Task 2: Research into Existing Products: Short Films (Operator - Caroline Bartleet)

Operator from Yann Heckmann on Vimeo.

This short film , 'Operator' is based around an emergency services call centre and focuses on one particular distressing call from a mother with a young child trapped in a house fire. The call operator has to handle the call calmly and professionally whilst she talks the terrified mother.

The film starts by setting the scene with a pan shot. This shot includes ambient audio of background calls as well as dialogue of call operators take different calls. The shot pans over three different operators in a close-up. Their faces are not clearly seen and are only onscreen for a couple of seconds and have little dialogue. This is to show that they are not the main character/protagonist.

There is then a medium close-up of the main protagonist which the film focuses on throughout. We can tell that she is the visual focus by the framing used, which highlights her identity as a white women. This has connotations that she would be more sensitive to a distressing situation than a male character and may be more comforting to the woman on the phone. The audience can hear the yelling of the mother on the phone and the dialogue between the two characters, as well as ambient sound. Sound is important within this short film as it indicates the storyline as we can only see the one setting.

The setting is dark with the majority of the light coming from the computer screens which creates harsh lighting on the protagonists face. This has connotations of a serious situation when knowing the context; the woman on the phone is in a house fire and is separated from her three year old son. There is also a close-up on the operators face, increasing the severity of the situation, shown by the expression of concentration. We can tell the protagonists profession, not only by her dialogue, but also by her uniform and headset. Call operators have the headsets so that they can have their hands free to use their computers. This shows that the filmmakers have thought a lot about the mise-en-scene to make the film realistic.

The shots in the film are long an range between close-ups, medium close-ups and minor pans. However, these are all centralised around the main character. By doing this, the audiences attention is kept on the one situation. This contrasts the the opening of the film where there are more ambient audio which was used to create atmosphere.

The audio on the phone is critical for the audience's understanding of the situation. There are sounds such as burning fire, cough, sirens and smashing glass. All these sounds, in an order that fits with the narrative, show the progression of the character Gemma's struggle to get out of her house safe. A there is now visual at the scene, the audience relies on this audio to understand what is happening.

At the end of the film, there is a click signifying the end of the phone call and a close-up of the operator. She is shown to be a bit shaken but because of her profession, she calmly takes the next call. This is important as it shows that Gemma's situation is not the only distressing call the operator will deal with that day, highlighting the importance of our emergency services.