Short film analysis 'The Rules Of The Game'

The Rules Of The Game

'A groom walks round a palatial country house describing what he would do if he found out his fiancee was cheating on him...'

I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film because out of all the films I have watched so far, this film actually allows the audience to feel like a member of the cast, as the camera tracks around with the main character and he speaks directly to the camera, as if hes talking directly to you. The tracking following the man down the stairs was one of my favourite pieces of camera work because even though conventionally when tracking behind someone they wouldn't be facing the camera, the man is walking at an angle looking at the camera so eye-contact is maintained. I think this is extremely effective because when the audience feels more involved within a story, they engage with it more and thus will want to watch on. Tracking in this format also creates a sense of discomfort, as it almost feels as if you are too immersed within the narrative during the moments when the insanity and bitterness of the man is portrayed through his story. This is something I think I would want to replicate in our own short film, because that sense of being unable to escape the reality and almost being forced to watch on will help create a much more shocking and dramatic short film.
Once the man had spoken about a segment of his story, a cut was used to establish a new thought, or a new section of the story, for example after the kitchen sequence. This could represent the irrationality of the mans mind, chopping and changing between different ideas and deciding the best way to seek revenge, which immediately creates a sinister atmosphere as we feel we are being confided in by a dangerous man. It could also represent the emotions of the character, and how his thoughts progressed because as he says at the end 'he doesn't want to hurt her', showing how the character is spilt between feelings of love for his fiance and hatred for what she's done. These mixed emotions depict the man as being very un-stable and unpredictable, and therefore making him appear more of a threat as his outcome is uncertain.
During the first few shots in the beginning of the film, the isolated location is established, through medium-long shots looking at the vast, desolate landscapes. An isolated location is a typical convention of a horror film, which could represent the fact that something horrific is going to occur in this location, whether the audience see it or not, and straight away establishes that the victims fate is sealed because there is no where to run for assistance should the predicted happen. This gives the audience a clue to what the narrative is largely about, establishing the intentions of the deranged character within the first few seconds. By doing this the director has allowed for the story to un-fold slowly, something I could encorparate into our own short film as doing so will add an element of thriller, building tension and suspence whilst still being shocking.