Comparing 9, the short, and 9, the full-length movie

 Comparing 9, the short, and 9, the full-length movie

 

Short Film:

Me and my groupmates’ first impression of this short film was that it had a very intentionally eerie style. Upon first glance, we saw a dark, muddy color scheme that set a creepy mood for the rest of the short. This eerie first impression was also supported by the scoring of the short. The first sounds we hear when the short begins are heavy metal clanking (resembling the sounds of  a creepy blacksmith you may see in a horror film) and old rusted metal squeaking as it is moved. The scoring increases in intensity as the short’s plot thickens. Once we reach the climax, where the main character fights off the main antagonist, the music is also at its peak. The director may have chosen to do this throughout the film to create more tension and exaggerate the already unsettling overall mood of the short. We also noticed that the main character in this short undergoes character development that causes him to go from being timid and naive, to brave and clever.

This short followed the conventions of a typical hero’s journey story. These conventions include, tense battle/ action scenes, a main antagonist and hero (protagonist), a conflict, and a resolution that is usually reached once the antagonist dies. All these conventions were used in this short! 

 

Full-length Film:

Our impression of the full-length film, 9, was that it also had a dull, dark and muted color palette. So, the film had a creepy, unsettling vibe to it. This vibe was occasionally interrupted by brighter colors (usually when the sun was shown), but these scenes were usually brief. The plot was very detailed and included many aspects of character development. The dialogue between the characters gave me and my group more insight on the message and theme of the film.

This film went against the typical conventions of an apocalyptic film. Typical conventions of a apocalyptic film include the heroes or “survivors”, that are usually humans with many tools to survive. However, although this film had the same aesthetic as a post- apocalyptic societal film, the “hero” was a small, but mighty stitchpunk toy, who would otherwise be an unlikely hero. Additionally, special effects and foley sounds were used to provide the film with realistic sounds and noises one would typically hear in real life.

Comparing the two:

Although both films followed the same plot, there were many differences we noticed. For example, the full length film was undeniably much more detailed than the short film. The addition of dialogue allowed for us to have a background story to associate with the characters. This, in turn, thickened the plotlineof the film. Both films were visually about the same as they both had similar color schemes that created an eerie aesthetic for the films. The short film followed the conventions of a typical hero’s journey film. However, the full-length film went against these typical conventions and also went against the conventions of a post-apocalyptic film by making the main character be a seemingly meek character at the beginning of the film and then prove to be saving the world by the end. This apocalyptic storyline was not discussed in the short film.