Film Analysis - Short Film - One Minute Time Machine

One-Minute Time Machine is a short film directed by Devon Avery and written by Sean Crouch. This film was actually created on a very short budget of $1,000 USD, produced by the production company ‘Empty Box Productions’ and won seven wins and three nominations as an independent film. The film has gained a surge in popularity on the video sharing website, ‘YouTube’, which went viral and amassed 2.9m viewers. The genre for this film is comedy and romance due to the comedic and romantic elements retaining from the two contrasting characters and the object that brings their encounter together, the one minute time machine. However I could also argue that this short film does harbor sci-fi elements which lead to this film’s sub-genre, science fiction, judging from the main subject of the film that’s used that is a fictional time machine.  

Themes explored within this short film include happiness and lusts, deriving from the failed attempts of James’ pick-up lines resorting to using time travel to restart the communication between the two in an attempt of trying to initiate sexual chemistry between Regina and himself, thus leading to a potential relationship. However as the narrative continues to progress, James is unaware of his actions from continuous attempts of pressing the red button on the one minute time machine to go back in time, which leads to the downfall of the protagonist until Regina takes control of the time machine. Here she uses it against him in favour of bringing him back to his past self. I feel that the director uses this narrative technique as a great plot device to keep changing back the plot, making it stay on the course of what the audience wants.

At the beginning of the film we are introduced to the title sequence which states the film’s title along with the audio codes, the non-diegetic sound of a piano melody is there in order to create an upbringing positive mood which is a convention of comedy and romantic genres, therefore connoting how the narrative that will follow. The editing in the title sequence fits the narrative of the film as the visual effects the audience is presented with is a zoom into a traditional clock system which additionally connotes what the narrative is about; the protagonist transporting back in time. This non digetic sound is also coherently used when James learns about the consequences of using the time travel machine from the information the book had provided Regina with. The editing used here shows very quick/frequent two shot camera techniques of James dead in a series of parallel universes that the director uses to show Regina’s different reactions to him dead on the bench, presented in a comedic style to make the audience laugh. The editing of these shots being fast paced and quick cut techniques used is well employed as it gives the audience the chance to laugh frequently.

Right after the title sequence a two shot is shown of both the actors within the film, James and Regina. This type of shot is taken to show the contrast between the two, while there to take note of what type of clothing the characters are wearing which foreshadows what personality they both have and what object they’re holding, lastly what environment the film is set in. From this shot alone we can notice from the visual codes that James is wearing a casual style of clothes  that connote his casual personality while Regina has the smart look to possibly show dominance in the future conversation that they have and has a further emphasis her social status in society. From this we can presume she is on her work break and James has free time on his hands, not busy at all.

Both protagonists carry an object with them from the start of the film that would act as an important asset for the narrative of the film later on. The book is used as a tool for both Regina and James to relate to each other throughout the film, as the book she was reading is a science book based on time travelling, while coincidentally James uses a time travelling device with the motive to possibly fulfill his sexual desires.

This film is therefore a non-linear narrative as the basis of the film is to continuously manipulate time and space, ultimately leading to a chain of past and future events that have already taken place within the films world.