Short Film Research- Imogen Salmon

Living Nightmare
2012

by Amy Coop

Directed by Rachel Sims

Virgin Media Shorts 

http://www.virginmediashorts.co.uk/film/3639/living-nightmare#.UkGTj5ywWdg

 

SpookyWoods Setting

Summary:  A young girl is having nightmares, but her friends don't believe her. Her dreams get worse until they start to cross over into her real world... 

I chose this short film as it used a link between reality and the imagination, using creativity to incorporate the two together using the perspective of a child.

Representation

• It is a short film is based on a young girls fears, these represented are those most common in children, set in typically spooky settings, like the woods and involving a scary, masked man chasing them. Nightmares are common in children, they are known to give sleep problems in children with characters such as the 'Bogeyman' existing in children's fantasy. 

• The disrupted views of whether the nightmare is reality or not represents the naivety of a child, confused if her dream was real just because it felt it at the time, the short film gives an insight into the confusion, making the audience believe too it was real after seeing her perspective. 

Handheld camera, tracking, chase scene

• It is unclear whether the figure haunting her was real, or in her imagination for that reason. This could be perceived as a psychological disability due to whispering voices which appear when she awakes, or simply a child's imagination getting carried away.

• Although not filmed in point of view shots of the girl, it is filmed in her perspective following her character in third person with tracking shots and maintaining her presence in the frame. This represents her age to the audience, with distortion of reality arising questions.This convention of enigma is created in order to puzzle the audience, whether the bruises and sightings of a black-hooded man are actually real? 

Disruption (00:07)

Narrative

• The narrative is non-linear, it flickers between past and present throughout, with flashbacks into the girls nightmares, therefore being represented non chronologically. This is in order to distort the audience understanding the flashbacks the girl is receiving and how she is being mentally affected.  

Confrontation (00:27)

• It partly follows Todorov's traditional 5 stages, but missing out the stages of equilibrium and the resolution with the storyline consistently remaining negative focusing on the nightmares.  

New equilibrium (2:10)

• It begins with the disruption of nightmares, then occurs when the girl discusses with her friend the problem she has, the film ends with a new equilibrium with a twist, the nightmares get worse coming to life, with the girl being physically hurt and also seeing the hooded figure in 'real life, there is no closure.
  
  

Genre

• The genre of a horror is represented throughout this short film using a number of traditional conventions. The distortion of time, flickering from past to present using flashbacks represents the girls thoughts, as she looks back to her dream and waking up also, feeling the reality of it being left with clues it was in fact real. 

• The flashbacks are shown to the audience by relating to what the girl is talking about in the present her 'nightmares', the camera is handheld and the image is slightly blurred with a lower brightness level compared to present time, also the sound changes from a spooky atmosphere with high pitched, and a fast paced soundtrack to the present with just diegetic sound of the birds and conversation where the girl is talking to her friend at school.   

• The typical victim of a young girl also represents the genre, she is represented to be naive and innocent through high camera angles, and the chase scene running and screaming frantically. 

• This hidden identity of the antagonist is another convention commonly used in this genre, it creates enigma also following Roland & Barthes theory.

Media Language

Low key lit, ECU

• The use of a high shot frequency, low key lighting and a handheld camera during the nightmare create a negative atmosphere to the image. 

• ECU's are used conveying the emotion on the girls face, CU's are also used to hide information from the audience, to maintain the factor of enigma. 

• The non-diegetic screeched, high pitched instrumental sounds in the background create tension, along with the diegetic panting and footsteps of the girl, with both sound and image parallel to one another. 

• The camera uses a focus pull on the hidden figure in the foreground, with a blurred background, focusing on the figure being the source of fear.

Use of a focus pull

Audience

A US based video sharing website

This short film is also available on vimeo as well as Virgin media shorts.The Producer Amy Coop has made many other short films as I discovered on IMDb. The production company is Angelic films and they produce many short films, along with producing brand films, virals and adverts.

Amy Coop has won a number of awards including recently at the 2013 Lime light awards ceremony winning both 'Film of the night award' and 'Best school production award'

Open Skies
2008

by Rob Brown

Directed by  Rob Brown

BBC Film Network

http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p004pb1b

Summary: A mother takes her boy to the beach and shows him beautiful things. At sunset, she falls asleep on the sand. When she opens her eyes her child is gone. Now everything which was once beautiful becomes threatening as she searches for her missing child.

I chose this short film as it shows the difference between the happiness and despair that can occur having a child through mainly moving image, it is individual as doesn't use non-diegetic sound or any dialogue to create the atmosphere, the images themselves tell the story, I find this an interesting aspect. 

Equilibrium

Narrative

• The film begins with an equilibrium, both mother and child are represented to be blissfully happy, having a day at the beach together, then disruption occurs when the mother wakes up and her child has disappeared. She then searches frantically confronting the problem, the film ends in this way however, not including either a resolution or new equilibrium leaving the audience with a cliff hanger, after building up the emotion to no closure, with an abrupt finish.

• The plot is linear and chronological containing one flashback, it doesn't have any closure

Disruption

• The plot is that a women and a child spend a day at the beach, the women falls asleep, and when she awakes the child has gone, she searches... Whereas the story would have included the build up, their relationship (which is presented to be mother and son), why they went to the beach, where's the father, etc.The spectator is influenced to make assumptions and focus on the plot itself, and concentrate on the future what will happen next, not what has already happen and ponder on the question whether she will find the child or not.   

Confrontation

 

Genre

• The genre is distinguished due to the topic of the short film, it is a tragedy showing the change on how a mother's life can change so quickly from the loss of a child. 

• The aspect of an emotionally subject is common in melodramas, they are made to steer away the spectator from their daily hassles and focus on those occurring in the film. Dramas are easy to relate as they are based on real-life situations.  

•  Following Neale's repetition and variation this short film repeats the aspect of a melodrama with a tragedy occurring, there being the typical emotions of despair, however there being variation with an unusual setting to loose a child which would typically be in a busy area such as a shopping centre.

• Altman's syntactic codes also apply with the audience predicting that there must be an ending (hopefully happy)   

The final shot- a cliff hanger

Audience

• I believe the audience is specifically aimed at mothers and other females. This is due to them being able to relate more to the mother in despair understanding the way she reacts when her child disappears, able to identify that they would react like that too, frantically searching. This is also due to the genre being a melodrama, these films are particularly popular with women as they create heightened emotions, involving topics of love, illness and tragedy for example.

• This short film was selected by BBC Film Critic Mark Kermode as 'Best Drama' at BBC Big Screen Awards.

• It also starred British actress Lara Belmont, she is most famous for her role of Jessie in 1999 film 'The War Zone'.  

• The production company is White Lantern Film, which is a popular company based on the south coast of England focusing on character drawn narratives and strong dramatic genres. 

• It has been screened at:London Short Film Festival, 2009 Mecal International Short Film Festival, 2009 Bradford International Film Festival, 2009 Raindance Film Festival, 2009 Branchage Jersey Film Festival, 2009 Brest European Short Film Festival, 2009 Leeds International Film Festival, 2009

Media Language

•  By using a combination of different mise-en-scene, camera work and editing, the film successfully switches the atmosphere from calm and happy to sad and frantic. 

• The mise-en-scene aspects which change are: Iighting, facial expression and body language.

Before

The lighting changes as the time of day does, during the day there is a happy atmosphere, natural high key lighting is used, with  high saturation there's an array of warm colours of yellows and oranges, the beach, weather and the women's costume wearing light clothing.  This suggests it is the summer, a time of year known for holidays, relaxation and happiness. 

After

Although the setting doesn't change as remains empty other than the characters and the beach, the atmosphere changes how the setting is perceived. Before it is secluded and untouched, it is a beautiful location without being spoilt by man. However, when it gets dark it becomes dangerous and remote, lonely and inaccessible. 


A turning point occurs when she wakes, the boy has disappeared, it is dark and gloomy the weather, the waves are rolling in and low key lighting is now used . All these binary opposites have occurred, suggesting the light brought happiness (which is the child) and without it is no longer (he has gone).


The actor changes her facial expression and body language completely, expressing the contrast of emotions from one height to another. At first gazes up, standing tall and calm with slow movements, having a protective arm around her son as she lies down and falls asleep.  But after the turning point she is in shock putting her head in her hands, frantically turning around in search.

ELS

  

•   The camera work aspects which change are the shot distances, camera movement and the pace of the shots. 

The distance of the shots change from consisting mainly of long shots of the pair together, to close ups of the mother's expression and reaction, along with MCU's of her and the empty background, emphasing how distant she is from help.

BCU

The camera remains still in many of the opening shots showing the characters day go by, when the mood changes it becomes handheld, following the women's movement with tracking shots.

 

Silent Things
2010

by Rob Brown

Directed by Rob Brown 

White Lantern Films

YouTube 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aiw7Ng3pBuk

Summary: A short film about an autistic man and woman who undergo an extraordinary test of character and friendship when a 15 year old girl comes between them.

I chose this short film as it used an interesting distortion on the image and sound together to create the perspective of those with Asperges Syndrome, this creates awareness of the disability and gives a snapshot into what it's like. 

Representation

• Throughout the short film there is a consistent representation of disability, being based on a male character with Asperges Syndrome.

• Shots focus on the kite too with many worms eye view angles, the kite symbolises an icon of the friendship between the two with Asperger syndrome, having a hobby they share together when on the beach, there is repetition of this throughout the beginning and end of the short film as if representing when that their friendship is everlasting and how frequent they endure this activity as a pair.  

• When the man panics before getting on the ferry, sounds of voices begin, these are represented as if they are coming from his mind and this is what he hears, this shows his disability affecting him and how uncomfortable he felt in the situation. 

• Camera shots have the editing effect of slow motion, muffled sounds and blurred images, all representing his point of view in confusion. All the effects on sound indicate his relationship with it coping with his disorder showing the difficulty he has with too much noise and pressure.

• The film recognises the issues those with this disorder have, perhaps being misunderstood at times with people finding it difficult to recognise as it isn't as obvious as some.

Narrative

•  This short film has a linear structure, having a beginning, middle and end using chronological order.  
  

• Todorov is used as there is equilibrium of the two friends flying a kite, disruption occurs when the man makes a new friend and plans to get on a ferry with her, and he panics. Confrontation is when the girl lies about why she is on the ferry with him suggesting he persuaded her and she didn't know him, so she could get out of ‘trouble’, resolution is when the police let the man go realising he’s innocent, the new equilibrium is the man and his original friend go back to normal and fly their kite.   

• Some characters from propp are used, the teenager who lied to get out of trouble is the false hero as she seemed to be his friend and going on a ferry with him for his first time. His friend although she got jealous she appeared the hero as looked out for her friend and was there for him when he was released.

• The ferry which passes by is a symbolises what is going to happen using an enigma code, it suggests travel and a journey is going to occur, instead of a real journey on the ferry he and his friend both old and new have a journey of testing a friendship.

• The plot is different to the story as plot although having a clear beginning, middle and ending it doesn't include the background of the pair with disabilities,how they become friends and their background stories, what else do they do instead of spend days at the beach flying a kite?

Media Language

• 
  
  Continuity editing using shot reverse/shot and two shots representing the conversation of the man and the teenager, this changes to shots of his friend watching them from afar, her negative, confused reaction as she watches the pair becoming friends, there is a point of view shot to represent the angle at which she is watching them which follows after a medium close up with her focused in the foreground emphasising the uneasy posture and facial expression.

Audience

• This short film is also displayed on BBC  Film Network and Vimeo, it is rated 6.2/10 by 104 viewers.

• It has won the 'New arrivals award' 2011 at the Rotterdam International Film Festival

 










 

Mud Boy
2009
by Nick Penrake
directed by  Nick Penrake
BBC Film Network
 

 

 

Summary: A young girl makes a discovery of her younger brother's grave at the bottom of her garden, this short film gives an insight to how the trauma affected her innocent mind to believe she was still seeing him.

I chose this short film as it showed a child's perspective on the trauma of a loss of a relative.

Narrative

This short film followed todorov.

• Equilibrium- the mother and eddy (her partner) having what seems a normal dispute.

• Disruption- when the argument progresses and the daughter (a young girl) finds a hand coming out of the mud buried in the garden.

• Confrontation-   the girl cleans the body, believing everything is normal taking her brother inside to watch a movie. 

• Resolution- the abusive eddy is arrested

• New equilibrium- the image of the boy's body in the garden is then shown in the garden from another perspective, revealing he is in fact been murdered

Propp

Eddy = Villain

Children = Victims

 

Mother = Dispatcher

Police officer = Hero

The characters according to 

There is clarity between good and evil characters in the film, this follows the binary opposites theory.  

Establishing shot

• Various shots on the spade suggest it is related to the plot, it is the opening shot, establishing the scene creating an enigma code, this is a CU, with the spade in the foreground and the title disappearing in a fade.

ECU of spade

• Another shot is an ECU which works as an action code just before the girl discovers the body, the background is in focus with the face of the girl positioned in the handle of the spade, the depth of field in this shot is particularly effective involving both the tool and the character of which is to find the body, without them yet having any  relationship.

  

•  This iconography signifies the motion in which the spade will be used for (digging) and therefore the events to follow.

• The  plot is Linear with closure, Eddy the obvious abuser is arrested, this shows the mother and daughter can now have a new beginning and learn how to cope without their loved one now justice will be served. The plot is different to the story as the story would explain what brought Eddy to murder his lover's son, it would show how the police got contacted and the process of them arriving at the scene. These elements haven't been shown as it would distract the audiences attention from the child, it is filmed from her perspective for the majority of the short film and this is how she saw the events unfold.

Genre 

Referring to Rick Altman's Genre theory, it is a crime drama.

• Although this isn't obvious and has aspects of social realism, with typical relationship disputes causing suffering on children.

• he use of a syntactic code of the officer arriving at the house suggests that a crime has occurred and a character will be arrested, this happens before the crime is revealed to the audience so it is used as a code to suggest what is to happen next.
 

• Semantic codes such as the police officer, a crime itself, and a dead victim all suggest this genre is suitable.

Leave Me Alone

directed by Khaled Al-Hurby

Adamant Studios

YouTube

  

Summary:
A traumatised discharged hospital patient recently won her battle against a major life altering threat, but soon she realises that some conditions won't leave you alone forever.

I chose this short film due to it's disorientated narrative, representing the mind of a women with a psychological disorder. 


Genre: 

Psychological thriller- 

• using high paced shots, whispering voices and flashbacks, representing the insanity of the main character.

from 2:02- 2:09 in the space of 7 seconds there are 7 cuts,  so 1 a second, this represents the speed of the pace..

• semantic codes e.g. blood stained hands, connote the genre of a thriller 

• the psychological aspect is the way her disorder is represented, flashbacks and disorganised 

Representation: 

A psychological disorder, represented with comparison of 'real world' high saturated shorts, narration of the doctor, normal pace and frequency of shots of what seems inside her mind, a the figure of a man twitching in front of the back light, voices and the repetitive ring of a phone. 



Repetitiveness of shots represent the images which repeatedly haunt this women, the representation of disability is used by exploring her mind showing visually and audibly what she hears and sees.

Real world?

Imagination?

Media language: 

The composition of this shot, positions the figure in the centre, with low key lighting the figure is just an outline, making it difficult for the audience to identify him. This factor of hidden identity is a common convention of a thriller, this is to raise continue the enigma factor throughout the plot creating suspense and tension. 

Canted shot

ECU

 
ECU's and unusually canted shots are used, this disorientates the viewer, not revealing exactly what its happening, sometimes it is revealed afterwards in the narrative stage of resolution but in this short film it is not. 

Waking up

The distortion of reality is created with shots flickering to different settings, used of different colours (desaturated, distorted, lighting) and then shots of the women awaking, creates confusion as to what is reality and what isn't, continuing with the concepts of a thriller.
 

 Gone Goodbye

by Tyler Wilson

Directed by Keith Rivers

YouTube

Summary: A short film using non diegetic sound music and narration along with moving image to create a melancholic atmosphere as the narration describes a break up from one individual to another in the form of a letter.

 

I chose this short film as it consistently creates enigma as to what exactly is happening, whether the man in the image is the narration or completely unrelated, it interesting as the audience can perceive it in whichever way they like there is no right way.

Representation:

This short film deals with the issues of separation with a twist, often separation between a couple in film is the genre of a 'rom com' or tragedy involving romance, often  from the women's perspective and involving a big break up, whereas this is not.

Also, the age of the individual being middle aged and male, is a mitigating factor to the genre being social realism, as it is from a realistic perspective of a mature man, and realistic subject, a break up. This isn't the usual teenage first love drama, but a mid-life one, opening to a broader audience of adults, who can make easier relation to this particular event. 


Audience:

This was awarded best film of the 'Film Racing Grand Prix'  2009. 

Keith Rivers is a directed who has produced man short films, adverts and music videos is experience an highly rated. 

Narrative:

The narrative is interesting as can be interpreted in different ways, it is not obvious who the characters are, whether the man is completely unrelated and letting off a balloon which he finds a letter in, or he wrote the letter himself to let go of his wife.. perhaps she is the balloon?   

Personally, I interpreted it as the balloon is bringing the story along with the letter and the man in the moving image is unrelated, this is due to him screwing up the letter shrugging as if he didn't know what it was.. 

  

The voice over is uses phrase to suggest the man is the balloon such as: 

 'Im drifting'

' You've sucked the life out of me' 

' No strings attached'   

  

The voice over works linear with the plot until the end of the film where they cross over, this is an interesting perspective as leaves the image to the imagination of the audience to decide what it's purpose is.

Cross over point- Man reading letter to wife

 Sticks and Stones

by Connor Chalk

2011

YouTube 

Summary: A short film based around the effects of bullying, a girl is narrating her storing, and describing her route to suicide. 

I chose this short film as it was very emotionally touching, the narration, image and sound together created an emotional and realistic situation.  I particularly like the use of the common expression 'Sticks and stones may break you're bones, but words will never hurt you' throughout this short film, it works cleverly to make the audience understand the height of this girls misery.

Representation

This short film tackles the subject of bullying, the social groups of middle class young schoolgirls are used. This realistic topic is particularly touching, as it is seen to be so extreme for something to lead a young girl with her whole life ahead of her, to reach the brink of suicide due to being teased at school. 

The main character is stereotyped as vulnerable, innocent and naive, however, children are often represented in films to be happy, energetic and fun-loving, this gives a negative yet realistic approach to the dark feelings which can be created around them at such a young age.  

The use of narration gives an insight into the way a child of that age views life, giving a perception of the girls mind. 

Narrative

The plot of the short film, consists of the girl narrating why she is committing suicide along with the image, showing her journey on the day of suicide. Whereas, the story would have shown in image the build up to this event, the bullying itself, and the aftermath of the suicide on her family (her mother listening to this recording of her voice).

Media Language

This long shot is particularly effective, it follows the opening sentence of the letter with ' I can't remember when it all began' as the girl begins to explain her bullying experience.

The depth of field with the turning  bicycle wheel in the foreground and girl sitting by the lake in the background. As the voice over begins a focus pull is used from foreground to background, signifying it is the girl talking. 

The expression 'Sticks and sticks and stones may break you're bones, but words may never hurt you' is reinforced to be false to this individual.  Symbolises such as a stone being thrown and sinking into the water, represents the atmosphere created, the girls depression, she is sinking into darkness (death)