Get Off My Land By Douglas Ray (2008)

The film "Get Off My Land" is a light hearted twisted film being produced by Dogulas Ray. The film is about a couple walking through the countryside when they encounter a farmer who states that they are on his private property. The film takes a slightly comical turn where both of the men try and stand up to each other with the husband trying to outsmart the farmer. However, due to the husbands sheer spoken word of fight for it it ends tragically in both is and his wife's death. This short film therefore, could be said to be produced for self-promotion to try and get him known during his early years of being a director. However, it can also be said that it was made for experimentation. Possibly trying out new camera angles/shots and see which one works best.

The narrative structure is straightforward being a simple linear structure. By doing this the audience are presented with a part of the characters lives and what they were doing at that particular moment up until where the film ends. 

The application of the 5 Part Narrative by Tzvetan Todorov can be applied to this particular short film the only difference being is that it can be applied to the view of the minor "antagonist" the farmer. The Equilibrium of the farmer is when the couple are not there even though the farmer is not present at that time. The Disequilibrium is the arrival of the couple on "his land" and the New Equilibrium or Resolution is the death of the two. It is here that the farmers life will never be back to normal due to the death of the couple. 



The film ends in an unresolved ending of what will happen to the farmer with a plot twist being used where the farmer realises he was wrong and when he gets his gun to shoot them. The element of a plot twist is a key feature that can be present in our groups film giving the audience an element of surprise for something that they thought would not happen. This is a common feature that is present in short films and will be discussed in more depth later on. 




The theme of confusion/uncertainty is presented throughout the whole film. The error of the couple going onto his "land" and then the farmer mistakenly killing the two over an error and then realising it. Is crucial to the film. It is through the error that the plot twist occurs which is a common feature found in short films. There is no score present throughout this film except for the ambient sound of nature. It is rather ironic that this occurs and nature still stays the same despite two deaths occurring. The fact that there is no sound further illustrates that no one around them will be able to hear or know that the two have died. The use of no sound present in the film is a particular feature that can be used in the groups film. This would help depending on particular scenario that is occurring as in this case having no music suits it more.

Titles are of particular interest here appearing only at the end of the film and at the beginning for the title of the film "Get Off My Land". This is a key feature that has to be used in the film due to there not being enough time for the titles of the actors to appear during the film. If it was a longer film such as the film Cherries By Tom Harper where the titles appear throughout. This is mainly due it being fifteen minutes and then having time for the titles to appear.