Case Study: SEPTEM

SEPTEM - A Thriller Short Film

"Twenty-five minutes. Seven people. One of them must die."

SEPTEM is a thriller short film written and directed by Hazel Hayes and Sammy Paul, two upcoming figures in the world of film. Both creators use their YouTube channels to distribute their short films, of which has proven to be a successful method of getting their work seen. Additionally, by using their YouTube channels showcase their work, they have gained themselves audiences. 

Hazel Hayes (@thehazelhayes)

Sammy Paul  (@ICOEPR)

According to the IMDB page,  SEPTEM was produced with a budget of approximately £10,000. The relatively low budget is typical of a short film made in Britain. The film was released in June 2015, and since then has gained close to 200,000 views, and it's main form of advertisement was through social media platforms. This is telling that social media platforms are an effective way to advertise new films. It was produced without an official production company, but was created with the help of the YouTube Space London. 

This film fits the codes and conventions of the thriller genre by creating tension and keeping the audience of the edge of their seats. The opening of the short film starts with a close up of a box with a pill in it. This immediately creates an enigma code and makes the audience question what is the significance of it. However, un-stereotypically, this enigma code is shattered almost instantly by a voice over which tells that within the next 25 minutes, one of them must take the pill, or they will all die. The voice over falls over a two crabbing shots that reveal the characters to the audience, eventually revealing that the voice over is in fact one of the characters speaking. Although this shatters the suspense creating enigma code, this creates its own tension as the audience are aware that at least one of the characters must die. This makes them question as to what person will meet their end, and how the characters will come about the decision at to who will die. The voice over falls over a two crabbing shots that reveal the characters to the audience, eventually revealing that the voice over is in fact one of the characters speaking. 

The colouring and lighting of the film is stereotypical of a thriller film. It includes lots of dark colours such as deep red, black and brown. The dark colours represent the sinister aspect of the film, and help to create the eerie atmosphere. The lighting used also helps to create an eerie atmosphere as the room is quite dimly lit and this in turn casts lots of shadows. 

The non-diegetic highly pitched strings music used in the opening of the film is stereotypical of the thriller genre. The music creates an eerie atmosphere which puts the audience in suspense as this type of music stereotypically warns of something dangerous and connotes that something bad will happen. The introduction of a bass playing as the title sequence appears creates a sense of foreboding. The use of very low notes in diegetic music is common to scenes of suspense, and typically foreshadows danger. An example of this is the famous sequence used in the Jaws films (included below).

Jaws is a thriller film produced by Universal 

 Studios, and was directed by Steven Spielberg.

The dark red and black background of the title sequence is stereotypical of the colour schemes associated with thriller films. The block capital white writing reveals itself slowly, with the font twisting, and then the title is zoomed in upon. In my opinion, the slow turning of the letters reflects the twist of the plot and how things gradually get revealed to the audience, and creates tension due to the title not being revealed straight away.

The credits sequence (featured below) was composed by Tom Barnes. The non-diegetic music is fitting for the end of the film, as the piano creates a sombre atmosphere. This is fitting with the upsetting ending and projects the feelings of the audience in the music. After the dramatic ending, it also creates a contrasting calmness, which allows the audience to recall and reflect what has happened in the film.