I chose to do this short film because the style of animation really intrigued me and I wanted to look into a film with no words as you would think that was a crucial element, especially of a short film.

Narrative

In the start of the film you aren’t introduced to a character straight away, you are introduced to objects, things that wold usually be completely insignificant but this builds up to make the characters you meet more relatable and normal. This means you instantly get to know the chicken character before you know what his part in the film is. Then you meet the main character, Ruby (the pig) who seems to be very jolly which seems to contrast with the more solemn ans solitary chicken character. This links to the clear use of binary oppositions. You could say that one of the binary oppositions is positive vs negative seen through the two main characters and how they seem to be two forces that clash when they meet. You could also say there is the binary opposition of animal vs human because both have been combined to make a strange hybrid which is unnatural, especially as humans eat both chicken and pork. This film also definitely starts with an enigma because you don’t know what is going on, who the chicken is and most importantly how he is related to the pig in terms of the plot.

In terms of the narrative structure I would say that it follows the three act structure in many ways, however one could say that all does not return to normal as the chicken had died, his life just ends there so it can’t go back to normal. As for the pig, she does eventually get over her distress so in that sense all returns to normal, especially as she is the main protagonist. I would say that the ending is fairly open but you could say that the whole film is very open as its simply not long enough to really get to know the back story of the characters. The film definitely has a cyclical structure because at the very beginning you see Ruby opening her blinds and the sun beaming in, symbolizing her happiness, and then you see it once again at the end when she has returned to being happy.

Cinematography

There are lots of establishing shots of the surrounding city which are always very close up, this again showing the binary opposition of human vs animal that I mentioned before. These animals are living in a very human and contemporary world, more specifically a busy and bustling city which is a huge juxtaposition. There are also all the closeup shots of the different objects and things that the characters see on their journeys. Whilst you are getting all of these close up shots the camera never stops moving, almost like its a handheld tracking shot, constantly moving to the next thing. This sort of camera work is also seen when you are travelling along the wires and pipes which are connecting everyone in the city, that including the chicken and the pig most importantly. These constant moving, hand held camera shots are reminiscent of the busy and constantly awake city.

Sound

The sound is very important to this film as there are no words, just sounds and music, which are very effective at adding emotion. The use of Foley in this film is amazing as it seems to be accentuated meaning it much more powerful and is appreciated much more. Also the sounds are what the audience has to go off of because of the lack of words. I found it interesting that the only time there is any speech from any of the characters is when Ruby is at home and singing to herself, this possibly representing how happy she was that she actually spoke/sung in pure joy. Also the general musical score is also very fitting, always reflecting what the mood of the scene is and adding huge amounts of emotion and sentimentality. Overall the soundtrack is very atmospheric and adds a great amount of atmosphere to the film.

Meaning and effect

This film is very meaningful and insightful and I think that this was the intention of the director, especially because of the lack of words. Firstly there is the feeling that everyone is connected in some way or another despite everyone being so isolated from each other which is shown by the handheld tracking-type shots following the wires and pipes through the city, connecting the characters. Also the style of animation plays into the meaning as it makes it more surreal despite the animals lives reflecting real city life. The animation makes it less like reality and almost like a model that represents city life, like a metaphor.

The effect on the audience is very impactful and emotion provoking. All the little close up shots make the film more sentimental and you become aligned with the characters much more meaning when things inevitably happen to them you feel more emotion. The whole plot of the story is sad simply because it contains the death of one of the characters, of which there are only two in the first place, so its bound to be sad.

How will this influence my work

This will really impact my work because it contained so much emotion and meaning in such a short space of time. My screenplay will have to be even shorter than this film so its nice to see that it can be done, that you can have an interesting and gripping story line. I really liked the unusual camera angles and the shakiness which somehow made it more emotional and gripping. I have also learnt that you really don’t need words to understand what’s going on, by the end I had forgotten that there weren’t any words, I was just absorbed in the story.