Roles

All:

• Location scout
• Storyboard artists
• Screenwriter
• Prop buyer
• Animatic director

Emily:

• Costume
• Camera operator

Neve

• Costume
• Hair and make-up design

Harry

• Sound designer
• Lighting designer

Nathan

• Camera operator
• Lighting designer

Synopsis

Opens with a cheerful and happy family household, in which the mother and father welcome daughter and partner who are anticipating telling the rest of the family their news.

As they begin their meal together, they discuss how far away the daughter lives and how lovely it is that she is there. As the daughter is about to reveal the news, the father excuses himself to the toilet and leaves the table.

Father enters the bathroom, looks in the mirror, takes drugs and washes his face. He looks at himself in disgust, ashamed of who he's become.

Father then stumbles back downstairs, with pan and focus-pull of contrasting mood of the happy family eating their meal. The father looks from a distance at the happy family and is too ashamed to go back, so leaves house and drives off.

Close up of champagne being popped open, Mum questions posh champagne and daughter goes to make an announcement but realises Dad isn't there when she sees his empty chair.

Dissolves through shots of time passing during meal, with parallel cuts to Dad driving. Contrapuntal sound of happy music acts as a sound bridge for driving shots.

Mum goes into spare room to check if the daughter and partner have got everything. The daughter expresses her worry for her Dad, but Mum reassures her he has been doing this recently and will be back in the next few hours, so they get some sleep.

As the sun rises, we see it peek through the stain glassed windows of the church, with a shot behind the father sat inside.

When waking up in the morning, the family are in shock that the father is still missing so split off in different directions around the village, with the daughter heading to the church. Just as the father drives off and out of shot, the daughter arrives and runs into the church.

The daughter searches the church and almost leaves, but then catches a glimpse of the note on a pew. She reads the note with the voice of the father's voice, with parallel cuts between her distressed emotions and the father walking towards the cliff edge.

As she finishes reading the note, the daughter remembers the Dad's 'happy place' as we are shown in a flashback of a picnic overlooking the cliff. She begins to run to the car in dismay. She reaches Beachy Head and initially doesn't see him, but then does as she looks to the side. She runs towards the Dad, who is now standing on the edge of the cliff. She is screaming for him, but we see that all he can hear is the wind.

The daughter reaches the Dad just before he jumps, and tells him she's pregnant. They then hug with an extremely emotional soundtrack.

The film ends back at the house, showing the happy family now with a baby, and the Dad goes to the bathroom. Instead of taking drugs, he throws them all away.

Planning our story ideas

Our ideas:

Neve's analysis of bad cars

Bad cars

Title sequence 

I found Bad cars on the short of the week in the comedy section. Bad cars is about a man and women that both have very old and broken cars struggling to successfully date in LA. Bad cars was produced and directed by Anthony Deptula in 2010. 

Link to 'Bad cars' on youtube

The first character we are introduced is the female protagonist, we see an extreme close up of her eyes looking in the rear-view mirror, one of the props used is a pair of thick  rimmed glasses are stereotypically a symbol of smart or working women. In this shot we can hear diegetic sounds of cars driving and beeping their horns, this suggests it is set somewhere busy and urban. The title and first scene would suggest the beeping is aimed at her because she has a 'bad car'. The female’s body language and facial expression would imply that she is stressed. There is binary opposition between the female protagonist that has an old broken car that can’t go fast compared to a new mini that isn’t broken and can go fast! Already I can connote that the film could be about a student life, maybe she has just started a life in LA so doesn’t have much money to buy new cars like the rest of LA.

extreme close up in rear-view mirror

Broken car

We are introduced to another male character in an extreme close up and cut in of his hands, starting up an old and broken car. The audience can start to pair the characters together as we are firstly shown women driving a broken car and then a man trying to start a broken car, this foreshadows that they will have relations with each other later on in the narrative. The narrative is linear we can denote this because the narrative begins in chronological order and shows a form of progression. 

Male struggling to start up his car

In a mid-shot of the female we see her doing her hair with a hairdryer, the protagonist is also her car very messy and full of props that suggest she has a busy life. As she is doing her hair in the car it would suggest she hasn't got much time and is in a rush, to get to a date? 

Mid shot getting ready in the car

There is a long shot of the male protagonist running like he’s in a rush, we then see a two shot of both characters meeting on a corner (their arranged place to meet for their date) this scene is also shows the genre (comedy) because we were shown both characters journey to the meeting place, and they both parked far away on opposite streets so the other wouldn't see their broken and old cars!

First time meeting

Their costumes are both very bright and colourful; however in the long shot of them meeting, their costumes were almost binary opposites! The male has a bright pink shirt on and the female has a mint green dress on. The choice of costume creates the sense of a mismatched relationship. in this scene there are a few awkward yet funny events that occur on their date, first being the awkward first meet, then we see a montage of events edited in after production. Another event was shot in a long shot showing both characters standing against the wall eating pizza. This is an odd first date activity to be eating pizza by the side of the road on a first done, this is another way the comedy is shown through mise en scene. The female then drops her pizza on the floor, looking a little embarrassed so the male protagonist drops his to. Throughout the short film, there is a non-diegetic song as the soundtrack. The soundtrack is very upbeat and happy that suggests that the two characters are happy, however even though their date isn’t society’s norm they are still enjoying themselves. There are a number of different funny events that occur on their date. They go to the library however once again they don’t follow society’s norms and walk around with books on their heads! All these events give a sense of happiness and light-hearted kind of lifestyle to the audience and take us out of everyday life and make us laugh!

Dropping food

At the end of their date we see a mid-shot/two shot of the two characters sitting outside a dance class, trying to avoid going in each others cars or going to one another’s house. This begins to get awkward for the pair as they realise they don’t have any other option than to take the bus to the beach.

In the mid shot the characters facial expression look funny/awkward as the female biting lip and the male looks down in shame.

Awkward realisation

The two characters are shown is a mid-shot from behind them sitting on the beach bench, the setting is dirty. The props around make the set look messy and dirty; there is also underwear on the bench behind them. This suggests that the setting is a city by the sea however the area doesn’t appear to be looked after. Props suggest that the area may be used mostly by teens that may not care about the environment or by busy business workers that don’t have the time to take care of their surroundings.

Beach scene long shot

At the end of 'bad cars' both characters decide to go their separate ways after trying to sort the failed date out! After this as the audience we assume that it’s the end for the characters. However driving home the female protagonist breaks suddenly and a car goes into the back of her car, in a mid/long shot through her rear-view mirror we can see the male protagonist awkwardly waving at her.

Car crash 

The target audience is 18-, 25 years old that are living the student life or just starting up their careers. The target audience is implied through the use of costume, hair and makeup, props and the setting/decor this is all arranged to suggest the characters haven’t got a lot of time or money or organisational skills!

Todorovs theory could be applied to 'bad cars' however it is like  'unleaded' in the way that the narrative hasn’t got set equilibrium's and disruptions that the couple have to overcome. You could argue that the narrative isn’t linear therefore todorovs theory can only be applied to some of the film. Todorovs theory would say that at the beginning there would be peace, however in 'bad cars' the beginning is hectic for both characters trying to get to the date on time. There are a number of disruptions that the realisation stage then occurs. There is then some restored order before the couple both realise that they haven’t got much to do because of their broken cars. There is then a new equilibrium or you could say the first equilibrium where the couple decide to get the bus and all is well till they get to the beach.

Todorovs theory

'unleaded' by Neve Walder

                                    
                               
                                                     'Unleaded' analysis

Unleaded is a short film produced by Luke Davies, 'unleaded' is about '3 thugs in south London attempt to rob a petrol station but are suddenly interrupted when a couple of stoners come in with a serious case of the munchies.'

Title sequence

When the film begins the screen is black however we can hear diegetic sounds of cars driving past, this creates enigma in the audience as we wonder where the noise is coming from and what it is. we can also hear banging sounds and the sound of petrol going into a car tank, this would make sense as the dark comedy is called 'unleaded'. the first moving image we see is a dial on the petrol tank that tells us how much we are putting in and how much it will cost. as this is the establishing shot it suggests that the dial is significant to the story line. could this dial be important in suggesting that the people in the car are going to be driving far away? running away?
the title also creates enigma because it doesn't tell us much and doesn't hold an important meaning in society other than it makes our cars drive. 

Petrol station:  Close up shot

Firstly we are introduced to a female wearing a grey hoodie with the hood up her body language and facial expression suggest that she is upset/uncomfortable i can denote this because the characters eyes are red and full of water suggesting she is about to or has been crying. in an extreme close up of the rear view mirror we can see the characters eyes darting around as if she is worried and looking for someone or something?
the setting is quiet apart from the sounds of cars which suggests its set at late night or the petrol station is in a remote area.

Female protagonist

There is a cutaway from the female protagonist looking at 3 men robbing the petrol station, This creates enigma as we wonder why the protagonist isn't doing anything about the situation. initially the audience believed that the female had relations with the robbers and was waiting for them to get out to drive off. however the protagonists body language and facial expression would suggest she is worried and isn't sure what to do.

Gun scene

The props used suggest that the robbers went with the intent to kill or threaten, This isn't made clear to us until there is a long shot of the 3 men and one holding a gun against the man on the till. the prop represents gang culture in London and the use of guns is more common. the males costumes also represent gang lifestyle, They are wearing dark clothes and hoodies which suggest they are hiding themselves.


Later on in the film the 'stoners' arrive in there car, the car is full of items squishing the protagonist in the back of the car. the mise en scene suggests that the 3 characters in the car have no organisation in there life perhaps they don't have a house to lives in? the 'stoners' have red lined eyes that suggest they have been doing a lot of weed. this also has representations of gang culture in London where the use of drugs is common. 

'Stoners' car

The camera pan across from the number plate of the 'stoners' cars this is a focused shot that suggests the number plate is important. we also see the headlights turn off slowly this gives the audience a creepy feel and creates enigma as we wonder why the number plate is shown and what is it symbolising. we then see another close up of the female protagonist looking very worried as she isn't aware that the car isn't anything to do with the robbery. 

'Stoners' close up shot of number plate

In the car the 'stoners' appear to be having an argument about who should go into the petrol station to cure their munchies. there is a p.o.v from the characters in the front of the car therefore we can only see the protagonist arguing, it seems that the protagonist is arguing with himself because we don't see the other too. this could be intentional to show that he is high. The male protagonists accent and dialect suggest he is from a lower class background or from poorer parts in London. 

Close up of the 'stoner'

The main protagonist in the 'stoners' car walks into the shop and surprises the gun man this is in a long shot cutaway and mid shots that show the gun mans confusion. there is an over the shoulder shot of behind the gun man looking at the 'stoner' the costume of the stoner is hiding his identity from the gunman. (he cant see that he has headphones in) therefore getting angrier and angrier. the 'stoner' stands still staring at the magazines, completely unaware of the threat he is under. the 'stoners' represent some typical teenage behaviour such as being disconnected and unaware of society as they have headphones in. 

Gunman's confusion inn close-up

Anger is shown through the use of language, all of the characters use swear words in conversation and to express their emotion, this could be used to represent and attract younger audiences of a certain background. further in to the gunman scene the 'stoner' is still unaware of the gunman holding the gun to the back of his head. in this scene we are introduced to the dark comedy in the film this is shown through the phone call, However this time the gunman is unaware of it. The comedy is shown through the diegetic dialogue with the 'stoner' and and his friends, as he speaks to them on the phone the gunman shouts at him and then the 'stoner' replies to his friends however it appears that he is shouting back at the gunman this antagonises the gunman. this is all shot it a shot reverse shot to show both characters body language and facial expression, as this is a shot reverse shot there is lots of cuts which suggest a fast pace and intense atmosphere.

Over shoulder shot

'Stoner'  unaware of the danger behind. reversed over shoulder shot

In the last scene the women at the beginning walk through the door, there is diegetic sounds of a bell on the door as it opens. the gunman turns around quickly and shoots the women before he had a chance to see who he shot. we can hear a non diegetic high pitch screech that suggests panic and can symbolise when someone is dieing or passing out. all other diegetic and non diegetic sounds disappear. this gives the audience the feeling of being surreal. this is also a shot reverse shot of the gunman then the women, we see a mid shot of the female holding herself where she was shot. her body language and facial expression show shock and worry, as do the gunman's!

Phone call

The genre of 'unleaded' is dark comedy i believe this would appeal to an audience of 17-20 men because some may relate to parts of the plot or just find dark humour funny. i don't think this film was made to target women of any age due to the mise en scene and the storyline. stereotypically women don't like  aggression, bad language or dark humour in films. men would find this more interesting.

in 'unleaded' Todorovs theory can only be applied to some of the film, such as the beginning there isn't really an equilibrium due to the sense of enigma we get from the mise en scene and the typical iconography. however from the tiny bit of peace at the beginning we are thrown into the disruption (the robbing beginning). we can then apply the recognition stage of Tvetzan Todorovs theory when the women protagonist is shown looking worried and disturbed be the men. however there isn't an attempt the repair the disruption, we then have another equilibrium at the end when women gets shot, the gunman's attempt to repair the disruption is to run off.

Harry McHale - Analysis of 'Alone' directed by Brock Torunski

VIDEO HERE

"Alone. Alone is what this man is. Years after the world ended and the human race perished; this is the only man left standing. How did he survive? What caused the outbreak? We don't know. No one does. This short film gives you an inside look on what the only man left alive does on a day-to-day basis, what he does to survive, kill time, and keep himself sane."

The short film begins with a medium close up shot at mid angle of the protagonist whose facial expression is completely visible. The spectator sees that the protagonist appears rather straight faced but not sombre. Alongside the facial expression of the protagonist one can also see his hair and makeup which is neat and not extravagant with hair being kept uniformed and make up being minimalistic. A small amount of the protagonists costume is also showing, though most is cut off from the frame, what the spectator can see shows that the male is dressed in a smart and formal manner.

The lighting of the medium close up shot is high key and unnatural, as shown through the lamp prop in the corner of the shot. The colour of the shot is, again, natural and appears to be de-saturated in the smallest way possible, this gives a pristine and very crisp look to the short film.

In the following array of close up shots at mid angle many props and décor are shown and a setting is almost established. The spectator sees the props of a mouse, keyboard and computer screen. Coupling this with the costume of the protagonist the spectator can make an assumption of the male being at work perhaps in an office. Showing the protagonists facial expression even more shows how the male appears to know what he is doing and may be finding it quite tedious, giving the impression that he does the same work every day. When a focus pull from shallow depth of field leads to a large depth of field medium close up it creates the sense of realisation and fluidity. The panning camera movement used also assists this.

After the sound of a knock - most likely a Foley - a mid-shot at mid angle is used showing the stomach of another male whose costume also suggests office worker. The restricted narration used here creates an impression of ambiguity.

When match on action is then used to show the male protagonist answering the phone prop it gives the action of answering the phone a larger build up and creates emphasis around the importance of it. The close up shots at mid angle that follow alongside the dialogue show why the phone call was so important. The sound effect of the police sirens and the hurried dialogue informing of an apocalypse over the close up shot showing the protagonists facial expression (shocked and worried) create major effect and add to the enormity of the affair. With a big close up and extreme close up soon following, it’s as though the information (being given through a sound bridge) is becoming more and more dramatic and getting 'inside his head', generating a sense of urgency. Promoted through the use of the crescendo.

The crescendo builds to a medium close up at mid angle after a cut transition of the male protagonist in a bedroom setting; the spectator then realises that the previous shots were a dream. When the feet of the male are shown at extreme close up at mid angle, Foleys are used as he walks away, the music soundtrack being constant over this. A range of shots of the shower prop (including one extreme sloe up at worms eye view) are then used to establish setting and décor again. The use of the worms eye view angle here is particularly interesting as it is the only shot that varies from the more commonly used angles, e.g. mid angle, low angle, etc. Whilst in the bathroom setting the spectator can read a lot from the décor and props used. The use of the masses of toothpaste tubes in the drawer suggests that the man has a long term need for the toothpaste - perhaps because he is unable to find any. When the medium close up shot at low angle of the mirror prop shows the males reflection it creates an interesting impression juxtaposed to him being alone.

Manipulation of time and space is used cleverly throughout this short film. As the males entire routine seems very procedural it manipulates the spectator into thinking that the male does this day after day; which in fact he does. Manipulation of space is used in the fact that a large amount of extreme close ups, big close ups and close ups are used which create a sense of intimacy and loneliness.

The spectator is then assisted in understanding that the male is within his thoughts as he remembers better times, shown through the misty edged effect of the shots. The shots themselves also being important with a wider range being used than in the current world, for example, the extreme long shot.

When the male protagonist enters the house setting the props and décor along with the mid shot are very blocked in the sense that techniques such as slit shots have been used. The panning, tilting and tracking movements add to the ordeal as the male protagonist wanders aimlessly around the house setting as though it was his own. The spider prop being used to show the seriousness of the apocalypse and how something as simple as a spider can become one of the only life forms left.

The props of the items within the survival kit add to the semantics of the short film and used in company with the other props and décor within what seems as the basement setting add to the amazement of finding this safe-haven. The tilt down movement and fast motion use both manipulate time again and add to the glory of finding the house. After leaving the house setting the lighting is low key and the close up of the male protagonists face is rather blurry. The shadowed and silhouette effect adds to the darkness and adds to the astonishment and horror as the light goes on. After the stop in dialogue and the start of a tense soundtrack the light prop turns on and creates shock in both characters and spectators. The light is prominent, both in the darkness and in the male protagonist’s life.

The representation of age is the key concept to be applied to this short film, with the protagonist being represented as 'old before his time'. The flashback shots used manipulate time and assist this representation; showing his life before the apocalypse. The protagonist’s life before the apocalypse seems as though it is a dream and contrasts well, showing what he should be living and how he is actually living. The dialogue used helps to create a sense in the spectator’s mind of what the male would do before the apocalypse.

When the protagonist goes on to say that his life is almost repetitive it creates the representation of perhaps years rather than age being tedious, as though he is thoroughly bored of his current life. Continuing with the idea of the representation of years and time, the prop of the spice helps to visualise just how long the male has been alone, insinuating from his facial expression and body language that the spice is out of date.

Another prop that creates the representation of age as well as time is the baby picture frame, giving the sense that the protagonist is looking back at better times and remembering of when he was a baby. This creates the representation of being a 'grown up' as a negative thing and creates preference towards being a child again.

The dead flowers are the last prop that are used to show the representation of how long-going and monotonous post apocalypse times have been for the protagonist.

One technique used to attract a certain demographic is the use of the character. The male protagonist is aged around 20 - 30, suggesting that the target audience could be males in their late teens or early twenties who can relate to the protagonists role and situation.

Another method used to attract the target audience is the protagonists job, as aforementioned it is an office job which is very common and he is of a middle/upper class. This could be used to the advantage of the producers in order to attract anyone who has an office job and is looking for a thrill away from reality; or anyone of a middle/upper social class who again would like to relate to something fictional.

The flashback shots used also create another demographic which could be teenagers. The dialogue used and shots of the protagonist "driving around aimlessly", "taking walks" and "going out with friends" relate very much to a typical teenagers life. It could be assumed that the producers are targeting teenagers here as they are known to have a liking for fictional and unrealistic scenarios. By allowing the teenagers to relate to the protagonist it helps them feel more involved in the plot and story.

In conclusion, I believe the target demographic for this short film is young adults. The majority of techniques and concepts used appeal most too young adults of the age of 16 - 30. Even the titling at the end of the short film is particularly appealing to young adults rather than a more formal title appealing to a more middle aged and elderly audience.

This short film can be related mostly to a linear structure. However, at the start of the short film and in the flashback the structure could be seen to be non-linear as the plot is non-chronological. Mostly, the short film makes use of unrestricted narration, though at the beginning of the film in the dream 'flashback' restricted narration is used in the viewing of other characters.

NOTICE: Blogger was acting funny and the images 'glitched' out halfway through. :(

Analysis of 'When I'm Sixty Four' directed by Mat Johns

VIDEO HERE

'When I'm Sixty Four' is a short film about finding allies in unexpected places. Two outsiders, an old man and a young boy, come together and show their peers that a generational gap cannot hinder friendship.

The short film begins with a fade from black to a long shot of the title which is position in the bottom left corner on pavement which fades away as an elderly man on mobility scoot travels along the pavement. This clever use of editing is warmly welcomed by the audience as it displays competent use of editing techniques as well as a convention of the family genre. In the framing of the opening long shot, the audience can determine the age of the man as old; identifiable via elements of mise en scene such as the mobility scooter prop. By having this man on a shop mobility scooter travelling along the pavement of a street, it creates the social realism that the audience recognises and is familiar with, tagging alongside the usual connotations of representation of the character in the film and the actions associated with the character and so from this we can assume the usual traits: feeble, vulnerable, potentially incapable.

At this moment, diegetic sound is used to inform the audience that the mobility scooter is breaking down. The background lightning looks like it has been manipulated to create pathetic fallacy; this connotes that the character's life is possibly quite boring and that he may not have anything much to for anymore. This causes the audience to feel sympathetic towards the man, connecting the audience to the film more. This feeling is further emphasised when the character's scooter dies. slow sluggish non-diegetic soundtrack is played in the background which makes the audience feel bad for him, helping them connect to the film even more. On top of this, a long shot of a group of four youths giggling and laughing at the man's helplessness also doesn't make the audience feel any better for the old man.

A close-up of the elderly man portrays his facial expression as being one of despair and sadness, something that around the world is socially seen as horrible, especially if the person is elderly as they are seen as vulnerable. The shot transitions via a dissolve to a long shot of the man struggling to push his scooter along the road which is followed up with tracking medium shot where we see the man struggle to get his scooter in his front garden which gets the audience asking questions on where plot of this film is going to take us.
We then cut to a long shot introducing us to a new character, a young teenager boy (probably around the age of 13 to 14) standing at the window watching the man struggle, with his facial expression suggesting a sense of heartbreak. At this point we notice the boy is holding a remote control car and a screwdriver in his other hand, foreshadowing what might happen next. Non-diegetic string instruments are then used to imply the emotional state of this situation; this makes the audience become more aware of the boy's actions. This is important as this sets the protagonist of this film as this young teenage boy (and potentially the antagonists as the youths laughing at the old man.)

The next shot gradually zooms in on the elderly man who hears a banging coming from outside and so he assumes it is the troublesome youths (the antagonists) from earlier in the film. However, when the man goes to open the door, the mid shot shows his facial expression changing into a much more happy one, then looking shocked by the fact that the young boy appears to be fixing his scooter. At one point, a shot reverse shot shows the instant connection the young boy now has with the man, coming across as if it was grandfather and grandson. The audience immediately understands the connection and become attached to this emotion state create by the film; this could be consider a syntactic code in terms of Rick Altman's gene code theory as it's following closely to the conventions of the family genre.

Suddenly, however, the scene and atmosphere changes in the film when the elderly man approaches the teenager and shakes his hand. Accompanying this is the introduction of a non-diegetic soundtrack of the iconic 'Mission Impossible' theme song; famously associated with the action and adventure genre. This typically opposes the social realism of the scene as well as the characters, as both characters' ages aren't associated with roles that are all impact, all action type of roles, and so this opens up the film a bit more, keeping the audience entertained. A selection of fast-paced close up shots show both the characters picking up tools and fixing different parts of the scooter until a final shot of the young boy welding metal together brings the shots to an end before it fades to black.

The shot is then reintroduced with a close up of one of the youth’s faces, looking down at a phone before briefly looking up and looking back down again before double-taking and looking back up again. His face suggests that he is astounded by what he is seeing and so he nudges his mates to also look up with him, in addition to a group shot. They look up and are all seen standing there, mouths dropped in awe of what they're seeing. The scene continues with a long shot that pans up to face the elderly man who is now driving his shop mobility scooter again, however this time the scooter appears to have flames on the side of it, and so the audience assumes that this is the work done by the young boy and that the youths are shocked by this; or perhaps of because it is so unusual to see this is reality. Again, at this point the audience recognises the fact that the non-diegetic sound has now changed to a more upbeat, happy sounding track, and that the weather outside is a lot brighter, again connoting happiness. A light sense of humour is then briefly introduced when a mid shot pans past these two elderly women as they stand in awe, suggesting that he is driving past them, and attracting them, before they both wink and get flustered by him. By including this it helps to entertain the audiences experience of the film as well as falling into the general semantic codes of the genre.

I like how this film uses the semantic codes of the family genre to connect to the audience, I also liked how this was done on 'Ambition'; another film I analysed. The use of this in short films seems important therefore it is something I will aim to include in my short film.

Nathan's Never Forget analysis

Never Forget analysis

In the short film “Never Forget”, spectators are positioned to have certain views towards the opposing genders. The male protagonist and female antagonist have parts of their personality revealed throughout the film, with all 4 technical codes being used to help spectators understand their situation. 

The opening extreme close up of the film shows a hand unzipping the costume of a well kept suit with delicate body language. This immediately portrays the male protagonist as someone who likes to dress up nicely and  cares about looking good for his partner. The parallel diegetic soundtrack of gentle piano music adds to the sophisticated attributes of the man. High frequency parallel cutting is then used to contrast the male and female characters, with the latter having more rushed body language which is emphasised through fast diegetic footsteps. We are positioned to see the front of the man and the back of the woman, suggesting that she has something to hide.

Two props which are contrasted are the mirror held by the woman and phone held by the man. The woman is portrayed as someone who cares about looking at herself, whereas the man looks at his phone with a background of the two of them together. This prop is shown at a close up to highlight the love he had for her. 

The setting of the city skyline is blurred when we see the man, with shallow depth of field focussing on just him. This acts as restricted narration to slightly distort the fact that he’s higher up than the woman. This makes the ending of the short film more shocking for spectators. The difference in the style of the background represents the distance between the two of them, despite being near each other in reality.

The dialogue throughout the phone conversation suggests that the woman is on edge with a nervous tone as she lies about things such as having a “Chinese takeaway”. The eye level close up with high key lighting emphasises her shifty and uneasy facial expressions, as she knows she’s lying.

Within the flashbacks to the previous night, the tone is brighter and more affectionate, as portrayed through the female’s perspective with high key lighting and a warm colour grade added in post  production. The red colours suggest strong feelings between the woman and her new lover. The shallow depth of field keeps focus just on the two of them, and is also used later when they walk obliviously past the man, who is at a long shot to show his loneliness in the bar. The focus pull used to contrast the characters helps show their differing emotions due to the woman actions. Spectators are made to feel sorry for the man through these techniques. 

Prior to the shocking suicide at the end of the film, spectators are still clueless to what is about to happen, and witness the man’s final moments through a powerful extreme close up. His distraught facial expressions and dialogue all create a tense ending to the short film, as we still don't know what’s about to happen. 

The final shot of the film is incredibly shocking for spectators, as much of the suicide is just suggested through a diegetic cracking sound and a brief flash of a falling body. The main confirmation about what has happened, however, is the reaction of the woman. Her body language and facial expressions add to the shocking moment, and spectators are encouraged to feel the same way as her. It is a very enigmatic moment presented through  restricted narration, as we don’t actually see what has happened, but simply a reaction to it. This is an incredibly compelling yet distressing technique for spectators.

Nathan's About a Girl textual analysis

About a Girl textual analysis

The girl is of a lower class, and clearly presented as material deprived through all technical codes. Her costume appears cheap due to it’s lack of branding or expensive materials, and doesn’t fit her properly. Her large coat could suggest it has been passed down from an older family member, which implies that they haven't got the money to be buying new clothes. Her large circular earrings are an accessory often associated with a lower class type of person. The girl is shown at a medium close up to allow spectators to see the run down settings she walks around, emphasised through desaturated colours and dull lighting. The pathetic fallacy of cloudy weather not only match the dark tone to the film, but also reflects the family’s deprived situation. Fast paced cuts with handheld camerawork mean the background often changes, allowing spectators to get a bigger picture of many of the uninviting settings. The sound throughout the short film represents the lower class of the girl and those around her. She has a strong Manchester accent which matches stereotypes of places in the north of England being working class. The sounds of football fans shouting as she is outside the pub are loud and rowdy, suggested they are not civilised or ‘classy’ people. The players are singing “We’re shit and we’re beating you” which is off screen diegetic sound as we see the girl being exposed to this language whilst outside on a bench. She tries blocking out this chant by singing to herself, saying “I’ve had enough” which could be symbolic of her being fed up of her life. As a young teenage girl, the main character is represented as unfeminine. She is seen in settings like a football pitch which is considered a masculine environment. The girl is also framed to the left of a mid shot with a bridge on the right behind her. The deep focus of the shot shows her along with the decor of graffiti on the bridge which has boy’s names on like “Lee” and “Ryan”. The composition of this shots as well as the similar colour of her coat and the bridge allows spectators to draw a connection between the girl and her more masculine attributes. She doesn’t match the stereotypes of young girls in films often being sweet and innocent, and instead she is “not that innocent” and ends up throwing a baby into a river. This film offers a challenging view of both femininity and age, with her actions being uncommon for someone so young. The director is trying to generate both judgemental and sympathetic reactions from spectators, creating a more intense experience as we question whether we should feel sorry for her. This confusion is created through her actions and technical codes, as we are forced to be aligned with her as we track along beside her and as she breaks the fourth wall to directly address spectators, but also we distance ourselves from her and judge her at the end when she throws the baby in the river and walks away at an extreme long shot. The high angle in this final shot makes spectators look down on her both physically and metaphorically.

Nathan Wilkins - "One Billion Rising" analysis

One Billion Rising is on Vimeo and was directed by Eve Ensler and Toby Stroebel.

The film begins with a dramatic extreme long shot which pans down from the sky to show a woman giving birth on the ground outside in the setting of an African village. This shot establishes the scene with other women trying to help her included in the composition. This eye level shot shows their struggle as their distressed body language is increasingly desperate as they try to help the woman. The slow mo effect helps emphasise each movement, as we see her legs waving in the air in agony. We then cut to another slow mo shot of a close up of the woman's face. This shot shows the detailed facial expressions on her face with scrunched eyes and her mouth wrenched open. The calm soundtrack is somewhat contrapuntal to the extreme pain she is going through, as we don't hear her screams. The use of one non diegetic soundtrack throughout acts as a sound bridge into the rest of the shots. This generates continuity and creates a connection between the events taking place all over the world which demonstrate many women's struggles.

The next setting is a workshop with many women putting together what appears to be children's dolls. The scene is established through a long shot showing the high number of women performing this tiresome work. The low key lighting creates a dark and grim setting, with dirty decor and bright lights used to focus just on the women and their work. This lighting, along with close ups on the dolls, emphasises the use of these significant props, which are stereotypically used to make young girls happy. This is contrasted by these shots where the production of these dolls are making young girls on the other side of the world go through extreme stress. Shallow depth of field is used to focus on individual girls to show their depressed and focussed facial expressions and body language. A cutaway is then used to show a man with aggressive facial expressions suggested to be yelling at them. This emphasises the hierarchy and inequality the makers of the video are trying to eliminate.

Further scenes of injustice follow, including a mid shot at shallow depth of field highlighting a woman carrying an unbearable amount of weight on her back. Her slumped body language and slow movements enhance this idea. She is then bumped into by a reckless person passing by, who's costume of jeans and a leather jacket suggests it to be a man. This reinforces the themes of abuse to women. The close up of the charcoal in the bag flying out is not only to demonstrate her frustration of what he's done, but also to symbolise the idea of her falling to pieces.

An impactful piece of restricted narration is used in the next scene as an abusive father grabs his wife and sends the child fleeing away. A translucent and distorted glass is used to cover the action of her being beaten. This use of blocking is incredibly powerful and distressing for spectators as it reinforces the idea that we are powerless to be able to help her. There is a wall between the spectators and the abuse taking place, making us feel helpless, and question what we can do to help. This is the impact the filmmakers were hoping to have, as they want us to take action and fight against this type of abuse.

Another girl is then shown being forced down onto a bed, with the male forcing her to have sex. A big close up is then used to show her mouth covered by his had, representing the idea of her not having a say in the matter. Her facial expressions shown at such a close distance are clearly distressed, as we see the detail in her eyes, with moisture around the sides denoting tears.

The parallel cuts used throughout show women with similar distressed expressions, so that spectators are enabled to draw parallels between these events taking place all over the world. All types of races, classes and ages are featured in the film. One scene includes a woman in an office being treated in a sexual way by a coworker touching her hair. Though her bright upper class setting and smart costume are opposites to many of the other women featured, her situation is still the same in many ways. This scene highlights the fact that this type of abuse can happen to any woman in the world.

As we continue to cut to all variations of locations around the world, they begin to become more contrasted, with some women showing still and peaceful expressions, as the settings in other more distressing situations start to shake. This scene acts as a powerful metaphor for what the support of the privileged can do for those in need. As women around the world begin to stand together in unison, the ones in need start getting their worlds literally shaken, as demonstrated by close ups of bouncing props such as a radio. This movement allows these women to break free of their horrendous situations.

As the 'movement' begins to grow, and more women become involved, the distressed women begin looking towards the camera with hopeful expressions. This direct address demonstrates how they are calling out to spectators for their help in this movement. This direct address allows us to empathise with the women and want to help them break free.

More and more women begin standing up, putting one finger in the air in harmony. The tempo of the non diegetic soundtrack begins to rise, as drums are used to work towards a crescendo. A sense of match on action is used as we cut between a long shot silhouette of a woman raising her arm half way, and then another woman continuing this action. The first woman is in a deserted location with no one else around, and the second in a busy marketplace. This technique draws a parallel between these two women on other sides of the world.

High frequency cuts and fast paced music then continues for the remainder of the film, as more women join this movement. Famous locations are used as backdrops to some of the women joining in, reaffirming the idea that this is taking place all over the world, with settings such as the London Eye and Eiffel Tower used to distinguish between locations. These women have confident smiles and body language, as they stand strong to fight for this cause.