The first thing I thought of when seeing Simon Bovey’s The Un-Gone was an old BBC soap opera. The film quality, music and lighting reminded me of commercials I had seen of those old shows. At first glance, this seems odd, since flat lighting, slightly dulled colors and simplistic music seem alien in the flashy world of science fiction. Interestingly enough, this served to enhance the sci-fi storyline of Bovey’s short rather than detract from it. This is because it placed the emphasis on the dialogue and character’s struggles rather than the science fiction aspect itself. Since the short “feels” normal – normal being media that we were raised on – the sci-fi twist has less of an effect of making the emotions feel less real.
In addition, Bovey keeps us invested in the main character’s thought process by exclusively using the audio to give us a shared experience with him. Whispers that the camera should hear but he cannot are hidden from us, keeping us just as worried as he that something is wrong. Because of these techniques, Bovey crafts a frightening story of a trapped and helpless man, and fittingly we are kept captive along for the ride.
Watch here: The Un-Gone
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