Planning Deadline Feedback

Storyboard

This is our storyboard that we created. This has also been uploaded onto Youtube but we also thought that it would be more helpful if we could look at each shot clearly without looking through the animatic that we created.

Storyboard Animatic

Sorry its of a bad quality...

Lighting & Sound Decisions

Lighting:
We will be using mainly natural lighting in our film due to it being set at dusk/night to add to our genre chosen (thriller/horror). We are using some additional lighting in areas, and we will hire/rent lighting equipment to help emphasise some areas of the filming where light can help define the characters.
Sound/Dialogue:
We have chosen to keep dialogue in our film to a minimum to add to the sense of tension to the thriller/horror genre we chose. We have included a script for our radio programme to play whilst our main character is driving due to licences for radio play in the film would be quite difficult to achieve.
We will also use Foley sounds to add some detail to aspects of the filming that may be lost due to background noise.
We have also chosen to include a soundtrack to the end of the film. We have no initial ideas at this moment in time about what it will sound like, but when we get to it, we'll make a decision.

Radio Transcript - Gareth Allen

This is the radio transcript that we will have playing whilst the character is driving their car home from university. This will be played from the beggining of the film.

Gareth - Hello and welcome to this special edition of the Spencer Sector Show on Ninja 103.9 FM with me Phil Spencer. I’m with you till 10 for 3 hours of your questions and queries for our expert analyser on this week’s topic. Tonight’s show is all about driving and the risks that people face every day with driving. You can call us at any time through this show on 01293 354109 or you can text us on 84321. Our expert for tonight’s show is Dr Kirstie Allsopp who is a member of West Sussex County Council in the transport department. Hello Kirstie.

Chloe - Hello Phil

Gareth - So Kirstie can you tell us some of the more dangerous and common risks that people face everyday with driving.

Chloe - Well Phil, the main risk that people face these days is the tiredness at the wheel of the car. People find that they don’t feel tired when they really are. This increases the risk of crashing and falling asleep at the wheel. Over the past 10 years on the A23, there have been no less than 27 incidents where people have fallen asleep at the wheel. We are hoping that this number will decrease in the next few years and end up having no incidents.

Gareth - Well thank you Kirstie and I’m sure that’s not the last thing we will hear from you tonight. Well don’t be afraid to get in contact with us tonight like I said the number is 01293 354109. We will be taking your calls after this record.

Synopsis - Chloe McGlinchey

A thriller where a teenage boy is driving on his way home from a long journey; begins to fall asleep at the wheel. As he begins to hallucinate, his dreams become an extension to his vivid imagination. As our character (Matt) thinks he see's someone sitting in his back passenger seat, he then turns around to see if there is in fact anyone there, as he does so there turns out to be no one there. He then turns to carry on driving, however he then sights a figure standing right in front of his car. He stops and gets out of the car, as he does so the mysterious person running towards the scrapyard and immediately chases after him. Almost automatically an eerie atmosphere approaches, as he thinks he can see several figures, he starts to back away and then walks fairly briskly back to his car, thinking he feels someone tap him on the back, he stops in his steps only to turn round and see no one is there. He stays deadly still. After this a car horn is heard as the character begins to awaken there are flashing lights coming towards him.
THE END

Chloe McGlinchey

Location, Location, Location - Hannah Sell

Billy Bridges (Scrapyard) - http://www.gwbridges.co.uk/spares.html

Brainstorming...

Brainstorming of ideas for our Short Film:

We have assigned roles for the production of the film to the following:

Matt Bull - Blog Administrator, Actor, Editor

Gareth Allen - Equipment Technician/Provider, Actor, Editor

Hannah Sell - Lighting, Camera Operator, Producer, Photographer, Editor

Chloe McGlinchey - Camera Operator, Photographer, Director, Editor, Location Manager

Discussion:

Matt Bull 07 January 21:28

Hey guys! Just wondering if anyone had any thoughts of ideas for our media coursework?

Hannah Sell 07 January 21:34

Me and Chloe have got the best idea!

Gareth Allen 07 January 21:56

I'm not sure? I thought that it would probably be best doing a thriller or horror?

Hannah Sell 08 January 10:37

Yeah, that is what we were thinking, maybe like a mixture of both thriller and horror.

Chloe McGlinchey 08 January 10:42

Oh and I have somewhere we may be able to film! :D

Matt Bull 08 January 17:33

What is your idea then? I'm personally finding it hard to think of anything...

Hannah Sell 09 January 18:28

Basically Chloe knows the owner of the scrapyard in Crawley so we could set it there? We have an idea to base it around...

Chloe's Feedback

Un Prophete - A Prophet

"Set largely within prison walls, the film details the prison career of Malik el Djebena (Tahar Rahim), a 19-year-old man of North African origin but estranged from the Muslim community. Sentenced to six years for what appears to be violence against police (albeit denied by Malik), he is chosen by Cesar Luciani (Niels Arestrup), feared kingpin of the prisons reigning Corsican gang, to kill a prisoner named Reyeb (Hichem Yacoubi) who initially offers Malik drugs in exchange for sex. Malik commits the bloody murder, and thanks to Luciani's near-total control of the prisons internal workings - gets off scot-free. This makes him a lieutenant in the prisons Corsican gang, initially entrusted only with menial duties and disparaged as an Arab outsider.

Haunted by visions of a ghostly Reyeb, and determined to get on, the illiterate Malik not only learns to read, but teaches himself Corsican, surreptitiously learning the ins and outs of Luciani's business. Another inmate, Ryad (Adel Bencherif), becomes Malik's friend, later his ally on the outside. When Luciani arranges periods of leave for Malik, entrusting him with various criminal missions, Malik takes the opportunity to do some business of his own, setting up a drugs trade with Ryad's aid. Life gets increasingly dangerous for Malik, both inside and outside prison walls, but he seems partly through Reyeb's benign, unearthly influence - to lead a charmed life. Powers of prophecy are attributed to him after surviving a bizarre car crash an incident presaged in an enigmatic fantasy sequence. "

Hannah's Feedback

Matt's Feedback

Gareth's Feedback

'Bullet Boy' - Gareth Allen

This film seems to have the genre of social realism. The reason why I think this is because, they use an urban area during most of the film. The story itself is about crime and violence between different gangs in an urban area, presumably London. The characters in this film are Afro Caribbean and it is set in their community.

This film seems to try and mix the genre of social realism in with some thriller aspects. This is done briefly at different points of the film. The main part where you can tell that they try and introduce thriller aspects to is when the two boys are playing hide and seek in the woods. Curtis is holding the gun and looking for Rio in the woods. Whilst Rio is hiding, they use a lot of quick cuts to increase the pace that the film is going at. They also only show you Curtis untill it is just before Rio jumps out at him. At this point where they are using a lot of quick cuts, the audience can tell that something is going to happen, but they are unaware of what it is going to be. This is good as it is building up the tension that there is already, and are making the audience pay close attention to the film.

Throughout the film, they use a mixture of diegetic sounds and non diegetic sounds. This i think is done well mixing the two together. I do think however that if they used just diegetic sounds throughout the film, then it would seem to be more realistic. However, the non diegetic music is used to create different effects (sadness, tension). They also use non diegetic sounds to fill over establishing shots that they use of the green outside Curtis' house. They don't use silence in this film very much which would be why it isn't a thriller film.

Gareth Allen

'London to Brighton' - Gareth Allen

London to Brighton

This film I think, is a very good film that uses the genres of social realism and the genre of thriller. They use these two to coincide with each other during the film, which makes this film one of many 'glued to your seat' films.

One reason why I think that this is a very good film is because they use timings in this film to great effect. They use flashbacks during the film which gives the audience knowledge of what has happened in the past few hours. For the first of the two flashbacks that we see, it goes from Kellie sitting on the beach looking out into the ocean, to using a cut to her in an urban area walking down a street. At first the audience don't realise that it is a flashback, but once you see a close up of her face (she doesn't have a bruise on her eye) then they know that it is before this has happened. At the next flashback, you see Kellie with Joanne being held at gunpoint, to using a cut to seeing car lights on a road. Both of these times are times when it seems as though Kellie is reflecting on what she has got herself, and Joanne into. These flashbacks I think are good as, you are seeing the story of the film in the real time, but you are also seeing the story of what has happened the night before.

The thriller aspect of this film is also done very well. They do a lot of scenes in this film where you know what has happened, but you haven't seen this happen. During the second flashback you hear Joanee screaming after she has been taken upstairs. Once Kellie has gone in and seen if she is ok, you hear noises such as punches being thrown about. This is while the camera is fixed on the door that Kellie has just walked in so the audience don't see what is happening, but we can hear everything.

The sounds that you hear in the film are genrally all diegetic sounds. This is giving the audience the realism of the sounds that the characters in the film are hearing. The one time where the sounds are non diegetic is when there are the two cars driving to the farm. The audience are unaware of where they are going or what is going to happen once they get to where they are going, which is why they will have put non diegetic sounds in here. The sounds you hear are eeire and it's a slow pace to the track. This I think is the perfect time to be putting music into a social realism film. This is so that you can hear the same diegetic sounds that the characters are hearing throughout the film.

Gareth Allen

"Wasp" - Funding & Promotion - Matt Bull

Funding:

• UK Film Council’s New Cinema Fund (Lottery Funding)
• The ‘Cinema Extreme’ short film scheme co-financed by the UK Film Council’s New Cinema Fund and Film Four. The scheme was created in 2002 to encourage and develop directors with a distinctive directorial voice and cinematic flair.
• The project received a total production budget of £53,250, fifty per cent of this amount was awarded by the New Cinema Fund and the remainder by FilmFour. Additional funds were made available by the UK Film Council to clear music rights and promote the film at international festivals.
• The film was shot in and around Dartford, Kent. The ‘Cinema Extreme’ scheme is open to film-makers and production companies based in the UK.

• The completed film has enjoyed enormous critical success and won 36 awards at international film festivals, including the 2005 Oscar® for Best Live Action Short Film.

  It has firmly established director Andrea Arnold as one of the most interesting up-and-coming directing talents from the UK. At its premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival the film attracted the interest of Denmark’s Zentropa and Scotland’s Sigma Films who subsequently commissioned Andrea to work on her debut feature ‘Advance Party’.

  ‘Wasp’ also helped to launch the career of Nathalie Press who stars in the film as Zoe. Nathalie has since drawn huge acclaim for her role in ‘My Summer of Love’, stars in Martha Fiennes’ ‘Chromophobia’ and is appearing in the BBC’s ‘Bleak House’.


Promotion:

• Director Andrea Arnold's "Wasp," a film about an encounter between a single mother and an old flame, won the Best of the Festival Award — carrying a $2,000 prize — at the 2004 Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films & Short Film Market.

• Festival organizers said the seven-day event, described as the largest short film festival and market in North America, screened more than 300 short films, drawn from 2,000 submissions, and attracted 2,600 industry representatives, film-makers and media from around the world.

Matt Bull

"Mix Tape" - Funding/Review/Promotion - Gareth Allen

'Mix Tape'

Luke Snellin was awarded the Grand Prize by host Johnny Vaughan at the awards ceremony where his film triumphed over more than 2,000 competition entries. His film was chosen from a short-list of 12 by a prestigious panel of film industry experts including Oscar-winning stage and screen actor Kevin Spacey, Bond girl Gemma Arterton and BAFTA Rising Star award winner Noel Clarke.

As the Grand Prize winner, Luke received £30,000 funding towards his next film from Virgin Media and the UK Film Council, as well as nationwide exposure to millions of people across the country. Each of the 12 short-listed films are currently being shown on over 200 cinema screens across the UK for a year, as well as on Virgin Media's TV on demand service and, on the Virgin1 channel.

Gareth Allen

Research Tasks - "I Am Bob" - Matt Bull

"I AM BOB" (click to view)

1. This short film is a comedy based film, with an aspect of social realism within the story as well. The social realism is shown by the unfortunate circumstance that he (Bob Geldof) is left behind at a pub in the north. Seeking help, he meets others that treat him in the same way as a general member of the public.
2. I like the way in which this film is almost predictable from the events that have happened, and the ones that are going to happen. This adds to the realism of it, and how it could, and probably has happened to some celebrities.
3. Using the short film format, the storyline is told in real time adding the sense of realism. Being just under 20 minutes long, these events are likely to happen in that amount of time, resulting in no changes in the pace the story is told, because it is already.
4. Sound is used in no special way, but used in a realistic way of the chatter of other residents to the pub he enters, and the music coming form the lookalike competition. With no use of a soundtrack, or non-diegetic sound, it allows the film to be like someone has just recorded the situation as a "home movie".
5. On his way to a Make Poverty History gig in Scotland, Bob Geldof is accidentally stranded by an incompetent chauffeur in a run-down motel in Northern England. To his horror, he discovers a lookalike contest is taking place, and no-one will believe he is the real Bob Geldof. Just when he thinks things can't get any worse, he discovers he may not be the only Bob Geldof in the room...

Director & Writer: Donald Rice

Production Company: Clockwork Pictures

Filming Location: Hammersmith Working Men's Club, Hammersmith, London

Cast:

Bob Geldof - Bob Geldof

David Bamber - Bob Geldof Lookalike

Brian Conley - The Compare

Claire Rushbrook - Barlady

Maxine Peake - Marilyn Monroe

Matt Bull

Research Tasks - "Soft" - Matt Bull

"SOFT" (click to view)

1. This film is a drama short, experiencing the life of a father and his son going through the same problems, and the son taking the responsibility.
2. Although a drama film, social realism plays it part in the film being the life of a character, re-living the experience with his own son and brings back many emotions and leads to a psychological breakdown.
3. Using the short film format, the director/writer was able to condense a life long problem into a 14 minute short covering every aspect of the story to enough extent for the audience to understand his feelings and emotions.
4. As with many of the other films I have chosen to study, the sounds used in the film are all from the surroundings of the setting adding to the realism of the true storyline.
5. A father ("Ian" played by Jonathan Philips of his own story) has a problem with raising his son the way he learns to fight for himself, father who is not able to confront, to stand up even for himself. Being attacked and humiliated by the same street gang, they are both scared. For a boy, it is natural to get terrified by older and violent kids, but the father seems even more frightened. Since his father is too weak (soft), the boy takes the role/responsibility of an adult.

Director & Writer: Simon Ellis

Film Company: BUB

Genre: Short | Drama

Cast:

Jonathan Philips - Ian (as Jonny Philips)

Matthew O'Shea - Scott

Michael Socha - ASBO

Ashley Marshall - Gang Member

Matt Bull

Research Tasks - "Connecting" - Gareth Allen

Connecting

The genre for this short film I think is social realism and drama. The reason for this is because, it is set on an overcrowded bus that people will get on in their day-to-day lives. You see how people are just minding their own business by listening to music or talking on their phones. The audience are led to believe at one point that the main character, Gaz, looses his cool, and decides that enough is enough on this bus that has stopped. The audience see him hitting people and stamping on mobile phones and holding a gun up at an innocent bus rider. This makes you think that he has done something and is trying to get away from it. We then see that he has just come out of a day dream, and everybody on the bus is looking at him, waiting for him to answer his phone.

The genres of social realism and drama I think have been portrayed very well in this short film. I believe this because, you see Gaz sitting on the bus and feels that things are making him more and more agitated. You see what appears to be what he is seeing at one point where you see the middle of the bus and the camera is getting blurred and zooming in and out of objects. This seems to be something that doesn't seem to be that ludicrously outrageous. It is normal to have an overcrowded bus and to have others on phones while others are around.

This film I think uses the short film format very well. The reason that I think this is because, you see how Gaz is at the start of the film, and then you see how he changes his mood after some mintues with the bus stopped at traffic lights. I also think that it is good how you see what he day dreams he was doing, to stop that phone ringing. Then when you see everybody looking at him, realising that it was his phone that was going off, is a very good way to end this short film. They keep the story going aswell as, when he starts to get more annoyed at everybody, the shots of others on the bus get shorter and quicker cuts start to appear in this film.

The sounds during this film I think are also very good. Mostly throughout the film, the sounds are diegetic with the rain beating down on the bus and the road. You hear also once in the bus, the music that is playing on the boys ipod next to Gaz as if you are listening to it. You hear other peoples phone conversations aswell when they start to have a conversation. Then they blend all of these sounds together so you can hear them all together at once. They do include some non diegetic sounds at points where he is getting more and more annoyed. At this point, the beat of the music is getting quicker and quicker, possibly the same speed as his heart is going.

The themes that seem to be included in this short film seem to be about peoples day to day lives and the realism that people have coming home from work at night. This film seems to position the audience in Gaz's shoes. They do this by letting you hear what different people are like whilst on the phone, and how loud they are. You also see what he is day dreaming at the time, to see what he is thinking about. They also have used a steriotypical boy that sits next to Gaz on the bus. He has his hood up and has his ipod on loud, whilst playing about with his phone. This could be there to show how realistic this short film is meant to be.

I think that this film is targeted at adults who go to work everyday. I think this because, it is just an ordinary bus that is on it's journey one night taking people home. this will appeal to people who make a similar trip to this of the characters on this film because, they will be able to relate to how Gaz is feeling throughout this journey, which will make them enjoy the film more.

Crew
* Director - Dan Turner
* Producer - Craig Lawson
* Editor - David Stirzaker
* Director Of Photoography - Jorge Luengas
Cast
* Gaz - James Midgley
* Businessman - Andy Quine
* Girl - Elspeth Rae
* Townie - Nicky Bell
Funded By
UK Film Council's New Cinema Fund in association with North West Vision under the Digital Shorts scheme
Related Links
Damyan Filmworks site
BritFilms.com profile

Gareth Allen

Research Tasks - "Saltmark" - Chloe McGlinchey

Saltmark (Robin Haig, 2008)

* Saltmark is mainly a drama based film, although you do see some social realism coming into it as well. It is a short film about love, courage and growing up.

* This film uses genre/style conventions uniquely because of the simplicity of the film and the subtleness of the way it has been directed. The relationships of the people that are in the film both conflict yet work together very well, as "Rowan" has been looking after her Granddad yet you can see by her facial expressions that sometimes she does not want to be there and feels embarrassed where as other times she sees the funnier side of the incidents and goes back to her Granddad.

* The film uses short format exceptionally well, you can see the bond between the Granddad and his Granddaughter. As well as feeling a little sorry for "Rowan" you also think that she may take life for granted as she spends time with her granddad, he wont be there forever. The relationship between the two characters do not seem obvious at first, although you do not know their related during the whole film, at points in the film you can see that "Rowan" feels uncomfortable and embarrassed. I was inspired between the characters relationship the way they acted towards others and themselves.

* The sound i thought intertwined with the piece very well as it was completely a diegetic soundings. The sounds of everyday life, the sea, seagulls, chip shop and the simple yet effective pieces of small dialogue. The characters and in their comfort zone as they are surrounded by their home life.

* The audience has been positioned in a way which makes you feel like you are a fly on a wall. Or almost a reality TV show as the characters haven't reacted with the fact a camera is there and are acting completely normal.

Chloe McGlinchey

Research Tasks - "Slap" - Gareth Allen

Slap

In this short film, I beleive that the genre for this is a drama peice along with a social realistic short film. The reason that I think that the genre for this social realism is because, the film is about how a husband treats his wife badly and hits her. You can tell this from the film because, at the start of the film, you hear the sounds of a slapping noise on someone. You then see a woman who is holding her face and looks in pain and also in thought. At one point in the film, you see her standing over the sink with blood coming from her mouth. The audience are led to believe that this was done to her by her husband. It is also a drama piece I think because, you sometimes see her reaction after getting hit in the face by her husband. The two genres that there are in this film are in here because, this is an issue that happens to some people in the world today, and this film shows the truth about what it is like, which is giving the audience the knowledge of what it is like for this wide.

I think that it uses the social realism genre along with the drama genre well during this short film. I think this because, you see what the wife has to put up with from her husband and it shows you the truth about what might happen behind closed doors. The two genres work well together as they show the reality of what is happening in this short film, and the audience find that they are on the side of the wife, as we see what she has been through in the past.

This film uses the short film format by seeing what the wife is thinking about during the film. You see what her thoughts are while she is holding her face, to other horrors that have happened to her because of her husband. You see her also walking away from her husband while he is having a coughing fit on the floor. You also see her walking around, as a free woman, enjoying the countryside. Then you hear coughing again and she is back in the room with her husband. This is good for the short format of the film as you follow the wife during the film, and see what she is thinking about at the times, which shows us her prospective of the marriage.

The sounds during this short film I think are done very well. The main sounds during the film are diegetic sounds. You can hear the slapping noise at the start of the film, and later in the film you hear the wife crying in her bed. You also hear the coughing fit that her husband has at one point in the film. This is the changing point of the film as she then feels as there has been a power shift in this relationship. You hear him coughing for a while during the rest of the film untill you hear another slapping noise. But this time, you see the wife walking over to the husband who is on the floor, and see her figure slapping him. This I think is good as it starts the film with the same sound that you hear at the end of the film, espeically a sound that is as commonly known as a slap.

The themes of the film seem to be about a bad relationship that is occuring with this wife and husband. It is also about how some men hit their wives, and it shows you how the woman actually feels during this film. Even though you don't hear her say anything, you see her facial expression which tell you how she feels about everything. You don't see her husbands face through this film. The reason for this could be because, the director wants you to be on the side of the woman during this relationship and see things from her side.

I think that this short film is targeted to females and possibly males between the ages of 20 and 40. I think this because, the couple in the relationship are married so this will feel more relevant to the audience if they are in the same position as they are. I think it would appeal more to females because, you see the film from her point of view, which will make the females possibly feel as though they are in her shoes so they can relate to her a lot more than the male in this marriage. This will also appeal to males because, it shows them the truth of how this sort of thing affects women and they will respond to this.

Gareth Allen

Research Tasks - "Fade To Black" - Chloe McGlinchey

Fade to Black (Gary Martin, 2004)

* The genre of "Fade to Black" I have believed to have identified as a comedy. Dumped and heartbroken, Emma decides cosmetic surgery is the only way to win her ex-boyfriend back.

* The film uses the genre/style uniquely as it is basically just Emma recording her thoughts and feelings about her ex-boyfriend Sean. She explains to the camera how she feels about her ex having a new girlfriend, because she is obviously a typically jealous ex girlfriend who hasn't got over her "first love". Throughout the film she says how she is looking into liposuction. However in the end she decides to go through the procedure herself with a craft knife and a hoover.

* The use of sound throughout the piece is simply dialogue, the only other sounds you here is when Emma is using a hair dryer to dry her hair. If I was to extend any of the ideas myself then I would possibly look into the works of using simply diegetic sounds and only at the opening and closing of the film I would choose to use music.

* It's like Emma is talking to the audience about her ex, making the audience feel they are there with her in the room. She makes the film seem like people from the audience; male or female can relate to her "problems" about her ex.

Chloe McGlinchey

Research Tasks - "Cherries" - Gareth Allen

Cherries

This short film's genre seems to be a mixture of social realism and drama. I think that it uses social realism in this film by the way that it shows how the boys are at break, when they are chatting with mates and then a fight starts. This is possibly what happens on a day to day basis at this school. You see the classroom as well, where they are all talking away at the start of the lesson and being oblivious to the teacher being there. The genre for this film also seems to be drama. I think that this is the case because, you see one of the boys, James, and his emotions get the better of him when they are signing up to go into the army training and he starts to cry. You also have another one of the boys, Clint, who runs away from it all, presumably trying to get away from the fact that they are trying to get him to possibly go to war.

This short film I think uses the two genres of social realism and drama well in this piece. I think this because, you see how they are all affected differently with their emotions and how they deal with these by the fact that they may be in the war, Clint runs away from it all whilst James crys about it. I think that these two genres were mixed best in the classroom scene during the middle of this short film. I think this because, you see how they normally act during lessons at the start where they don't pay much attention to the teacher. Once they have read their letters though, their emotions take over them and they are curious to want to know if this is true or not and if they are having to go out and fight in the war. You also see how their teacher doesn't want to tell his students this information as he possibly will know how some of them might react to being told this information. He tells the headteacher that he can't do it, and you see at the start of the classroom scene, he is sitting their contemplating how he is going to tell them this news.

This film uses the short film format by using a lot of quick cuts during specific scenes. This I think works well as it increases the pace of the film and makes the audience sit on the edge of their seat wondering what is going to happen. They use quick cuts when the students have opened their letters and are showing the audience what information there is on the letters. You can see that they use quick cuts to show them the important parts of the letter to show how it isn't a joke, the address of the student and the army number. You also see quick cuts while they are watching the film. This will have been done to show how they are all feeling emotionally as you see close ups of their facial expressions. You also see the camera shaking while Clint is running on the grass outside of the school. He is on the run so they might have made the camera shake so that you feel you are seeing him there and are running along with him.
The sounds in this film are mostly diegetic. This is to show the realism that there is in this situation. Throughout the film you hear things that can normally be heard at schools, school bell, swearing, fighting etc. You hear the boys speaking in a lot of slang throughout this film so this suggests that the film could be set in an urban area in London. You do hear some non diegetic sounds however at the beggining of the film and the ending of the film. You hear the soundtrack at the start, which has words in it about running late for school (this is probably done because you see Clint running around in school uniform, presumably to his school). The non diegetic sounds that you hear at the end of the film are piano keys that are getting played. They are at first played quite quickly and close to each other. But as the scene moves on, they get further and further apart, and they are being played in a sad tone. This will be because they are signing themselves up to the army training, when most of them don't actually want to do it.
The themes and issues of this film are quite clear. The main theme is about the war that is happening at this time. The storyline is set on the war, and it is a key part of the film. Most of the talk in the film has something to do with the war and fighting. This film shows the current affairs that are happening across the world, giving it a lot of social realistic points. The students at this school all seem to be willing to get into fights however. This is in contrast with how they feel about fighting people the other side of the world, and possibly being killed fighting them. I think that this is a good contrast in the film as it shows at the start they are willing to fight each other on the playground, but when it comes to death being involved, none of them want to take that risk.

I think that the target audience for this short film is boys between 15 and 18. The reason that they will have targeted this age group is because, this could happen in the real world of today. This will have been why they have used boys from school who are 16, to show them how serious the war is. This will make the boys that are watching this as the audience realise what is happening, and that they could go through the same experience as these boys are. This will make them think and possibly be grateful for the life they have at the moment, and make them realise how lucky they are to not be fighting at the moment. Thye have done this well in the film I believe because, you can see the shock on the boys faces when they read their letters, which is presumably what the audience feels like as well, especially if they are the same age as these boys.

I think that there are parts of this film that are interesting in the way they have created the atmosphere in the scene. I think they have done this with the class all watching a film at the same time. They have done this scene well I think because, you see close ups of all of the students in the class, and see how they are reacting to this film they are being shown. They use the transition of a cut to go between shots, but they use quick cuts, so you see more of the students faces at this time. This I think would go well in our short film. The reason I think that quick cuts would look good in our short film is because, it can change the pace of the film and make the audience wonder what is happening, depending on what you are showing them.

Crew
* Director - Tom Harper
* Producer - Lisa Williams
* Writer - Fiona Kissane
* Editor - Mark Eckersley
* Director Of Photoography - Jakob Ihre
* Music - Jack Arnold
Cast
* Mr O'Brien - Niel Dudgeon
* Robin - Benjamin Smith
* James - Alfie Allen
* Clint - Omari Carter
* Headmaster - Sam Spruell
Funded By
Film London and UK Film Council Digital Shorts Plus
Related Links
UK Film Council site
Film London site

Gareth Allen

Research Tasks - "Scene 26" - Gareth Allen

Scene 26

This short film seems to have the genre of drama and thriller. The reason that I think this is a drama piece is because, you are seeing the man on the floor being all tied up with a tube in his mouth. This deals with emotional themes as he doesn't know how he got there. You also hear a ticking noise coming from a briefcase under the bed. This is suggesting that there is a bomb in this and he is trying to turn it off. I think that this is also a thriller piece as you see somebody's feet dangling in the air in the bathroom. You also see a pool of blood on the floor around the legs, but you don't actually see the body or the persons face. This makes the audience left in the unknown about what has happened and who it has happened to. You also see a little girl come into the room while the man is underneath the bed. You don't know who she is, or what she is doing but she looks at the man for a long time. She steps on his legs, and then starts to jump up and down on the bed that he is underneath.

I feel that this short film has used the two different genres of drama and thriller well together. This is because, you are left in the unknown from the thriller aspects of the film, and are curious about what has happened to the man. You also are wondering at the start of the film what has happened to then man and how did he get to be in that position and who did this to him. These are all questions that the director, Rob Hardy, has wanted the audience to ask themselves while watching this short film.

This short film uses the format where he has a moment where he is left wondering what is going to happen and is day dreaming. You see him laying on the floor outside a hotel room presumably, and he is all tied up. You then see him crawling around the hotel looking for people to possibly help him in the position that he is in. By the end of the film, you see him under a bed with a little girl jumping up and down on the bed. You then suddenly see him back outside the room in the hotel in the position that he was at the start of the film.

The sounds that you hear throughout the film are mainly diegetic sounds. This is good because, you hear what sounds the man that is tied up on the floor is making during his struggle to find people to help him. You don't hear any non diegetic sounds during this short film however, showing how it wants the audience of the film to see what he sees, and make it socially realistic.

The themes and issues of this film are about the horror and misunderstanding that there is shown in this film. You see him lying outside of his hotel room possibly, and is tied up on the floor. You also see a pool of blood on the floor which gives it the horror side to the film.

The target audience for this short film I think is possibly people between the age of 16 and 30. I think this because, it seems to be a horror genre of a film which means that some people will prefer to watch this than others. This is why I feel that this is mostly men are going to want to watch this as they are stereotyped to prefer this film to females.

Crew
* Director - Rob Hardy
* Writer - Rob Hardy
* Producer - Ben Timlett
* Editor - Ben Unwin
* Music - Ron Wright
Cast
* Man - John Rowley
* Girl - Lily Hardy
Related Links
Bill and Ben Productions site
Clermont Film Festival site

Gareth Allen

Research Tasks - "The Black Hole" - Matt Bull

"THE BLACK HOLE" (click to view)

1. This short film is mainly a drama based film, with the aspect of comedy thrown in as well, to see the funny side of the events that the main character goes through. Set in a empty work office, and all alone it adds to the mysterious side of the film, but identifies how the worker in which we see does not like his job.
   
2. The comedy side of this film is used very cleverly to show that is someone was given a way of getting things that he wants, he will take it, releasing the greed of a human. The audience know that in that same situation their need for things with the help of something that can get you that is too hard to resist.
   
3. "The Black Hole" is a short and deep tale of greed of human nature. It is impressive how the writers and directors Philip Sansom and Olly Williams were able to make a short of less than 3 minutes running time without any line and succeed in transmitting one of the seven deadly sins ( "Greed") so perfectly and with right dose of humour.
4. The use of sound is limited to emphasise the loneliness of the character to which we know, only hearing what he is doing (photocopying, eating, drinking). This makes the film feel more tense as it keeps the audience guessing what any consequence may be from his actions, or just what is going to happen next.
   
5. The room is atmospherically lit with the sodium glow of florescent lighting and we get a real sense of repetition, monotony and a man who is completely bored with his job - on the edge of quitting but with nowhere else to go. Without warning the copier begins to shake and make strange noises, the scanner flashes repeating over and over, but nothing is coming out of the printer.

Matt Bull

Research Tasks - "Lou Lou Lives Here" - Hannah Sell

Lou Lou Lives Here (Grain 2003)
1. Physiological thriller genre- this film concentrates more on the restricted narration putting it in the phycollogicall thriller genre this is because the film makes the audience feel on edge whcih traditional physiological thrillers do.

2. This film uses a unique style by being edited in black and white and creating an unsettling feeling for the audience as they are not sure what is going on. Also the visual effects create an unsettling atmosphere along with the graininess of the picture creating a unique style for this film.

3. This film uses the short film format by using restricted narration. The audience is not entirely sure as to what is happening as we are not told what is happening in the film. The use of quick cuts and faced paced shots helps with this keeping the audience interested in the film.

4. The use of sound is interesting in this film as no dialouge is used apaer from lou lou. This gives the audence no verbal understanding of the film. The only sounds that are used is non diagetic sound to set the scene like the helicopter and the van.

5. i have identified this film to be about either a little girl thinks she is a dog, the dog thinks it is human or the girl turns into a dog. The audience would identify it as the girl turns into a dog as it starts as a girl then ends as a dog. I personally think the film is about a dog thinking it is human as at the start the girl shows animal tenancies and the whole thing with the van stopping because she is in the road like it was an animal in the road. Also there is alot of flashing between human and dog images.

Hannah Sell

Research Tasks - "Lou-Lou Lives Here" - Matt Bull

"LOU-LOU LIVES HERE" (click to view)

1. This film is more like a poem than the narratively fixated majority. It creates a unique visual style feel and it contains some disturbing visuals and creates an unsettling tone using the digital technology to good effect.
2. The photography is black and white and grainy which I suppose is an artistic decision on the part of the director since it is admittedly atmospheric .
3. Quick cuts between shots give the film pace and tension to keep the audience interested on the main character and what is going to happen to her.
4. There is no dialogue from any character, so we don't get a verbal understanding of the standing which makes it harder to work out the aims of the film. The the only sounds in which you hear of are sounds with significance to what is happening. The helicopter, the wind gusts, the van pulling up and the barking/panting of the dog. All of these creates the tension for the film and could possibly suggest that the main character is wanted, hence a helicopter flying overhead and the van trying to catch her.
5. In my personal opinion, I think the story is about a dog that is called "Lou-Lou", wanted by certain people for reasons we the audience are not sure of. Making the dog into a little girl character makes the audience believe that its about her and maybe she has done something, or something is going to happen? Perhaps the director/writer wanted to make the dog into a female character to show sympathy towards the dog by giving it a human connection with the audience. With the director not making any comment on the film, it is very hard to work out exactly what the film is about.

Matt Bull

Research Tasks - "Lou Lou Lives Here" - Gareth Allen

Lou Lou Lives Here
This short film the genre seems to be a thriller. The reason that i think that this is a thriller is because, you are in the unknown, through most of the short film and can't answer questions about the film. This short film is presented in black and white colours and set in the countryside, by a forest. This has the makings of a thriller except it isn't filmed at night; which could be why they use black and white through the film. Also within the film,there are points where they make the viewing seem to be distorted and blurred. The reason that they could do this is so that you can't quite make out what the character is seeing, maybe because this is what they are seeing aswell.

This film I think uses the same genre throughout the film. It uses the thriller genre throughout. This I belive has been done well as you are left in suspense at points in the film and the audience are not sure what is going to happen next. This is different to other short films that I have seen before because, in the other short films, they normally use two different styles or genre conventions within the film. This could be because the director feels that because the film is shorter than feature length ones, they are able to include another genre to what the genre in the film is primarily.

It uses the short film format by the way that they are constantly including moving images on the screen. This keeps the pace of the film going even though it is just over 4 minutes long. You don't actually find out what happens in this film at the end of it, which keeps the audience questioning what they think happened ( is the little girl able to transform to a dog, did the dog kill her, did the man with the rabbit toy let the dog loose on the girl etc.) .

The sounds that you hear at the start are diegetic. You hear the sounds of dogs barking, a helicopter flying past, and birds singing. These are all noises that you would expect to hear within a countryside on a day to day basis. After hearing these sounds at the start of the short film, you don't hear many noises afterwards. You do however hear the calling of 'Lou Lou' a few times. When you first hear this, you suspect that this is the little girl possibly, but at the end of the film, you see the dog going through a gate with a sign saying 'Beware..Lou Lou Lives Here'.

This short film has been left open by the director (Grian) so that the audience can make up their own mind about what has happened during this short film. This I think has been done very well as, in thrillers, you are meant to keep the audience guessing and they have to think to themselves what is happening or what has just happened. This film has had many different views to what actually happens at the end of the film, which is probably what Grian intended for when he was creating this short film.

This film I think is targeted at older adults. The reason that I think that an older generation would prefer this sort of film is because, it involves a lot of thinking and knowledge to try and work out what this film is trying to show.

Gareth Allen

Research Tasks - "Lou Lou Lives Here" - Chloe McGlinchey

Lou lou lives here (Grian) 2003

* I believe this short film to be of a psychological thriller genre. It is a dark story which parodies the anxieties of a ten year old girl walking home alone. Our worst fears for her happen when she is hunted by a sinister man but this little girl has a powerful secret.

* The film has been edited in black and white, which to me gives the film a more eerie approach to what is going on. It is more unique as a while due to the film being a short narrative as you can give the audience a knowledge and knowing of your work. The shortness of this particular film works well because of what it is about and how well the film has been put together. the aspects of use that I find interesting is the point of what type of genre it is and what the director has planned in order to produce an either successful or unsuccessful piece of filming.

* The short film uses the short film format quite well. The film works very well as a psychological thriller as you don't quote understand what is going on. T he audience are given the basics which turns into a restricted narrative; where the director has decided to produce this piece of work. Quick cuts and camera shots through the film make it seem fast paced and builds up a lot of tension for the audience.

* We do not receive any dialogue from the characters which makes the film harder to understand. The only sounds we do hear are the helicopter movements at the beginning and at other points in the film. The sounds we do hear create an indescribable tension towards the audience, it creates a sense that the little girl is wanted what with the white van pulling up near her and the helicopter surrounding her.

* In my opinion the audience has been positioned to be as the camera itself. Its like the audience are following the little girl and her footsteps; almost stalker like. This is achieved by the camera man/women following the girl in her steps at a very fast pace. The whole story conception of the little girl and the dog is quite hard to connect together as you dont know whether the girl is turning into a dog or vice versa.

Chloe McGlinchey

Research Tasks - "MixTape" - Matt Bull

"MIXTAPE" (click to view)

1. This short film is different from the others I have looked at so far for my research. This film uses romance and musical and have combined them to produce a very good, and happy film.
2. Most romantic musicals are longer films that tell a story of two people that like each other but takes them longer to be together. Being a short film, the director has made it more realistic and shows how quick of a impact one little thing like a mix tape can achieve.
3. This film uses the music chosen by the main character as a base to the pace in which the story is told. being a face paced song means that when they both sing at the end of the piece, it shows that even music from the 70's can be popular with a younger generation.
4. The mix tape is what brings the two lovers together even being separated by an obstacle(wall) between their rooms. It is powerful enough to be heard from either room bringing them closer together.
5. Ben spends his time listening to his Dad's old 70's vinyl and making mixtapes on an old double deck tape recorder. He makes a tape to try and woo the girl next door, Lily, the girl of his dreams. he tries to pass it on to Lily herself but is not there and is greeted by her mother. Ben asks if she could pass it on for him and does. He returns home to his room and hears the tape being played knowing that she got it and starts singing along with her although separated by a wall in which they both lean back on at the end of the film.

Matt Bull

Research Tasks - "Mixtape" - Hannah Sell

MixTape (Luke Snellin)
1. Musical romance genre- This film uses music more than talking which puts it more in the musical genre. Music is used to set the scene and then music and singing is also used to help the audience identify that this is of the musical genre.

2. This film uses genre and style conventions uniquely this film uses both elements of musical and romance genres. What is unique about the way this film is done is it doesn't take along time for the plot to develop it cuts to the point quickly.

3. This film uses the short film format well as it is a very short film. However it contains structure and entertainment for viewers. The narritive is short and to the point it is about a boy liking a girl and him making her a mixtape and her liking it. This is all shown in the film but is straight to the point unlike traditional films it cuts out all the middle part and just shows the audience what they want to see.

4. The use of sound is intresting in this film as the sound is what makes it intresting. if there was no sound the film would not make sense. music is used to set the scene but to also make the story. The use of diagetic sound is useful as the music being played can be heard by both the audience and the characters. however at the start of the film the use of non diagetic sound is mixed with diagetic sound as he makes the mixed tape we can all hear the music the music then continues as he walks along the street however the boy cannot hear it any more but we can.

5. This film seems to be about a boy liking a girl and how a mixed tape brings them together. It positions the audience as if they are watching a music video.

Hannah Sell

Research Tasks - "Mixtape" - Chloe McGlinchey

Mixtape - Luke Snellin

* The genre of this short film is romantic musical. Also containing social realism. Ben spends his time listening to his Dads old 70s vinyl and making mixtapes on an old double deck tape recorder. He makes a tape to try and woo the girl next door, Lily, the girl of his dreams.

* This short film uses the style conventions uniquely because it uses both musical and romance in one film. The film also gives certain aspects of their own music video, as the characters are dressed in fairly vintage clothing. I find the use of using music and interpreting the characters to connect with it is exceptionally inspiring because of how young the children in fact are, it just shows how much of an impact parents music likings can be towards their children.

* The short film format in this piece, has definitely worked the best. The advantages of this is with the shortness of the film is you can include so much or so little in order to make the piece make sense to the audience. The narrative has been structured around the character "Ben" mainly because it's obviously about him having a love for his dad's old 70's vinyl and trying to win the heart of the girl next door "Lily". The music at the end of the film where you see "Ben" and his sister singing along to the song works and intwines within the whole film as it may describe their own insites and feelings.

* The use of sound in the short film is very interesting and works very well with the piece of filming, the music is upbeat and has heart and soul into it. There are both diegetic and non diegetic sounds in the film. The use of the soundtrack, makes the characters seem like they are featuring in that particular bands music video.

* The audience has been positioned to view the film as a third person. As a film is supposed to be viewed, the audience can still interact with this piece, still thinking (if the audience were around in the 1970's) their childhood is coming back to them, with the music bring back memories and flashbacks and whether or not if they were like that with their parents music and how they felt about that era.

Chloe McGlinchey

Research Tasks - "Eight" - Matt Bull

"EIGHT"

1. This short film is a social realism film looking into the daily life he lives, moving from the town in which he was born (Liverpool) to the South Coast. It also is styled in the way of a documentary, with the narration of the main character (Jonathon) for most of the film, describing his life whilst things are happening on screen. Clothing of a home-made football shirt of the team he supports has the ideology of a young boy growing up, influenced by his father who supported the same team, but died at one of the games, maybe meaning that his mother doesnt allow him to own a real one because of what happened?
2. Using social realism for this film creates a sense of realism to the film. With the main issues created by the story, the audience could relate to that young boy with the same experiences. The narration adds to the documentary style by expalining the situation he is in, whilst being relevant to what you can see on screen.
3. This film uses the short film format to make it a lot more pacey, telling a film that could of been prolonged and as a result become less interesting. But as it is a short film, information about the story is being tolded all of the time, keeping the audience informed making it more interesting.
4. The use of sound is used to link with the types of genre of social realism and a type of documentary style piece. The sounds that are used whilst events are happening are made to feel natural, emphasising the realism of the film. Narration is also used to emphasis the past that Jonathon had with his father. Looking back at what he had, and now what he does have in contrast.
5. Family is the main issue that is presented to us from the main character of Jonathon. The loss of his dad has made a big impact to his life without having a father figure, and both him and his mother feel the consequence. We know how his father died by his description, resulting in Jonathon's passion for the support of the football team (Liverpool). His mum tries to stop him from supporting that team because of his father dying at one of the matches, so stops him from bringing back memories, and possibly protecting him from the same thing in the future?

Matt Bull

Research Tasks - "Eight" - Gareth Allen

Eight
I think that this film is in the style of a biography of Jonathon's life and his family. He mentions his dad throughout this film and the effects his dad has on his mum (makes her cry when ever Jonathon brings his name up in conversation). He is also deeply in love with football and Liverpool especially, seeing as this is where he grew up. This film has parts of social realism included as you see what he lives like without a dad and how he wishes he did (when he holds another child's dads hand as if it was his own). The way that you see him running around on the beaches, shows how he is free living and has the world at his hands and can do what he wants. This is good at the start of the film as it shows the audience what he is like as a person deep down.

Within this film, they use different styles of conventions to tell the stories. They use social realism and biography references throughout the film to tell different parts of the story. He talks about himself and what he wants everything to be like e.g. with a dad of his own. They show social realism by the use of his mum not being happy with him being interested in football. This is probably because it brings back memories for her of her late husband. This is good using two different styles as you can see different ways that they are living and how they are feeling in their hearts.

The film uses the short format for a film as it never stops telling a story. It is mostly about Jonathon and the fact that he doesn't know what it is like to have a father figure in his life. If he isn't talking about this, then he is talking and thinking about football. This carries the story along well as it never stops and keeps the audience intrigued.

The sound i feel is done well throughout this short film. At the start of the film, and at the end of the film, there is non diegetic sounds with the background soundtrack. They also use narration at different points of the film. This is showing the audience what Jonathan is thinking at different points during the film and keeping us informed about different things throughout his life. They blend this narration with the filming as you see him sitting down at the dinner table and you see him carrying on what he has been saying.

The themes and issues that there are in this short film are family issues. This is shown by the loss of Jonathon's dad before he was born so has never had a father figure in his life. These issues are shown by the way he holds another childs dads hand in the hope that he could have once had that feeling. We also hear the thoughts that he has wondering what his dad would have done for a living ( train driver, astronaut or a fireman) . We also hear that his mum cries whenever he asks her about his dad. We hear that she doesn't want him to play or be interested in football as much as he is and tries to get him to have another hobby. The reason for this could be that it brings back memories for her of her late husband who enjoyed football as well, and is worried that the same thing will happen to her son.

This film I think is targeted at a young audience between the ages of 7 and 10. I also think that it appeals to an audience of people between 16 and 30. I think this because, you hear the story of the film from a boy who is eight years old and you feel how he is feeling at times. This will appeal to these types of people because, they can relate to the main character Jonathon. this will be why it is targetted at a younger audience, because they will be around the same age as him, and they might be going through the same situation as he is.

Gareth Allen

Research Tasks - "Eight" - Hannah Sell

Eight (Daldry 1998)
1. Social Realism/ Documentary genre- This film is like a documentary like film following the life of an eight year old boy who really likes football we see how he follows England and his reactions to what he sees also how he still supports Liverpool even though he does not live there anymore . He also trying to cope living in a new place moving from Liverpool to the south coast and also trying to cope with the loss of his father.

2. Genre and style conventions have been used uniquily through this film both therough the social realism and documentry genres. Jonathon talks about himself and what he likes and how he would like things to be. He talks about his best friend and how they want things to be and what they like to do together. He talks about his mother and she doesn't like football in the house and how she doesn't like to talk about his father and he also talks about his father and how he remembers his dad and what he likes to do like he is still around.

3. The film uses the short film format to depict the life of an eight year old child in ten minutes. if this film had been a full length film and like this all the way through the audience would have started to get bored and it would be less interesting.

4. The sound of this short film is very interesting using mainly narration from Jonathon. Lots of non diagetic sound is used to help set the scene and surroundings as we follow Jonathon through this film. Music is used to draw the audience in at the start of the film making them feel unaware as to what this film is going to be about.

5. Lots of themes and issues are addressed in this film. one of the main ones is Jonathons love of football and how that is all he wants to do. Another issue that links in with this is his mother not wanting him to have anything to do with football this could be because his father died at a football match and it reminds her too much of him and brings back painful memories. Jonathons love of football is depicted to that audience all the way through the film from the very beginning whaen he has the football on the beach all he wants to d ois play football. We see him watching football with his friend and then reanacting Michael Owen's famous goal this shows the audience how devoted he is. Also with the colouring in of his own tee-shirts that again show the devotion of this child to his home town and the football team there. Another big issue is family the loss of his father has impacted both him and his mothers lives greatly and we see this as he talks about him and how he wants to be like his father was.

Hannah Sell

Research Tasks - "Eight" - Chloe McGlinchey

Eight (Daldry) 1998

* I think this film is based on a documentary/social realism genre. Jonathon is an eight year old boy trying to come to terms with the loss of his father. We spend a day in his company while he reveals his thoughts and love of the game football and watching and reacting the England game against Argentina in the World Cup in France in 1998.

* Throughout the film the director has approached more than one type of genre to tell different parts to the story. Jonathon talks about himself and how he wants things to be. He talks about his mother not liking football and how he makes his mother cry a lot and how is father made his mother feel. He also brings in his best friend saying how he supports a different football team however they both support their home country: England. Jonathon is almost trying to make his dad seem alive and well, the way he talks about anything and everything.

* The short film format for "Eight" is like its a never ending story with Jonathon and his thought and feelings. He doesn't know what it would be like to have a father figure in his life, so he mainly goes on about his love of football and Liverpool F.C. The story is every minute intriguing the audience to pull them in closer and get a bind with the character.

* The sound throughout this short film has been thoroughly thought out, the non diegtic noises through out make every scene important. The surroundings that follow Jonathon make his thoughts and words seem every bit more realistic to the audience. The music at the beginning of the piece made me ,as the audience, feel fairly sad and make you wonder what the film is going to be about and where the film has been filmed and located. Narration is the main sound through the film and it brings a sense of realism and hope for the main character.

* The film is definitely about family issues, as Jonathon talks mainly about his mother and father. He also talks about his best friend "Terry" and saying how he likes Terry's parents as they let them both watch football in the house as at Jonathon's house his mother does not. He goes past work places in curiosity into what his father had done as a career and whether he may follow in his steps. His mother throughout his life has attempted to get him into other hobbies other than football; reasons for this may be because she does not want to be reminded of her dead husband as she has been widowed and is left alone with the remainder of their love together to produce their first and only child. I think that the film would appeal to people of all ages due to what is going on during the film, because of the story that is being told by an eight year old boy people may be able to relate to anything that he has spoken about.

Chloe McGlinchey

Research Tasks - "Wasp" - Matt Bull

"WASP" (click to view)

1. This short film uses the social realism genre to make the film realistic and of real life situations. Situations that the audience could relate to because of the difficulties they face.
2. This really is an extraordinary and exceptional film. Gritty, real, touching and also incredibly tense and full of suspense. The free flowing nature of the camera-work adds to the already vivid realism, almost docudrama style. As a viewer you are drawn into this impoverished and deprived world, you feel immediate empathy for the central character in her desperate situation. She shows warmth, love and humanity to her children side by side with an appalling judgement about their well-being and safety. She is contrasting yet totally believable and genuine.
3. What makes "Wasp" so unique is its almost seamless fusion of the two documentary styles. Writer/director Andrea Arnold scripts a fictional story intended to look so authentic that it can pass as direct cinema. This is done so effectively that not only is a casual viewer unable to tell whether it is fact or fact-based fiction, but in most cases actually assumes the story is authentic and the characters real. The acting (particularly by the children) is so well directed and edited that you feel certain that these are real people.
4. With this film set in a real life situation, the sounds the audience hear is of the natural surroundings of where they live. In a what seems to be a run-down area on the outskirts of a city, the sounds of traffic and the hustle and bustle of the area is normal to them. As this film is a social realism, they don't use sound to emphasise any major events, but try to make it as real as possible.
5. This film puts the audience in the position of the main character (Zoe) within the daily routine of her life with her kids. Living in bad conditions, things don't get any better when the other people living near have a negative approach towards her. She thinks things could change on meeting an old friend who takes her out, but doesn't realise that she has her 4 kids.

Matt Bull

Research Tasks - "Wasp" - Chloe McGlinchey

Wasp (Andrea Arnold, 2003)

* I had identified this short film to be of a social realism genre. The style of content throughout the film was well thought out and every detail mattered in pretty much every scene. The mis en scene was particularly powerful, due to what was put into it and exactly how much. the characterisation was extremely important because of the type of people they are, it is important to stress this to the audience so that they know just basic details of the characters in ways the speak, act and walk.

* This film uses genre/style of conventions uniquely in order to connect with the audience. The way the characters act towards each other and their living in everyday life in order to succeed or fail. The aspects I find interesting throughout the piece were in fact the character relationships. The way that the Mum "Zoe" was towards the female , who accordingly hit one of Zoe's children, when she sticks up for her family she does it with violence and heart as they need to be protected by their mother in order to not be taken away by the authorities.

* The advantages of using the short narrative in this particular film word very well. My reason for this is due to the close relationships towards "Zoe" and her children, the way the director has more or less got straight to the point and views of this small but dysfunctional family. The opening of the film flows well with the film as it starts to give a taste between the female and Zoe. You can immediately see what "Zoe" is willing to do to protect her family. The ending of the film may seem disappointing to some people but to others may be the perfect ending for it. As the irony of the car not pulling away quickly, it may make you think what may happen but as "Dave" smiles towards "Zoe" he then pulls the car away and the camera then follows. It then cuts to the city lights at night with "Hey Baby" playing in the soundtrack.

* With the film being related to social realism, the sounds the audience hear are diegetic (which means characters and audience can hear these sounds), you can mainly here the surrounding area in which the family live. The sounds of traffic, and other city inaqualities are everyday life and do not bother Zoe's family. The film tends not to build up suspension during any major events as the film is meant to be viewed to seem real as possible.

* The director has chosen to position the audience behind the eyes of the main character "Zoe". This gives the audience an oppourtunity to see how she copes everyday life with poor living conditions, no job, no money and four young children to care for. As the film starts to end, "Zoe" ends up meeting up with an old friend "Dave" who takes her out (down the pub) she thinks that she can turn her life around, with just one meeting. However at the beginning of seeing dave she fails to tell him that she has four children. But as the end approaches he almost seems like her own knight in shining armour.

Chloe McGlinchey