The short film Eating Out will serve as a background for the first analysis based on the pair attributes from the list. One of the main attributes characterizing the whole film is undoubtedly the pair consistency and unpredictability. Unpredictability is the main feature of the movie.
From the beginning of the story the viewer does not know what to expect. Though, when the robbers enter the café the spectator starts to think that he has captured the main idea. However, the things go in the unpredictable way and that gives especial charm to the video. The actions come one after another, astonishing the viewer, though being quite consistent in its own way. The unpredictable ending completely confuses everyone by strange relations between man and woman.
This also points out the next pair of attributes peculiar to this video – characterization and character interaction. The characters interaction composes the main sense of the video. Completely imperturbable behavior of the cook and the customer underlines the absurdness of the action and makes the opposition to the nervous and diffident robber.
The pair causality and characters choices is also important here – the whole story is based on the relationships of the robbers and the girls choice to eat before taking the money, though in the end her attitude to her friend changes and she stays at the cafe leaning to the stranger.
The last important thing here is the interplay of image and sound – the preparing meat, the man eating his portion, very loudly playing radio and constant noise of the rain are the only sounds at the beginning of the story which become blended only with the appearing of the robbers. The sound contributes greatly to the creation of the atmosphere of unpredictability and imperturbability.
The second short movie is called Coffee and Cigarettes. It is made in the different style, though, it is also very unusual. The pair characterization and character interaction is very important here to, it even makes the frame of the story, which is based on the talk of two men at the table while drinking coffee and smoking.
The character interaction becomes the core of the story – the fast, nervous gestures and the manner of speaking of the first man is opposed to the slow, calm manner of the second one. It is up to the viewer to decide whether it is because of coffee and cigarettes or it is just the usual manner for the first man – the view of the 5 cups of coffee and the ash-tray full of cigarette ends is shown very clear. However, their relations are developing from the acquaintance at the beginning to the agreement about going to the dentist in the end.
The interplay of the image and sound plays great role to – the film is made in the black-white manner with the strange background – dirty and scuffed walls help to create the effect of being unpleasant to look at and this effect can be felt throughout the whole movie. The ending surprises the viewer and there is also the place for the unpredictability here.
This is the common feature for the videos – the directors both used the same powerful remedy to end the short story in the unusual way and to leave more questions than answers for the viewer to think about. In this video in the end we can see confused man just now starting to realize what has happened.