Wild Tales (Szifron, 2014) – Analysis Sheet for Evaluative Commentary 

Film 1: Pasternak 

What did you like about the film? I like how the antagonist was never actually seen but he still felt present	What didn’t you like? I didnt like the abrupt ending
What ideas could you use? Narrative or style? The use of dialoged to explain a lot of what’s happening in the short movie	What ideas won’t you use? Why? I won’t use that many characters because it gets tricky with scheduling

In-Depth Study – Film elements 

Film element	Example
Cinematography	Example 1: The long shot of the plane coming towards his parents made it clear that the parents were involved and that’s where the plane would end up  Example 2: I like the use of medium shot down the isle showing all the characters together, this added a lot more stress in the scene because you could see the panic on all of them
Editing	Example 1: the editing in Pasternak as natural and you couldn’t notice it making the whole thing feel real and like thr audince was also involved  Example 2: The cut from the panic in the plane to the parents in a lawn calm made the movie feel more intense. This is because we knew (as the audience) that those were the parents and that they were somehow going to die but the parents aren’t aware of that.
Sound	Example 1: The sound at the start of the suitcase rolling immediately told us as the audience where we were and the theme of the short film  Example 2: The plane slowly getting louder as it got closer towards the end of the movie gave the feeling of impending doom.

Inspirations – what ideas did this film give you for your own short film? 

Cinematography: I enjoyed thre different angle types and the wide variety so i will hopefully be able to use a lot of angles and shot types as well.	Editing: i engoyed the use of sudden cuts to chnage the feel completly of a scene (the plane to the parents cut) so i will also try to use this.
Sound: The music and sound did a great job at Addington the movie and making some scenes feel more intense which i also want to achieve	Other:

Film 2: The Rats/Las Ratas 

What did you like about the film? I liked the colouring of the movie and how consistently scary it felt	What didn’t you like? I didnt like
What ideas could you use? Narrative or style? I could use the already established villain hos story gets told by the character’s and isn’t acted out	What ideas won’t you use? Why? I won’t use the set location of a restaurant because it gets busy and loud

In-Depth study – Mise-en-scène 

Feature	Example – how does it convey meaning or create an effect
Set Design	The set design was old and broken down which conveyed that they weren’t a popular Restuarant and it also added to the horror feel of the short film
Costume	The costumes in these short films are well made and show the worth of each character and who they are. For example, it’s easy to tell who the waitress is because of her outfit and it’s easy to tell that the guy is rich because has wearing expensive looking cloths and a jacket.
Space	Space played a big role in showing character dynamics, for example the kid sat right next to the dad showing their close relationship while the waitress didn’t want to get near him showing her hatred
Lighting	The lighing in the whole film is dim making it hard to see and it also shows its night out which is when most crimes typically occur. The darkness adds to the spooky ambience of the film.
Composition	At the beginning, the car pulls into the driveway into the center of the scene directly underneath the large ‘Restaurant ‘sign. The only things lit in this frame are a part of the sign and the windows which makes the light focused in the middle of the frame and dark surroundings.
Hair and makeup	The waitress has her hair half up half down which shows slight respect for her job since waitresses typically must have their hair up. She also has a little make up while the cooking lady has none showing she has less care for her appearance.

Inspirations – what ideas did this film give you for your own short film? 

Cinematography/Sound/Editing: I liked the use of a pan left and smooth camera movements, it makes the film feel more alive and I’d like to use that.	Narrative structure: I would like to use the linear structer this film has and howe they didnt break away from the order even while tellling stories from the past.
Establishing characters, setting, plot, theme:   I liked the way the main villain was introduced by the waitress who talked about why he was a bad person, i would like to also have a similar effect with one of my characters.	Creating enigmas:

Film 3: Bombita 

What did you like about the film?  I like the editing style being full circle	What didn’t you like? How randomly it ended with no explanation as to where they were or how much time had passed or what happened after
What ideas could you use? Narrative or style? It being a full circle Causality	What ideas won’t you use? Why?  The whole plot just doesn’t make sense

In-Depth study: All elements 

Feature	Example
Narrative structure	I like how the narrative structure was causality, which means that one thing (the main character) causes all the events in the movie such as the explosion and the divorce and the car towing’s
Establishing characters, setting, plot, theme	The main character is established in the first shot when he is loading up the building with explosives. This shows us his job which
Mise-en-scene	I think the set design of this whole movie was incredible. For example, the long corridor that was large and made the main chacarera look small in comparison added to the feeling of alone in the society he lives in
Cinematography	The use of a long shot when the explosion went off made the scene more dramatic and intense.
Editing	I thiught the editing in this movie was naturalistic and very seemless, this made the movie feel more immersive and helped get the message across to the audience better
Sound	The sounds in the movie such as the loud explosion sounds at the start and end of the movie made the movie feel more real

Inspirations – what ideas did this film give you for your own short film? 

Cinematography/Sound/Editing:  A variety of different camera angles to make the movie feel wider and more imersive.	Narrative structure:
Establishing characters, setting, plot, theme:	Creating enigmas:

Film 4: Til Death do us Part/Hasta que la muerte nos separe 

What did you like about the film? I liked the use of music in certain areas to make the scene seem more layed back compared to other scenes	What didn’t you like? How bizzar the end was
What ideas could you use? Narrative or style?  I liked how diverse the emotions were throughout the film and how it was constantly a rollercoaster going up and down and how this was portrayed through all the characters.	What ideas won’t you use? Why?  I wouldn’t use the costuming since i thought it was ugly and outdated.

In-Depth study: All elements 

Feature	Example
Narrative structure	I liked how the movie had a close ending when they ‘make up’ after everything that happened (equilibrium). I also like how the movie is a rollercoaster of issues and solutions, and it maintains this through the whole movie.
Establishing characters, setting, plot, theme	Both main characters are established well at the start through the picture cycles on the wall and them entering through with a literal spotlight on them.
Mise-en-scene	I think the costumes were ugly and didnt add anything to the movie other than letting you know the basic fact that shes the bride and hes the groom.
Cinematography	Some parts of the movie had good use of angle. Such as when the groom was going up the stairs and it was a high angle shot looking down the stair well.
Editing	I think that the editing in this movie was seamless and natural with no overly harsh cuts. This worked well for the movie since it made you feel like a wedding guest watching it all happen.
Sound	There was a good use of diegetic sound in the movie. Some of the songs were a part of the movie’s world such as when the DJ was told to play the music, but it still added so much to the scenes feels

Inspirations – what ideas did this film give you for your own short film? 

Cinematography/Sound/Editing:	Narrative structure:
Establishing characters, setting, plot, theme:  The characters were well established through their costumes and the scenery; I’d also like to usethis effect since it would help cut back on time in establishing scenes.	Creating enigmas: