Short Film Analysis: THE PIGMAN

Plot Overview: A man wakes up at an abandoned campsite in

the middle of the woods with no recollection of who he is, or

how he got there. Confusion turns to fear as he realizes he isn't
alone.
MIS-EN-SCENE:
Setting and location: The setting that is shown in the film is
a typical isolated forest setting. By using an isolated forest
setting the audience will be able to feel the same feeling of
fear and isolation the main protagonist. The setting is a
believable setting as forests are normally isolated and there
are a lot of trees in a forest that is shown in the film. Normality
is created due to the setting and props which were used in the
scene making the audience think that the protagonist in the
film is in the forest because he is camping, we can tell this due
to a tent being placed behind him, with logs in front of it, which
is normally used to create a camp fire. The director used a very

stereotypical forest setting. The picture below demonstrates

the location and the setting.
Makeup/costume: The main protagonist in the film is wearing
ripped clothes and he look very scruffy and disorientated. From the
costume you can tell he doesnt know what is going on and he looks
like a victim due to his clothing being ripped and having dirt all over
his clothes. The way he appears shows us the audience that
something is out of the ordinary and things are not looking normal.

The antagonist looks exactly the same as the protagonist but the
only difference is that the antagonist is wearing a pig mask. From
the appearance of the antagonist we can see that something is
definitely wrong and the protagonist is in trouble. We also see that
the antagonist is the same person as the protagonist as his attire is
exactly the same and when he is unmasked we can see that he is
the same person.

Colour and lighting: the colours used in the film are dull colours
and this is done to set a moody atmosphere. If bright colours were
used then it would not fit the tone of the film. We can tell that it is
daytime due to the lighting, which was used by the director when
making the film. The dull lighting creates a mood of loneliness to the
character and helps us feel his isolation.

Props: The director uses props that will normally bring the idea of
fear and isolation. The director uses a hammer, pig mask, card and
also a tent to help create a verisimilitude for the audience, as the
idea of the props is to make a believable setting/ location. But the
other uses of props make us as an audience feel fear for the
character and it also makes us feel tense.

EDITING:
An eye line match is used when the main
protagonist wakes up. It shows him getting up
and looking at the trees in the distance. This
is done to highlight his loneliness in the forest. And again an eye line
match is used to show him look in another direction. In the same
shot we see the antagonist appearing from behind a tree. A shot
reverse shot is used after the protagonist kills the pigman to show
the action in the scene.

CINEMATOGRAPHY:

The film starts with an extreme close up, this is used to show that
the protagonist is unconscious and also that things are out of the
ordinary. Then a wide shot is used to show that the protagonist is in
a empty forest with no one around, this emphasises his isolation.
Then the pigman is introduced using a wide shot where we see the
pigman appear from behind a tree. This shows us that the pigman is
stalking the protagonist and this emphasises the fear in the scene.
A close up is then used to show the protagonist is starting to get
worried and scared. Two closeups are used during the shot reverse
shot to show what the protagonist has done and the face of the
dead pigman.