Preliminary Research - "Intangible" - Short Film Analysis

- Part One


-Part Two

The basic plot outline of the short film "Intangible" is that the character of Billy, portrayed by Arthur Darvill, believes that the most important people in his life are replications. He carries out an experiment to test his theory, while his psychiatrist believes him to be suffering from a serious delusion. The film opens to Billy on a trip to the bathroom before shaving himself, a regular activity that conveys to the audience his normality in the strange unsettling camera and editing work of the beginning. By portraying his normally to the audience, it allows them to connect with him and empathise with him. In doing this it makes his opinion about the doubles more believable. By cutting himself on the cheek and the camera filming a close up it adds emphasis on what could be described as a normal action for the process. A quick cut is used into the next scene, of Billy and his psychiatrist. The location is white, clinical and professional, contrasting with the only other location of the film, Billy's home which is cluttered and has a darker filter on it.

In these scenes, character development and narrative are progressed by the dialogue of Billy. Billy explains to his therapist that his mother had a cut on her finger (scar) one day and that it was gone the next. The use of close ups and over the shoulder shots, help to portray that this character is key and important as is the dialogue being spoken. The tone of voice, the fact he is a well spoken character, with intellectual abilities is also important in his story being believable. Dialogue is also used as a tool, to convey the theme and message to the audience. The fact he corrects the psychologist reinforces this. The dialogue used throughout, such as him knowing the "destroyer of worlds" also help to present him as a slightly mad and a deranged character. The artistic nature of the film is also conveyed by the close up shots of Billy, cleaning a paintbrush in water, covering his brush in paint and finally by painting on his girlfriend. These a visual representation of what is an important concept of the film. The variants on normal social behaviour, such as clearing up and moving from room to room, are small but significant representations about the characters mental state. The accident that apparently causes these delusions is uncovered again through the dialogue of the counselling sessions.

The use of the varied camera recordings taken by the therapist is another technique used in order to vary the method in which the audience uncovers information about Billy and his life, but it also helps to support a claim about being watched, paranoia that unsettles the audience and makes the question the character of Billy.

By showing the removal of the painting on Anna's (The Girlfriends) shoulder it leaves a questionable feature to the audience about whether it’s really happening or it’s just Billy's perception of the situation. The use of the voice over at the end of the film, creates a believable and closed ending to the story, bringing in a calm collect voice, makes a final and serious ending to the film and the existence of Billy but also still questions the mental state of the character. This ending leaves questions that are not answered and representing pity or fear of the character of Billy. Creating this impact and leaving these questions, makes the theme of the short film more memorable.

During the film, a variety of techniques are used in order to make the film as interesting as possible and to convey as much information as needed to make the film a success. It also uses a variety of aspects and features found in Short Films. The use of only a small number of locations and the small number of characters is important. The creative and imaginative style in which the theme is conveyed is also another feature. One of the most significant is the way in which the narrative is moved forward by dialogue and the narrative is portrayed by imagery on screen is vital to the film and its audience.