Applying micro and macro elements to ‘Where have I been all your life?’

Applying micro and macro elements to ‘Where have I been all your life?’

‘Where have I been all your life’ is a short film and the genre is a comedy drama. Using Todorov’s theory of equilibrium, we can split the narrative up. The equilibrium is that the protagonist has lived his whole life without knowing who his real dad is, so he looks for him. He goes to the house he found, and disruption of the narrative is the he accidently ruins a marriage between a couple by proclaiming that he is the guys son. The couple end up fighting and reveal that their whole marriage was fake, and they’ve been cheating on each other throughout it. The recognition is that the protagonist’s girlfriend realises that they’ve accidently got the wrong house and they end up leaving. The new equilibrium is that he never finds out who his dad due to the dramatic experience he’s just witnessed.

The micro element ‘mise-en-scene’ plays an important part. The character expression and movement are key in the acting as it proclaims the characters feelings and emotions and this changes throughout the film. The protagonist starts of nervous and fidgets a lot, not really knowing how to feel. He then feels overwhelmed when he sees his ‘dad’ and wants to know so much about him. The ‘dad’ appears to act both shocked and disappointed when he sees the man turn up at the door, proclaiming that he’s his son. The wife is upset and storms out and starts thoroughly washing plates to distract herself and acts cold towards her husband. The main setting is inside the house which is old fashioned. The hair, makeup and costume are all contemporary and the lighting is natural, and the props are minimal. The only key prop is the glasses.  

There is a range of cinematography used for the audience to get an idea of the area and the lifestyle that the ‘father’ has. There is a tracking shot which follows the car the ‘son’ is in, giving us a sense of direction and get the audience thinking of where the car may be going. There is an establishing shot of the street, showing the key location of the story where most of the action will happen. Wide shots are used in the “sitting room” of the house, showing how awkward the tension is between the three of them. It shows how they’re seated and how none of them know what to say after the reveal. Close ups are used to show their faces so you can see the facial expressions. There’s not many angles but I don’t think a low or high angle would be necessary with this type of naturalistic short film.

The editing is basic and simple cut transitions were used as well as one fade out. Match on action was frequently used, making the film flow. Shot-reverse-shot is also a common feature, especially when the protagonist is talking in the car with his girlfriend. The car is small so it makes sense for this type of shot to be used. Sound plays an important feature in this short film as it’s the dialogue between the characters that drives the story and makes the new equilibrium.