"Who's Gonna Save My Soul?"

The short film I'm analyzing is "Who's Gonna Save My Soul?" directed by Chris Milk. While the film takes its name from a Gnarls Barkley song and exists mainly to promote said song, it is not necessarily a music video; however, the song can be heard prominently throughout. It depicts a break-up that is difficult for one party but not the other.

That is indeed his heart on the plate.

The entirety of this film takes place inside of a diner, and nearly every single shot is of either the protagonist, his girlfriend, or his (literal and metaphorical) heart. Thus, the viewer's focus goes directly to and lies entirely on the these three characters and their plight. The lack of any setting aside from the diner ensures that the plot is of the utmost importance. Additionally, even after the protagonist cuts his heart out, the viewer's focus continues to lie on the two speaking characters, as per the rule of thirds. Their faces lie on two of the intersections (key areas of interest).

For the most part, the camera sits just a short distance from the subjects and never goes further. However, at times, the subject is much closer (i.e. over-the-shoulder shots). The angle, similarly, is constant throughout- neutral, and either from the side or front of the subject. One unique shot, however, is the opening point-of-view. Whereas these usually portray the emotion of other characters, this POV shows our protagonist's emotion as his hands block the two from eye contact.

The third and fourth people to appear are the waitress
and the patron at the counter, respectively.

Again, there is little to no notable detail aside from the characters. The cinematographer's clear intention was for the focus to remain on the subjects and plot more than anything else. Until the heart becomes sentient, the presence of other people is rarely even acknowledged--a grand total of three humans appear before that shot.

Lastly, the lighting and color. The film uses a "mid-key" lighting scheme. While there are shadows that indicate a more somber tone, sunlight contrasts this in order to lighten the mood. There is a color scheme that may or may not be intentional: the Caucasian man, wearing a light yellow dress shirt, versus the African-American woman, dressed in a gray shirt.