I am going to analyse the action short films a little differently. I still intend to analyse Dialogue, Camera Shots/Angles, Editing, Sound and Mise-en-Scene, but I don't think I need to look at ideologies. Action short films are done for more aesthetic pleasure than philosophical, thematic depth and so I think I will be stretching my analysis too far if I try and apply ideologies to them. The action films are ones I would like to analyse from a more technical perspective. In addition because the action films I have looked at are all relatively similar, I think I will waste valuable time by choosing to analyse 3, and so for this genre I only want to look at 2, one professional and one amateur example. This first film is a professional construction made by filmmakers who specialise in producing action clips.
Bar Brawl: A Short Action Scene
Bar Brawl is simply that; an action sequence taking place in a bar. The narrative follows a drunk man who seems to be drowning his grief in alcohol. However when talking to the barman he reveals that he's in debt to a wealthy individual who is looking for his money back. While explaining this, some thugs enter the bar to kill the man, and we learn that they have been sent by the 'psychopathic lone shark'. Even though he is drunk, the man manages to clumsily fight off the attackers and still manage to find some time to drink during the brawl. As he emerges victorious, he has one last swig of his drink and passes out from the volume of alcohol he has consumed. This fight sequence is depicted rather comically, but is nonetheless constructed as a slick and seamless action scene.
Dialogue
I would say that the dialogue in this scene is for the purpose of exposition. In other words, to give some context to the fight and make us side with the protagonist. However, dialogue is also used for humour and to establish a personal flair in the character. This is evident in his sarcastic quip 'why all the hostility?' and 'oh, come on' to add a sense of humour that is asynchronous with the action. We expect the protagonist to be afraid and at least defensive but the dialogue helps to portray the character as drunk and carefree throughout the brawl. Addressing the alcohol with 'hello beautiful' suggests that the end goal is to continue drinking, not to survive, thus creating a comic scene of violence. One notable line occurs when he puts a twist on the common idiom 'speak of the devil and he shall appear' and so subverts our expectations by saying instead: 'speak of the devil and he grabs you by the shoulder and spins you round.'
One other effect of the dialogue is that it humanises the character. We learn that the protagonist's name is John and this instantly makes him more relatable because all of the other characters remain nameless and so are conveyed as less important.
Camera Shots/Angles
Editing
As expected in an action sequence, there is a lot of fast-cutting to create an atmosphere of speed and continuity in the pace. However, perhaps less conventional in an action film is the slow-cutting also implemented here. We see that the intense outbursts of conflict are juxtaposed by moments of lethargic recovery in between. This takes place when John is thrown down the stairs. What comes before is an example of fast-cutting to create an energetic brawl, but once he is thrown down the stairs the pace subsides due to the single-take that doesn't involve quickly cutting back and forth between the punches thrown and received. I think this is done for comedic purposes and so wouldn't likely be seen in other action films. Rather than display a non-stop action extravaganza the action is halted by John as he sluggishly crawls across the floor or pursues the beer rather than the thugs. These intervals help to remind the audience of the comedic tone the filmmakers are trying to set and also gives us some level of character development, making John a likeable fool.
But there is also an instance of a cutaway thrown into the scene. Once John is lying at the bottom of the stairs, the camera cuts away to a table with alcohol on it. Though it strays from the main sequence, it continues the subplot of indulging in alcohol whilst trying to survive.
Diegetic/ Non-Diegetic Sound
The diegetic sound in an action sequence is pivotal in making the violence sound brutally realistic. The glass bottles smashing and the punches landing are necessary for making the fight believable. The non-diegetic score is very synchronous with the character because it sounds quite energetic and light-hearted which supports the tone of the film, whereas it is quite contrapuntal regarding the actual violence itself. The non-diegetic score is a clear indication that we are supposed to engage with the fight for entertainment, not for suspense. A similar sequence can be found in the church fight in Kingsman: The Secret Service.
Mise-en-Scene
The alcohol is clearly an important and recurring prop in the action film. It is used as the main objective for the protagonist (what he seeks to win), but also becomes a weapon and unsurprisingly part of the bar brawl. The rough, ragged appearance of the drunk helps to evoke the mood and manner we find him in, while his slouching body language emphasises his lack of sobriety.
Clothing helps to provide a contrast between the protagonist and antagonists. John is wearing a shirt and tie, which instantly associates him with an honest profession, whereas the antagonists are wearing hoodies, hats and unbuttoned shirts which distinguishes them as clearly from a different environment.
I would also like to give a special mention to the lighting of this film, which I think is astonishing. The lighting is very minimal, by setting a blue and orange glow over the sequence it evokes familiarities with a nightclub. The eerie, blueish overtones also bring a gritty realism to the fight as we follow it into the darker depths of the bar.
Review
This is more of a hybrid between a comedy and action, but the action is the most dominant genre here. I think the fluidity of the fight itself is professional and well choreographed, staging a progressive conflict which moves throughout the bar and makes use of different areas. I particularly enjoyed the single-take tracking shot as it shows confidence in filmmaking but simultaneously immerses us in the setting. The crew behind Bar Brawl have made another short, Hall Fight, which can be found on YouTube. Again this demonstrates a high level of professional skill.
Dialogue
I would say that the dialogue in this scene is for the purpose of exposition. In other words, to give some context to the fight and make us side with the protagonist. However, dialogue is also used for humour and to establish a personal flair in the character. This is evident in his sarcastic quip 'why all the hostility?' and 'oh, come on' to add a sense of humour that is asynchronous with the action. We expect the protagonist to be afraid and at least defensive but the dialogue helps to portray the character as drunk and carefree throughout the brawl. Addressing the alcohol with 'hello beautiful' suggests that the end goal is to continue drinking, not to survive, thus creating a comic scene of violence. One notable line occurs when he puts a twist on the common idiom 'speak of the devil and he shall appear' and so subverts our expectations by saying instead: 'speak of the devil and he grabs you by the shoulder and spins you round.'
One other effect of the dialogue is that it humanises the character. We learn that the protagonist's name is John and this instantly makes him more relatable because all of the other characters remain nameless and so are conveyed as less important.
Camera Shots/Angles
- Over The Shoulder Shot: As we have already established, the over-the-shoulder shot is fairly standard during scenes of conversation, and here is no exception. It is identifiable when the drunkard is conversing with the barman as well as when he converses with the thug. It is particularly effective in a confrontation because it creates a claustrophobic dynamic, since the opposing forces are in close proximity it almost foreshadows a clash.
- Tilt Shot: When thrown to the floor, the tilt shot can be seen following the drunk as he regains his stance. Similarly the tilt shot follows John as he is kicked down the stairs, and in both instances the camera is adopting shaky cam to mirror the effect of his drunk swaying and also mirror the stunted bounces of his body down the steps. These dynamic movements enable the camera to guide us through the action, showing us where to follow and look.
- Tracking Shot: Between the duration of 1:33 and 2:03 you'll notice that the camera does not cutaway from the protagonist and opts for a single tracking shot. This is always seen as an immersive shot because of the technical skill it requires and the rehearsal for everything to be perfect. We are viscerally thrown from one piece of action to the next without a break or a new perspective, and this long take has the effect of being relentless. In this case, we can see that John is not having time to recover. Alejandro Inarritu, director of Birdman and The Revenant, frequently uses these single take shots, his most famous being the bear sequence in The Revenant.
- Zoom: Cleverly contained within the tracking shot mentioned above, the camera uses a variety of zooms to provide some aesthetic changes in the single take. Firstly, as John crawls across the floor, the camera zooms out to reveal that he is in fact crawling towards a bottle of beer. Then, as the thugs grab him by the legs and pull him away, the camera zooms in to his face. And finally, as they haul him to his feet, the camera zooms out again so that we can see all the thugs in the frame and watch the action ensue. This creates the illusion of editing because the camera frames the action at different levels of intimacy but never actually cuts away from it. The zoom out as he is pulled to his feet is especially important because it allows us to easily watch the fight continue from a distance. If it was still zoomed in it would be harder to follow the punches and movements.
- Mid Shot: During a lot of the tracking shots the camera is framing the action through a mid shot. This is to create an intense intimacy to the fight and follow John more closely. While the wide angle framing is done so that the audience can see where the thugs are coming from, the mid shots allow us to centralise our focus on John and his actions rather than follow everything at once. Like the zoom shot, it helps to vary the way that we perceive the action unfolding on screen.
Editing
As expected in an action sequence, there is a lot of fast-cutting to create an atmosphere of speed and continuity in the pace. However, perhaps less conventional in an action film is the slow-cutting also implemented here. We see that the intense outbursts of conflict are juxtaposed by moments of lethargic recovery in between. This takes place when John is thrown down the stairs. What comes before is an example of fast-cutting to create an energetic brawl, but once he is thrown down the stairs the pace subsides due to the single-take that doesn't involve quickly cutting back and forth between the punches thrown and received. I think this is done for comedic purposes and so wouldn't likely be seen in other action films. Rather than display a non-stop action extravaganza the action is halted by John as he sluggishly crawls across the floor or pursues the beer rather than the thugs. These intervals help to remind the audience of the comedic tone the filmmakers are trying to set and also gives us some level of character development, making John a likeable fool.
But there is also an instance of a cutaway thrown into the scene. Once John is lying at the bottom of the stairs, the camera cuts away to a table with alcohol on it. Though it strays from the main sequence, it continues the subplot of indulging in alcohol whilst trying to survive.
Diegetic/ Non-Diegetic Sound
The diegetic sound in an action sequence is pivotal in making the violence sound brutally realistic. The glass bottles smashing and the punches landing are necessary for making the fight believable. The non-diegetic score is very synchronous with the character because it sounds quite energetic and light-hearted which supports the tone of the film, whereas it is quite contrapuntal regarding the actual violence itself. The non-diegetic score is a clear indication that we are supposed to engage with the fight for entertainment, not for suspense. A similar sequence can be found in the church fight in Kingsman: The Secret Service.
Mise-en-Scene
The alcohol is clearly an important and recurring prop in the action film. It is used as the main objective for the protagonist (what he seeks to win), but also becomes a weapon and unsurprisingly part of the bar brawl. The rough, ragged appearance of the drunk helps to evoke the mood and manner we find him in, while his slouching body language emphasises his lack of sobriety.
Clothing helps to provide a contrast between the protagonist and antagonists. John is wearing a shirt and tie, which instantly associates him with an honest profession, whereas the antagonists are wearing hoodies, hats and unbuttoned shirts which distinguishes them as clearly from a different environment.
I would also like to give a special mention to the lighting of this film, which I think is astonishing. The lighting is very minimal, by setting a blue and orange glow over the sequence it evokes familiarities with a nightclub. The eerie, blueish overtones also bring a gritty realism to the fight as we follow it into the darker depths of the bar.
Review
This is more of a hybrid between a comedy and action, but the action is the most dominant genre here. I think the fluidity of the fight itself is professional and well choreographed, staging a progressive conflict which moves throughout the bar and makes use of different areas. I particularly enjoyed the single-take tracking shot as it shows confidence in filmmaking but simultaneously immerses us in the setting. The crew behind Bar Brawl have made another short, Hall Fight, which can be found on YouTube. Again this demonstrates a high level of professional skill.
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