Past student film analysis-Anonymous

This film is very enigmatic and suspenseful. It is quite creepy and shows that there are some weird people out there!

The one thing that stands out is the fact that the male character is wearing a hoodie. This fits well with the title 'anonymous'. It shows that there is something being hidden about this character and that there are possibly two sides to him. It is black which connotes darkness. He is clearly a flawed male character, typical of thrillers however this is usually seen in the protagonist not the antagonist. I think this works well.

The other thing that immediately hits you is the soundtrack; It is very unnerving and connotes bad things. The low pitched sound lasts just a little bit too long. When the bracelet is picked up, the soundtrack is almost unbearable, with a low pitched sound showing that something is about to happen. It is very enigmatic and makes you wonder what is about to happen.

Later on in the opening, there is an over the shoulder shot from behind the male character as he takes a picture of the female character. This shows that the girl does not know what is happening and  creates a sense of mystery. A clever editing technique is then used to emphasize the fact that a photo has been taken.

Moving on; the female character walking down the road is shown in a long shot. This means that she is alone and small in a wide open space, therefore, she is very vulnerable. A medium shot is then used to show her with the male character walking behind her. This shows her emotion in the sense that she is beginning to panic and builds suspense by showing us the boy walking behind her. We can only make one assumption...

The next shot is a tracking shot, which in my eyes was badly done. Firstly, it is very shaky and struggles to keep up, secondly; the wind. To combat the problem with the wind, Foley sound could have been used. This is where an audio recording of something similar to the thing making the noise is done. So the footsteps could have been done by pencils hitting a table for instance. The sound of the footsteps would still be there, but the sound of the wind would not. The main problems with this include trying to get the sound right and syncing it with the actual on screen action. Another simple technique in the form of noise removal could have been used instead.

The point of view shot after this is a different story altogether, it really puts the viewer in the shoes of the male character. Suspense is created as we wait for him to kill the girl.

Then... the plot twist. The whole thing has been building up to him killing her. But she turns around and knees him. This is a great twist as the audience do not expect it to happen, we are convinced that the girl is to die. It does look slightly unrealistic however.

The confusion comes when he burns the pictures. Why? Does he feel defeated? Is this the end of it all? what will happen next? The last line of dialogue is quite possibly to most enigmatic thing about the whole opening: 'if you're not here'.Has he now killed her or does this mean something else. So many questions are left unanswered. We now want to see the rest of the film.

Overall, this is a very good opening, there are some amazing techniques, most notably, the soundtrack. However a few things such as wind noise does let this piece down slightly. In terms of the narrative, it is very suspenseful and enigmatic, all in all a good production! Oh, and I love the title...