The Fly

'The Fly' (2014) directed by Olly Williams

A getaway driver waiting outside a bank robbery has three nerve shredding minutes to get through before his crew returns. All he has to do is focus...

The Fly is a very short film by Olly Williams at about 3 minutes in length excluding the end credits. There is only one character (played by Jack Doolan), who is unnamed and enters the film without an introduction. The audience therefore starts off without any history or background of this character, with only the 3 minutes to connect to him. 

As this is a short film, the budget would have been low and this is expressed through the minimal set of one car on an empty street. He sits alone in a car as a getaway driver outside a bank as the other members of the group hold innocent people hostage whilst they rib the bank. Of course, we can only assume they were robbing the bank as the focus on the film is on the driver, with only slow, menacing zooms of the bank door with muffled screams in the background. 

(0:47)

 The editing of the film breaks continuity multiple times with jump cuts - this shows the driver's descent into insanity and distress from the irritation of the fly. The title screens also seems slightly out of context; it is almost what you might expect from a jump scare type horror film rather than a short film about a fly. 
The sound of the fly really captivates the audience and puts the viewer in the position of the driver - the annoying, buzzing sound constantly playing throughout the film makes the viewer empathise. The turning point in this film is shown through sound, when the car horn goes off and suddenly he is revealed as a violent character as he unleashes a knife, stabbing the airbag until it deflates. This also gives the viewer an insight into the character's mental state. The driver becomes increasingly enraged from being on edge, tipped over the edge by the fly in the car. This has a lot of implications and shows emotional development.

(2:53)

 Although we see a slight emotional development, there isn't really a strict narrative or character development. The film is ultimately repetitive with what seems to be the same running joke throughout. However, I think it's effective as I am sure an annoying fly has been something every person has experienced and therefore it's easier to relate to the message. Although it's made into a more intense scenario with the bank robbery. 

(3:14)

The camerawork and cinematography is the most key part of this short, as with the extreme close ups of the driver's face and the fly, it both shows the actor's convincing performance and the intense zoom depicts the fly as a bigger problem than it actually is.