'BLOODROP' is a short film directed by Alexei Popogrebsky. The film plays with the idea of perception, what is real and what is not. It tricks the audience's brain throughout its 6 and a half minute length and keeps you wanting more. One of the main reasons the film was created was to take the opportunity to test some concepts in 3D, and see how it would translate to 2D. I've always seen 3D as a gimmick/a way of getting more money out of people, but after seeing this short film, it's clear that if implemented in a different way, it can work brilliantly. (I've yet to view Bloodrop in 3D, but I imagine that with the visuals on-screen and the complexity of the idea, it will work). The edit is well-consructed and fits nicely with the visuals, I will discuss this below.
Not one word is said throughout the film, but I still feel a strong connection to the main character. This is due to the facial expressions, his mannerisms, movements and body language throughout the piece. The music also helps progress the film forward.
The opening shot (above) zooms/pans out to reveal the room we're in, and by focusing on the picture from the initial starting point, it gives the audience understanding that this picture is of significance to the film. The non-diagetic soundtrack is a fun, spontaneous and unpredictable track full of blips, some percussion and electronic sounds, all in which connote a sense of enigma and spontaneity.
After the camera pans across the room in a single take to reveal the main character, we are treated with a couple of simple but effective cuts, cutting from a MCU to a LMS to show the audience what he's up too, in this case, it looks as if he's making tea on the hob.
The sound of a train about to pass and the ringing of the 'warning' bells fade in, combined with the red lighting effects on the wall. As the train passes the window bursts open, blowing everything everywhere and causing the picture in the opening shot to smash and spurt out a black envelope. Whilst this scene plays out, the soundtrack fades in once again but this time it is more spontaneous and has an almost electronic rhythm to it. In my opinion, it portrays the impression that this isn't the first time this has happened before, and that the character has to deal with this problem on a daily basis.
There is also a quick cut to the picture during this scene, further highlighting the idea that this picture is of importance to the storyline.
As he closes the window, the music fades out and remains at a lower volume... this is a nice little editing technique that parallels the visuals on-screen with the audio. As he opens the envelope and looks at the picture inside, he acknowledges that the picture is more than it seems. The soundtracks continues throughout this segment and beyond at a lower volume, it helps progress the story and 'feel' of it. It rises again when the main character attempts to play a game with the woman in the other room (picture), it helps add to the humour on-screen.
The editing cuts back and forth from the main character to the woman, showing both reactions. As our main character realises another train is approaching, the intensity of the soundtrack increases, subtly triggering a sense of urgency to both the main character and the audience.
The editing in Bloodrop uses sound to its advantage throughout the piece, along with the CGI, set-design, cinematography etc. The final piece I believe is brilliant, brilliant because of its approach that is like no other I've seen. The set is beautifully and carefully designed, the effects put in place are all there to create an impact in which they do so, as well adding to the story. The contrast between the casually dressed 'everyday' man and the mysterious woman in her blue dress add another layer of sophistication to the final piece. The editing and sound I discussed earlier combined help create a fluent and natural piece that simply works.
In all, Bloodrop is fun, quirky, witty, post-modern, and most of all, different. (It's not everyday I see something that is almost completely original, but I think we have one here.)
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