Portal: No Escape presents remarkably sophisticated special effects and action sequences for a fan-made film based on a video game. However, while more subtle and difficult to notice, the deliberate decisions with camera angle and image were just as remarkable.
The very first shot showcases how these techniques contribute to the storytelling. The blurred, out-of-focus image of harsh fluorescent lights and featureless concrete seem to almost anticipate some sort of action. The fact that nothing the viewer can see is yet in focus implies that soon enough there will be someone or something to fill that void – which makes the sudden introduction of our female lead that much more striking. When she sits up into the frame, gasping in confusion and the moment of waking, our expectation is instantly satisfied and we relate to the human face (which is received by the camera fully in focus). We are forced into our protagonist’s reality in much the same manner that she is, and thus this single shot sets the stage for the entire story.
Another intelligent display of camera use appears throughout the nameless woman’s stay in her prison cell. For the duration of the cell scenes, the shots are either angled downwards (as we see in the creative “security camera” shots) or face-to face with the character. We are never allowed to see the ceiling, which mentally shrinks the room and grants an atmosphere of claustrophobia to this segment of the film. This in turn makes us feel as emotionally trapped as she is, allowing us to empathize with her predicament of being physically trapped.
The one point in the short where I felt let down was the beginning of the escape sequence. After the long, repetitive and emotionally isolated scenes of the woman’s imprisonment, the abrupt inclusion of other people seems almost underwhelming. The lack of other humans for such a long period fostered an eerie sense of foreboding. Where did the food in the slot come from? Why was our main character stuck where she was? The unknown was far more psychologically disconcerting than a handful of uniformed men. If these men had to be included, they should have had a more meaningful entrance, rather than simply stepping in front of the camera while the woman attempts her escape. Better yet, the film should have been made true to the videogame it was inspired by and refrained from having other characters at all. The result would have been the continuation of that aura of confusion and dread.
Watch here: Portal: No Escape
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