Get Off My Land is a 2007 short film comedy, written and directed by Douglas Ray. It was funded by the UK Film Council and made in the county if Enfield. It starts Ruth Wilson, Rafe Spall and Robert Glenister. It is about a couple who are walking through a field and they get caught walking through a field and a farmer approches them as he believes that they are tresspassing on his land. The boyfriend and the farmer confront each other as the couple believe that they are on a public footpath. The confrontation results in the farmer pulling a shotgun on the couple and mudering them both. However, it isn't until they are dead that he realises that they may actually have been on a public footpath.
 |
| Rafe Spall and Ruth Wilson |
The film has a simple linear narrative with elements of a circular narrative in terms of the conflict between the couple and the farmer over the public footpath. It is also quite restricted in places because of the time constraint so it meant that the audience were watching from a subjective point-of-view. Therefore, we only found out more of the story as the film went on. This was also shown through the use of simple editing and limtied amount of cuts that were used. This was because the dialogue was more dominant throughout the film and the use of no score/non-digetic sound adds to the films simplicity. The simple use of the titles also adds to the atmosphere as it helps the audience to be immediately drawn into the story as there is not enough time to develop a solid background to the characters. The opening titles were used only to reveal the companies behind funding the project and the film's title. The end credits, however were again used in a more simpler way but it was very effective as it made the audience think about what they had just watched. Even if the film was a comedy, there was a dark element towards it. Especially with the fact, the farmer decides to become a vigilante and then realises he may have a made a mistake. Which gives us an insight to his life as it can be suggested that he has mental health issues.
The colour of the film was a little grainy in parts but mainly used nautral light. In a way, it made the film more effective because you're focusing on the charatcers and the story. The ambient sound was lowered and was just about audiable, it was an effective technique as it added to the atmosphere of the film. There was a lot of handheld camerawork which made the viewing more realistic to the audience. Also, with the enviroment they were in, it would have made more sense to use handhels because on the uneven levels on the ground. It also would have saved money as there may have been a medium-sized budget. Which is not only shown through the funding and camerwork but through the casting. Especially Ruth Wilson as she is very well-known aorund that time because of the realease of the BBC version on Jane Eyre in 2006.
<>
 |
| Ruth Wilson |
One of the themes that is highlighted within the film is vigilante, the farmer felt that he had to perform his own justice on the couple for tresspassing on what he thought was he 'land' when he could have just called the police. Although the film's purpose was self-promtion and as a film festival or competition entry, it could have been used to show how samll confrontations can lead to disaster and in the case of the couple do not end well. As well as they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. In most short films the one plot twist is usally a third of the way through the film. Douglas, the director and writer decides to end the film with one. Which, in turn, has made it more effective because of the line that the farmer delivers: 'You know, I actually think that this is a public footpath'. The thing about the plot is the fact, he breaks the 4th wall and it makes us wonder who he's talking to. Which again also makes the audience think about his mental state and whether he had intended to kill the couple in the first place.
No comments:
Post a Comment