OPERATOR - 2015 - CAROLINE BARTLEET

OPERATOR (2015) - directed by Caroline Bartleet

Operator, directed by Caroline Bartleet in 2015 is a 6.5 minute long dramatic thriller, about an emergency services operator, Laura, who is trying to help a woman called Gemma and her 3 year old son, Jamie, whose house is on fire.  Laura attempts to calm the situation as Gemma panics because Jamie is trapped upstairs. After minutes of distress, the call comes to an end and Laura after a few moments of deep breaths, picks up another call, highlighting her intense, repetitive job.

Expectation:

The idea of the operator made me think that technology would be involved in this film, making me link the title to that of a sci-fi film. I thought there could be a sense of destructive control as someone takes charge. The actual film was very different to my expectation.

Screen grabs and micro-element/narrative structure analysis:

The editing throughout the film is very slow-paced and there aren’t that many shots overall. Long takes allow us to listen to the heartbreaking conversation without distraction, keeping us on the edge of our seats and allowing us to focus on the clever, 3 dimensional performance. The camera work is very simple, but effective.

A slow, tracking pan establishes use of technology - we are introduced to the office and the type of people who work there. We here snippets from some conversations, showing that this is an emergency service operating office. 

Blue coming from the computer screens shows that this can be a stressful, often sad job.

Medium close up establishes the job - we can see the fire brigade logo on her shirt. (costume)

Casting the camera over the office is a set up for the film.

We are aware that this is the character we are focusing on. The camera has been panning around the office, but here the camera stops moving and this character is framed centrally, between 2 screens.

Use of sound - establishes what is going on as we cannot see what is happening on the other end of the phone - plot point 1, we find out about the fire

Close up reflects her concern - emphasises her emotional state - the shot is repeated later on.

The lighting is very low-key - it is used to emulate what an operating room would look like. - Laura is lit by the 3 computer screens surrounding her and the rest of the room around her is pretty dark - we put our full attention on Laura.

Creative use of off-screen sound - a high pitched ringing, then the call goes silent - moment of distress and tension. The ringing cuts when Gemma returns to the other end of the line.

The use of multiple angles creates the impression that we are eavesdropping on the conversation - we are VOYEURS

The camera moves in on her face from medium close up to close up. This cut happens when we are unsure if Gemma is still on the other end of the phone. By moving the camera in on Laura’s face, we feel more tense. The blue screen behind this shot evokes a sense of pity and sadness, but equally a sense of understanding. Laura remains in focus throughout the whole film and her surroundings are blurred, enhancing her facial expression, so that we have our full attention on her.

Gemma’s voice is slightly muffled to make it clear that she is on the phone, whilst Laura’s voice is very clear. We can hear some noises happening from the other end of the phone, such as a light crackle and the sirens from the fire engines when they arrive. Hearing the fire engine creates a feeling of relief in the audience.

Use of silence a the end - diegetic sound returns, she is back into another call - the reality of these jobs and how mentally straining they can be is put into perspective.

My response:

At times I found this film hard to watch, due to the emotion it evoked. Although we could not see her, the performance of the lady on the other end of the phone was integral to the film, as her verbal communication conveyed her distress and panic very realistically. The actor playing the telephone operator, Katie Dickie, also gave a truthful performance that resonated with me. She seemed to really care about the woman on the other end of the phone, which was seen through both her verbal and non-verbal communication. She gave a truthful representation of what it is to be an emergency services operator, and the difficulty behind the job. The microelements that aren’t performance work together to make the performance stand out. One thing I noticed was that in most shots, the camera dolly’s forwards slightly to entice the viewer, throughout the long takes. The film has an open ending to an extent - we know that Gemma is safe, but we do not know what the next call is going to be about.