About

 

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Duration: 5:15

Production Company: N/A

Producers: Jaiden Cunnington and Brandon Weston

Director: Jaiden Cunnington

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Plot Summary

 

A man wakes up at an abandoned campsite in the middle of the woods with no recollection of who he is, or how he got there. Confusion turns to fear as he realises he isn't alone. He finds himself to be running from something but we don't know what, until we see the 'pigman'. The fight breaks out until the man slaughters the creature, to which he then places the mask on in order to begin hunting. A tale of the Hunter becoming the Hunted. Will the man make the right decision? Or will he be trapped in an endless purgatory forever, always making the wrong decisions just as he did in his past life.

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Conventions

 

This short film starts off with an extreme close up on the man's face which shows him waking up and looking around at where he is. As he looks from left to right, we as an audience are aware that he is confused and not meant to be here (but somehow is). He hears a noise in the distance which attracts his attention and causes him to begin panicking, "Hey! Is anyone there?!". Up until when the man spots 'The Pigman' the music clip is silent which creates a sense of eeriness and as if something is about to happen. After another foley, cracking sound, 'The Pigman' appears from behind a tree and the music breaks out into an upbeat track which builds up the suspense during the chase. This music quietens again when the man turns around to see where the Pigman is with his heavy breathing being the main focal point. The Pigman attacks this man with a hammer but gets thrown to the ground and is instead repeatedly hit. The tone of the music changes again because of this and foley sounds of the man being hit are heard.

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He removes the mask and reads a note that is picked up by a close up shot, 'one will live and one will die'. With there being a small amount of dialogue, which seems to be a common occurrence within short films, this note stands out and is able to convey meaning to the audience that perhaps this is a never ending cycle in which the pigman will forever live on. The lighting throughout the entire short film is fairly natural with the sunlight breaking through the trees. Thrillers are usually associated with night time however this film uses the daylight well as it shows how empty the forest is through a point-of-view perspective of the main character. Tension is still kept through this as a result. 

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 When filming, there was a great amount of energy with the camera movement, at the beginning in particular, which often tracks the guard and his expressions. This beginning scene actually sets up for the end scene in which he begins to wish that he didn't turn up to work that day. In this last showdown that includes aspects of comedy and character, it seems as if the guard is experiencing this moment as supposed to be apart of the action. This is shown by several long shots where we can see the guard watching the girl fighting another guard, and at times not seeing it at all in which we instead just see his facial expressions. The music at this point in the clip plays a huge part as a massive amount of suspense is built up from it. The music abruptly stops when the guard opens the door for her to run outside.

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We know that this is a thriller by the last scene in which the mans face is focused on through a close up. He appears to have blood all over it from where he had been attacked by another man that had ended up in this forest. We find this out by the scene before where the next man swings the hammer in the direction of the new Pigman (man at the start). A soundbridge of a hammer sound effect is used to transition this clip into a wide shot of the forest. An echoing voice from a distance shouts "Hey! Is anyone there?" suggesting that the myth of 'The Pigman' is never ending. The dialogue is chosen carefully but helps the audience generate understanding of this short film