AICE MediaStudies

For this short film research we will be reviewing the short film Fort Irwin. In Fort Irwin an amputee veteran acts in a realistic military simulation to confront his past trauma. Common sounds used in the short film were loud noises meant to sound like bombs to trigger the veterans trauma on explosions which is likely how he lost his legs, sounds such as gun shots and heavy breathing are also emphasized reminding the veteran of the war and his struggles to deal with the trauma of it. The costumes used in the short film are similar to the outfits used in war with camo helmets, jacket, and pants, while others don Arab clothing to differentiate the enemy. The lighting uses natural lighting and the make-up used is extremely realistic bloodied depictions of injuries in war, for our main character he has blown off legs and we see another actor with a revealed brain. The props and setting are meant to simulate actual war with the setting being a dusty and torn apart town with fake explosions ...

  Common sounds for short films in the war genre are explosions which would be diegetic noise, there is also music for tense scenes which is non-diegetic. When listening for certain sound cues, one thing is very noticeable on the opening scene of this short film. That is its diegetic sound. There is the sound of a plane flying above which is somewhat disorienting . It provides a good insight on the setting of this film and makes the audience uneasy yet captivated to see what happens next. Dialogue is rarely considered to be a huge feature in war films, and in the case of this particular short film, dialogue is not used at all which is unique.      Mis- en -scene plays a big role in the authenticity of a short film in the war genre. Costumes mainly are the focus. They have to look like they belong in the overall setting and time period for the audience to take the film seriously. Props such as weapons also should line up with this. The short film "8" does a gr...