Echo

Narrative

Equilibrium – A girl is walking down the street, probably on her way home from school.

Disruption – Her phone rings and she is told that her dad is in the hospital. People stop to help her and get her into a cab, lending her money.

Recognition – She gets out of the cab and pockets the money. The audience realise that it was all a lie in order to steal money.

Attempts to repair – Her brother finds her doing it and she is forced to stop. She gets the call again.

New Equilibrium – She seems genuinely upset and she pushes away the people that try to help her, so the audience is left wondering whether she really is lying this time. The audience does not even know if she was lying the first time. 

Catherine is first thought to be the princess, needing help to get to the hospital, but is revealed to be the villain.

The people that stop to help her are the heroes, even if they are being tricked.

Setting

The film is set in a big city. It starts off in the street by a busy road with lots of shops. She gets into a taxi and when she gets out it cuts to her on a bus.

She comes home and sits in the living room after having a smoke outside. The house has a reasonably sized garden and garage which means it can be assumed that they are quite well off. She is only at home for a small amount of time, always out in the city, suggesting that she has a bad relationship with her mother and wants to stay away for as long as possible.

The film cuts to lots of different settings, such as a café and another street. This shows that she moves about a lot, not wanting to stay in the same place. This could be because she is running from the problems that she doesn’t want to face, or she doesn’t want to be anywhere that may make her confront her problems.

Lighting

Half of the film uses natural lighting because it is set in the day.

When she is on the bus, her face is lit up so we can see her expressionless face.

The lighter lights up the garden so we can see her face.

Props

She uses her phone as a main prop in her trick, pretending to receive a phone call from the hospital. She is carrying a bag which she then drops, scattering her stuff across the ground, adding to the helpless façade.

Her studying the money shows us that was all she cared about. She has cigarettes in the garden, which is presumably what she spent the money on.  

Character Expressions

The protagonist uses her emotions to fool passers by, making herself cry and looking stressed by pacing and trying to control her breathing.

You can tell that she has a bad relationship with her mother as she never makes eye contact with her and uses an angry tone of voice.

She doesn’t smile during the whole film, apart from when she is talking to her brother in the bike shed, suggesting that she cares about him.

The brother looks as if he is going to expose her to their mum and she tenses, but he does not, showing that they have a good relationship. 

Costume, Hair and Makeup

The main character is wearing school uniform to give an indication of her young age and where she may have just come from. It also means that people are more likely to help her in the street. She is wearing a hoodie over the top and her uniform is a bit messy, suggesting that she doesn’t care so much about her appearance.

The mother is wearing a smart suit, suggesting that she has an important job that requires formal wear and works late, possibly suggesting why she has a bad relationship with her daughter, as she is hardly around. 

Cinematography

The film starts with a wide establishing shot that turns into a tracking shot as it follows the protagonist down the street. This helps to establish setting and then focus.

There are lots of close ups on her face to show her emotion as that is the main focus of the film. The first close up on her face shows her expression change from confusion to worry, signalling that the call is bad news.

There is a close up, low down to the ground, showing people’s feet walking by. This shows that they live in a busy city, possibly reflecting the busyness in her head. Or alternatively, it acts as a contrast to the numbness and emptiness that she could be feeling.

Sound

The film has no soundtrack as it is a drama and wants to portray real life as closely as possible.

There is a clock chiming which adds to the dramatic atmosphere in the beginning.

The phone rings in her bag, signifying that this is the main character and we are able to pick her out from the crowd.

Editing 

The film begins with a J cut. We hear the bustle of the street under the title card before the street is shown.

Slow motion is used when Oli is pulling out on his bike, possibly showing that she is sad to see him go and wants him to stay. It could be a reference to the dad that possibly got knocked off his motorbike.