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