Bobsboxes- Matt Watt

Bobsboxes is a short film about two lovers who live in T.Vs opposite sides of a T.V. shop and attempt to meet finally in the flesh. The opening begins with a soft and mellow acoustic guitar which is non-diegetic. The font in which the title appears is plain and white against the black background, perhaps to reinforce the idea of television. The establishing shot shows a small narrow street of shops and traffic, the focal point of which is 'Bobsboxes' the television shop. We see a man open the shutters and enter the shop. The next shot takes place within the shop and the camera pans horizontally to the right and as it pans onto a television with a male walking across the television screen. He stops and stares out of the television to a high shelf. The camera jumps to a shot of the high shelf the male was looking at. We can see a young woman inside it. The camera jump cuts back to the males screen, and he continues to walk across the television screen and it has been edited so that it seems the male is walking from one television set straight through another. This had to be edited carefully to make sure there was no problems with the continuity of the clip. There is the mise-en-scene of sale prices to make it seem more realistic. The camera then jumps to a shot of the whole shop, allowing us to work out the location. The camera is in the aisle between the two television sets and is showing a long shot of the shop owner, unaware of the inhabitants in his televisions. The camera jump-cuts back and forth between the two, framing the woman in a low angle shot, perhaps meant to be from the males point of view. This could be an expression of his feelings, she is superior and he longs to be with her but she is out of reach. The camera now moves to close up shots so we are aware of the couples' emotions. The male is still looking up at the woman in a lustful way, and she is looking down at him and waving. The male runs inbetween two screens and throws his clothes into one, then he re-appears in a tuxedo which appears to please the lady. He then holds a key towards the woman and she joins in and jumps several television sets to the one on the same height as him. The jump-cuts become more rapid as they get closer together. The male then jumps from his television set to hers, and as he falls backwards, as does the television. There is a close up of her hand, trying to clasp his, but before she can reach the televison falls and the diegetic sound of a thud is heard. The camera zooms out slowly as the shop keeper picks up the television. Earlier shots of the couple are shown again but this time in slow motion, to provoke an emotional response from the audience, as if the two inhabitants have died. The last shot is a freeze frame of the shop from the long narrow and busy road. The quiet music continues as if in memory of the couple. BBC- Film Network