As I was falling

1. As I was falling Rachel Tillotson

2. What happens.. ‘As I was falling’ is a minute and 13 seconds long film about a gentleman slowly falling down off the top of a building. As he falls the camera cuts into some of the rooms which he falls past and we quickly see some of the individuals in these rooms. The whole film is in mono chrome and ends with a black and white image of the falling man who has landed on the concrete supposedly dead.

3. Personal interpretations... I think that the footage has been turned into black and white to draw connotations that the world is a dark place. Without the colour, the footage appears much gloomier thus relating to the brief storyline of the film. The black and white colour also makes the film seem much more simplistic and as a result, the falling man does not seem to have much of an impact on his surroundings. Therefore it suggests that this man doesn’t have much value to the world and him leaving in such a tragic way is just another darker shade of the world we live in. This being said, in the picture i have screenshot, this man is clearly wearing a wedding ring. This could suggest numerous possibilities as to why he has jumped off the building. Perhaps he is very unhappy in his marriage, or perhaps his wife has died and he is depressed. Leading on from this, the title ‘as i was falling’ is similar to the term ‘falling in love’ which may therefore relate to the pains of love and death.

4. As the man is falling down the building the camera cuts into the rooms of three people. In each room the reflection of the man is quickly shown on different objects as he falls past. In the final room a woman is sat by her window drinking tea and the reflection of the man is very quickly shown on the tea pot. Once he falls past the woman looks up expressionless at the momentary shadow. The camera then cuts to a shot of the man hitting the ground and then cuts back to the woman who simply looks back down at her tea again. The reflections on the objects in each room suggest that although this man does not know these characters, he’s still going to have an impact on their lives. However, from the reaction of the female, i feel this also suggests how uninterested and uninvolved we are in other peoples lives. Whilst this man is clearly going through a very serious and dark stage of his life, other people are simply oblivious. Therefore i would argue that the film wants us to acknowledge all the things going on around us and to become aware when something we could help solve is happening right in front of us. Although these characters do not know this man, he’s still going to cause a large dramatic impact towards them. The film wants us to open our eyes so we can help catch the people falling.

5. Sound At the very beginning of the film, non-diegetic sounds of wind have been used to benefit the opening shots of the man standing on top of the building. As well as creating an eerie feel, it also reflects how high up the man is. As the man steps of the building, a contrapuntal soundtrack of wind chimes plays as he falls down. Once again this makes the footage appear rather sinister. This effect has been used to highlight the depressing situation. I also feel that the contrapuntal music has been used to effectively calm the situation right down to allow a more specific meaning. With the slow high pitched music, it does not create any sense of panic, and therefore the audience are more open to pick up on other aspects of the film, such as the cut-ins of the characters in the rooms and what they symbolise.

6. Camera/editing As the man is falling down the building the camera captures this is a very shaky and unsteady fashion. The style used makes it look as if numerous different pictures have been placed together one after the other. This mirrors a jump cut effect as the camera jumps forward towards the man, then backs away again. As a result it allows the building behind the man to appear out of focus as if it is moving. This effect suggests that this is what the man can see as he falls down. Furthermore the jump cuts could also reflect the mans confused and fragile state of mind. On three occasions the camera stops when the man reaches a window. His head is positioned to make it seem as if the man is looking through the window into the lives of the people he passes. The photograph/jump cut effect remains as the camera travels over his shoulder and into the window. Effectively, this makes us feel as if the audience are travelling with the man and we have the special privilege of looking into the lives of the people he passes-an opportunity he will never get to have anymore. Possibly the man wanted to get to know these people. In respect, in creates a negative feel that these oblivious people never had the chance to try and help him.

7. Mise en scene The location of the film is a very bland, simplistic building of flats. This helps aid a realism effect to the film which in turn makes the concept of suicide slightly more impactful. The man is dressed plainly in a grey suit however the audience never get to see his face. This makes it feel as if the man doesn’t have a relevant identity and therefore his death is made to feel even more unimportant. Even at the very end of the film we only see the male characters hand and feet hitting the ground. Two other characters though, a woman and a man both in rooms of the flat, have their identity shown as the camera captures their faces. This suggests that because these characters are alive and stable, they are more important and have more value over the man.