detail that we can notice because the shot type doesn't change is the fact that the people only come out once the artillery starts. The reason the shot type doesn't change is possibly because the films creators wanted to show that people don't change.

All in all this short film did not contain very many technical aspects to comment on, the way the creators have done this portrays a very powerful message about a very relevant topic. Whilst I enjoyed this depiction of how war affects people the satirical theme that came with the animation took away from the main message.

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Ideas Are Illegal
The second short film I watched was called 'Ideas Are Illegal'. This film shows us this idea of how society suppresses ideas if it does not correspond with what they believe to be the right way to live life. This film does not have a strong narrative, instead there are video game sounds in the background that show what is going on. For example when the main worker has an idea there is a ping showing its significance. After this sound effect there is a pause in all sounds, including the ambient noise from the factory. During this we see the rest of the workers turn around to look at him. This emphasizes the fact that the main worker has done something wrong.

The shots in this film are also very interesting. This is because when the main worker starts thinking of his idea images of rivers and cells begin to flash up sporadically. The more the pictures appear the quicker they flash up. Pair this with the build up of dramatic music in the background this creates a very suspenseful moment in the film. There are a few close up shots but the one that had the most impact on me was the close up of the man workers face when he was running away from the hand. This helped the audience to see the fear and panic that had flooded over him. The way the animators have done this is very moving as you only ever see the workers eyes, and the fact that they have managed to get so much expression into them shows how powerful eyes can be.

In conclusion I think this short film has such an important message, especially at the end when the main worker unscrews his light bulb. This moment was extremely powerful as it's showing how people will sacrifice dreams and ideas just to fit in with what other people think is the norm.

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Blue Face
Since Blue Face is another animation it brings a satirical aspect to an issue that is a growing problem in today's society. Blue Face is about how dependent we as a society are of our phones. The main character is trying to find his friends by looking for them on his phone however by doing this he misses being with his friends in the real world outside of his phone. This short film also shows us how trivial the things on our phones are when he looks through his notifications. In this close up shot humour is added by making the notifications very menial.

The animation of this film is very simplistic but what stood out to me was the colour scheme of it. The reason for this is because of the colours in this film it makes the title really clever. Everything in this film is very dull and muted, everything apart from his face which is lit up from the light of his phone. By doing this the creator has emphasised just how important our phones are to us, as they have made it so bright in comparison to everything else to make it seem like nothing else matters.

I enjoyed this film as it was relatable for me and surely for many others. It makes you as a watcher step back and realise just how obsessed we are with our phones. The way the animators have created such a powerful message with such simplistic animation is amazing. The music behind it as well is also interesting as it is quite bright and yet there seemed to be an underlying serious tone to it which further exaggerated both how wonderful our phones can be but also how in the future they could possibly a major downfall in society.