Steel Homes Analysis

When watching Steel Homes I found that the main theme of the piece was memory mainly how it is triggered through objects. However they use the representation of the long corridors, metal doors, harsh white lighting to give the representation of this place being like the human brain- a storage of memories- with each person having their own compartment much like each person having their own thoughts.

The structure piece reflects that of the aims and contexts.  By having different narrators along with some gaps of silence this emphasises the range of memories and people that are situated in these storage compartments. As the narration is short these help compliment the short cuts and frame lengths as a way of showing that these experiences the objects relate to were gone in an instant but it is important to the owners that these things are saved so the experience can live on. It also helps the audience to not lose focus on the piece by cutting to different stories to help keep the flow of the narration and images moving. The use of the silent sequences show how this is a place of silent reflection like a church where people go to be silent and to think about the past, present and future.

The camera angles used are mainly low along with long shots as these give sense of actually being there as it is a similar to the eye line you would have were you actually there. The director has positioned the angles to hardly ever show the faces of the people. This use of creating anonymous characters is to pursue the idea of these people not being an important individual meaning they could be anyone on the street. In a way the angles make the doors to the compartments the characters; these are seen on screen the most and are the ones that the narration revolves around. However we hardly see inside them only small snippets as a way of showing the privacy that these doors contain as if not to reveal too much about them.

Lighting throughout the piece is a harsh white light that is coming from the lights situated in the building.  This light emphasises the amount of metal that the corridors contain; in a way this is giving a metaphor on the modern world. The extent of the metal shows how the world now mainly consists of concrete, metal and man-made buildings and people are becoming displaced not knowing where they came from or knowing how to live in this new modern world. By having their own objects locked away in these metal containers the film gives an idea of escapism from the harsh, bright, metal surroundings that they having to learn to be become accustomed too.

By analysing and enjoying this documentary it has opened my eyes to other ways of structuring my films such as portraying stories through narration. In addition it has shown me how using certain angles can give a different effect to the audience and create an altered feeling throughout the film piece.