Analysis of “I’m Not a Robot“/ “Ik Ben geen Robot”
Key Information
Title: I’m not a Robot
Year of release: 23 September 2023
Director(s):Victoria Warmerdam
Production Company/label: OAK Motion Pictures, The Y-House, Bulletproof Cupid
Genre: Science fiction drama
Target audience: Young adults and fans of really conceptual films.
Narrative structure
The narrative structure follows Todorov’s narrative theory, the equilibrium being that we are introduced to Lara at her job, where she seems to be just an ordinary office worker. She is disrupted by CAPTCHA tests for an update on her music app, telling her there is an 83 per cent chance that she might be a bot. Lara slowly became obsessed with the idea that she might be a robot, determined to prove the customer service person she called wrong. The film slowly reveals personal details about her life, making her question reality.
Themes and messages
The short film explores social themes, such as the inequality between men and women, especially evident in Lara’s treatment and the dismissal of her feelings. Furthermore, Lara’s existence in this film is controlled by others and by implementing a woman as the role of a “Robot”, it feeds into the stereotype that men control women in our society.
Character Types
Lara – The main protagonist
The short film follows her perspective and emotional journey; the audience sympathises with Lara more because the film uses a retrospective narrative, meaning we only know what she knows, which creates tension and confusion alongside her actions. Her character is also contradicting what the media presents AI as, a lot of media shows AI as a robot with no thought process to itself, along with no emotional depth, but that is not the case with Lara because she shows empathy, fear and vulnerability to her situation.
The boyfriend – The controller
Lara’s boyfriend functions as a controlling role who knows ‘knowledge’ that Lara does not have; his calm reaction to Lara finding out that she is a robot contrasts greatly with Lara’s emotional distress, which can raise questions about trust and gender imbalance within a relationship. This can also connect him to patriarchal authority because he partially controls Lara’s identity and understanding of herself.
Visual style
The short film follows a cold and muted colour palette, such as grey, white and pale blues, which creates an artificial atmosphere, reinforcing the sci-fi theme of the film. The spaces where the scenes were shot are modern and uncluttered, with the setting often looking highly organised and almost unnatural, which feeds into the plot of the film.
Camera techniques
Close-up shots are also frequently used to capture Lara’s emotions, while lots of wide and establishing shots are used to set the scene of the office. There are a lot of smooth camera shots where we follow Lara’s movement in the film, making the story feel continuous as well as building suspense for the audience successfully.
Sound techniques and Editing
Sound and editing also play a significant role in shaping the audience’s understanding. The dialogue of all the characters feels very clear and natural, as if we are watching it play out in real life; however, the dialogue is in Dutch, which can reinforce the vibes of Eastern European countries to the audience since our generation has the perspective that European countries have a cold, looking feeling to the infrastructure and overall atmosphere. The subtle background music can also enhance emotional moments and increase tension when necessary. Furthermore, the editing style is smooth, maintaining a steady pace as it builds toward the climax.
Research Task 3
Analysis of “Au revoir mon monde”
Key Information
Title: Au revoir mon monde
Year of release: 9th of November 2023
Director(s): Estelle Bonnardel, Quentin Devred, Baptiste Duchamps, Maxime Foltzer, Florian Maurice, and Astrid Novais
Production Company/label: Ecole MoPA
Genre: Science Fiction drama
Target audience: Teenagers and young adults, particularly fans of animation and anime-inspired visuals.
Narrative structure
Au Revoir Mon Monde follows a linear narrative structure that can be explained using Todorov’s Narrative Theory. The story begins with an equilibrium where Karim is living an ordinary life, working at a sushi shop while wearing a fish costume to promote the restaurant. This normality is disrupted when a meteor lands in the city and destroys half of the city, slowly spreading fire to the sushi restaurant where he works. Our protagonist sees the danger around him as he decides to spend the rest of his time with the person he loves. The majority of the short film focuses on his journey through various obstacles in the city and his race against time. At the end, Karim reaches his loved one and confesses his feelings before the apocalypse, solving the conflict and creating a new equilibrium.
Themes and messages
The themes and messages conveyed through this animated short film are love and the importance of living in the present. At the very last moment of Karim’s existence on earth, he realises that emotions matter more than everyday routines or material possessions. The film shows the audience that life is unpredictable, you can never know what will happen tomorrow, and people should express their feelings before it is too late. The obstacles Karim faces in his journey might be a metaphor for the difficulties in life, reminding the audience to show resilience.
Karim – The protagonist
The story follows him along his journey and personal goal of reaching the person he loves before the world ends. Karim could also fit into the hero stereotype, as he faces dangers while crossing nearly the entire city to find his love interest, providing emotional motivation for his actions.
Au Revoir Mon Monde uses non-diegetic sounds to create emotion and build tension throughout Karim’s journey. The soundtrack becomes more intense during action sequences and then slowly transitions to softer music in emotional moments. Sound effects of explosions and meteor impacts were added in post-production to enhance the apocalyptic atmosphere, immersing the audience completely. The editing, however, is very fast-paced to keep up with the 5-minute timeframe, but personally, I felt that the editing was even faster when the action scenes were used to create a sense of urgency, which could be a reflection of the limited time Karim has. The style completely changed when Karim reached his loved one at a much slower pace, resulting in the audience focusing on the characters’ feelings and relationship.
Based in a vibrant urban city that is gradually being destroyed by meteors. The city streets, buildings, and restaurants are what the audience would usually see out in the street, which can create a realistic vibe, but the bright colours could feel unsettling, as well as the apocalyptic events. The most significant mise-en-scene that stood out to me is the neon lights and detailed background of each frame, which could establish an energetic atmosphere in contradiction to the disaster around him. Another interesting mise-en-scene is Character costumes, such as Karim’s fish mascot outfit, make him distinctive and adds personality to the story.
Personal Reflection
Watching Au Revoir Mon Monde will help me with my own short film project because it shows clearly how important visual storytelling can be to convey different emotions to the audience, i found that the colour palette of the film have helped tone down the despair that is happening in the film which I will utilise since my short film will explore a lot of societal problems and having bright colours will tone down the gloominess. The animation of character expressions to communicate emotions with very little dialogue has also influenced me greatly; however, in my short film, I would prefer it to have more exaggerated expressions. Au Revoir Mon Monde also matches the time of how long my short film will be, so I could use it as a blueprint for scenes, making sure my project fits into the time frame.
Analysis of “Niccolò”
Title: Niccolò
Year of release: 9th of October 2025
Director(s): Clémentine Di Prizio, David Florian, Axelle Granet, Sirui Liu, Hugo Michalet, and Pachiomius Njolai
Production Company/label: Miyu Productions
Genre: Animated Fantasy Drama
Target audience: Teenagers and adults who enjoy artistic and thought-provoking animated films.
Narrative structure
NICCOLO follows a clear linear narrative structure, with the start being a rise leading to a climax, then a resolution. The story begins with the introduction of Niccolo, a talented violinist whose success and fame grow as he receives increasing admiration from his audiences, and whose desire to be seen grows stronger. This leads to him being trapped by the expectations of those who praise him, losing his sense of self. The climax of the story occurs when his violin breaks, forcing him to confront the consequences of his obsession with fame. Lastly, in the story’s resolution, Niccolo chooses artistic freedom over applause, rejecting the pressures placed on him and reclaiming his identity as a musician.
Themes and messages
The short film NICCOLO focuses on the challenges of identity as well as the pressure that comes along with fame. Throughout the film, Niccolo becomes consumed by the desire for recognition, leading lose sight of his passion for music. The message of the film is that seeking constant approval from others can be bad for your mental self and that fulfilment comes from staying true to yourself. Through its dark fantasy imagery inspired by 90s anime and symbolic characters, the film also explores the struggle between innocence and corruption, showing how expectations placed upon you can slowly make you lose your sense of self.
At the centre of the story is Niccolo, who is a talented young violinist whose desire for fame and recognition drives the narrative. He is also a very good example of the hero stereotype, as he faces challenges and pressures that threaten his identity.
Visual style and Camera techniques
NICCOLO features a visual style inspired by 1990s anime and Visual kei, a Japanese fashion and music movement known for its dramatic aesthetics and theatrical performances. The main character, Niccolo, is a direct reflection of these styles in his hairstyle, clothing choices, and makeup. To be specific, his style is inspired by Tanbi Kei. The film combines these elements with a dark fantasy atmosphere, detailed background, and strong contrasts between light and shadow. In emotional scenes, lots of close-ups were used to translate his emotions to the audience, while wide shots were used to show the beautiful architecture in the animation, setting the overall tone.
Sound techniques and Editing
The soundtrack of the film is heavily focused on the violin, which reflects Niccolo’s passion for music and his connection to his art. There are also lots of ups and downs in the music style, helping to convey the shift in emotions, since there are no dialogues included in the film. In terms of editing, smooth transitions were used to help maintain the flow of the narrative, while faster cut scenes were used during dramatic moments to increase tension.
Locations, mise-en-scene, and personal reflection
The short film is set in a dark, gothic-inspired world that acts as a metaphor for the protagonist’s emotional journey. The animation backgrounds are filled with grand architecture and theatrical performance spaces, creating a mysterious atmosphere. There is a lot of mise-en-scene used, which I will be focusing on the most significant ones, symbolic props such as the violin, which represents Niccolo’s connection with his identity, as well as the costume design, playing a big part in the film, reinforcing the tone, Niccolo’s Visual Kei-inspired appearance helping him stand out. This film has been a useful source of inspiration for my own short film project. I was particularly interested in how the film uses a distinctive art style and symbolic imagery to communicate emotions and themes without relying heavily on dialogue. Which I will take note of when creating my whole animated short film.
Target audience: Au Revoir Mon Monde targets teenagers and young adults who enjoy emotional, character-driven films.
Content & Posts
Types of posts: Character designs, Trailer, Production Updates, Background design, Awards they have won, Interview with the animators, Full short film.
Frequency of posting: The frequency is very steady, almost posting updates about the short film every month.
The main purpose of posts is to promote their film to a wider audience because it is such an indie film.
Most popular post & why: The most popular post is the full short film they have posted on Instagram; however, I am judging from the number of reposts (19) because they have hidden their like counts.
Promotional strategies
How does it attract attention: I felt that the post doesn’t attract much attention on their Instagram, judging from the number of awards it won and the number of followers the page has. The posts were very repetitive to me, 50% of the posts were them posting about the awards they have won.
Hashtags? What kind?: They only had hashtags for their post where the full animations were posted, and it was all animation-based.
Use of trends?: There was no use of trends
How is it building excitement/anticipation: they did build excitement through posting of the production process and trailers when the account just started, but that is all they did with building anticipation for the audience.
Audience engagement
How does it interact with the audience
Is the audience encouraged to like/share/comment
What kind of responses does the audience give
Conventions
Visual used – colours/fonts, logo, style: The colours used on the posts are very colourful, making it match the animation created; however, the colours feel repetitive, which could reveal too much about the short flim discouraging the audience from watching it, the font of the posts remains the same but the sizing is very different from each other so it feels more appealing to the eye, the logo stays the same and it fits exactly to the format of instagram posts.
Consistent theme/branding:
Does it include links, release dates, and calls to action:
Convergence
How does it connect to other media?
What other media/platforms does it link to, and why
