The short Film I chose to analyze for this assignment was Geri’s Game (1997). The film was a short directed by Jan Pinkava as Pixar’s first attempt at animating a human being believably. One might consider the logline as something simple, yet effective. That being “An elderly gentleman plays chess against himself alone in a park. His competitiveness raises the stakes as both sides of the table become so engrossed in the game they become their own character. I personally see the tone as both light comedy and yet it also has the air of parodying the genre of intrigue. The theme truly feels as if it is exploring the nature of how man vs self does not always need to be dramatic and can in some cases be a healthy dose of fun.
The plot of the film is incredibly simple and yet all the more intriguing given how it is shot. Starting with long shots explaining to the audience Gerri’s method of self dueling. We follow the Gerri meticulously as he sets up the board and switches places on the bench after each move. As the game progresses, the film starts cutting out the moments where Gerri gets up to switch his role. In doing so, the audience now quickly suspends their disbelief a second time as Gerri now becomes two distinct characters. Finally, our climax occurs as the white side is put on the run from the black pieces. Gerri decides to play the old man card and fakes a heart attack in order to distract the opposing self so as to flip the board around. In doing so, the joke plays out that Gerri has effectively fooled himself. The resolution pulls us in with a final joke. The two were fighting over who got to use the dentures. This not only in itself is funny, but the fact that he physically removes the teeth only to reinsert them triumphantly once across the table adds a level of absurdity and playful whimsy that isn’t often seen on short films.
The production design was extraordinarily simple given the limitations of the animating capabilities yet also very effective. Having only one character dressed exactly the same save for a pair of eyeglasses made sense to help us distinguish the two personas beyond just the camera axis of action. Meanwhile the use of focal depth helps the audience focus on what matter while also allowing to create a nice backdrop that doesn’t take to much processing power. Meanwhile Lighting being bright and the music being a light whimsical tune played on an accordion helps set the audience up for a fun and simple story.
The camera work is what intrigued me the most. For a 3d environment they were remarkably precise in using the angles to their fullest. The frames were carefully constructed so that while the editing picked up speed, you were always aware of which side we were on in each shot. The composition also held up by framing Gerri and his chess pieces to either show us the emotional power or weakness on display by the persona from each shot itself.
Although no actual dialogue is used, the grunts and minor outbursts that Gerri gives helps sell the concept of Gerri as a whimsical human being that is having fun in his old age. We very quickly pick up on his dramatic character from his second chess move. Meanwhile the park background noise is always faint, but present. Allowing us to feel like we are sitting in a park somewhere in Europe. This again is especially helped by the music which is exclusively an accordion.
What really sells this short above all else though is the editing. The pace of this film starts slow and easy. We have regular cuts to help with the time it takes for Gerri to set up the board and to get up from one side of the bench to the other but at the same time it is calm and allows us to see the necessary motion without being droll. Following Gerri’s move across the table, the editing picks up speed as we mimic the fast pace that the second persona of Gerri has. This eventually leads to leaving out any shots of Gerri switching sides. This genius move allows us to differentiate the character of Gerri into two personas allowing for the joke of the heart attack. What strikes me though is we see the power shift even before Gerri flips the board around when the other persona isn’t looking. The camera slows down at an incredible deceleration as Gerri locks himself into checkmate. At first this seems like it is because it is the end of the road for the game. It soon becomes apparent however, that this is to help sell the idea that the losing persona is stalling for time. Having the board be flipped around is emphasized by the editing as we finally get back to a final shot of Gerri sitting alone in the park laughing at someone across the board that we can no longer see.
In regards to the short film I am currently working on, I believe that I should take creative license with regards to editing. My script holds an unreasonable amount of plot that needs to be covered quickly. I think by deciding to trust in the audience more than usual I can edit the film to expedite some of the more obscure plot points of my film.
Joel Nelson's Mastery Journal 