Short Film Review: “A Change In Time”
Directed by Pat Knight
UK • Sci-Fi • 17 Mins
Seized by Time Agents, Sam discovers that the actions of time travellers from the future have erased his family tree. He no longer exists. With the help of his cousin Eliza, he tries to find a way to restore their timelines and save their family.
The first of many notable things about A Change In Time is that it’s a hell of a lot of fun, engrossing and thoroughly entertaining. Where some shorts get caught up in their own self-importance, A Change In Time is quite simply a total blast!
The script from director Pat Knight is incredibly intelligent with an innovative plot at it’s core, yet it’s careful not to take itself too seriously, although it is seriously clever. You’ll definitely want to make time to rewatch it to find all the fun clues peppered throughout. Through the dialogue and actions of the characters, Pat Knight, aided by some great performances, has created a cast of very likeable, warm characters who you’re ready to root for. David Knight in particular who plays the central character of Sam whose mission it is to restore his erased family tree gives a terrific, charismatic performance.
So many aspects of this film have been so carefully considered, from the colour palette & grading to the costume design and from the cinematography to the locations. Locations in particular on short films are often the biggest nightmare to arrange and secure at the best of times and it is often this critical aspect where a lot of shorts come up short. In the case of A Change in Time’s time hopping story that requires locations in different periods of time, past, present and future they don’t disappoint, and in fact excel. The impeccable attention to detail with regards the locations really help sell the story.
Additionally, each time period is given it’s own visual look beyond that of the aesthetic of the era. The cinematography from Will J Carman and grade from Ollie Tristram for each period is appropriately different and instantly helps us acclimatise to the change in time! The precise use of colour and the costume design are fantastic, cleverly devised aspects that subtly help cement the time jumping journey in it’s own reality, and a great score from Javier Blanco-Lago rounds off this great little short film.
A Change in Time is a meticulously designed and executed sci-fi adventure short film with a clever script, very strong direction, a fine attention to detail and some fun performances.
9/10
A Change In Time was nominated for Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Best Writer at our 2022 film festival.
Reviewed by Philip Pugh
