The short film 'Love Field' was based on a trick of the mind using camera work and typical genre determinants. The film is based on a woman giving birth in the middle of the field, aided by her farmer husband. However, by using shots that restrict the view of what is actually going on and adding thriller music to the scene, the audience immediately assume the genre of the film is a thriller.
I think this short film would be more targeted towards a middle-aged audience. This is due to the context of the woman giving birth as well as the implication of her being murdered. I think the clever use of camera work and conventions would be more appreciated on a more mature audience as opposed to teenagers. However, I would suggest a certificate as young as 12 years of age for this short film as it doesn't contain any physical violence or taboo words. On the other hand the plot does have very gruesome implications which may frighten young children and uses a lot of codes and convections of a horror film which would be unsuitable for a young audience.
The music used in the short film consists of mostly stringed instruments, which are usually associated with horrors and thrillers. The high key of the strings make the scene very intense and eerie. The music also escalates in pitch as the storyline develops more, making the audience more uneasy and putting them on the edge of their seats.
The fact that the film is set in a baron town is supported by the quietness of the opening couple of minutes. The town seems almost deserted and creates a worrying fear that you are completely alone. This is an unnerving feeling to have as an audience member as this sets the audience up for bad things to happen; giving the first implication that the genre is a thriller or horror.
During the first couple of minutes the audience are shown the open field to establish that it is in the middle of the countryside as well as a town sign swinging in the wing and creaking. The creaking sign is a typical shot that would be seen in a horror or thriller, as is the squawking blackbird which is introduced in the opening minute.
The blackbird is often associated with horrors including Albert Hitchcock's the birds. The bird's constant squawking throughout not only plays on the fears that Hitchcock had already created in 1963, but also showed just how quiet the town was as we could hear the crow over most other things. Close ups of scalpels and the sound of the woman screaming during labour are both used throughout the film as well as close up's of the woman's dirty feet and legs twitching in pain on the ground. All these things lead to the assumption that something cynical is going on and a lot is just left to the imagination.
I would assume that the intention of the producer was to shock the audience by the end result and to trick their minds throughout the entire film. This shock tactic makes the short film very memorable and entertaining as you could never have suspected the ending. Based on the clever use of camera work and editing I would suggest that the film was intended the be shown at a Film Festival in order to broadcast the producers film making talents.
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