Uncle Jack by Jamin Winans

Uncle Jack uses comedy to tell an intense story; this is done by an uncle telling his niece a story while he risks his life escaping some people who are after him.  The use of different lens styles emphasises the chaotic mindset of the main character as he tries to escape his situation but not alert his niece to the danger he’s in.

As soon as the protagonist, Jack, discovers that it’s his niece on the phone, the music becomes circus-like, which emphasises the clown sitting next to him in the car and the fact that the conversation he has with her becomes an act to entertain her.  This musical detail is typical of Jamin Winans as he almost always composes the music for his films himself, so that he can convey the correct emotion through every aspect of his film.  When the story approaches the end, the circus-style music stops to signal the end of the act as Jack starts to reveal the reality of his situation.  

The shots don’t flow as they jump location to fit with his story; however, the story allows the audience to understand what’s going on.  The audience often aren’t told or shown how they get into or out of situations (e.g. when the clown is hanging off the balcony), but because this links to the story being told, the audience doesn’t notice the disjointed visuals as much.

The camera shots vary, as at times the camera is static but Steadicam and hand held camera are also used.  The lack of continuous use of one kind of shot or lens makes the audience feel as if they have been caught up in the chaotic situation.