Nigel - DO NOT PRESS Analysis

Like The Game Keeper, this short film is a thriller which is made simply with different conventions. Its narrative isn't overly complicated just like the game keeper but uses a lot better techniques to connote the thriller genre and perhaps just make it more entertaining for the audience. Its hard not to repeat the same things as the game keeper but this one has more technical camerawork and uses sound way more better. 

There are a lot of narrative conventions used from the beginning of the short film. For starters he receives a package which isn't addressed to him and opens it after accidentally tearing a hole in the packaging. This means he doesn't know what is actually in the package since he wasn't the one who it was attended for. 

Mise en scene is used well in this sequence, although there are obvious important aspects to this which are used in pretty much the whole sequence. Prop wise, the button is a white box with a red button which could be signifying danger as a red button typically does and is used in many things as being a button which will cause grief or harm, think of the colour of a button which would destroy the planet in a sci-fi, it would usually be a big red one for example. In a few shots when the man is focused onto the package, everything else in frame is actually out of focus, this could connote his focus and perhaps the importance of it to the narrative. The camerawork also shows a lot of the mans facial expressions and limited body language, this could also be to show the feelings of the man and how he has reacted to it. The composition of each frame shows us what is actually the center of attention. There is a shot reverse shot between the package of him ends with a point of view shot which shows you directly what he is looking at, showing the exact subject of the story. 

Sound is important in the entire sequence, it displays understanding of what is going on and the soundtrack really sets the tone which the audience should understand. There is clear sound which has been added in post production which helps to create mystery behind the button or just the package at this point.  

I think the ending can be seen as a comedic ending but also leaves the audience with many questions. The sequence cuts to black once the foley sound of the cat is heard when he talks which connotes he has swapped perhaps minds with the cat or maybe he just now talks like a cat, we don't know that much, it is left very open. This question making is a huge convention of a thriller, but the main question of what the box does is slightly answered and is unexpected which is the comedic value. The sequence at the end is the first time you hear his voice which sounds panicked, Its not clear if that it was recorded from a different point and added in or if it was recorded alongside the camera but the dialogue is clear. The shot reverse shot with the cat builds up tension until the shot of the paw hitting the button is shown, this can add to the humour of the sequence since the cat leg and paw looks fake but also real at the same time and the cat must have stolen the button to do this as well which is surprising and comes out of nowhere.

In conclusion, this film has a lot to offer and would be perfect in helping us develop our short film ideas, I think I will take some notes from this on how we can compose the camera and create focus difference in the frame to suggest different things.