The first shot displays a mid-shot which
slowly pans over to a male character. The camera isn’t focused until it finally
reaches the male character, which creates a dozy and distorted sensation,
perhaps mirroring the emotions of the male character. This is confirmed by the
mid-shot, as it allows us to see that his hair looks scruffy and his costume
consists of a shirt and tie, but the shirt is crumpled up and messy, which
conveys that he’s tired and stressed. The shot also lacks colour and light,
which reinforces this idea of being drained and weary. His facial expression
and body language also mirror this, as he looks fed up and exhausted, and his
shoulders are loose with his arms dangling by his side. It’s clear that he’s at
work in an office, due to the desks and computers in the background which
remain out of focus. Also, the monotone diegetic sound of the photocopier signals that
he’s at work and the cut to a close up of him pressing a button on the
photocopier establishes this. It then cuts to the previous mid shot of the male
character, which allows the audience to observe his confused facial expression
as he looks down at the photocopier. It’s made clear to the audience that the
photocopier is malfunctioning, due to the cut that’s made to another close up
of him repeatedly pressing the button, conveying his frustration. Another cut
is made to an extreme long shot of the male character, which is done to
establish that he’s completely alone.
His frustration is maximised by the cut to
a close up of his foot kicking the photocopier in an attempt to make it
function properly. This also allows the audience to see another part of his
costume, which are his shoes. They are formal and posh, again showing that he’s
at work.
The camera then cuts to a close up of the
paper coming out of the photocopier which allows the audience to see that it’s
printed something unusual, and the cut that’s made to a mid-shot of the man
picking it up shows that this is somewhat foreign to him. This is confirmed by
the cut that’s made to a close up of his face as he observes the bit of paper;
his facial expression is confused and muddled as he tries to work out what it
is. The close up of him opening the printer suggests he’s trying to see what’s
wrong with it, but as it cuts to a long shot of him looking at his watch, it
conveys that he’s just going to forget about it.
The camera then cuts to a worm’s eye view
of the man, and they’ve used the blocking technique to insure that the frame
becomes circular. This suggests that we are looking at the male character from
inside the black spot on the paper. It’s made to seem alien-like, as the
non-diegetic low buzzing sounds like an alien space ship. This creates a
sinister atmosphere, as the audience become unsure of what it is.
The camera cuts to a mid-shot of the man
finishing his drink and putting it down on top of the black spot, but the
non-diegetic buzzing sound returns again, suggesting that it’s swallowed the
cup. Another mid-shot is used to again show his confused facial expression as
he wonders what’s happened to his cup. The camera returns to the worms eye view
with the circular blocking technique to display the male character peering in
with a disbelieving facial expression. It then cuts to an eye level close up of
the male character trying to work out what this bit of paper actually is, his
facial expression remains confused and concerned about it. The non-diegetic
buzzing returns again as he hovers his fingers near it, which suggests that it
will pull him in if he gets any closer. It’s clear that the man is afraid of
this foreign bit of paper, as another mid-shot is used to show him almost
hiding behind the photocopier and hesitantly peering over the edge of it,
suggesting that he’s being highly cautious.
The camera once again cuts to a mid-shot,
showing the man gradually putting his arm inside the black spot on the paper.
The non-diegetic buzzing sound returns again to enhance the alien-like quality
to it, and to emphasise how engulfing it is.
A low angle long shot is used to show the
man looking at his cup in disbelief, which then cuts to a side on close up of
him holding the piece of paper up, and putting his hand back inside it again,
which emphasises his astonishment. It also clarifies that his hand is in fact
going inside the paper and not coming out the other side. Once again, the
non-diegetic buzzing is used to enhance its engulfment. Another close up is
used to capture the bewildered facial expression on the man’s face as he
removes his hand.
It’s obvious to us that this man is a
greedy person, as the close up of him using the paper to retrieve chocolate
from a machine suggests he’s going to take advantage of it.
The camera then cuts to a medium close up
of his face scoffing the chocolate and looking around with a pleased facial
expression. It’s clear that a sudden idea has occurred to him as he stops
scoffing the chocolate and his eyes focus on something ahead of him.
A cut to a long shot of the camera slowly
zooming in on to a door confirms that whatever is behind the door is what he
wants to get to. The lighting is very dark, creating a sinister and tense
atmosphere, perhaps emphasising how his idea is a bad one. The camera then cuts
back to the medium close up of his face, displaying his cunning facial
expression and his greed is amplified by the way in which he continues to
devour his chocolate bar. The mid-shot of his silhouette from behind the door creates
a disturbing atmosphere, and it’s clear that he’s using the paper to unlock the
door, due to the non-diegetic buzzing sound of the black hole and the diegetic
sound of a door being unlocked, showing that he has succeeded.
The camera then cuts to a low angle
mid-shot of the male character standing at the entrance of the room, with a
malicious facial expression. His wickedness is emphasised by the lighting which
flickers from dark to light as the lights attempt to turn on properly. This
creates a ghostly atmosphere and emphasises the tension within the shot,
suggesting something bad is going to happen.
The camera cuts to a full body shot,
showing him crouching down by a safe, holding the paper against it. His body
language seems secretive as he cranes his neck to see if anyone else is around.
An extreme close up of his arm entering the
hole shows the audience that he’s retrieving cash, which again captures his
greed. The camera tilts up to his face to show how pleased he is with himself.
The pace changes as the amount of cuts increase to show his desperation and
determination to retrieve as much money as he can, until he finally puts his whole
body into the hole, which is displayed by a medium close up. The extreme close
up of the cello tape that he used to secure the bit of paper suggests to us
that it’s going to unstick, creating tension and suspense. The long shot of the
paper falling off the safe shows that he’s stuck and has been engulfed by the
hole. The non-diegetic buzzing comes to an abrupt stop as he’s engulfed, which
suggests he’s disappeared, and the diegetic sound of banging from the inside of
the safe emphasises how he’s trapped. The way in which the camera pans out from
the safe, establishes how isolated and alone he is, which enhances his
confinement, and suggests that there’s no way out.
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