Tick Tock - Len Chi (2011)

This is a short film in which the structure takes a linear fashion, but in reverse, since the film is directly in reverse and not the narrative like such films as "Memento" (2000). This follows a 5 minute snippet from the protagonists life in which from the outset we see is a prank played on him about his impending death, but allows the audience to see what the protagonist holds most dear to him and some would agree, is what they'd do too, in a similar situation. these are highlighted by the onscreen titles which depict such actions as "greed" as he is doing them, in reverse.


within this short, sound is key to what makes the film. the predominant sound of the ticking clock emphasises the time the protagonist, is believed to have left to live and is highlighted at the beginning and the end of the narrative. a fast yet sad score is also used to create the impending doom effect as the protagonist runs across the college campus, a typical score that can be seen in many rom coms or dramas. dialogue is also used within this clip but in an abnormal way. since the clip is in reverse, the dialogue too must be in reverse, this makes for the introduction of subtitles, so as the audience can understand what is being said, but also adds to the realism of the style being used.

the main theme to this short film is the urgency that arises in desperate situations. this is often an overused theme in such disaster movies, but if implemented properly in a short film like this, we could take elements of this for to be used ourselves. Love is also a key theme in this short. the beginning sequence shows the man and his girlfriend twice, before he realises that it was a prank, but also afterwards, affirming the characters love for her, this almost acts as if, the character loves the woman, whether he is within or out of life or death situations. however the same cannot be said for his parents, with which a strained relationship is evident, and we only see him call them when he thinks he is going to die, which emphasises the strained relationship the character has with his parents.

However, I feel that the credits and titles were improperly used within this short film. typically, a short film with have the name of the production company and the title of the short film, then jump straight into the narrative, with the credits at the end. However it can then be argued as to whether the whole short is in reverse and not just the narrative itself, which is highly plausible in itself. this is something that needs to be taken into careful consideration when it comes to our own short film, and how to effectively use titles to convey our message.