It’s been a fairly long hiatus for posts on here (more on why that has been to follow). Today I happened to see a short I enjoyed and it’s Saturday, so I may as well bring back the Short Film Saturday theme.
It’s unrated but definitely NSFW, but tells a good tale of a vicious cycle of bullying. It also features Brendan Meyer whom I featured in my O, Canada! contribution this year.
The first obvious change in time during one piece of a motion picture is not an insignificant step at all but a crucial, necessary development in film grammar.
Many consider Uncle Josh to be not just the first protagonist of a film trilogy, but the first character on film period. Enjoy!
Titles at the beginning and end of a film were fairly common by this point. However, this film set a new precedent in the silent film art and added intertitles. They’re not the “best words” but they’re better than nothing.
The first ever tilt was a big one!
The reverse tracking shot is born.
The telescope effect on film precedes the binocular effect. Here it is introduced with a comedic design.
The first POV close-ups in film history. Naturally enough the technique is introduced in a short whose concept centers around this idea.
This is the first film to consciously rack and lose focus for effect, in this instance the introduction of a break in perceived reality. Quite funny!
One of the first examples of shot continuity. Start on train POV, when entering the tunnel cut inside, and then cut to the exit of the tunnel from a objective angle.
The Movie Rat 