Wilhelmina Denness

Characters
There is only one character we see in this short and that is a female character. Speaking
to the camera as if another person is with the girl we get the idea that the second
character involved in this film is us, the audience. Effectively, we are made into an
essential character in the plot, centrally
involved with whats happening in the film. Its
also through the way the main character also
gives hints and distinct facts about who shes
talking to, that characterisation is built and we
become part of the story, in the same way you
feel youve become the central character in a
first-person-narrative novel.
In the close up shot we can see that the
character is wearing a plaid flannel shirt which hangs loosely on her body. While this
does little to inform us of the girls character and the state which she has found herself
in, the hair and make-up speaks differently. Her hair has been styled to look messy and
either wet or greasy. From this we get the reading that she has been living rough for
days on end. The fact that its matted suggests it could have got caught in something or
at least had a reason to be messed up and this then suggests that she might be stressed
and on the run/in hiding from someone or something because something will have had
to cause the hair to become tangled in such a way. In apocalyptic/ post-apocalyptic films
it is conventional to present characters in a disarray, with a matching, messy
appearance. This is because we are likely to stereotype people who are presented as
looking disorderly and rough as being a character trying to survive in an apocalyptic/
post-apocalyptic world.
Other than the basic form of make-up on the characters face, make-up has been used to
make it seem like she has dirt and/or bruises on her face. This further confirms our
reading that she must be subscribing to the apocalyptic survivor stereotype found in
sci-fi films. The mud implies shes been in wooded areas or at least somewhere where
she might have found herself crawling near the ground, suggesting she must be in
hiding from something. The bruises, if our reading is correct, could imply that the girl
was involved in some conflict or that after having tried surviving in the unforgiven
world that she lives in now, she could have tripped while running, like I said, to show
shes on the run from something. Thus the way the character has been presented
provides the reading that she must be part of an apocalyptic film and thus she
subscribes to the stereotype for the main characters we see in this apocalyptic sub-
genre.
Settings/ locations
The main location in this film is the room where the main character is addressing the
camera. The walls are bare and it looks like a bannister or a table leg is to the left of her,
however I cant be sure of this. The simplicity of the location however is good because it
means that when compared with the intensity of the character, it detracts attention
from the background.
Wilhelmina Denness
The first shot we see in this film is a still, close up
shot of a forest floor, in shallow focus. Its from here
that a voice-over begins and we see a boot crunch
on the surface of the forest floor and a young
woman walks into the background (the main
character). Woods are often used in apocalyptic/
post-apocalyptic films as they can connote mystery
and are large enough to hide the most sinister of
things. Youll find that in a lot of horror films, the
woods are used because they can look quite ominous and in the dark, are home to evils
such as gothic creatures and supernatural beings. So by immediately beginning the film
in such a location our reading of the film is that it will be associated with something
dark and twisted.
The main location of the film is a house. The
first shot to establish this is the long shot of a
garden and shed which fades in from black.
The fact the shot is canted at a low angle,
creates an eerie effect which is slightly
unnerving and foreboding of something bad
that is likely to happen later in the film.
Another setting we see in this short is the
interior of the house and one of the shots we
see in this includes this close up shallow focus
shot of the door handle and the hallway behind
it. The light streams in ominously and is
blurred to create an unnerving atmosphere
and heighten the fear we already feel as an
audience. It also helps to emphasise the fact
that this is an empty house. What Ive found in
short apocalyptic films is that the buildings can
be either be clean or very rundown. This film
moves towards the former representation.
However this subverts the locations usually found in apocalyptic/ post-apocalyptic
films as its conventional to find that the buildings have been destroyed in some way as
a result of something that has happened earlier on in the plot.
Themes
Good vs Evil
Virus (post-apocalypse)
Survival
Genre Iconography
There arent many prop that we see in this film
which are icons typically associated with this
Wilhelmina Denness
genre, however what we do see is one essential piece of iconography that is used in
almost all post-apocalyptic films. That one important icon is a backpack. But before we
see this, the main character pulls out a box of matches (shown in a close up shot). The
box doesnt have many matches left which tells us that the character must have been in
hiding for a while now which has led to supplies running low. The match is used to light
a purple candle which we can only assume is being lit to retain some light because its
getting dark. The candle has evidently been used before. Its in this shot that we see the
backpack beneath the characters hands. This is where we presume she stored the
matches and candle and this then implies that she has been carrying around essential
supplies in the bag. The fact its a hiking bag shows its purpose is to hold lots of items
and is therefore useful for survival. This icon of the genre ergo shows that this film
conforms to the post-apocalyptic genre.
Camera Shot/ Angle/ Movement
The use of shot, angle and movement in this film is very
restrictive because of how similar the film is. However
what I can comment on are two shots that conveyed
different meaning and added a something more
complex to the film.
At the start of the film when we get a close up shot of
the forest floor a boot lands in front of the camera and
the main character walks away into the distance. In this
shot what is being shown is the quick and bold nature
of the characters actions on this only calming and least troubling shot. Its almost as if
the screenshot is acting as a metaphor for how quick the virus came and/or the fact the
character is trying to wash away thoughts of hope and goodness in the world when all
she can say of it is that its God-forsaken because its unforgiving and has left her close
ones lost to a horrific virus.
Another close up shot Ive chosen to look at shows the main character shining a light at
the camera, as if shes shining into every
audience members eyes. By asking the
audience to point follow the torch with their
eyes and to look into the light we are being
drawn into the film and made to feel as if were
directly involved in it. I really like this and
think its very effective at engaging the
audience with a film and gripping their
attention.
A final shot I chose to comment on was this
close up (nearing extreme close up) shot of the
lower right part of the characters face. This is
used for the purpose of creating dramatic effect
(dramatic irony) which is therefore used to
convey importance. Implemented when the
Wilhelmina Denness
character says avoiding stressful situations will help with concussion, she then says oh
since we understand from what shes already described, that it is indeed a stressful
situation and there is nothing that can be done about it.
When shots of the location are provided they very slowly pan to the right and tilt
upwards and this creates a suspended effect, slowing time as if to show that the solitude
and calm atmosphere we might think exists here, in fact wont last (as after all, a virus
has spread and has affected the whole of civilisation).

Editing
A majority of the edits in this film includes cuts
and fades. Cross fades of the same shot move
uncoordinatedly when the camera puts us in the
position of walking up the stairs. This gives the
effect we are disillusioned so much that the
images are becoming separated, much like the
same way people might possibly see things when
they are drunk. Leading on from this is a black
out which cuts into the next scene where the main character says we passed out. This
explains why the images and focus on things became so disjointed. We also see this
editing technique used at the end of the film when the character loses her control on
whats happening to her. It is common that the edit is found to show a character going
through mental turmoil.
Eye-line-match is also used when we see a long shot of a window which then cuts to a
close up shot of the main character looking from the window and rubbing her arm to
add that it is cold. This is used predominantly to create a sense of continuity.
Around the 4 minute mark we find the shot cuts to black and cuts back into shot again
and this is used, just like the start, to represent us, as a character, blacking out which is
another key way in which we are involved and made to feel engaged and part of this
film.
Sound
Much like the short film, Relic, this film uses a lot of diegetic sound to engross the
audience in the film. A non-diegetic voice-over is used at the start of the film along with
the diegetic sound of footsteps when the character walks in front of the close up shot.
Just as she walks further away, ominous, incidental music creates an unnerving
atmosphere before the shot cuts to black and non-diegetic singing begins, creating the
same atmosphere and mood which instils a chilling mood within every audience
member. This singing echoes to emphasise the empty house and ergo the loneliness and
desolation which are key themes that circulate this eerie post-apocalyptic film. When a
blackout occurs after the shot of the stairs, someone says hey at which point the shot
of the main character cuts in, just like how you immediately open your eyes when
someone calls your name and youre just about to drift off to sleep.
Wilhelmina Denness
Diegetic sounds such as the character rubbing her hand against her shirt and the
synchronous sound of her lighting a match all are used to create and sustain a realistic
scene in the film. Towards the end of this, its useful to note that the atmosphere
becomes dramatically darker and tense as we begin to learn that shortly the main
character will be consumed by the same virus she has been trying to escape from. This
instils fear into the audience and build until a climatic point for effect so we feel drawn
into the film- something gripping and highly effective.
Lighting
Low key lighting has been used throughout the film with perhaps a blue filter, used to
create an ominous atmosphere and build tension and dread wash over the audience.
This creates a foreboding atmosphere also which leads us on to believe that something
dramatic will happen in the film.
Typography
The only typography we see in this short, other
than the YouTubers name, which doesnt relate
to the film, is the title. This fades in from black
where we see a mist arising from the bottom
and spreading across the shot. Along with this
comes the faint non-diegetic sound of eerie
music, a sound motif that is low in volume yet
just about audible that it sends a chill down our
spines. The mist circling the shot creates a
physically chilling effect and is memorable of a
winters mist which we usually find in horror films. For example, the marshes in The
Woman in Black are covered by a sea of mist which is unsettling since it brings up the
fear of the unknown, a common theme in horror films. This theme familiarly relates to
The Shift, where even though apocalyptic/ post-apocalyptic sci-fi is the central genre,
the theme of violence and survival gives reign to a plot where antagonism can be both a
physical and a mental entity.
With regard to the font and colour itself what we see here is that white is used for this
rough font which is all in upper case lettering. The use of capital locks is a general trend
for the genre, seen in many of the short films Ive been analysing. So it is for the same
reason, that I comment the use of upper case letters is implemented here to reflect the
violent and bold nature of the films plot. Similarly, the rough and aggressive stylised
font reflects this also as we see that the letters have been cut into the way blood
splatters onto surfaces. Thus the typography informs us of the genre.