Short Film Analysis

The Black Hole (Diamond Dugs 2009)

The film uses really interesting effects that make the surreal black hole look very real, as though it actually works.
The sound was well used, there was no dialogue or music which isolated the main character and the background office noises (like the copier) showed he was alone in the office, and even made it seem creepy.
The twist at the end is clever and serves to provide the film with a good moral at the end.
The mise en scene of the office worked along with the sound - simple, repetitive, mundane - to contrast with his extraordinary find. The lighting level shows that it is late in the evening, as not all the lights are on, and he is therefore alone. The every-day surroundings add motivation to his temptation to steal from his boss' safe.
A low angle shot showed the man from the Black Hole's point of view, which implies that it could have a personality or intelligence. Varying angles made a simple set and character interesting to watch.
Shots cut from one to the other quite quickly, adding dynamic to the film. The pace reflects the excitement of his new discovery.
The film was simple but skillfully made.

Vincent (Tim Burton 1982)

Vincent was created by Tim Burton during his years at Disney as a young man. The film is fairly low budget but artistically put together.
The sound is simple - starting with a single flute playing an eerie but well known tune, followed by a voice over of Vincent Price reading a poetic narration. Sound effects and music are used as the film progresses - all are still simple, and still eerie. When in the "real wold", there is often no music, but in Vincent's mind it is dramatic and gothic, using sounds like harpsichords to set the genre.
The tone of the narration starts as light, comical and whimsical, then grows hysteric, and finally ends sounding serious and dark. The lighting reflects this change.

The angles used are simple, mostly on floor level to show the puppets and their sets. The film often fades from one world view to the other, or pans smoothly to follow Vincent as he walks.

The black and white pallet reflects the early Vincent Price horror movies that the film references. At the start of the film Vincent stands in a light white room, and in the final shot he is barely visible at the bottom of a large black space. Whenever Vincent is shown in the "real world", the lighting is high-key, and whenever he's in his mind the lighting is low key and creates dark shadows. the mise en scene in his mind references early gothic B-Movie horror, whereas the "real world" is based on suburban areas such as Burbank, where Burton grew up.

Both films include comedy as well as a dark twist ending, making them enjoyable to watch whilst still sticking with the audience after they end.