Analysis of short films - "The Sandman"

"The Sandman" is a short film directed by Paul Berry, who also helped out with the animations of " The Nightmare Before Christmas". The Sandman is a chilling interpretation of an old European folk-tale and received an Oscar nomination.

Here is a link to "The Sandman"  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjgHbRrnjhU

Narrative

Merge of Narratives

There are two narratives in the film, one of the small boy and the other is of The Sandman; there is a merger of the two narratives near the end of the film.

Face is shaped like a crescent moon

The Sandman's appearance is imprinted on the audiences mind as it is very unique, his facial shape mimic's a crescent moon which is a clever technique as it resembles his home which is a moon setting and also puts a subliminal thought into the audiences head, this is in terms of when the audience look at the moon in future after watching the film they will automatically think about The Sandman.

The boy is portrayed as rather timid

When the boy is in bed alternating from being awake to asleep, the audience feel a strong sense of the boys terror, it also reinforces his desperation to sleep in order to hide from his fears. This shows a contrast between him asleep where he can find happiness and peace to when he is awake where his fears and cons become his harsh reality.

Camera Shots and Angles

Close-up of The Sandman 

Close-ups of the sandman builds up the clarity in the audiences mind as it gives a major insight of his thoughts and how he is going to accomplish his aim in the plot.

Establishing Shot

The initial establishing shot of the room with the boy playing his drum and the woman knitting (presumably his mother) is one of peace and tranquillity, before the introduction of The Sandman as the disturbance in the narrative.

Close-up of Grim Reaper

This camera shot is the first that implies themes of the supernatural and of negative connotations.

Sound

When The Sandman attempts to wake the boy up with loud noises as he jumps around the boy, the audience begin to fear that the boy will lose his eyes. The Sandman begins to look increasingly more menacing and his task looks more achievable by each passing second. The eerie non-diagetic music throughout the duration of the film, fills the audience with wonder but adds negative connotations of fear. The music also heightens the mystery of The Sandman and makes the plot more compelling, it also gives the film a melancholy feel. The most effective diagetic sound in the film definitely comes from when The Sandman is climbing the stairs, it is so effective because of the mannerisms of how he ascends the stairs and also the pace of it, it is because of the pace and creaking of the stairs tension and suspense is dramatically increased as the audience can really empathise with the boy and fear for him not escaping The Sandman's clutches.