The film starts stating the date and the background to the story. Showing not just the time but the story. The story being a android servant girl is in under-control of this rich household.
The camera then cuts to a long shot of two people standing over this white tomb stone. The room is under lit for the main purpose of the audience looking into the centre frame. The camera then slow pans inwards on these two people. The music and dialogue kick in and they blend together well.
The camera then cuts to a high angle looking down on the female on the tomb stone. From this angle you can see that she is very pale in colour and resting on red. Giving the sense of either danger or innocence. The grief character sets the story for the audience saying ‘Why did this virus take you from me’. Giving us that in site into their relationship maybe mother and daughter.
The camera then cute to a POV short from the other servant/ butler who is named James. But then quickly moves to a two shot of both of them standing. In the background there is a red curtain, continuing that sense of danger.
The camera cuts to a close up of James putting some kind of lock on the coffin. Which makes us see the first part of how we know it’s a Sci-Fi film. The females body is locked up in a force field. The colour of this also being white to re-enforce the innocence. The camera then cuts to wide shot of this happening while James walks around to the side of coffin and walks away. This then fades to black and the title comes up. D/ fault.Â
When the titles are done we fade back to an establishing shot of the location. An manor estate in the middle of countryside. The establishing shot pans around the trees while looking at the building.
We then cut to a close up of the grieving mother ringing a bell. The bell has heart outlines in around it. Giving the sense of love and compassion but also wonder. We then cut to a mid-shot showing the mother putting bell back down. Looking around the room there is a lot of natural light but the room itself is tainted with very dull grey colours. The mother herself wearing black.
The camera then cuts back to close up of the mother removing the vale from her head. The camera then cuts to this servant girl entering. She is wearing a baby blue clothing making me think that she is very innocent from the whole topic. When she enters she is then moaned at by the mother.
The camera then cuts between the two shots of her face and her pouring the tea. As she pours the tea she starts to shake and also her smile from her face starts to fade. Just after she took a look at the mother she spills the tea over the serving tray. The camera then cuts to mid shot of the mother between the servants armpit. This angle creates a kind of Triangle shape which gives me the sense of uneasiness and unsettling. It then cuts been the mother and servant. The mother questioning her and the servant looking scared.
We then cut to the servant out in the hallway. This room having pure white walls, this could be her safe place, where she feels safe. She is looking at herself in the mirror when James interrupts with ‘Is everything alright.’ She remains silent while James approaches. However, this can only be through the mirror. James then hands the lock over to her. The camera cuts to a close up of their hands while James hands it over and walks away. The camera then cuts back to a mid shot showing us that she now has a sense of hope. When she realises that she has the music starts to play.
We then cuts to another establishing shot of the same building but in a night setting. This time there’re floating balls that are guarding the house. They have red coloured lighting around them giving the sense of danger that the protagonist is about to get into. We then return to the basement where the coffin is. There is a wide shot slowing panning inwards for around 3 seconds. We then cut to a close of the protagonist unlocking the coffin. When the coffin is unlocked it cuts back outside to show the red guard balls are coming to hunt her. We then cut to a dutch tilt while she exposes her bio-components. Showing that she is an android. There then is another close up of her opening up the chest of body. This confirms that the dead daughter was also an android.
The camera then cuts back to guards coming down the stairs to see what is happening. It’s a tracking shot following it as it goes down. There is then a low angle looking upwards at the android as she takes this object out of the dead daughter. Cuts back to a wide shot which slowly zooms outwards.
The camera then cuts back to a fast moving pan across the basement and also tracks the red orb coming towards the protagonist. This red orb is coming out of the darkness. We then cut to a POV shot from the orb. The eyes of it are pure red. Making me feel like there is either a massive sense of urgency or danger. We then keep cutting back and forth from an extreme close up of the drone’s eye until the music stops and the drone fly’s away. From behind the drone emerges James. The protagonist then comes out from the red curtain removing that sense of danger. Showing to the audience that she is safe. The camera then fades to black.
When the camera fades back in we’re out on the front porch of the house where we have an over the should shot looking at James. He has a small smile of his face. You can her the bird cheeping and colours have before vibrant and colourful. The protagonist has changed her clothes from white to yellow. Giving that sense of calm, positively and happiness.
The camera then moves to the stairs where she walks down. a high angle shot looking at her. She now has full control of herself. The high angle shot continues look downwards at her as she gets into the car. She then continues to drive away.
In conclusion, I think the film from a technical perspective it has a lot of potential however, the narrative doesn’t make much sense in my mind. Furthermore, the android protagonist in the film is not distinctive until during the mid-point of the film.
Additionally, I do like the use of colour throughout the film. The way in which they use the reds, whites and yellows makes an impact on the audience.
Personally I think that this film has been made for the directors and editors to experiment with CGI. The editing for the film was superbly done. However, the narrative is very under developed and some character were not fully explained. Personally I would like to learn more around James’s backstory and the grieving mother.
Appendix
From my analysis I will attempt to apply the following to my own film.
- The use of colour within
In the first few scenes the director uses greys and whites to cause contrast with the characters. I would like to do this with my male and female protagonist. My female protagonist will start the film by wearing pain white clothing, while the male protagonist is wearing black. As the film continues the male will start to influence the female changing the colour of her clothes from white to black but progressively.
Stephen Marsden Media 