Error In Judgement

Error In Judgement is a fun short film about a celestial postman who is deceived by appearances due to his stereotypes and prejudices. It was created by six artists at French school LISAA (Paris branch) and features two main characters, a number of supporting characters, internal and external conflicts, Christian themes and an accent on comedy.

Staged in Saint Peter’s office in purgatory, and in heaven, the short combines religious elements with modern technology. A stylized aesthetic is employed, with a saturated palette with predominantly bright colors. Lighting plays a strong role throughout the short. Error In Judgement is an ambitious film and the number of students who participated in its production shows clearly in the amount of work dedicated to it, including set and character designs, animation, compositing, etc.

The expressiveness of the postman character helps greatly in transmitting conflict to the audience. Tighter shots abound (medium shots, close-ups) and are employed to capture the postman’s facial and body performances, as well as that of secondary characters. Wider shots are used to describe Saint Peter’s office as well as heaven. Narrated from the POV of the postman character, camera height and position stay close to him for most of the short (with a few exceptions).

Visual rhythm is high and increases as tension rises. It’s handled through editing, motion within the frame, camera moves (pans, tilts, zooms, crash zooms, etc.) as well as changes in lighting.

What makes Error In Judgement work so well? A highly creative and fun script with otherworldly themes that raise it above common narratives, abundant plot twists and surprises, playful staging, great work on character design for transmitting conflicts and emotions, and a subject that a wide audience will feel identified with.