"The Bicycle" is a unique and adept tale of hope, friendship and loss, as told, quite literally, through a bicycle. In voice-over, the bicycle offers his reflections on life as the viewer see's how the bike is passed from owner to owner, and the trials and tribulations he faces along the way. I chose to analyze this short film due to its unique story, its clever use of voice-over (a feature that is present in my own short film), and its stunning, dreamy cinematography. "The Bicycle" can be watched below:
Camera: "The Bicycle" is a clever film in regards to the variety of shots and camera angles that have been used. For instance, the film opens with a series of close-ups of the bike, its cold, metallic look juxtaposing with the human voice that emanates from the bike. Indeed,a t the beginning of the film, the viewer is uncertain as to who is providing the voice; the zooming on the bike, as well as the way the film is edited to give the bike an overriding sense of prevalence, indicates to the audience that he's our protagonist, albeit an unusual one. A juxtaposition of the bicycle and bicycle's with their owners is a way in which camera shots have been used to evoke a sense of sympathy with the protagonist. The audience's alliance with the bike is reinforced by the way humans are stripeed of their identity; sometimes their faces are shrouded amongst silhouette, or their heads are cut out of frame. There is little to no dialogue from the human's, and they all act in irresponsible or unloving ways, furthering that sense of empathy with the protagonist. The steadycam used in the final shot gives a sense of resolution to the ending- the shot captures movement, something the bike had never had throughout the mostpart of the short. Finally the bike is serving its purpose, which makes the final shot so uplifting and moving.
Cinematography: In terms of cinematography, this is the best live-action short film I've analysed. The dreaminess of the film's setting, the hazy sun casting an orange glow over the film adds to the reflectiveness of the bikes musings. A notable example of this is the zoom-out of a silhouette of the bike and one of its many temporary owners against the glow of the purple-ish skies. It's a beautiful shot that makes this film so visceral and awe-inspiring- in other words, this is a visually engaging film. Part of the reason why I think the director chose such an aesthetically-pleasing setting is its contrast with the world-weary, rusty, somewhat ugly bike. Los Angeles symbolic resonance with the notion of opportunity and youthful sin is contrasted shots of the rusted bike, which thematically connects with the film's fish-out-of-water narrative. Cinematographically, this is a short film that is truly successful, and is one of the film's greatest successes.
Editing: Foremost, the editing has had to be used to establish who it is the film's protagonist is. Ditching the nightmare-ish notion of CGI-ing a mouth onto the bike, it potentially could of been problematic to establish where the voice is actually coming from. The bike's prevalence, its central framing, and the use of dialogue to establish a sense of ostracisation from the "humans" makes the viewer gauge finally the bike is speaking in internal monologue. Clever. The film is shot in a way I would compare to novelist's technique- the film appears to be shot in first person. A lot of the film we see from the bike's point-of-view, such as a shot of a bike approaching into the foreground, where the bike lies precariously against a trash bin. Slow motion has been used in some shots, reinforcing the film's dreamy, nostalgic, reflective tone. Another visually-cool shot is the bike slowly rolling down a hill, the bike's shadow cast against the orange-brightness of the sun-kissed road. The inclusion of this shot, metaphorically, adds to the sense of isolation the bike feels: the blackness (moodiness) of the shadow contrasting with the colour of the road (sinful, youtful, Full-Of-Opportunity).
Mise-en-Scene: The short film follows a premise that is similar to the like's of Pixar's Toy Story; a unique, slightly satirical look at the human world from an unusual perspective- in this case, bikes. Bicycle's are therefore key to the film's mise-en-scene; some are shown to have owners and are happy, as can be assumed from the ringing of bike bell's as its owner rides past the protagonist. Kinda sad, but in an ending that can be seen as a bit saccharine, Poor-Goth-Girl who's also a social outcast meets her kindred spirit, the bike, so the film meets a positive resolve in the end. Another allegory in the film is the bike's rebirth- the bike transforms from its rusty state to one that can be indexically viewed as a girls bike (purple=girly, silver things=also girly, you get the picture) allow the bike another opportunity, another life. This use of mise-en-scene can be inferred as a promotion of transforming oneself to meet another's needs, which is a metaphorical message I think is quite resonant. I'm not sure I can explain this interpretation without getting too overtly philosophical, so onto sound...
Sound: The bike's voice has a massive priority in terms of the distribution of dialogue. The bike:human dialogue ratio can also be seen as symbolic of giving the bike a voice; having been 'used' quite literally by humans all his life, the musings of the bike in his monologue is his chance to have a say. I like how the bike has been portrayed as a cynical, crotchety old man; it completely suits the character, and adds to his sense of isolation. His non-diegetic rants, including a four-lettered annoyance at being painted purple. His monologue also reminds of an old man; wistful, knowledgeable, full of life lessons. Been there, done that. It's insightful, and also comic, given that this is just a bicycle. The dialogue is so on point, you almost have to remind yourself that the protagonist is an inanimate object. Has all the hallmarks of an excellent script. The also-non-diegetic music is quite, internal and reflective, and helps to convey to the audience the idea that this is a reflective, internal film. The music at the end is uplifting, adding to the emotion of the final scene. The music is still grounded in reality, and the ending (in my opinion) avoids being too over-the-top. Just.
So, conclusion time. This film is probably one of my favourites; the aesthetic look of the film, added to an excellent script, a witty use of voice-acting and a concept that felt fresh all helped to make this a short film I really admired. This short film is helpful in the sense that I can learn to perhaps an equally pleasing use of cinematography, and perhaps incorporate elements of dark humour in my own short film.
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