Textual Analysis- In a Heartbeat

Sound-

Throughout the short film In a Heartbeat, the micro element sound plays a huge part in adding to the narrative of the film. All throughout the whole film, there is a clear, classical soundtrack being played. This soundtrack is non-diegetic and is synchronous to what is going on in the film and suits the situations completely.  The sounds of violins and piano complement the theme of the film and exemplifies the feelings and emotions building up within the two characters. The theory of equilibrium, by Todorov, is very suitable to this short film. For example, the music starts with a happy tone, conveying how the floating heart is feeling, the music the darkens and changes to connote the judgement and shame in the school, which would be considered as the 'disequilibrium' as it represents the tension building. The music then changes again at the end when they are together and happy again, which is the new equilibrium. At the start of the film there is an element of silence when he almost gets caught looking at the other character. This silence can embody his feeling of stress and tension because he does not want to get caught out but his heart is telling him otherwise. This could connote societies constraints of homosexual men and women, as most people within society are scared of others knowing that they are gay, which can be supported by the reactions in this short film by the other students in the school.


Editing-

As the whole film is made as an animation, and by using the element of CGI, it then makes it easier to create and make unrealistic elements look normal. This then compliments the budget of the film being that short films are known to not to have massive budgets and some not even having budgets at all. An example is the flying heart that is the main reason why the boys real emotions are revealed to the audience. As well as this, right at the end of the film when the heart is put back together, it can be argued that this is a metaphor of acceptance within society.

Camera Angles-

The different camera angles throughout the short film reinforce the Stan Cohen theory of moral panic. An example of this is the long-shot taken from when they are in the school connected by them holding onto the heart. This long shot conveys their confusion and embarrassment because of societies norms. There are close up shots of both of their faces throughout the films exemplifying their true emotions as well as not being socially accepted  by their peers within the school, ie, the close up shot of the reactions. There is also a POV shot of the ginger character in the tree looking down and watching the other character. This shows him realizing that he cannot conform to societies beliefs and expectations, as his true feelings are no longer able to be contained.

Mise en Scene-

Throughout most of the film, the atmosphere is positive, although it sometimes can be a bit nerve- racking for the characters. But when in the school, around peers, the atmosphere is judgmental, which can cause a lot of peer-pressure on certain students. For example, there are expectations for everyone to dress a certain way to fit in to the 'norm'. Therefor the dominant ideology in schools is that everyone is 'heterosexual' which compliments the Gramsci and Hegomony idea of the 'third power', being society. And this short film goes against the stereotype. This can be challenged as short films are known to be quite quirky and different as they usally go against dominant ideology, in this case In a Heartbeat it does. Another example of mise en scene, would be the colour palette at the start and then once it changes. At the start of the short film, the colour palette is quite bright and colourful, but as the mood chnages the palette changes as well. There are more grey and dark colours included towards the end of the extract to convey the feelings and emotions of the characters.