The Fly - British Short Film
The Fly, a 2014 dark comedy directed by Olly Williams,
Cinematography
The close ups of the fly itself emphasise the effect it has on the Driver, and how even something so small can cause such big consequences. It also makes the fly seem disgusting, giving the viewer an insight into the annoyance and discomfort of the Driver in this circumstance. As this discomfort drives him to violence, the camera becomes much more dynamic and unsteady, moving very frantically within the car, mimicking the movements of the Driver, as he increasingly wrecks the getaway car. The camera shows the Driver from nearly every angle, emphasising the sense of claustrophobia as we see him cramped in such a small space.
The pace of the film is controlled very carefully by the editing, as the shots alternate between the inside the car, the outside the car, and shots of the bank door, with the Inside of the car being extremely chaotic, while outside is calm. The juxtaposition of the editing between exterior and interior creates comedic effect of the man's overreactions, while the occasional slowly-dollying shots of the door create tension. This keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat, as we expect the door to open and the other criminals to come out of the bank, but the camera simply continues to slowly dolly in, further intensifying the scene, and allowing for the getaway driver to destroy the car even more. When the doors finally open, the height of comedy within the film is reached, where a shot to shot relationship is created between the getaway driver and the other robbers as they stand looking at each other, surveying the madness that has happened to the car in the few minutes that the robbery took place in.
MES establishes an aesthetic, of the grainy retro English gangster. He has a leather jacket, toothpick and a large, shiny gold watch, and has hints of 5 o'clock shadow on his face to show that he is a criminal in a rush and doesn't have time to make sure his appearance is good. This draws on the cliché of English gangsters and low-level criminals, and establishes the Driver as a classic stereotype of these gangsters in England. This sets us up to expect a crime caper, and Williams subverts this to create comedy.
The film begins with a soundbite suggesting a robbery. Much like the mise-en-scene, the sound immediately sets the tone of the film as being about English Gangsters, as the robbers have typical, rough Cockney accents and shotguns, which we hear being cocked when they go into the bank. The opening shot of the Driver is accompanied by the low grumbling of the engine. This creates tension, as the car is sitting in neutral; ready to drive off at any moment. The sound of the fly also creates comedy within the film as well, as it is a very distinct sound that the viewer automatically recognises, and so when the driver believes he has killed the fly, but then the sound of the fly starts again, it creates further comedic effect.
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