Don’t Be Shy

Two characters, a strong internal conflict and a narration that plays with levels of subjectivity are the building blocks of this great short by students from Paris-based arts school LISAA (L’Institut Supérieur des Arts Appliqués).

An imminent meeting with someone from the opposite sex in a messy apartment triggers an internal conflict in the main character. Staging plays a key role in helping create conflict as does the interest of the woman character in the man she’ll be meeting and how she wants to present herself (with some fun elements of performance).

Wide shots are used to describe the state of the apartment, together with medium shots and closer ones to portray the emotions of the main character, which are very effective in transmitting conflict to the audience. Close-ups of household objects together with quick editing and sound help increase tension.

Highlights of the short include how it continuously plays with shifting levels of subjectivity in narration, how it uses directions and continuity to transition from the external narration to the internal one in the “falling into water” scene, as well as the authenticity of the whole film. Clearly this is an experience that one or more of the authors of the short have gone through, and that the audience can easily relate to in one way or another.

It’s also worth noting the power internal conflicts can have for creating emotional displacement, and how the authors have created a great short with such a strong conflict out of a seemingly minor event, thanks to their creativity.

 Note 

The film is spoken in French and doesn’t have subtitles, but can hopefully be understood without them.