Plot Feedback

After deciding what our final story would be and exactly how the film will represent social realism, i shared the idea with a few people to see what they thought..

Imogen Joyce (Student at the college)-
'I think it will work really well because it is unpredictable and will really get the audience involved, they will also be able to relate to the story themselves'

Ami Hewitt (Media Student)-
'I really like the idea of using the same scenes for the young and older characters, the dissolve shot from one character to another sounds like it will be really effective, can't wait to see it!'

Both these students were selected because they represent the target audience as they are young and female, so their feedback was helpful in creating a good film.

Pre Production Planning Feedback

Sound

-As our film is social realism, our use of sound is fairly naturalistic in order to create a more life like effect, using mainly diegetic sound.

-We will be using one or two songs which relate to the story, for example one of the characters sends the other a song which will be played diegetically. Although for this music we will be getting a friend to re record the version so we do not break any copyright rules.

- So far we have a few options of songs to use for the film in which we feel will be appropriate, however we may decide to make a final decision when the film has been made in case it does not 'look right'. Personal opinion may be a factor that we should consider in deciding.

- The rest of the sound will also be diegetic and mainly ambient, for example cars going past and keyboard typing. This will maintain the sense of realism that we wish to create.

- We may have to record some of the sounds on a microphone so that they are more clear and noticeable to the viewer.This will only be used a few times though only where neccessary.

Story

Below are a set of bullet points outlining the plot for our film:

• Two children meet when they are very young and fall in love. Although they try to make a relationship, there age seems to show as neither one wants to tell the other how they feel.
• Eventually they drift apart and lose contact.
• After being apart for five years, they see each other again and the boy tries to re-kindle there relationship. However, the girl is now in a relationship which shows no signs of ending anytime soon.
• The boy still tries to meet her and talk about there feelings and pick things up from where they left off. They arrange to meet somewhere alone. However, as the girl goes to leave to meet the boy, her boyfriend arrives unannounced and tells her that he is going to cook her dinner. She eventually stays and dosent tell the boy that she isnt coming.
• Once the boy gets home, feeling horrible for being stood up by her, he logs onto his computer. The girl sends him an E-mail saying 'Sorry'. He then closes his computer and never speaks to her again.

Promotion and marketing

“If you want to be discovered, you have to be somewhere people can find you.”

Through analysing films and searching online I discovered there are many ways in which you can promote your short film.
• Film Festivals (examples: Edinburgh, Bristol, Yorkshire, London)
• Through the Internet - Short film sites (examples: UNDERGROUNDFILM.COM, IFILM.COM, ATOMFILMS.COM, BROWNFISH.COM and many more),
• make your own website/blog - message boards, traditional message boards, and Internet movie news sites

• Through printed media
• social networks and forums (e.g. facebook)


This two part video from Youtube is very useful as it details the ways in which you can market and advertise your film, does and don’ts and some helpful tips.


Beyond The Finishing Post - Marketing Your Short Film (part 1)


Beyond The Finishing Post - Marketing Your Short Film (part 2)

Some of the advice given about producing, promoting and marketing your short film that I thought would be useful included:
• Film festival’s are the best way to be noticed – as they’re always scouting and searching for talent
• Get feedback from the audience to make it as good as possible
• Cast your net wide – think about taking it abroad (America, Italy) as it will be a fresh, foreign feel to it
• Be organised, discipline yourself and accept rejection
• Go to festivals for inspiration, to make it unique
• Networking – get as many contacts as possible, might come in useful in future
• Create Posters, postcards – with taglines etc.

Some examples of useful websites into finding good festivals, inspiration and contacts which the YouTube clip mentioned are:
http://www.shortfilmcentral.com/
https://withoutabox.com/

Research-Nicole Laurie

Through searching around for useful ideas, tips and guidelines on making a short film, I came across this you tube clip with Mark Demode from ’The BBC’s Culture Show’ offering a few helping suggestions into how to make a successful short film, some of which were useful.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=750ywyKLCs8)


Speaking from Brief Encounters - Bristol’s 11th annual international short film festival, Mark Demode says how famous film makers such as Riddley Scott (Alien 1979, Gladiator 2000, American Gangster 2007), David Lynch (The Elephant Man 1980), and Martin Scorsese (Gangs of New York 2002, The Departed 2006)all began by making their mark with short films through ‘begging for favours, borrowing equipment and stealing locations’.

Some of the good advice used in this you tube clip included “Quirky is good”; let it either be smart, funny or unexpected - or all of them. It also says “You watch with your ears”, basically saying you have to make sure the music and sound is perfect, as it you can’t have a film without perfect sound, otherwise it’s ruined instantly. Furthermore, it goes on to say that originality is good, but also technical skills are too - be ambitious. All these we intend to do in our short film.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj9yvVDwhX0


Another little clip found through you tube was from BBC 2’s “British Films Forever” (above), where a range of directors, actors, celebrities talk specifically about social realism films how they changed and evolved the film industry and how it affected them personally. Some of the films mentioned include Trainspotting, Clockwork Orange, Secrets and Lies, Know by Mouth, Billy Elliot etc; all of which I think our group should take a look at and gain some ideas from.

Research- Dani Ruse

Lovefield- Mathieu Ratthe
-This short film has thriller/drama/horror style to create a story that takes the audience on a roller coaster ride of emotions. For most of the film, the viewer would assume that it is a horror, due to the tense music and rural setting. However the ending shocks and suprises the reader in a different twist.

-The setting is a large corn field, which has no surroundings, already giving the reader a sense of danger. There is a crow that is heard through most of the film, giving conotations of horror, the bird is the only thing that is witness to what is going on, but is obviously helpless.

-The themes and issues at first appear as a murderer who has injured/killed his victim, however it is revealed that it really is a woman who has given birth with the help of the man (previously considered a murderer).

-The male character looks rugged and ungroomed, he is wearing a cap and dungerees to fit the appearence of a criminal. We only see the female character at the end with her baby, so that her situation is not revealed to the end.

-The facial expressions of the male character appear stern and serious, he glimpses over the car bonnet as if he has heard something suspicious. He runs to the car in a panic, suggesting he is in a rush and needs to get to something immieditley.

-The film uses the genre/style uniquely because it combines a number of them together, cleverly fooling the viewer into believing that a murder or some form of attack had taken place.

-The change in tone is the thing i find most inspiring, it is successful because it ends positivley and unexpectedly which is highly entertaining to the viewer. It is almost humorous and has been carefully edited not to reveal the real issue until the end.

-In this circumstance, the films short format works well because the theme doesn't require a long build up and theme would not be successful within a full length film.

-The use of sound is interesting because right from the start the soundtrack is tense accompanied by the diegetic sound of the wind. Other sounds such as a creaking sign and a crow contribute to the un nervy atmosphere. There is no diagloue, however we hear the sound of a woman in distress, therefore make assumptions that she is in trouble.

-However, when we discover that the female has given birth, rather than been attacked, the soundtrack is a complete contrast and changes to a light, happy tone, parallel to the new information.

-Due to the use of sound and editing, the viewer at first assumes that the film is that of a horror, however it is eventually revealed that it is in fact the opposite. We feel a sense of relief for the female charatcer, for the is not a victim as previously thought.

Pictures used for location survey- Ben Brown

Research Task 4 - Ben Brown

'Eight'

1.

- Social realism

- based around eight year old liver pool fan

- used natural light most of the time (outside)

- About a kid that goes around pretending that his dad was all of these wonderful things but you find out near the end he was passed away through spectating football, which is why his mum didn't like him playing it

- The film portrays events that can effect a lot of people

2.

- Voice over with music, violins quite depressing

- Like the voice is talking to the audience about his dad dying

- starts of with quite a happy voice over, stating all the possibilities of what his dad was and what his career may have been if he was still around. It makes you wonder who his dad is and where he is, slowly he reveals that his dad was killed and starts talking in the past about his dad rather than the present.

- leaves you wondering throughout the whole film to where his dad is and the link to football, keeps you want to keep watching and find out and you always asking yourself questions until he tells you


3.

- The short narrative does not give you enough time to work out for yourself where his dad has gone. It has time to keep you in the dark about it until the very end (restricted narration)

- The film slowly introduces the mother that does not want her son to play football, but he doesn't understand the link between the death of his father and playing football so he carries on himself

- it ends with you finding out how his father dies but he does not fully understand what happened. This may be the case of a lot of children that one of their parents may have died and they do not fully understand, so people may be able to sympathise and relate with what is happening in the film

- I was inspired by the fact of the deep impact the film had on me when you finally find out what has happened to his father, i hope that my film could have the same effect on people


4.

- Non diegetic, piano sad lonely music

- diegetic, happy tones in his voice even when things are meant to be sad, like he doesn't quite understand is going on.


5.

- Little boy is lonely

- trying to follow his dad in being interested in football

-women not liking football, men liking football even though its dangerous, shows she cares

- Working class family

- voice over, talking to the audience makes you feel like he is talking to you and you can empathise with him.


Ben Brown

Research Task 3 - Ben Brown

'Joy Ride'

1.

- Thriller

- Cigarettes, rain, darkness denotes danger

- Antagonists in normal clothes

- Protagonist is in police jackets, helps you recognise who the good and bad people are

- There is a lot of light used from sources in the film, rather than unnatural light they use street lamps, car lights and the sparks of electricity.

- when the man is lying in the middle of the road he is wearing black, which can also show danger, whilst the protagonist was wearing white which is the complete contrast the guys in black which can show the differences between them.


2

- when the drill was forced through the boot and nearly hitting him in the eye, the blood that falls through, followed by an extreme close up of his reactions, was very interesting. How you never see any of the fighting but you always hear it and is left to the imagination of audience which may be better than physically showing the fighting was a very clever convention used which could become useful in my production as it is simple but very effective with the use of sound effects.

- Also there a lot of point of view shot s when he is in the boot, so we can put ourselves into his possition, therefore sympathise with the position he is in.



3.

- this film is quite short, because of that is has less time to explain through the film what is going on so enigma play a large part.

- At the beginning it introduces you to what he does for a living and what he’s like, you find out he’s lazy and can't be bothered to finish his work off.

- The confrontation is what follows the beginning, this is where all the action happens in most films. this is when the protagonist meets the antagonist and where he is trying to find a way out.

- it ends with him ending up at his place of work where he began, the twist is that the work that he was too lazy to finish was the thing that eventually killed him

- This is an inspiring twist and i hope i can also find a twist to use in my own production



4.

- Piano used to create tension (non-diegetic)


- drums indicate different moods and situations, when he is trying to escape from the boot of the car the drums start which build up suspense, like you are waiting for something to happen


- also a lot of the fighting sound effects (diegetic) you cannot see the fighting so they use sound for you to imagine the fight instead, this can be very effective



5.

- The themes and issues of this short film where murder and kidnapping


- The antagonists where males so there is a slight stereotype because there was a woman police officer and the males ended up killing her, which can be used to represent the power of the gender

- The protagonist is a working class male that most people may be able to relate to, wanting to finish their job early and go home, but in the end that electric wire he did not fix was what cause his death
- the police officers at the end were unsympathetic and useless, they did not help any of the situations they were in and the audienence may be able to relate to some police problems they may of had about police not being helpful in some situations


Ben Brown

Research Task 2 - Ben Brown

'Wasp'

1.

- Social realist genre

- Working class

- set in a little flat in London

- The costumes of the characters wore present their characters well. The mother in the first scene comes out in her night wear charging down the street to assault someone, the kids wear what seems to be handed down clothes, the baby without a nappy and the guy (Dave) wears cheap tracksuits representing that he is working class.

- inside the flat you see empty bottles, packets of crisps and general rubbish on the floor, this portrays what their life is really like at home, and the fact the kids where sharing sugar out for dinner showed that they poor. This makes the audience show empathy for the characters.

- Camera work sometimes almost seems as they are being watched, like a point of view shot. Which makes it more realistic interpretation of real life.

- was not unrealistic which is what is need for a social realist film.


2.

- When the kids are waiting for their mother outside the pub, it’s like they are being watched and you are always waiting for something bad to happen. Which all leads up to the wasp going into the baby’s mouth at the end.

- Extreme close ups on the expressions on the children’s faces when they are watching their mother talking to Dave in the car. It shows you that they are confused about what is going on and that it’s not something that happens usually.

- it's interesting how they showed that the oldest child was the one that looked out for the children the most, showed her finding them food and talking to the mother for them.


3.

-The advantages for the short narrative format is that you can sum a few events that happen in a film in a shorter period of time, without the audience getting bored of confused.

- The short narrative worked well for this film, it showed the relationships between the mother and her children, and she cared about them enough to attack another parent on their behalf. But still decided to put Dave first, which is shown when she goes to the pub and leaves them outside and buys him a pint rather than her children chips. Later you quickly have your first opinion of her back when she hears her children screaming and decides that they are more important to her than Dave is. Throughout you get the impression that Dave is insensitive but the ending shows you he is a caring man.

- Ends with an establishing shot at the end rather than the beginning.

4.

- consisted no no non-diegetic sounds, like most social realism films. makes it seem more realistic because there no sound track to real life

- There was a lot of use of diegetic sounds in the production, like when the children are playing by the park you can hear screaming and children’s voices in the background. This makes the film very realistic.

- also the use of sound effects where very effective like when they were in the pub, the sounds of the men playing the games of pool and the background music from the stereo, it’s hard to notice but wouldn't seem realistic without them. It gives it atmosphere.


5.

- A woman that care about her children but meets a man and decided to put someone else in front of her children and go out for once.

-This film represents a working class family, people in the audience may be able to sympathise with the characters.

- Sympathy for the children. Show what life can be like for some of the less fortunate children, who have done nothing to deserve it.

-few stereotypes, Dave asked the mum to get the drink in 'modern bird'



Ben Brown

Research Task 1 - Ben Brown

'Conversation Piece'

1.


- social realist genre

- The music made it more of a comedy/drama

- uses a lot of close ups and extreme close ups on facial expressions so the audience can understand what more is going on because there is no dialogue.

- also 'conversation piece' used a shallow depth of field, this shows the audience what the main focus of the shot is, helping to outline the important factors of the shot.

- There are two characters in this short film, the man being portrayed as a lazy man (husband) they show you this through his costume (A dressing gown) and through his actions involving taking a piece of toast out of his pocket. Along with his facial expressions which are shown with in the extreme close up you can tell he has a very laid back attitude on life.

- The wife was first shown in the kitchen cooking which gives a very stereotypical female representation of her, whilst the man sits back and relaxes. When she saw that the vase was broken you could tell she was upset, represented by the high pitched diegetic music that was used. she was seen as very caring and sensitive and ended up getting upset and crying about the vase breaking and the fact the husband not paying her much attention.



2.

-'Conversation Piece' begins with the husband putting on a vinyl record.

- They use the music from the vinyl record to portray their moods and their conversation (diegetic sound)

- this is done very well it turns what would be a drama into a comedy with the music. even you can tell they are both being serious about the incident the music bring a sense of humour to the short film.

- you do no see this type of film very often, so it was inspiring to see new ways that people try to portray people emotions and feelings.

3.

If the film when on any longer the audience may get confused of what is is going on and even get annoying. You can roughly understand what the situation consists of and the music works well to portray their moods in that time and worked well in a short film.

-the film has a state of equilibrium (beginning) which quickly introduces you to the characters and their characteristics which is what all films need at the begging so the audience have a chance to relate to the characters in the film.

- then goes onto the problem and what they should do about the problem and maybe try and find some solutions this is the main focus of the film. It was made to seem like just an average day apart from the broken vase which upset things between the couple a little.

- Reinstatement to the equilibrium, when he fixes the vase at the end. Throughout the short film he reassures her that he did not break the vase and he had never seen it, but to make it comical as soon as she left he fixed it with some super glue.

- i liked the way that without the dialogue the conversations they were having where left to your own imagination, which can sometime make the production even better because the audience will all view the production in their own way.




4.

- They used the use diegetic sound very well in the film.

- it was shown as if the music was playing in the background in the film (on the vinal player), but it was also used to talk for the characters, and it changed with the differernt moods they where portraying.

- normally films use non diegetic sound to portray the mood in the film, but 'Conversation Piece' was very clever and used the sound not just as a way to show the moods but it was used instead dialogue as well, like the song was showing their emotions and even words. Also with deep music for the man and high pitched music for the woman, this in its own way is a stereotypical way in which to show the male and the female apart.

5.

- A middle class, old couple are shown in this short film.

- it shows what seems to be the day to day running of this couple but an everyday incident like breaking a vase is cause and causes trouble between the two of them.

- it seems to be quite stereotypical because the man is sitting down eating, whilst the woman is in the kitchen, and getting worried about her vase being broken.

- the audience may be able to relate to the characters because it may be a common occurrence in some peoples everyday lives, by the end you feel a little bit of sympathy for the woman becuase she tries and break out in tears. But in the last scene you see her playing the same record that has been playing throughout the film, smiling to herself. This can lead the audience to believe she is up to something.



Ben Brown

What i learnt from my Foundation Portfolio - Ben Brown

- working in a team, it is hard to keep organised so that that everybody has different jobs to do within the task and so it that all the work it productive rather than it not being needed. There were also disputes between some of the members in our group between ideas and editing techniques so that we didn't get things done as fast as we should have and ended up rushing our finished product. I am going to choose my group carefully this year to make sure this will not be a problem.

- the organisations on the shots we were going to shoot (story board) was not very clear so we struggled in trying to imagine what our short film was really about and what we were trying to put across to the audience. In my next productions i am going to make the story board as detailed as possible so that every shot and even every idea that i have is shown on a page so that we can piece it all together and have a picture of what the films going to look like him my head before we even start.

- filming in an external environment was tricky because you could never tell if the weather you had used on one day in your film would be the same the next time you want to film outside, if the weather changes even slightly it can affect the 'continuity editing' of the film and not make it very realistic. Next time we need to plan when we are filming in an external environment so that we know to do it all at the same time make the continuity as smooth as possible.

- filming in public places proved to be hard, it had to be filmed in sections so the scenery in the background did not get in the way, like an old man walking past the camera.


Ben Brown

actors

For our social realism production, we need two younger actors, one male and one female, around the age of thirteen/fourteen to play the girl and boy who are fond of each other. Our group discussed holding auditions for the part, but realised this is not only time consuming, it would be difficult to find young teenagers easily and willing to play the part and in addition we would have to seek permission off their parents which may be a lot of hassle and unreliable in terms of time restrictions. Luckily, Ben and I both have younger siblings both willing to participate in the film. Through deciding this we also came up with a great idea to do within our film, which is to use both me and Ben as actors, playing older versions of our siblings. The advantages of this is that it will be a lot easier to get permission, we have a lot more control over when and where we can do our filming, and both our siblings look like us, so will be a lot more realistic, adding to the effects of social realism. We are putting a letter explaining to both our parents what’s happening and for them to sign so we have consent, as they are both under the age of 16.

Planning

-After much discussion, my group and i have decided to create a social realism film because we feel that it is a step up from last years thriller. As we have done a lot of social realism analyis this year, it shouldn't be too hard for us to relate to the theme.

-So far we have come up with a plot that involves young romance which is seen years later, still at the same stage. We have decided to act in it ourselves as we think it will save time, with the help of two our groups younger siblings who will play the parts of them 5 years earlier.

-Next we will draw up a storyboard to plan the film and how each shot will take place.

Celebrities on Social Realism

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj9yvVDwhX0

This Youtube clip shows certain celebrities and their view of social realism films/dramas, it was useful in planning for my own.

Nicole - Research Task

Mixed Tape, Luke Snellin 2009.


‘Mixed Tape’, written and directed by Luke Snellin, is a short film adapted into the genre of social realism, and is evolved around the connection between a neighbouring girl and boy. It is clear the genre is social realism due to some of the conventions used which creates the ‘illusion of reality‘, such as the realistic settings - a neighbouring house/flat in a urbanised area/children’s bedrooms, unobtrusive mise en scene and camerawork and use of naturalistic lighting and digetic/non digetic sound. The main character is a young boy in his early teens, and alongside there are only two other small part characters - the girl and her mother - so overall the characterisation is minimal.

This short film uses the style conventions of social realism in a number of unique ways. The mixed tape he gives to the girl seems to be an important symbolism for his affection, and is shown to be significant through the obvious
fact that it is the title, and the opening shot of a running mixed tape.
Another unique element to this short film is how little dialogue is used and how they use the music, body language and expressions to represent the characters actions, feelings and personality instead. A few ways of how they do this so well is through the slow motion and loud non digetic music during the ‘daunting walk’ to the house. This shot shows and emphasises his nervous expression well, but also portrays a quiet confidence through the overwhelming music playing. Another distinctive aspect of the film used to create uniqueness is both the long shot used to establish the neighbouring characters as he walks to her house and the end shot of their adjacent rooms with the wall division, with both the children parallel to each other and showing both their emotions and contentment. All these unique components have been very inspiring and will be hopefully somehow incorporated into our short film.

The film uses the short film format very well, as it uses a very basic scenario with no particularly amazing storyline, but manages to use a range of techniques to make it interesting and worth watching. It doesn’t leave much for the audience to guess, as it establishes factors such as characters personas quite directly, for example it is obvious that the girl’s mum is the girl’s mother, just through her very ‘mumsy’ stereotypical role, clothing and polite manners.
The use of sound in this short film may be one of the most important elements which makes the film, as the story is pretty much told through the music. The switching between the music being non digetic and digetic seem to divide fantasy from reality. For example, the change from the non digetic loud music played during the walk up to the house as he dreams about the girl, to the sudden switch as they dance to the same music but shown as digetic in their adjacent bedrooms. Furthermore, the lyrics of the music seem to transfer messages to each other, almost like a replacement for dialogue.

The theme of the film is realistic - young love. Although realistic, you could argue it is not such a common occurrence in the modern world, as it uses the old school innocent exchange of a mixed tape. Therefore it may be going against the stereotyped norms of what happens between relationships in today’s society. Furthermore, young teenagers are known to have bad reputations and negative stereotypical traits, but in this film it breaks this representation and focuses on the positive and innocent factors of childhood. It is a situation the audience can easily relate and empathise with, and manages to position the audience into taking a positive and appealing view towards the children through the innocent and naive portrayal of them both in both entertaining and ‘cute’ ways. Therefore creating a interesting and high-quality short film.


Research Task;




I found a very interesting short film through searching around on Youtube, that I thought was very cleverly crafted with a unique storyline. Directed by Mathieu Katthe, ‘Lovefield’ is a thought to be horror film but with a twisted ending. The basic storyline involves the audience believing that the man has murdered a woman in a middle of a wheat field in a remote area, and how he reacts and runs to his car to retrieve a bag/blanket, as if to bury her, when in fact she has actually just given birth to a child.
Many conventions of a horror are involved and the related atmosphere is created in a number of ways. In the beginning, through the subtle but important, usually singular non digetic music notes and the added digetic sound of the wisps of wind create the basis of the horror atmosphere ambience. Low key lighting is used, emphasising the overcast bleak climate. The emblematic components of the settings, such as the location of a field, which is a common location associated with murders/horrors, gives the audience a sense of what genre the film is also. Symbolism is used, as a black crow appears throughout the film repeatedly – usually as close ups - and seems to symbolise death/negative activity. There is a mid shot at a slight high angle of the long stretch of road, with the sign swinging back and forth. This shot is very typical of a horror film and has occurred in some before; it stresses how deserted the area is and the lack of civilisation/activity. There is a slow build up of montages of the same wheat field location, which if you analysis carefully you see the camera is gradually tilting down to ground level.
Representations of characters are a key element to this film. The male character, first thought to be an antagonist, has many features to suggest he is a bad person. Such as his big build, skull tattoo, dark eyes and guilty expressions. You would be confused and surprised to see either - for example - a little boy or a teenaged girl stand up from the incident instead of this man.
This short film highlights just how much importance and significance all the elements of film have in how the audience perceives the situation and relations to characters etc. It can distort the wrong impression and the real meaning into what’s occurring in a clever and unique way. An example of how this film altered the perception of the situation is through the low key lighting, eerie music and the way the camera moved at a ground level showing the objects (dead phone, crushed wheat, blooded material, fallen handbag etc) and finally the struggling dirty/injured foot, and the sudden placement of the blooded knife in the ground. An example some of the ways elements of film contributed to the distortion of the judgement of character is the shadows and lighting cast upon the man’s face which portrayed an evil and angry expression, and furthermore the way the camera tilted up slowly showing his whole body posture and language, highlighting his status and actions. The sudden turn around of both lighting (turned into natural light to show good weather), music (transformed into most uplifting music) and mise en scene at the end scene twisted the story to show a positive and happy occasion of his wife giving birth, allowing the audience to understand he is actually a protagonist and his actions were in fact, caring and constructive.
I really liked the way this film constructed there storyline and unique twist and if our group decide to create a horror, this would be very good inspiration to create something with a similar effective ending, and would give us a range of ideas in order to craft many techniques to establish the correct specific atmosphere and genre.



Saltmark, Robin Haig.

‘Saltmark’ is a social realist drama created by Robin Haig focusing on love, courage and growing up. The film reveals the connection between a old fragile man and his teenaged granddaughter, which he seems to be dependent on.

The narrative has little dialogue throughout, and seems to be told more through their body language, face expressions and reactions to situations.

The title ‘Saltmark’ doesn’t give much away, and it isn’t until a minute into the film that a second character is established. Through the first minute you are introduced to the teenaged girl as she enters her Grandfather’s house. Clue’s are given to suggest either an elderly and unwell person lives there, through the shots of her handling pills, medication and swinging around in a wheelchair. You already get a feel for her feelings and mood towards being their through her facial expressions in a couple of shots. For example the close up her entering the house, with a worried look and head positioning to suggest she’s checking to make sure nobody sees her enter, perhaps indicating embarrassment of being there? Again another example is when the camera follows her movement when she swings around in the chair, with her head upwards, with a blank but slight unhappy expression.


In the scene when they are both in the living room drinking their tea, aspects of their relationship is established. The grandfather asking “How you getting on at your school?” is a thought to be stereotypical question a relative would ask. The girl may be seen as a stereotypical teenager with her reaction being to getting fish and chips a negative one, as it is apparently “so unhealthy and fattening”. This also enhances the growing up representation of the film, as the grandfather confirms that she used to love getting fish and chips when younger. The girl seems to have quite a frustrated hostility towards him, as there seems to be a tense ambience between them. Again, the fact that he is weak and reliant is established through the long shot of the room, showing his wheelchair and other supports surrounding him. Furthermore, through him not being able to hear properly as the girl is having to repeat what she says.

Another main scene which shows her anger and reluctance to help is when he is needing help to empty his urine bottle. Close up’s of her negative and hateful face expression is regularly shown and although the grandfather apologises many times, you can still sympathise with the situation she’s in, but at the same time feel very sorry for the disabled grandfather. As she pours away her coke, it may be interpreted as a symbol of her pouring away her dignity.

The long shot showing the three teenaged female characters in the background show all of the characters reactions to the circumstances. As the three girls laugh, stare and film her you see the girl’s reaction and sense a build up of frustration, up to the point where she blows and throws the bottle at them and screams abuse at them.

It is established as a social realism film as it uses only naturalistic lighting, simple shots and angles (mainly medium close ups and long shots) and only digetic sounds, such as the sea waves, seagulls, hearing aid etc. The locations are also very basic and familiar places such as the sea coast and railway line.

Throughout the whole short film, you sense a lot of feelings of resentment coming from the girl towards her grandfather, for being so helpless and dependent on her. It positions the audience to feel a range of views towards the female character, from feeling dislike towards her with the way she treats her grandfather, to feeling sorry for her and the situation, to feeling proud of her standing up for herself. The normal stereotypes and views on teenagers are negative, but this film brings out the positives and innocence of many, showing that many do actually care. The audience are seemed to be positioned to like and sympathise with the grandfather through the whole film, which is a common association with elderly people.

The film shows their close relationship separate but then be drawn back together again in subtle ways, such as the way they are first on the bench at either side (emphasises by a behind long shot of the distance between them) and then when she returns from calming down she sits a lot closer to him. The way in which they don’t discuss what just happened and carry on like before show they have a special enough bond to understand each others feelings and can move on. The last few seconds of the film, where the grandfather exclaims “You know, they never put enough salt on”, and then the close up of her face smiling, has a underlying meaning and marks the beginning of their better caring connection; it also brings everything together and shows the relevancy of the title “Saltmark”.



Through analysing this short film there are many things I think our group can use and expand on into our short production. Such as again, like the short film “Mixed Tape”, not use a lot of dialogue. But this time not use music to establish emotions, but use body language and close ups of expressions and long shots to express atmospheres. I also liked the way in which they used the symbolism of the coke bottle. Furthermore, I like the way this film has used a ambiguous title, which is later recognized to fit with the film at the end.



School of Life;



School of life, directed and produced by Jake Polonsky, is a drama based short film, with not so much a twisted ending, but a hidden message, about life. Drama film’s enclose a lot of elements found in social realism films, which is evidential in this short film.

Features included which are linked to social realist films is the common location - a school, common stereotypes - a calm natural teacher and a ruthless bully and common situations that the audience may be able to relate to, such as being bullied and peer pressure.


Research task;
A feature not so common in social realism films but is apparent in this drama, is their range of shots, angles and camera positioning/movement, for example the beginning sequence with the low but paced dolly along the school playground. The settings are established immediately as you hear the stereotypical sound of screaming/playing/talking school children - which is often associated with schools. Furthermore, it is obvious it is a school through the mise en scene, of the children’s costumes, the settings and even the facial expressions/body language.

This short film is interesting, as it seems to use a lot of fade outs to cut to different scenes and establish a time shift. The lighting isn’t very realistic and seems quite low key, almost looking like the lighting ’sepia’ in some scenes (such as the outside scene when the bell rings to go inside) perhaps to play upon the unenthusiastic and bleak atmosphere of the film.

The film also plays with irony in many subtle ways, for example, when the schoolboy who’s trying to be persuaded to bunk off refuses and says “it might be an important class” and “we might actually learn something”, is ironic as the lesson is about “the most important lesson of your life”. But the most ironic thing is the ending, in which it allows the audience to relate to and interpret for themselves, depending on their outlooks on life.

The film uses the short film format as each scene is rather short and quirky, with no real explanation to it.

Stereotypes are emphasised a lot. The bully “Garth”, is a representation of the thought to be ‘look’ bullies portray. Big built, poor language/vocabulary, drowsy body posture with a lazy walk, and the actions of a bully - hitting other children and being cruel and selfish. His actions are very emphasised, such as the close up of him stabbing the compass into the desk and the close up of him drawing his ‘line of territory’, to show how much influence and power he has over others, because if that was done using a long shot at a high angle, it wouldn’t of looked as controlling and severe. This could be a technique we could incorporate into our short film, using close ups of certain actions to emphasise there purpose and authority/dominance. Furthermore, another subtle way in which they have established stereotypes (intentionally or not) is I noticed the bully has dark clothing on whereas the innocent boy has a pure white shirt on, possibly to verify protagonists and antagonists, which also occurs in the short film ‘Joyride’.


A technique I noticed that they tend to use also to increase the time for something to happen (in this case, the teacher give the main male school boy character the ‘book of life’) is use a range of shots in sequence to show every angle and position of the room. They used a lot of long shots of the room and then a couple of slow pans of the teacher giving out the handouts.

The main music sequence occurs when the school boy runs out of the classroom. This builds up as his emotions and actions build up as he increases from a walk to a run and a slow evaluation of the situation to a outburst of panic. Throughout this scene of running through the school, I noticed the corridors and rooms seem to get darker and darker, possibly to emphasise his realisation of the situation.

The final scene shows him knocking at the staff room door, the music comes to an end and the female teacher approaches him, you see all this from a medium shot at eye level, as if you’re standing right next to them. Her final sentence “That Stanley … that is life” - is the most significant occurrence in the film, as it links the whole purpose of the film - maybe which is not too clear - all together and leaves the audience to think and wonder about what it all meant. We could maybe do something similar within our film, through having a hidden meaning.

Nicole - Research Task

Research Tasks;

Joyride Gillespie 1995

Joyride is a clear thriller based short film about a male electrician who is tricked and then held hostage by two male characters. The film shows this man’s battle against time and struggle for survival through a constant action filled tense encounter which keeps the audience in suspense and on edge right through until the end. The film uses lots of typical thriller conventions throughout, as from the establishing shot you can clearly already see it is set at night time in the middle of a secluded wooded area. As a result of the night time settings, It also uses very low key lighting. Furthermore, it uses pathetic fallacy to emphasise the anxious deserted atmosphere. This is also shown through the long shot of his car in the middle of the empty road. It uses iconography, with the sparks being a constant icon of danger and being a significant factor in the film. There are many conventions of characterisation through opposing contrasting elements between the characters, for example it is shown that the electrician man is the protagonist, as he is wearing a white shirt and the two other men are the antagonists as they are both in black. The music at the very beginning of the film set the mood with a unnerving yet subtle tone, setting the audience up and allowing them to anticipate the thriller action that’s about to occur.

This short film is extremely unique in how it constructs its storyline, as it is all based around irony. It goes in a huge circle, as he starts in the same place and ends in the same place, also shown through the same music being started at the identical scenes and the same two shots being used - birds and worms eye view of him looking at the electricity pole. As a result of being lazy/time constricted and not getting the job of fixing the electricity post done, it resulted in him being burnt to death, therefore maybe portraying unlucky karma. Many lines are used to reinforce this irony, such as the policeman at the end saying “You won’t be wanting that cigarette I was about to offer you then” after realising he was covered in petrol. Furthermore, when the police car was chasing the two antagonists, the passenger male says to the driver “I hope you have your license on you”, as if this is the biggest worry on their hands. If our group were to do a thriller, I hope we can somehow use a ironic twist, as I think this is a really clever and unique idea. Another thing this thriller seems to frequently do, is use numerous amounts of close up shots throughout, as these intensify and focus in more on the little details of actions. Especially throughout the scenes when he is in the boot of the car, focusing a lot of his hand movements and actions and also his facial expressions/reactions.
Through using this short film format, the characters are developed enough for the audience to realise their roles and whether we should sympathise or dislike them. With so much action and events happening constantly throughout the film, I could imagine this being made into a full length feature quite easily. But with the continuous quick shots from all ranges of perspectives it seems a lot longer than it actually is. Again, if our group do create a thriller, a lot of inspiration from the quick montages of close up action could be used.

On a small budget, this film made very good use of its sound and music. There is always some form of music or sound, either loud or quiet, throughout the whole film. The non digetic music used is connected well to the thriller, as it frequently connects a action, expression or movement with a note or pitch within the music. For example, when the protagonist is hit with the axe, a long deep dark note is played.
As mentioned before, the film is all linked to being a ironic situation. The film allows the audience to easily connect with the characters, especially the protagonist. Although you feel sympathetic towards him and his awful situation, at the same time you feel a sense of wanting to say to him “well you shouldn’t of been so stupid and cocky in the first place“. Furthermore, although a very remorseful end, you can’t help but feel a sense of hilarity at the outcome.

Nicole - Lesson's learnt.

Lessons learnt from the Foundation Portfolio;


• Organisation is a key factor in the creation of a production.
Our group didn’t anticipate some of the accidents that occurred throughout our production due to a lack of organisation and not setting a logical timescale to complete everything in. We’ve learnt to check all the equipment before the filming day, as one of our lights ran out of battery whilst filming outside, and as a consequent we couldn’t film the outside sequences and had to organise another day to shoot. This produced another problem, because the mise en scene (e.g. settings – positioning of furniture, costumes – Keira’s hair and makeup) had to be exactly the same as the first filming day so continuity is constant and sustained; this was proven difficult, but luckily possible.

• Film a wide variety of shots and as many as possible.
Another reason we had to schedule another day to film was due to the lack of shots we produced for each scene. We either didn’t do enough varied angles of the same shot or redo shots of the same positions so sometimes we didn’t like the only one produced or something wasn’t right – for example in one of the shots we accidently didn’t see the headlight in the background shown through a hidden mirror. Furthermore, we learnt to experiment well with the camera and be creative, because on many occasions we changed and tweaked little aspects of a shot, which unintentionally made it more interesting and unique.


• When filming at night time, lighting becomes a lot more complex.
Due to filming our thriller in night time settings, we restricted what we could achieve through the lighting and it becomes a lot more difficult. You have to make sure the action is in focus and visible, yet realistic and using techniques which are accurate in relation to the genre.



• Be careful when choosing music.
The music could have been seen as a bit of trouble during our production, as we only used one long piece of music which although gained many positive comments such as it kept the fast pace action going, it may have seemed a little repetitive. It was very hard to fit into the sequence so it was logical and in connection with the piece. Some of the tones and pitches of the music didn’t fit in well enough with the action and atmosphere created within the film. Therefore we changed these, but this then altered the music by having uncalled for sudden stops and blips which were hard to sort out as it was so specific and had to be so précised. It was also hard to fit in voice over’s and extra digetic sounds as it wouldn’t correspond to the piece properly.


• Don’t overcomplicate everything.
This was probably the main lesson learnt through doing our thriller. All members of the group were very creative and although this is a positive factor in many respects, it did also craft a set of concerns as we definitely overcomplicated the ideas and production in many ways. I’ve learnt you can easily be misled as you think you are improving, when in fact you are loosing the plot line and the original quality.

Sound

Our film is going to use natural sounds which will most likely be recorded at the source. We will do this because films that belong to the social realism genre dont use farfeched sound FX. We want our piece to look and feel like the audience is standing with the characters watching, as opposed to sitting stairing at a screen. Through our reasearch we have discoverd that these films use very subtle sounds such as the distant tweeting of birds or a police siren going off in the distance to set the mood of the film and emphaise the location they are in. With the soundtrack layed over the film, it is generaly a soft melodic tune usually played on the piano. I think we will adopt this idea, along with others, to not only set the mood for the audience but to also keep the audiences attention throughout the 5 minuites. We will most likely record our soundtrack ourselves, as to not break any copyright laws.

Lighting

The lighting that we are going to use will look very natural. Upon our reasearch into the social realism genre we have discoverd that these films very rarely use artificial lighting at all. If at any point we do decide to use a three point lighting system then we will keep it very low key and try to make it as natural as possible. We are going to carry this idea over to our piece to keep within the conventions of the genre.

Props

As our film is in the social realism genre, we will not be using props that are uncommon for our location and story. For example, if we set our film in a built up poverty stricken estate, we would not have our characters sitting at home playing there playstation on a 60 inch TV. From our intial disscussions regarding our film, I dont not imagine that we will be using to many props. However, the props that we do use will be carefully planned at thought about.

Group Roles

Ben Brown- Lighting/ Camera Operator/ Editor/ Actor

Nicole Laurie- Editor/ Camera Operator/ Director / Actor

Dani Ruse- Lighting/ Camera Operator/ Editor/ Actor

Kris English- Editor/ Camera Operator/ Editor/ Actor

These roles have been allocated upon disscusions within the group, however they can change and be alterd as the production of our film proggresses.

Location

At the moment we have not chossen our final location to film our piece. We have narrowed it down to three very good locations which help to deliver the message of our film.

Initial Group Decisions

During our first few lessons on planning we have come to the decision that we are going to do a short film in the social realism genre. Our first thought was to do a crime thriller, and we had a few good ideas, however they had many problems and at times seemed to be very cheesy. Although we do not have our final idea on what to shoot, we have a few very good ideas which we can adapt and use together to create a very good short film.

Research

Mixed Tape- Luke Snellin
-Mix Tape is a Short Social Realism film written and directed by Luke Snellin. The main character is a young boy, possibly in his early teens and we see a young girl and her mother, so the characterisation is kept to a minimum.

-The themes and issues adressed appears to be young love, which is portrayed in a humours way because the characters seem mature for their age, eg. reading a newspaper. The boys room is adjacent to hers, which is shown through diegetic music from the tape that she is playing that is also heard through his room.

-At the beggining we see a boy who has made a 'mix tape' which generally, is made for a partner or given to someone you are fond of, so theres an immediete indication that there is a girl involved.

-The film uses the social realism style uniquely because it shows the positive elements of the characters childhood, as apposed to many films that focus on the negatives. It is inspiring because it represents the characters feelings towards each other without expressing it verbally.

-The film uses the short film format to purely illustrate the characters feelings and it is successful because it gives as much information as needed, leaving the viewer to finish the film wondering what would happen next. The use of shots and editing, such as slow motion and close ups contribute to the portrayal of the characters feelings, useful to not in planning my own film.

-The sound used in the film is both diegetic and non diegetic, a soundtrack is played parallel to the slow motion shot in order to highlight the atmosphere at the start which then stops as there is dialogue which puts focus on it. The same song is then played again, but this time in a diegetic form which indicates its importance.

-As previously mentioned, the film seems to be about young love, the audience can relate to the characters and their situation, whatever age they may be. The view of the subject matter is contraversial, perhaps people find it cute or slightly humours, however most people are most likely to feel positvely towards it. It almost goes against childhood stereotypes that they would posses such strong feelings at a young age which is why the film works.

Joyride (Gillespie) 1995
-Joyride is a clear thriller as it creates suspense and keeps the viewer on edge throughout the whole film. The setting is outside and at night along the main road beside a woods, an immediete sense of the bewilderness, not many people around. Minimal lighting would have been used in order to see the setting, but maintaining a sense of reality. The costumes used are normal, with the kidnappers in traditional dark clothing and the police officers in uniform as they would be in real life.

-Its themes and issues represent a male character who is held hostage by two other males and the film shows the struggle that takes place. The appropriate props have been used in order to create the right atmoshere that are relevent to the film, such as two cars, an electricity pole and weapons. The characters who kidnap the man portray qualities that fit in with the role correctly which is to clearly seem threatening and dangerous, their facial expressions and body language come across as fierce and serious which gives the viewer an immediete judgement on them.

-The sound used is mostly diegetic, for example the car engine and rain, but a non diegetic soundtrack is used to create suspense throughout most of the film, it changes tone when the main action is over to a more slow, neutral sound. The rain acts as pathetic fallacy, it contributes to the unnervy atmosphere and is typical of thrillers/horrors.

-The film uses genre/style conventions uniquely as a lot of it is shot whilst moving (in a car) which can often be hard in order to keep the camera steady. There are several shots in the boot of the car which is also impressive as it may be diffuclt to film in such a small space. I find it inspiring that the film is highly entertaining, it keeps the viewer on edge as they do not know what is going to happen, the narration is restricted.

-The advantages of the short narrative are that there is little build up, the action takes place straight away and the viewer is engaged throughout. The film itself possess's the qualities that make it a successful thriller such as the setting, sound and characterisation which is inspiring for me in creating my own thriller.

-It seems to follow the typical thriler film conventions and although the victim is saved, we are suprised that the film still ends on a low, the character gets killed through getting set on fire which is perhaps different from other thrillers that often end on a high.

-Although as viewers we are unaware whether the victim is innocent or not, we sympathise with him and almost put ourselves in his position. The film overall is a successful short film thriller and maintains engagement throughout.


Conversation Piece (Stewart) 2009
-The genre of this short film is social realism whilst employing elements of comedy. There is no narrative structure due to the continious sound track so technically we are unaware what the characters are saying, although at times the viewer can guess what is being discussed.

-The setting is simplistic and the characters are dressed in average, slightly old fashioned clothing. We interpret that they are a married couple. The body language and facial expressions of the charcters is important as we cannot hear them speak, so we can attempt to gather what their mood is through their reactions.

-The piece is unique because we cannot hear any dialogue, the soundtrack is both diegetic and non diegetic , it dominates the film which has obviously been done so that the viewer can raise their own questions about it. It is rare to find a film like this because it is hard to create such a film that the audience will still be able to understand without any diagloue.

-The advantages of the short narrative is that it doesn't bore the audience and often leaves them wanting more. In this case, we are totally unaware of what happens before and after the short scene so it is highly contraversial.

-I am inspired by the film because it entertains the viewer without much action taking place, containing slight humour. It proves that their does not need to be much diagloue to be successful and get a point across which is a factor i may want to consider in my own film.

-The film seems to be about a couple (married or not) engaging in coversation. The woman at first confronts him about a broken glass to which he doesnt seem to awknowledge until she leaves the room where he glues the piece back together. Then, it seems as though she is making sexual advances on him, or some form of effection as she lifts up her skirt slightly.

-The social group represented by the film is middle-upper class and this is shown through the costume and decor of the house. However, it is diffcult to stereotype the characters as we cannot be sure as to what they are saying.

Wasp (Andrea Arnold) 2003
-Wasp is a short film (roughly 25 minutes) with the genre of social realism. It is evident of this in the first few minutes due to the setting and characters. The characters are clearly lower class due to their accents and clothing; the setting is also an estate, which is most likely consisting of council houses/flats.


-The film deals with real themes and issues that happen all over which the audience can relate too. The mise en scene is fairly simplistic to maintain the sense of realism, for example the lighting is most likely natural and the props are limited, except from the scene in the flat. The lack of food again suggests that the family are poor.

-Social realism films are often unique because it is hard to create what is percieved as 'real' however 'Wasp' represents the themes and issues that occur within lower class communties and how, stereotypically they may deal with these issues.

-I find it interesting because it is so shocking that a mother would leave her young children alone for hours, however it is clear she cares for them and we sympathise for the children as they clearly have had tough upbringing. The film is unique because it shows the realism of a single mother on a council estate which is not often seen in films, more documenteries. It is insipiring for my film because it represents a modern day setting with real issues which i can relate to.

-The short film narrative is effective because it gives the viewer enough to establish the plot and the characters way of life in a short amount of time. I think that if the film were to be extended than the viewer might find it tedius and repetitive so its the right length.

-The camerawork uses a lot of close ups of props and facial expressions so that it can place focus on certain things. The soundtrack is mainly diegetic, with the background ambient sound often being cars passing by, children laughing and music. In the scene at the pub, music is played loudly which is parallel to the theme and the characters, it represents a lively and loud atmosphere that the director is trying to create.

-The film overall is about the issues that a single mother goes through as she tries to balace motherhood and her social life. It is clear that she is lower class and therefore lacks the parenting skills that most people would expect. However, many of us may sympathise as it is clear she is struggling finacially. Her character is stereotypical of a mum living on a council estate, which is why the viewer can relate to the story as they have probably made these accosiations of such people before.


"Lou-Lou Lives Here" Hazel Grian 2003
-This short film (roughly 3.40 long) is a thriller created in 2003. Its conventions are of a traditional thriller including tense music, close ups and fast shots at times.

-The film is set in the day time and in a woods which would imply that no one would be around, so creating tension. There is minimal props, merley a scarecrow, van and a dog toy which contributes to the sense of realism. The lighting is most probably all natural as well due to the outdoor setting.

-The film causes contraversy, it is implied that the character of the little girl is infact a dog, which is also shown in the film. This idea is backed up by the black and white theme that is used throughout, dogs see in black and white so this could mean that we are seeing it through the dogs eyes. I find it most interesting that the film has a hidden meaning which is inspiring for me as i may want to consider using this technique in my own film.

-It is unique because although it is short, it still possesses typical conventions of a thriller and builds suspense in the short amount of time. The advantages of having such a short narrative are that people can engage fully throughout the whole film, they are not likely to miss any important shots that may be relevent to the plot. The narration is restricted, the characters know more than us.

-The film uses a variety of different shots and editing transitions such as dissovle, circle effect and point of view shots. It also uses a shaky effect and blurry focus to increase the intensity and realism.

-The film opens with the little girl alone and portraying qualities of a dog which immiedetly hints to the reader of the hidden meaning. It ends with the dog running home which also gives it away and leaves the reader with unanswered questions.

-The sound is interesting in this film, there is a sublte soundtrack which is used at the build up towards the action which is tense and mennacing, it builds suspense. However a lot of the sound used is diegetic such as the helicopter sound, dog barking and the wind howling. All these build up the scene and add to the theme.

-The stereotype of the male character would be that he is a peodophile as he has a white van and is following the little girl. However it is clear by the end that he is not which suprises the viewer. We sympathise with the character of the girl as she appears vulnrable and lost and we assume that the male character is a villian, however we never find out the true nature of the characters.


First Post
Lessons learnt from last year-

-Last year i feel that i could have achieved better results in our final thriller film. We seemed to have lacked certain elements that a thriller should possess, such as fast shots, appropriate props and a tense tone.

-Although we used some effective camerwork, some of it was kind of shaky, for exmaple the shots in the moving car, which was hard to make steady and reflected in the final product. I think we should focus sticking to using the tripods for the filming of our next one.

-Our build up was too long and i have learnt that it is important to engage the audience from the beginning. I found it useful doing a thriller film last year as i can use my skiils gained from the task in helping with our next task which will be a social realism film.

-However, i feel a lot more confident in our next film by learning from our mistakes, particulary involving plot, characterisation and prerpation.

Research Task- Eight

IDENTIFY THE GENRE USED

This film appears to be set out like a documentary. The way that the young boy describes his life and his feelings whilst you watch him do everyday tasks is very similar to a real life documentary like you would see on channel 4.

HOW DOES THIS FILM USE THE GENRE CONVENTIONS UNIQULY?

The way this film is shot is very interesting. Most short films tend to have a low budget which limits the choice of camera they can use which ultimatly effects the look of the film. However, with this short film the finished look is very defined and looks very much like a high budget movie that wasnt filmed on a standard home video camera.

WHAT DO YOU FIND INTERESTING ABOUT THE USE OF SOUND?

The film uses very natural sounds which appear to have been recorded at the source. Unlike most short films, there are no artificial sound effects. The only un-natural sound that is present in the movie is a soft melodic tune played continuosly in the background to give a more emotional feel to some of the sadder scenes.

THEMES AND ISSUES

In terms of short films, this movie deals with a very hard hitting subject. The hillsborough disaster which struck Liverpool football club in 1989. This is a very hard subject to talk about with the supporters of this club, however this film tackles the subject well by looking at the aftermath of the event through the eyes of a child who wasnt there but who lost his dad. The way in which it is shot, the use of a closed narrative and the way it makes you think places the audience in such a way that it makes them feel a number of emotions. Sympathy for the boy, confusion because the narrative is revealed in parts and happiness when they finally work out what the boy is talking about.

Reasearch Task- Conversation Piece

IDENTIFY THE GENRE USED

The genre that this film belongs to is very unclear. Although this is a very well made and interesting short film, it is very hard to pin point where it belongs. I personally feel that this film belongs to the social realism genre, even though the sound used is very surreal, it still deals with every day life within a relationship.

HOW DOES THE PIECE USE GENRE CONVENTIONS UNIQUELY?

The use of sound is something that i have never seen before in a social realist film. Many people use very little, if any, sound effects when making a film of the social realism genre, but this film breaks the mould and has no dialouge what so ever.

HOW DOES THE FILM USE THE SHORT FILM NARRATIVE?

Due to the 5 minuites restrictions that this film has the story is deliverd very quickly. It is obvious that the film is about a relationship between a husband and wife, but the film delivers different parts of the conversation and moods the two are feeling in sections. At first it shows confusion then lust, anger, sadness and finally happines. These emotions are fired through at a rapid rate.

WHAT DO YOU FIND INTERESTING ABOUT THE USE OF SOUND?

Sound is the most integral feature of this film. There is no dialouge between the two characters at all. The main sound is a jazz track called 'Conversation Piece' which the husband plays on the record player. The instruments that are played on the track are synchronized with the movement of the characters mouth so it appears that the sound is coming out of there mouth instead of speach. Although there is no dialouge, the way in which the instruments are played put across the feeling of emotion in the characters voice. For example, when the woman shouts the trumpet moakes a loud blast of random notes and when the husband is confused the trombone plays random confusing notes at diferent pitches.

THEMES AND ISSUES

The film appears to symbolise the different feelings and emotions that a couple goes through in a relationship. Many different feelings are portrayed through the use of body language and music. The film also delt with the representation of the sexes. Both of the characters where branded with traditonal representations. The male character was seen as a lazy guy who didnt help his wife and just read a newspaper. The wife was seen as the one who cooks and cleans, does all the housework, is overly emotional and nags her husband.

Research Task- Wasp

IDENTIFY THE GENRE OR STYLE USED

Through the use of editing, it is clear to see what genre this film belongs to. The use of camera work and editing is a clear indication that this film is a social realist film. There are no fancy cuts, like a dissolve or fade, just straight cuts. There is little or no variation in the types of camera angles and framing. The sound and lighting that is used are both captured on set (natural).

HOW DOES THIS FILM USE GENRE STYLES UNIQUELY?

This film uses a very emotional and hard hitting story line very well. The way in which the audience feel amazing amounts of sympathy for the children throughout the film is unique to the genre.

HOW DOES THE FILM USE THE SHORT FILM FORMAT?

The film begins with a very much closed narrative and opens up to a more open one as the film progresses. The only evidence we can gather from any of the characters is that the mother is a very common and confrontational person. Due to the short film format to which it is restricted, the film delivers alot of information on characters quickly and sets up the plot. These are both done very well because at the end of the film I found myself saying 'I knew that would happen' and I also grew to like some of the characters.

WHAT DO YOU FIND INTERESTING ON THE USE OF SOUND?

The sound that is used in the film helps us to get a better feel for the location that these people are in because they are all natural and caught on location. The sound of dogs barking, children screaming and police sirens all add to the idea that this is a very undesirable location to live in.

THEMES ISSUES AND REPRESENTATIONS

The film tackles a hard hitting subject that many people find disturbing, neglectful parents being very hard on very small children. The film is shot in such a way that at the begining you feel incredible sympathy for the kids and hatered of the mother, but at the end you realise that the mother does care about her kids and loves them. The entire cast play very stereotypical characters. The mother is the typical 'scummy mummy' who will jump into bed with the first guy she see's. Dave is a typical London lad who drinks smokes and sleeps around. The area in which they live is also very stereotypical of the types of people they are. The stereotypes used do nothing to appeal to the characters good nature and only pinpoint the bad features of all of them.

What I learned from my Foundation Portfolio

• Deligating jobs in our group led to alot of problems as some people didnt pull there weight and left things right to the last minuite which created alot of hassel.
• I really didnt get along with one of the people that I worked with which also created friction and tension within the group.
• Using natural light was alot more challenging than it seemed to be.
• Using sets which where open to the public made having a continuos scene very difficult as people would walk or drive past and ruin the shot.