Plot/ Narrative
In this comedic short film we are introduced to a man, addicted to using the social media site, Facebook. Throughout the entirety of the film graphics have been used to convey this obsession e.g. likes, relationship status, decline an event etc. This gives the impression that this character sees the 'real' world as a mass media media site. As the story develops the guy meets a woman he seems to like although we can't exactly tell if he genuinely likes her as his obsession masks this. He gets a wake up call when the woman tells him that he's being an idiot because he cares more about popularity than real people. By the end of the film Facebook has been removed, leaving the character to begin interacting in a 'normal way' and he gets back with the girl. Right at the end though he asks if she has Twitter which leaves us screaming at this frustrating character to just shut up and 'get a life'.
Characters
In a film the first character we're likely to be introduced to is the main character/ protagonist. Conforming to such conventions, the first character we see in this film is the main male character, Lucas. To the right is a medium shot of him lying in bed. Below this is a shallow focus medium shot of the guy's hand hovering beside his phone. Here, we can establish that from the casual clothing and very basic bedding the character is moderately wealthy, neither rich nor poor. By using the shot of the phone it suggests the character has some dependence on looking at his phone, most probably due to his addiction to social media. Back to the medium shot above, we can just about see that the man is in a double bed, however alone,informing us that he's single. The comical theme of this film is introduced even at the start as we can see that in the background is a small kitten. Stereotypically, old, single women are associated with having cats so it is humorous that a man mid-thirties should live a single life in the same way.
Another significant character, essential to the plot is Layla. Here the close up shot shows that she's wearing a maroon/dark pink top typically worn for social occasions. It looks as if she is wearing hoop earrings and clearly lots of make-up. This tells us she cares about what she looks like, thus we get the reading she is a very feminine woman. From the way she is dressed in the bar tells us she has come to the venue to socialise and essentially 'have a good time'.
In the medium close up shot on the left is Lucas' boss. We can tell he is the boss from the way a low angle shot has been used to emphasise his status. Moreover the character is dressed in a jacket, shirt and tie (suit) which connotes power and professionalism. This strengthens the reading that his role is a position of authority.Camera Shot/ Angles/ Movement
At the very beginning of the film is a graphic of a moving Facebook status box which fades in from black. This provides the focus/ plot of the film, just as a preamble does for a novel. In the box it reads 'Addiction', followed by a definition. Immediately we are given the reading that this film is about obsession with the social media site, Facebook.
In the medium long shot of 4 stock characters, another 'graphic' has been used to mimic 'tagging' on Facebook. By using the arrangement of graphics seen in this film it's easy to get the reading that the main character, Lucas, sees the real world as if it's a virtual world, similar to Facebook. This impression is validated further when an employee asks Lucas if he will go to an event to which Lucas immediately responds with 'Decline'- a piece of lexis from the semantic field of Facebook. The point-of-view-shot shakes also,suggesting that we, as an audience, are seeing through Lucas' eyes.
I chose to also feature the slightly low angle medium long shot of Lucas and Layla to demonstrate that this film uses a variety of camera shots, angles and movement, not just using a variety of special effects to create an effective and believable film.
Editing
The effect of the worm's eye shot here is slightly disorientating, used therefore to match Lucas' ever more drunken state. I've chosen to feature this shot in the editing element of this analysis because of the graphic running at the side of the quick cuts. Along the side, like a timeline, is a list of comments made by Lucas throughout the night, implying that while drunk, he's even more addicted to sharing his thoughts and feelings on social media and thus his behaviour is worse. It also establishes the fact Lucas is unable to stop using Facebook.
Another shot that has been edited is this close up shot which you can see is in soft focus, used to make the shot look like a mirage when in fact it informs us that Lucas is having a dream. The camera pans to the left showing that beside Lucas is Layla. Having had the reading that this is a dream, dramatic irony is created because we can use the fact it's a dream to show that in fact he is alone, not with Layla. The image then blurs to something similar to graphic match where Layla is replaced with Lucas' phone. This is humorous but also sad as it implies that the only love in Lucas' life is Facebook. So whilst in the majority of the film we think of him with distaste we also feel sorry for him, particularly during scene.
Another salient example of editing techniques includes this long shot in which the footage has been sped up. What we see is the busy street, flocked with people and vehicles moving fast, and yet Lucas remains virtually motionless, looking at his phone. The implication of this is that he spends hours on the social networking site and thus this reinforces his addiction/obsession.During the office scene a flashback is used for dramatic effect since it cuts to show that Lucas wasn't really busy working when he told his boss he was. This creates comedy for the audience, because some members of the audience can relate to this situation.
Sound
The most iconic sounds in this film are the diegetic sound effects associated with computers and Facebook. For example, clicking and notifications. Uplifting music is the general score of the film, which is used to reflect the optimism and euphoria Lucas seems to be feeling. When it comes to office scene a sound bridge is used to carry over the music which then fades out so all we hear is the dialogue and diegetic sounds of telephones ringing (typical of office environments). Entertaining music plays in the background of a flashback also, signifying the character's blatant idiocy for procrastinating in the way he has.
Other sounds we hear include diegetic music for the club, the diegetic sound of people in the restaurant and ambient sounds such as birds and the sound of the water towards the end of the film. All sounds have been used with the purpose of sustaining the realism of the film.
Lighting
Unlike dark, horror or Sci-Fi films, the lighting for this film is typically high key lighting. No filter is obviously used because a foreboding and ominous mood doesn't need to be created. The use of high key lighting nevertheless sets up a positive mood/ atmosphere for the film.
Typography
The typography for the title is definitely one of the best examples of short film titles to have been made, explicitly linking in with the story. The typography font and colour scheme have been created to look like the Facebook logo. Like many of the graphics and use of edits and shots where we see Lucas with his phone, the title validates our reading that the film is based on an addiction to Facebook. In the background of the title is his arms, beside which is his phone. We can also see a kitten which is stereotypically unusual as typically a single man would have a dog as a pet (if any). Once the title cuts in, low-volume non-diegetic music plays in the background, setting us up for the opening of the film.
Typical of social media conventions, a hashtag is used to signify the end of the film. Alongside this cut in, is a non-diegetic sound effect which is abrupt and striking, used for dramatic effect. Following on from this are the remaining credits which cut in and out along with upbeat, cheerful non-diegetic music. This provides the final implication that the relationship between Layla and Lucas will remain happy or at least no trouble will come to the characters.
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