Operator

 Narrative: 

 Linear and suggestive (Non of the actions of the story are visible on screen). Follows a three act structure.

Genre: 

 Elements of documentary genre as it is based on reel world scenarios while simultaneously being in the thriller/suspense genre as the audience is kept in suspense and anticipation as to whether the mother and child will be ok.    

Representation:

 Under appreciated call respondents who are presented in a heroic light as a key part to saving lives of people in distress. 

Editing:

The editing of the of the film is fairly understated with quick and seamless cuts from one angle of the operator to the next without disrupting the flow of scene mirroring the calm, collected and officiant nature of the call operator herself. 

Mise en Scene:

The blue and red uniform worn by the call operator emphasizes her professionalism and affiliation with a company drawing emphasis to the job itself as appose to just her as an individual suggesting that her professionalism and heroic actions are synonymous with the job itself and not just her individually.  

 The call operators head set further emphasizes the professionalism of the operator while simultaneously serving as potential symbolism with the headset she speaks through symbolizing the duty and clarity she must have in such an distressful moment, suppressing the more natural and empathetic words and reaction a typical person would have. 

The low key lighting of the computer screens illuminates the call operators face emphasizing her emotions and panic that she has to verbally suppress. 

The large computer monitor creates a sense of voyeurism suggesting that the caller is almost like angle look over and protecting the woman in distress. 

The diegetic loud and panicked dialogue of the distressed woman builds suspense and dread within the audience by emphasizing the severity of danger the two are in which contrasts with the organised and calm voice of the call operator. 

The diegetic audio jungle of several call operators in the opening scene emphasizes the scale of accidents and hazards the operators have to respond to daily while simultaneously demonstrating that the professionalism and heroism of the main operator we see throughout the film is not exclusive to her and is a quality shared by everyone within the profession. 

The dietetic sound of fire which can be heard in the background of the distressed mothers dialogue creates a further sense of danger and immediacy. 

Cinematography:

Medium close ups/close ups of the call operators face draw attention to the emotional response of the woman which she is suppressing verbally creating a sense of empathy within the audience. 

The use of an over the shoulder shot of the operator working on the computer helps convey to the audience that her calm seemingly unemphatic questions that she is asking are in order to help rescue her. 

Paning shot of the various operators in the room at the beginning of the short film helps establish the location and basic premise. 

Inspiration:

 This short film has inspired me to experiment with the idea of off screen story telling and not needing to visually show every important aspect of the story/narrative.