Textual Analysis: Get Off My Land

As part of our recreation, thought it would be suited to do a quick analysis of the short film.
To watch the film, click here.

Mise-En-Scene: 

The location is a countryside setting, several fields and

open spaces intercut with woodland area. Its setting is obvious from the very first shot of the muddy track through the woods followed by the open landscape shot of the couple crossing the meadow.
The lighting is fairly low key throughout.
The costumes are fairly stereotypical for the different characters each actor is playing. The farmer with his flat cap and jumper is certainly my typical idea of what a country farmer would look like. The couple are dressed in what I would imagine city or village people to wear when out in the country. The woman's slightly more expensive coat and the mans more elaborate fleece does give the image of well off city people, maybe unaware of the land laws.

Camera:

The use of camera is quite effective in the film. It describes the intensity of the dialogue and the things we the audience should be focusing on by means of either zooming in on characters or how violent the hand held effect becomes.

These are particularly true when it comes to the man-farmer conversation where the use of hand held becomes most prominent as the argument intensifies before climaxing when the farmers fires his gun. Also as the two exchange lines, the camera gets closer and closer on the two actor's faces to really emphasise we should only be focusing on what they are saying and nothing else.

Editing:

On average, the speed of the editing would be considered slow due to the rather moody and dull feel its meant to be portraying in the two main characters lives at the time of the event. Even the length of each shot reflects this, particularly in the establishing and primary shots at the beginning of the film, with those long, wide angle, dolly panning shots.

The moment where the editing does pick up dramatically is during the shooting sequence where the camera quickly cuts from a medium shot on the farmer to the wide shot of the 3 characters as the man falls to the ground. This would be, as before, to reflect the mood of the scene. Only now, it is far more tense and fast actioned and so the editing shows this in its number cuts.

Sound

The sound of the piece is actually fairly dull e.g. it only contains the bare minimum of foley and ambient noises. We do not hear for example any bird song or river water, trees rustling etc. We only hear the characters footsteps through the grass and the dialogue.

This would suggest the director doesn't want our attention to be distracted by things going on in the background and more on the solidarity of the two characters trekking across this supposed empty landscape, not a bird or animal around. Just the emptiness and bleakness.