"Telling Lies"

The film "Telling Lies" by Simon Ellis, is a 4 minute experimental video which is very different from any other short film I have seen.

There are very few types of visual images used in the film. A black background is present throughout with text appearing on screen in different colours depending on which character is speaking. In many cases the words which appear on screen are not the same words which are being said by the characters. The words shown are what the characters really mean but are not the same as what they actually say. These are the only visual images which can be seen on screen.

All of the audio in this short film is diegetic as the sounds come from the characters or what is around them. A phone can be heard ringing at various stages in the film and a dialling tone can also be heard. The sound of a phone being slammed down can also be heard a few times. Apart from the sounds from the phone the only other audio comes from the dialogue spoken by the several characters. There is no soundtrack, or any other non-diegtic sounds in this film.

This film is a concept as there is very little to see in the matter of craft. The concept is the important thing in this film and what makes it amusing to watch. I think the premise of the film is to show the audience that it is much easier to lie to someone when you are talking to them on the phone, than it is to lie if you are talking to them face-to-face. Also, it shows that it is easier to hide your true feelings and emotions when you are having a phone conversation. The text on the screen is effective in making the audience believe what they are reading rather than what they are actually hearing.

After watching the film I felt it was quite effective in getting its' message across to the viewers simply because there is no visual images and background audio to distract the viewers from what they are reading on the screen. Overall, I think the film was entertaining but not particulary interesting because of the lack of visual effects.