Virus is a 6 minute short film created by Simon Hynd. It was
created in 2002 and was featured on a
DVD series of 3 short horror films
entitled ‘The Kamera Books guide to horror films’. It follows a man called
Andrew as he tries to call his partner, only to find she has sent him an email.
This email contains a video clip of her death, and while Andrew is watching it,
he too is approached by a hooded figure and murdered. The short film ends with
the hooded figure sending the video clip of Andrew’s death to his email
contacts.
There is clever use of different camera shots in the short
film, the viewer can see shots varying from long, establishing shots down to
extreme close ups. Most panning/moving shots are smooth, with the exception of
a couple which are slightly jerky. The close-ups in Virus make the viewer feel
uncomfortable due to how zoomed in they are.
In terms of Mise en Scene, Virus is very simplistic. There
are minimal props used which adds to the overall mysterious and unnerving feel
of the short film. The costumes in Virus are very stereotypical of a normal
office. The security worker is in a white shirt and black tie, and the main
character, Andrew is wearing a black shirt and tie. Scenes which feature Andrew
all have black background due to the poor lighting in the office. This does not
detract from the feel of the film, but it in fact gives it an extremely scary
feel.
There is clever use of continuity editing in Virus, as all of
the shots feel like they fit in with the overall feel of the short film, and
none of the transitions feel jerky or out of place. All of the editing in Virus
is very fast paced, and the only transition used between shots is a cut, with
no fades or wipes anywhere in the film. This adds to the sense of urgency that
the viewer feels throughout watching Virus. There is also evidence of Shot/Reverse
throughout the film, more specifically, it occurs when Andrew is looking at the
computer screen. This is used to give the viewer more of a sense of what is
going on, as due to the time restraints in creating a short film, it can be
very difficult to create a believable story, and through the use of
Shot/Reverse shot, I believe Virus is one of very few short films which manage
to do this effectively.
The sound in Virus is all diegetic, and because of this the
film feels very believable. It can be very difficult to create believable sound
for a film, but Virus has done it well. Even during the end credits, there is
no music, all the viewer can hear is a dialling tone for a phone, which, as
Andrew has just died, leaves the viewer feeling afraid. There is also no
speaking in this film, and the action is purely done through actions and
diegetic sound, which makes the short film very appealing to those who enjoy watching
slightly more ‘weird’ films.
Overall, Virus is an outstanding short film, and definitely
one which shall influence the creation of my own short film through the use of
shot/reverse shot and the clever use of lighting.
-Daniel
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