'Arcade Domination' matches the ideas I want to portray in my short film but also has special effects that I would like to incorporate in my own short film. One of these ideas is that the characters that are destroyed don't show any wounds or blood, which is something Hitchcock used within his film 'Physco' but is also used within classic comic style films such as 'Scott Pilgrim vs the world'. I hope to incorprate this somehow into my short film with fighting techniques and special effects but maybe also intentional signifiers such as posters to show my connection to the comic style of short films such as this one and Pj Ligouri's film 'Smokey Saloon'.
Firstly, camera shots and editing are used excellently within this short film with the range of high and low angles and a diverse range of mid, long and close up shots. The short film first jumps straight into the scenario of the film with a mid shot, establishing all the main characters within the first 15 seconds of the film. We then come across a quick close up of the toy the main character is trying to win, which signifies the hero's intention of the overall film, to play some arcade games. For editing a shot reverse shot is used to establish the hero and the villains he has to defeat, the 'Fun Police'. A slight low angle shot is used for the main villain here to show his dominance over the hero and vice versa with a slight high angle shot for the hero to suggest he has got his work cut out for him and that this battle will not be easy. Although the rate of which the shots are cut are long, the camera is being held and therefor giving a shaky effect which immediately gives a sense of urgency but also gets all the action within one shot. Whip pans are also used which are typically used within old Chinese/Japanese style films to 'whip' from one part of the action to another. Slow motion is also used for characters who want to make an impressive entrance. At 4:00 within the short film the hero marches up to the last of the villains, ready for the final battle. The hero is feeling epic at this point after defeating 2 out of the 3 villains and so the slow motion adds to this feeling.
The use of special effects is professionally done within this short film and I hope to add special effects within my short film for a possible laser gun or jetpack. Possible ways to create special effects without the use of Adobe would be to use either dry ice, smoke emitters or a portable smoke machine. All of this is possible and could make my job with filming this short film a lot easier and save time in the editing process. If I am to add special effects I need to think about exactly what I want to add so I can let the actor know before hand. For example, within this short film when the hero gains the powers of the game inFamous: Second Son, he is electrocuted and therefor his body needs to react to that. If I want a laser gun effect the actor will need to allow the gun to bounce back a little from the power of each shot, so I need to know exactly what effects I want to put in before my filming.
Characteristics of each character is clearly shown from the first couple of shots of each character. This acting isn't natural and slightly over the top but that is the style I might go for if I chose to go for a comic style of filming like this short film. The main hero is slightly cocky, a guy who always wins within a virtual reality but in real life it's not so easy and looses this characteristic quickly. The villains are shown to have no remorse, almost robotic not in movement but in personality, set out to do one thing and one thing only, to control the fun within the arcade.
Choreographing a fight scene doesn't look to be the easiest thing in the world but my short film contains a pretty long fight scene where every character gets their own part. 'Arcade Domination' shows one to one battles between the hero and each individual villain and so this could be a good way for my short film to get all the characters in, by filming individual fight scenes between them all. This fight scene within 'Arcade Domination' looks like it have taken time and uses actors who have skills in acting but also gymnastics for front and back flips. To keep a fight scene interesting the hero must take a few hits, although I don't plan to have hand to hand combat within my short film I can always add something along the lines of a villain coming back from the dead or one ducking and diving out the way of a hero.
Sound is used throughout this short film. Diegetic sound is used immediately within the arcade, such as arcade sounds and a small amount of speech, but there is over enhanced diegetic sound throughout this film which include punches and 'whoosh' sounds when people are pulled or swing at one another. Non-diegetic sound starts at 0:33 which gives the sense of danger as the hero has just met the villain for the first time. Also, non-diegetic sound effects are given for the 'fun police' with the sound of a police siren and game sounds when people get hit from 'Pinball'. All these sound effects fit in with the overall theme of this short film and I will take into account what this short film as taught me to help develop my skills for my short film.
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