By Lauren James

Genre: Horror/Suspense/DramaYear: 2008Director: Mathieu RattheWriter: Mathieu RattheEditor: Mathieu RattheProducer: Mathieu Ratthe Cast: Pierre Lebeau, Bianca Gervais Run time: 5mins 29secsFunded by: Matt Ratt Productions Brief Synopsis: LOVEFIELD combines elements of horror, suspense and drama to create a story that takes the audience on a roller coaster of emotions.

Camera

Establishing shot – iconic image – wheat field, relates back to Ridley Scott's 'Gladiator'.

Focus blurs, slow movements – builds the tension.

Pull focus between the man and the crow – long takes.

Camera manipulation.

Framing

Usually the man is in the middle of the screen – he's the focal point of the short film – told from his POV.

Rule of thirds – in the picture, when he stands up and looks around, it's to show how secluded the area is – the character is isolated.

The frame is wide – to show the location better.

The director has chosen not to show the woman in the frame at the beginning, to keep the suspense going.

Mise-en-scene (Including location)

Props – phone, money, bin bag.

Clothes/Make-up – Dungaree's and baseball cap. Greasy, sweaty man – already looks suspicious.

Lighting – Cloudy sky at the beginning. Sunny sky at the end.

Location – Wheat field – intertextuality.

Crow – connotation of bad things about to happen.

Sound Sound plays an important part in this short film.

Welcome sign – creaking noises – builds the suspense – horror convention.

Phone beeping – another horror convention, showing the call hasn't worked.

Diegetic woman screaming – you cannot see her, so your imagination runs wild. Non diegetic music – long, tense violin chords – builds tension. Ending soft music – John Williams.

Editing

Fade transitions – wheat images mould together slowly.

Editing and sound work crucially together.

Script & Narrative Hardly any dialogue – just at the end - “It's a boy.”

The director didn't have any dialogue in the beginning – just the woman screaming.

The narrative is being told by the man's POV. The story is centred around what's happening to him, so the characters play a vital part.

The audience will understand the narrative when the baby is revealed – putting all the clues together.

Titles/Institutional Reference

Simple font – names in capital letters.

Black screen, white writing.

Fades in from the middle word.

Doesn't represent the film - represents the director – all his work have the same titles.

Genre specific elements; codes and conventions

Horror – Music. Crow. Number 13. Creaking noises. Blood. Knife. Skull Tattoo.

Suspense – Music. Unrevealing camera shots. Build up in the narrative.

Drama – Child birth. Police intervention.

Representations

Context – present day – mobile phones, police cars, tractors.

The micro elements build up the man to look like a villain – the bloody knife, etc.

The film challenges stereotypes – evil rapist is in fact kind, helpful farmer.

Gender – men represented, in the end, as the saviours.

Audience The audience in the film is being represented by the crow – at the end, when the man places the blanket over the camera – the crow mimics the audience expression.

The target audience could range from any person to any age – parental guidance maybe for the beginning.

The audience would respond positively to this short film because of the happy ending.

The audience is being asked to identify with the man.

The audience would also have to be computer owners.

Themes and Messages.Idea Generation/Reflection Are“Don't judge a book by it's cover.” - Everything is not as it seems

This short film really impressed me. Unexpected twist ending. Mathieu Ratthe is a director to watch – The Talisman.

The film relies heavily on camera, editing and sound tricks because of limited budget but it's just as good as a big Hollywood production.