Criticality 3

 

Dig Your Own Grave (2018)

​For the final analysis, I have found a film called Dig Your Own Grave which is another short film. Yet again I will be looking and analysing points for the film through the eyes of a DoP, which means that I will focus on framing, camera movement, lighting, and the equipment used. This film is very different from the two I have already looked at and has a more comedic tone throughout. The first analysis had a horror tone, the second also had more of a darker tone, so I thought it would be good to look at a more comedic film, as I have spoken and discussed with the producer and director and they want our film to have dark comedy.

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What is the film about

The film takes place in an American desert as a gangster's son (Reggie) has been given the job to take this guy out and kill him. Reggie thinks it would be a good idea to make the hostage (Dan) dig his own grave before killing him (like in the movies). The guy who is digging his own grave is being very fussy about digging and keeps complaining about how he is going to get blisters from digging so asks for gloves. Out of frustration Reggie ducktapes, the hostage's hands to the shovel to stop him from complaining, but it doesn't stop. Struggling to find a solution on what to do Reggie decides to call his father, this is when he finds out that his dad wants his own son killed for failing a simple task. This is when the two characters start to bond over how much Reggie hates his father. They start to just chat and become closer throughout the film talking about Dan's job and how he got into so much debt. Laughing and joking throughout the film the two characters seem to forget the circumstances they're in, however, this entire time Dan was trying to make Reggie feel bad for him so he would let him go. After their long chat Dan decides he might as well continue digging, this is when Reggie has an idea. He confronts Dan with a solution which makes him think Reggie is setting him free. However, Reggie doesn't, he was going to kill Dan and dig the grave himself so that Dan would feel better about the situation he's in. Dan starts to shout at Reggie in frustration telling him that he's an idiot, this is when Reggie flips and shots Dan. However, the bullet ricochet of the shovel and hits Reggie in an artery in his leg. Reggie collapses to the floor and Dan comforts him in his final moments, and in his last breath, he asks Dan to grab his gun and to shoot himself. Reggie dies and Dan then struggles to get free from the ducktape. Once he finally gets his hands free the hostage doesn't fulfill Reggies wish and instead gets the car keys and begins to start the car up. It then cuts to black and we see Dan finishing digging, rather than leaving he had decided to stay and finish the grave. Once Dan finishes with the grave he then leaves the area and the credits roll.

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Framing

The framing in Dig Your Own Grave was very well conducted throughout the film, with many different techniques used to help the narrative progress. The first point I want to make is the use of the split lens diopter shot when Reggie is on the phone with his father. I really liked this shot as in my research it shows that I want to use this shot within our film as it can tell two sides of the story. A split lens Diopter is used to get rid of a shallow depth of field and allows both foreground and background to be in focus. This type of shot is used in many different films and can have different effects that can influence the mood, tone, and how the audience perceives the information given. In this particular shot, Reggie is on the phone with his father and the focus of the shot should be on him, however, the use of the split lens diopter allows Dan to also be in focus. Dan is clearly seen within in the shot struggling to dig his grave, but we also see him listening in on Reggie's conversation. The use of this type of framing is a way of the DoP trying to "...convey multiple pieces of information in a single shot." (Bedard, M. 2020) which is what I want to try and achieve as there are a lot of subtle hints throughout our film that we are hoping the audience would notice. Not only does this shot give more information to the audience it can also be very natural, which is another effect I want to achieve as I want the audience to feel unsettled when they see the shot for the first time. The natural look of the shot can suggest to the audience that someone or something natural has a part of our film.

Fig 1.1 Use of Split lens Diopter

​The second shot within the film that I thought the framing was the confrontation at the end of the film when Dan believes that Reggi is going to let him go. During this scene, the shots are a basic shot-reverse-shot on the actors giving dialogue, however, when the shot is on Reggie the camera looks up at him whereas with Dan the camera is eye level. This specific shot has been done to give Reggie the power in the scene the camera being low and looking up at him makes his appearance look bigger as he towers over the shot. When the camera looks up at the subject this is known as a low-angle shot "Low-angle shots make the objects appear larger-than-life." (Sijll, J, V. 2005) seeing Reggie this tall gives a sense of vulnerability towards Dan as his life is in the hands of Reggie. Doing this type of shot really adds to the tension of the scene as up till now Reggie has been predictable, but now there is a sense that he hasn't changed he is still a criminal and could easily kill Dan without hesitation.

Fif 1.2 eye-level framing of Dan

Fig 1.3 Low-angle framing of Reggie displaying his power in the scene

​This type of framing is very iconic for trying to display power in a scene or who holds the power in the scene. Having this type of framing can really help influence the audience's perception of what is happening within the scene. However, I don't think an angle and framing would not really benefit our production as throughout the film there is only one main character that has the main focus. There are no scenes where the character is talking to another person, so having this framing would not benefit. If there was a scene where our protagonist was confronting someone then this framing would help with showing his power, however, there is not a scene like this.

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Camera movements

​Throughout the duration of this film, there are not any camera movements like using a dolly or tracking the actors. The only movement that I noticed was towards the end of the film, during the climactic confrontation when the camera was handheld on Reggie's perspective. After Reggie accidentally shot himself in the leg the camera when focused on him would go to the handheld. Handheld is a staple in camera movements and is technically the first camera movement as it is the easiest to do as it involves no equipment "Handheld is any time the operator takes the camera in hand, usually held on the shoulder, but it can be held low to the ground, placed on the knees, or any other combination." (Brown, B. 2012) doing this can create different emotions for the specific narrative. Handheld camera movements are can be used in a different variety of situations, mainly seen in dramatic situations as the shaky camera adds to the tension, which would have a great effect on how the audience perceives the narrative. The reason why this camera movement works well in this film is that it is a good contrast between Reggie and Dan, this is because when the camera is on Reggie it's shaky, but when on Dan it's still. The contrast between the shot also adds more tension as the power shifts between the two characters. Another good example of this being used is in David Fincher's Se7en. During the final scene, the power in the scene shifts and the two detectives had all the power in the scene until they find out what's in the box. Before this the two detectives had stable and smooth camera movements, but after the camera becomes shaky and then smooth on the antagonist, which suggests that he has power.

Fig 2.1 Handheld camera movements after Reggie shot himself.

Fig 2.2 Steady frame of Dan after Reggie shot himself

Fig 2.3 Somerset after seeing what's in the box and running over to Mills (handheld camera movement in Seven)

Fig 2.4 Mills discovering John's secret (Handheld camera movement in Seven)

Fig 2.5 John Doe (Smooth camera to show his power in the scene in Seven)

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Overall, I believe that the handheld camera movement was used well in Dig your own grave as it showed the power shift from the character. I also think that using these techniques like how the crew used them in this film would really benefit our production as I could use the same technique to show how the aliens have power over our protagonist.​

Lighting

​There are two main techniques used for lighting during this movie one being natural lighting and two practical lighting. The first point I will make is the natural lighting as this makes up the majority of the film. The film is set in a mountainous desert in the United States so I believe that the crew thought that this could benefit the movie's lighting. Natural lighting is done by "... modifying the light that is already available to you at your location." (Detisch, AJ. 2020) and this film, in particular, has a good source of like as the location was in a dessert. The DoP would use a different variety of equipment like diffusers and softeners to help get the correct lighting, but this is just for making the lighting seem less harsh on the subject. I believe that natural lighting can be good for certain scenes, however, for our production, I don't think it would work very well as I want a more artistic approach with lighting and I want the lighting to represent how our protagonist is feeling. This is also to get more emotion from the audience as lighting can influence gut emotion if done right.

Fig 3.1 Soft Natural lighting with diffusers from Dig Your Own Grave 

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The second technique used for lighting is practical lighting, which only happens in the final scene where Dan is finished with the grave and it is at night. Practical lighting can be a variety of different sources of lights within the scene "...defined as any light where the source is in frame. More often than not, this means lights that are built into your locations (usually ceiling fixtures), desk and floor lamps, televisions, computers, and strings of Christmas lights. It can also refer to headlights from a car and street lamps." (Hardy, R. 2015) this film is done using car lights. The effect of using the car light as the only main source of lighting gives the scene a sad emotion. As audiences had grown to think that Reggie was a good guy at heart but got into the wrong crowd. Overall, I think that this specific scene had great lighting, with the light only focusing on Dan it helped show his performance. Although I felt this was a good use of practical lighting I don't think that in our film I want to use this technique like how they used it. I want the practical lighting to add more tension to the scene because this is not the way I envisioned our practical lighting would look. I like the fact that during some scenes in the house to uses practical lighting to show how dark his house is and also represent his mental downfall.

Fig 3.2 Practical lighting in Dig Your Own Grave

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Conclusion  

To conclude this analysis I believe that all the points brought up within this writing are all relevant to our production and the techniques I will have to consider with the shot list and the planning on how I want the film to look visually through the lens. All of the techniques have their own benefits and I want to use what I've learned through watching this film to influence how I approach our film.

Illustration list 

Fig 1.1 use of Split lens Diopter (2019) [Film Still] In: Dig Your Own Grave. Unknown. Vimeo

Fig 1.2 Eye-level framing on Dan (2019) [Film Still] In: Dig Your Own Grave. Unknown. Vimeo

Fig 1.3 Low-angle framing of Reggie displaying his power in the scene (2019) [Film Still] In: Dig Your Own Grave. Unknown. Vimeo

Fig 2.1 Handheld camera when Reggie Shoots himself (2019) [Film Still] In: Dig Your Own Grave. Unknown. Vimeo

Fig 2.2 Steady frame of Dan (2019) [Film Still] In: Dig Your Own Grave. Unknown. Vimeo

Fig 2.3 Handheld camera movements in Seven (1995) [Film Still, Netflix] In: Seven. California, New Line Cinema

Fig 2.4 Handheld camera movements in Seven (1995) [Film Still, Netflix] In: Seven. California, New Line Cinema

Fig 2.5 Smooth camera movements to show John Does power in Seven (1995) [Film Still, Netflix] In: Seven. California, New Line Cinema

Fig 3.1 Soft natural lighting in Dig Your Own Grave (2019) [Film Still] In: Dig Your Own Grave. Unknown. Vimeo

Fig 3.2 Practical Lighting in Dig Your Own Grave (2019) [Film Still] In: Dig Your Own Grave. Unknown. Vimeo

Bibliography​

Bedard, M. (2020) The Split Diopter Lens Explained with Eye-Popping Examples. At: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/split-diopter-lens/​ (Accessed 5/1/2021)

​Brown, B. (2012) Cinematography Theory and Practice: Image making for cinematographers and Directors. (2nd ed.) Milton Park: Focal Press.

Detisch, AJ. (2020) 5 Best Film Lighting Techniques: Filmmaker's Guide to a Cinematic Look. At: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/film-lighting-techniques/ (Accessed 6/1/2021)

Dig Your Own Grave (2019) [Online Short Film] At: https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2020/01/06/dig-your-own-grave/ (Accessed 5/1/2021)​

Hardy, B. (2015) A Primer on Practical Lights: How Practicals Can Make Your Cinematography Come to Life. At: https://nofilmschool.com/2015/07/practical-light-primer-how-practical-lighting-bring-cinematography-to-life (Accessed 7/1/2021)

Sijll, J V. (2005) Cinematic storytelling: The 100 most powerful film conventions every filmmaker must know. Laurel Canyon Blvd: Michael Wiese Productions.