'Silent Things' by Rob Brown- Candice Tyson

Link to short film: http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p00kmy38

Summary: Two autistic friends undergo an extraordinary test of character when a 15-year-old girl comes between them.
Genre: Drama

Representation

The main representation of this short film is disability, as two of the characters in this film have autism.

At the beginning of 'Silent Things' we see a medium long shot of our first two characters. The body language of the female shows us that she is in her own world, twisting her hands almost like she's copying the kite while she watches it in the sky. Straight away us as an audience are questioning does she have some sort of disability?



The close-up of the autistic man shows the reaction he as after a girl named Amy who he doesn't know shouts at a group of teenagers 'yeah he is my boyfriend, so just fuck off'. His expression tells us he's uncomfortable with what she's said and isn't quite sure how to react to it.

In this medium close-up shot we see Amy's reaction after Jake telling her he has Asperger's Syndrome- this alerts the audience of his disability and how he may struggle with social situation. Amy looks down to show she is feeling awkward about the situation. This is a reaction that many people without the disability have as they can't always relate and understand someone with the disability.

 There are a number of close-up camera shots to reveal facial expressions and reactions. This particular close-up was used to show how uncomfortable the character is feeling about Jake having met a new friend. We see through the characters eye a sense of control that she doesn't want Jake to be friends with just anyone. This character also highlights his disability as she says 'she might not be the right friend for you'. From the way the girl behaves, and from the things she says, it then starts to unfold that this particular character may also have the same disability and so feels she can understand him more than others do without the disability.

As Amy and Jake talk about the ferry you see the girl once again standing from a distance watching them. She shows a very obsessive and protective nature over him. The diegetic sound is quiet which could represent her quiet mind and how the only thing going round in her head is Jake. Autistic people aren't very good at reacting in social situations and the quietness of her mind could also represent this.


As Jake stands on the ferry the camera uses a number of close-up shots to show the facial expressions of Jake. He screws up his face and appears uncomfortable. He closes his eyes showing that something is going on in his head in addition to this we begin to hear distorted non-diegetic sound of voices it differs between loud and quiet. As Amy reaches to see if he is ok there is the sound of almost a clap of thunder like she has hit a barrier and that she can't help his because she doesn't know how to deal with this situation and his disability.

At the end of the film the scene returns to the beach where Jake flies his kite, returning to what is peaceful to him, without the obstructions of other things and awkward social situations. The title 'Silent Things' makes sense at the end because it represents the silence and calmness Jake feels while he flies his kite without the other obstructions of other people and other things compared to what he faced when he got involved with someone that didn't understand his disability.


Narrative

• 'Silent Things' has a chronological and linear structure. The events of the story are all in order without any flashbacks or disorientation during the film.
• The chronological order of the film takes us through the difficulties of Jake's life with having Asperger's syndrome and how he deals with these by flying his kite and keeping his mind peaceful. The chronological order shows us how his mind is peaceful at the beginning when flying his kite and how it changes when being put into more difficult social situations and the outcome of these.
• I felt the director may have used a linear structure to represent the disability and how maybe Jake doesn't look back on the past and just lives in the present. If the director wanted to show Jake looking back on his life he could have used a non-linear structure and flashbacks.
• 'Silent Things' doesn't support any of the narrative theories- maybe Strauss' with the binary oppositions- the man having the disability and Amy not having the disability however there isn't a distinct and recognisable difference straight away.

Genre

• 'Silent things is said to be a 'Drama' however, there is no such genre in the academic study of this topic. After watching the film a number of times I can't put the film into a category as it doesn't support and conventions of a particular genre.

Audience

• I would say for this particular short film it would be aimed at both male and female aged 16 and above. My reasons for this is that they are more likely to be aware of the disability the male character 'Jake' has. Without understanding this disability you would then be unable to understand the film to its full extent.
• As people over the age of 16 are more likely to understand the disorder they may then be able to appreciate what is translated through this short film and the techniques the director uses to represent and show the disorder that Jake has. We see two sides to the film we see part of it through the eyes of someone without the disability but also part of the film is translated through the non-diegetic sound and camera work putting ourselves almost in the mind of Jake and his disability.

• The website is fairly straight forward to use as you can click on a category under the 'find a film' to define your search if you are looking for something more particular. Generally I would say this website is mainly aimed at 15+ male and females as majority of the films would suite this age range and individuals younger than 15 may not take an interest in this website.

Media Language

The first shot is an extreme long shot of a kite in the sky. There is two tonal non-diegetic sound which is peaceful and sets a calm atmosphere to begin the short film.






This shot uses depth of field to focus on the female character from a side angle while she watches the kite. She swirls her hands like she is in deep thought and in her own world. This shot creates enigma and leaves us asking, does she have some sort of disability, autism?




This is a long two shot of Jake and the girl putting away the kite, the shot is creative in the way it makes them look like they are doing exactly the same thing, almost symmetrical- this could relate to their disability how they behave the same because they have the same disability. 

 This is a close-up of Jake as he behaves uncomfortably with the teenagers shouting in the background. The blurring of the characters in the background means we don't concentrate on them and instead the facial expressions of Jake.

 These two medium close ups show the shot reverse shot sequence between Amy and Jake as they talk about lying and his disability.

We see Jake's female friend through a medium close-up shot, she appears to be staring at Amy and Jake in the distance. Her facial expressions tell us she is curious and maybe unhappy about what she is seeing. 

 In this close-up shot after Amy approaches Jake and Amy she shows and expression of almost anger. Her eyes are glaring and she shows a sense of control over Jake.

 This is a close-up shot of the female character from a side point of view, the trees are slightly blurred making us focus on her facial expression. She is in a day dream and clearing thinking about something in depth. She also appears to be watching something, our guess is Jake.

 In this scene there are a number of close-up shots to show Jake's facial expressions. He appears extremely uncomfortable and in the shot on the right distorted non-diegetic sound begins to play almost like voices representing possibly voices in his head making him behave strangely. Everything around him is blocked out in his head.

 The director uses depth of field in this shot, it would be an extreme close-up of Jake however he is blurred out and we focus on Amy and the concern in her facial expression as she looks over to Jake. Aware of his disability but unable to fully understand how this can make him feel in certain situations.

In this shot we see Amy trying to approach Jake to see if he is alright but her voice is faint and distorted suggesting this is what Jake is hearing and is unable to connect properly to the real world as he is too much in his own. 

 In this particular part of the film there is a shot reverse shot between Jake and his friend. Close-ups are used so we can focus on facial expressions, while Jake is frustrated and upset his friend watches from a distance concerned and almost frightened by what is happening.

In this two shot at the end of the short film it shows Jake and his friend at the beach like at the beginning of the film. They are both back to normality and the non-diegetic music sets the mood back into a more peaceful and calm atmosphere. This represents the emotions of Jake and his friend now that they are back to normality without disruption.


What I liked about this film

The main aspect of this short film that I really liked was the use of sound and how it created a different atmosphere for different parts of the film. Particularly on the ferry when Jake is feeling uncomfortable the non-diegetic sound is distorted and the vibe is negative putting ourselves into the same mood as Jake is feeling. Sound is an important part of any film and this is something I will really work hard on when it comes to making my own short film.