Erol's short film research

Media research into short films

Key

media language

narrative

Audience

Short film name: Two & Two 

  Name of director: Babak Anvari

• Throughout this short film many techniques which are typical of media language are used; this involves camera , sound, editing and mise en scene - all of which play a vital role in the making of a short film. Two and Two is set in a Middle Eastern country inside what appears to be an all boys school, which is controlled by a strict set of teachers. 
• The strict manner of the school is highlighted when the teacher enters the room and the students respond by standing up - as a sign of respect - and remain silent while he is present. It is obvious that he is their teacher due to his professional style clothing and his serious facial expression which creates an authoritative impression. 
• The diegetic sound of the door creaking open alerts the boys that their teacher is about to enter and this sound is symbolic to them that they have to be quiet. The fact they stand up immediately could also be a sign that they are scared of their superior.  

• A longshot and an over the shoulder shot are both used to highlight how important this character is. He is dressed smartly in a black suit with smart black hair. The boys, however are all in white and white is symbolic of purity, truth and innocence. This is in contrast with the colour black, which is associated with power, importance and authority. 

• As the headmaster is announcing to the boys that they are to 'pay attention' and 'follow instructions', a group shot (shown below) of  the anxious-looking students  is used to emphasise their emotions. Although this is a group shot only two characters are in focus. Nevertheless, it is obvious to the audience that these characters represent a shared emotion amongst the students. 

• Even though the headmaster is not shown in the short film, his authority and dictator-like qualities are clear in the boy's worried faces as he speaks to them through a microphone. This reveals that even though  he is not there, the presence of him is enough to scare these students. 

• When the teacher plainly states that '2 + 2 = 5’, the boys’ faces illustrate their confusion which reveals their knowledge that this statement is incorrect. This is the idea behind this short film: it is a representation of the oppression of social constructs, or perhaps of dictatorships. This is symbolised by the way that the teacher's statement - which represents particular ideologies or conventions - is forced upon the pupils in the school. These pupils are potentially representative of people living in dictatorships, or perhaps just of society in general.   

• Props are used to enforce silence upon the students, for example their teacher slams the whiteboard rubber against the board while shouting the word ‘silence’, which is shortly followed by the dialogue of 'we will have order in this classroom’. This gives the teacher back the order and control that he lost, which could represent dictators like Hitler and Stalin who used force against their own people to gain control. 
• The boys are forced to repeat after their teacher that ‘2+2=5’, and even though they know this is wrong they still obey him. This picture below captures a boy who looks uncomfortable and confused. This reveals the conflicting emotions of fear and doubt which arise from being told incorrect information is factual, and perhaps indicates that he is no longer sure what to believe. 

• After this a medium shot of a young boy is used to show him hesitantly standing up with his hand raised. Dialogue is exchanged between the boy and his superior about the correct answer to the question ‘2+2’. The boy questions the teacher’s statement that ‘2+2=5’, but he is interrupted and quickly dismissed. It is obvious in the boy's body language that he is scared to stand up for what he believes to be true. This may be because he is told that he is to not question his teacher, and perhaps because he fears the aggressive nature of the teacher.
• Another student continues to question his superior and raises the fact that '2+2' has 'always been four' and questions how it could 'be five'. His body language, facial expression and speech is far more confident than the previous student. Perhaps this represents the way that changing opinion in society creates positive feedback, causing general attitudes to change. When the pupils are united in their questioning that ‘2+2=5’, they have more confidence in facing the teacher despite his controlling characteristics.

• This over the shoulder shot (shown above) is used so that the antagonist appears as an intimidating figure to the student and also to the audience. The student knows that is is risky to argue with the teacher, but in spite of this continues to express his opinion. This results in the teacher shouting furiously, after which the boy appeals to his fellow students that 2+2 is really 4 and has ‘never been 5’. The boy questions the class about how they 'surely all know' that he is correct. However, his classmates are too scared to publicly disagree with their teacher. This represents the way that the large numbers of people who make up society are able to be dictated to so easily: because they are worried about the consequences. 
• Subsequently the teacher calls in the school's 'top students’. He informs these boys that the young protagonist who has shown dissent is an 'insolent student’. This is ironic, as in actuality the teacher is the one who is insolent. The older students wear red badges around their arms. This is the most colourful part of the short film, creating emphasis, and is reminiscent of the Nazi insignia. Hitler, acting as a dictator, utilised this symbol as a logo for his beliefs - and therefore the image was worn by those who were under his control or influence. This parallel to a true historic event reinforces the idea that the boys are under the control of their dictator-like teacher. The older boys have been convinced that 2+2=5 and not 4, a fate which the young boys seem destined to follow.

• The rage and anger of this young boy is shown by an over the shoulder shot from a high angle, making the boy seem shorter - again increasing the teacher's powerful stance. Although the teacher is being threatening, the boy continues to fight for what he believes is true and writes on the board '2+2=4' and not '5' like the teacher wanted him to 'correctly' write. At this point, the three older students are pointing guns at him in an attempt to force him to submit to writing ‘5’. However, the boy persists in his protest and as a result is shot.

The older ‘top students’ do not carry actual gun props, as shown in the picture above. This is because the murder of the boy is a metaphor for the way that radical thinkers whose opinions are different to those held by society are persecuted and exiled.

• The dictator stands up tall in front of the class with the support of the older boys either side of him. They are standing beside him in a uniformed manner as if they have done it before, their arms behind their backs, their back is straight and their heads held high. This shows how they are obedient to their superior. It seems inevitable that the younger boys will ultimately become the same way.