Short Film Analysis (Four)

 

Four is a beautiful film that depicts the contrast between career and family. Finding that balance that allows the male character to push himself forward and get to a point of contention with his job, but also allows him to spend time with his children and his wife. It is also supported by some well-used context to give the character evolved over time with flashbacks showing how he was before his job took over and how he is now that he is mentally conflicted. The story of this family is interesting to follow, we jump in at a point where we can comply with these characters and how well we can potentially relate to these things.

The shot types in this product are very nicely shot, everything has a wide-angle effect on it. Which helps maintain the feeling of emptiness on the inside and does denote a feeling of isolation and deteriorating mental health. I love the back-and-forth nature most of the shots have, it makes each scene filled much more secure and stuck within the setting in which it is set. The close-ups used to emphasize objects add a lot to the cinematic element that this short film has gone for and emphasizes the things that lead to the eventual downfall. The other shot I want to highlight is the long shot that happens at the end where it travels up the stairs and to the window of a room. The way it travels in a single shot shows off details of a newspaper reporting on the events that had just occurred, giving the unseen shooting some answers whilst also opening more questions. I also like how it naturally transitions into the credits at the end as well with the minimalistic music, it's very inspirational and leaves the emotions of the audience hanging on to that mellow mood.

The sounds and the music in this area as mentioned very minimalist, only using music when there is no dialogue or when the dialogue is leading into something else, the fact that the music is also fairly few and far between makes the music that is within the product stand out a lot more. There are also a lot of sound effects within this, most of them being very diegetic, everything from footsteps to the hose spraying to slams on the kitchen counter and even the sound of cereal being poured, it all helps in building the world in which this product is being built.  Whether the sound is diegetic or not, it is very interesting to see all the ways in which sound can be utilised and how they build an environment better for their target demographic, even if that means that they might lose their smaller potential audiences because of it.

The costume designs are very interesting for this product, yet very appropriate at the same time. For example, our main protagonist is wearing a suit which shows he's a working man, someone who has got a lot of things currently on his mind and wants to become something of himself, yet feels as though his life is holding him back and that he struggles with the idea of progression within his life. The way his hair is set in a smart but scruffy way to me defines his character perfectly, he is a man with good stuff going for him, yet at the same time is a man who cannot control the negative emotions that are going around inside his own head. The fact that he also holds a cigarette early in the film and also has access to guns shows he is a man who can have what he wants when he wants it.​

The female character wears a dressing gown showing that it is so late that even she as the adult has gotten ready to fall asleep. She has a face of trust and love, showing appreciation for the life that they have built together, which can be seen in how snug and tidy she looks to be. However there is an element of distraught within her, she has been in a pessimistic position for a number of weeks and months now, potentially knowing that things will only get worse before they get better. She is also very minimal in her makeup which further adds to her own self-confidence and how she feels about herself, it is an empowerment status that a lot of women would gratify themselves with.​

The editing is made up of a well-utilised colour palette giving the film the overarching theming that looks incredible, utilising a strange combination of it looking both warm and cold at the exact same time. I like how the pacing matches up with how much dramatization is needed within that moment, this includes the slowest moments where it is least tense being less shot cutting and less suspense, yet the more the argument continues and the more factors that come into play the bigger the edit seems to become.​

This product was able to engage the audience, of what I believe to be 18-35-year-olds of the C1-B sector, by being something a bit different and something that can also be super relatable at the same time. It can captivate people with its title of Four, relating to how families are usually comprised of four people. I also like the way in which the title character has become their own entity for guys to be a more true modern-day hero, he shows men the emotions they can show their partners how they feel at any time and for it to be something a lot more standardised amongst people that are living in difficult mental situations. The struggle of family life and work-life balance might also be something that is a lot more relatable to a lot of people.​