Spider analysis

Micro and Macro elements within the short film Spider 

In the short film Spider, the micro elements are very important in driving the narrative. For example, the mise-en-scene is very important because the acting of the two characters is done very well, with the boyfriend trying to be funny and mess around with his girlfriend who is annoyed with his behavior. She really shows her pent-up anger with him when she throws his gift and card straight back to him. The props are also very important as the chocolates lead to the main prop, a toy spider, being introduced to the story which eventually leads to the woman getting hit by a car and the man getting stabbed in the eye by a needle by a paramedic. The setting isn’t stated explicitly but through the accents used we can tell it is set in Australia. The costumes and make-up are also appropriate for the story as they are timeless and fit the characters. The cinematography also works well because it makes you feel like you are there, such as the shots from the back seat. The tracking shots of the car that are dispersed throughout the film also give us an idea of the setting, which seems to be an urban part of Australia. The sound is especially important as it is the main thing telling the story. It starts with the radio that the man turns on, which is immediately turned off by the woman, showing that they are having an argument, allowing the spectator to feel closer to the characters and the story. The silences from each character also enforce this because it really highlights that they aren’t as close as they could be. The lack of a score or soundtrack allows for there to be ambiance to be used throughout. The sound of the cars passing, the men talking in the petrol station and the sweet being unwrapped allows us to feel close to the film and once again, like we are there. I like the fact that there is exclusively diegetic sound, allowing us as spectators to hear only relevant sounds and feel close to the film. The editing also helps to drive the narrative as it crosscuts between each person, allowing us to see the other person from the other’s perspective. 

In terms of macro elements, narrative is very important whilst also not being very present or at least clear in its meaning. You know what’s going on without any explicit explanation: a young couple are driving somewhere, the woman is fed up with the man and they have an awkward time with each other, broken up by a stop for petrol which they spend apart from each other. If it were to be classified as a genre in a way like Metz proposed, I would call it a drama-comedy because it is just 2 people living their lives but the man is a character akin to one Adam Sandler or Jim Carrey would play, the hapless joker that is playing around to try and impress. This means that at the end, when the needle ends up in the eye, you cringe at the injury but don’t necessarily feel bad for him as he was messing around and distracting his girlfriend who was trying to focus on the road. In terms of audience, I feel like the writer and director Nash Edgerton was trying to display a message that you shouldn’t distract the driver of a car because of the dangers associated with doing that. This fits with Stuart Hall’s Reception theory where he proposes that the spectator will have either the preferred reading of the creator, a negotiated reading or a reading that directly opposes the creators. I feel that it would be quite hard to have an opinion that doesn’t line up somewhat with Edgerton’s as it seems fairly clear in the action and the tone of the film. The spectator is given an omniscient narrative viewpoint as well because we see Jack place the toy spider in the sun visor which causes Jill to suffer her accident. As for representation, there isn’t a large amount although I feel that this could be down to the small amount of characters. The majority of the characters are white males although Jill has an accent which is not Australian like the others. There are also two petrol station employees who are speaking a foreign language, talking about cricket, who sound like they are from the south of Asia.