Short Film Analysis: Get Off My Land!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p00gs4yj

Synopsis:
A couple on a countryside walk meet the farmer who owns the land they're walking across and get into a slight disagreement ending in a series of unfortunate events.

Short Fact:
Shot in Trent Park, North London.

Crew:
Director-Douglas Ray.
Writer-Douglas Ray.
Producer-Johnathan Rawlinson and Amaka Ugwunkwo.
Editor- Ted Guard.
Director of Photography- George Steel.
Sound Design-Oli Cohen.

Cast:
Farmer-Robert Glenister.
Male-Rafe Spall.
Female-Ruth Wilson.

Funded By:
Screen South and UK Film Council Digital Shorts.

My Personal Rating:







Mise-en-Scene:
When the short film starts we find that we are looking at two pais of feet one is wearing Walking Boots and the other is wearing tennis shoes. The tennis shoes are a connotation of how the man doesn't belong there and is seemingly out of place. This theory is supported later on when he tries to climb over the gate and claims that "it's a bit rickity". The fact that the woman is walking a little ahead and he is dragging himself along behind creates an Elipsis giving the audience an idea that perhaps they had argued before hand and the man clearly does not want to be out.
A little ahead we find ourselves seeing the Farmer for the first time and the costume and props create a very stereotypical farmer; flatcap, wellingtons, 4x4, overalls and the dirty muddy colourings of his clothings. when the audience first sees him they immediately know that he is the farmer and most probably the owner of the land.
Later on when the farmer shoots the man and it leaves a gory blood spatter on the woman's face it immediately becomes humorous. It also creates a sense of ridicule to the whole situation.

Sound:
There is no non-diegetic sound but there is diegetic. At the beginning we can hear birds singing which creates a contrast to the East London accent of the man creating a sense of outcast. The whole Ambient sound of the wind and the rustles of leaves makes the film seem more realistic and less surreal than it actually is.
What makes the Short Film funny is the use of the pointless dialogue. The only significance of the speech is when the Farmer says this is private land. But the rest of the dialogue with the man asking the question of the Farmer's inheritance just seems pointless but amusing at the same time because that sort of thing wouldn't result in murdering two innocent people.

Editing:
The black fade out half way through connotes the passing of time but other than this we have no other use of fancy editing it's just simple cuts because the majority of shots are shot reverse shot. But because of this it leaves the audience believing the situation a lot more than it should because it gives a more documented style rather than a scripted movie.

Camera shots, angles and movement:
When we first get introduced to the couple we only see a tilt shot of their feet and it moves ever so slightly to a backwards tracking shot this helps us to understand the fuss the man has with being around the natural landscape.
later on there is an Establishing shot of the couple walking through the field past the trees on what is clearly a path, this shot adds a sense of irony as the  reason they both get murdered is ecause they were supposedly trespassing when clearly it seems they were not.
my favourite shot has to be the last one where it's a close up of the farmer's face and he looks into the camera leans against the 4x4 holding the shotgun and directs his thought to the audience breaking the 4th wall saying "actually I have a feeling this is a public footpath."
CM