Film- Sprockett
Director- Hazel Meeks
The plot of the film
begins with three boys outside a scary looking building. Two of the boys are
daring the other to go in and explore what they are calling the ‘Land of Old
man Sprockett’. The boy enters, and is walking around the building looking
terrified, when Sprockett jumps our and scares him. However, the Old man turns
out to be nice, and they trick the two other boys who are waiting outside, into
believing that the boy is fighting with Sprockett, and come out looking like a
brave hero. I chose this film because I feel that it can be enjoyed by a wide
audience, and it has a good, creative narrative. I found this film on ‘Virgin
Media Shorts’.
Representation-
·
The different social groups
represented in the short are age, gender and social class. The film features 4
characters, 3 young boys and 1 elderly man- therefore creating a contrast in
age groups.
·
The
young boys are shown in a stereotypical way, they are daring the main boy to go
and explore ‘Sprocketts’ house. It’s a typical representation, as they try to
scare their friend as he goes ahead with the dare. This choice representation
is used in a lot of films of a similar style. It is not a negative
representation, even though they are scaring him, it is a common and realistic
view of young boys.
·
‘Old man Sprockett’ is represented in
a way that is common for films of this genre; the audience expect to see a
scary old man, where we actually see a not-so-scary quirky character. I would
say this is a positive representation, and it complements the style of the
film.
· I
think that the representations shown in the film were definitely shaped by the
intended audience, as I think that a lot of the audience would be of a similar
age to the young boys in the film, therefore making it easier for them to enjoy
and follow the narrative.
·
The
film doesn’t really deal with any issues, however you could say that the two
boys were pressuring/bullying him to go into the house, and the main boy turned
it back on to them, pretending that something bad/scary was happening,
therefore making him look like the brave one.
Narrative-
·
As
a spectator we don’t know much about the story behind the plot, as nothing is
really revealed, however this does not effect the understanding of the plot as
no extra knowledge is required.
·
The
narrative is an example of linear chronology, as it is all in chronological
order. It starts with the boys daring him, he goes to explore, meets the old
man, they trick the other boys, all the boys leave.
·
Todorov’s
theory can be applied to this short: the equilibrium at the start when they
boys dare him to go in, then the disruption, where he is exploring and he hears
the man shout at him. Followed by the confrontation, where he meets Sprockett
and the resolution where they trick the other boys into thinking something bad
is happening. Finally, the new equilibrium is established as all the boys
leave.
Genre-
·
The
genres of the film are not particularly clear, but I think you could class it
as a family film, and possibly a thriller, as it’s tense and eerie at the
start.
·
It’s
common for short films to be difficult to put in to a genre, as they are
commonly cross-genre of in sub-genres. They often don’t fit into a genre or can
be placed in to many, and are also often experimental.
·
It
is hard for this film to be put into a certain genre category, as it shows many
conventions of many different genres.
·
Steve Neale’s theory of repetition and
difference can be seen in this short. For example, one of the conventions of a
thriller genre that is repeated throughout is the low key lighting, often used
to illuminate the young boys face and create an eerie atmosphere. However the
difference can also be seen through the narrative, as it is clear that it is
not a thriller, and is a family film.
Audience-
•
I
feel that the film is suitable for a hugely ranged audience, from children to
adults. Firstly, children those of a similar age to the characters, as they can
relate to the characters and get into the narrative. Whereas also, I think that
teenagers and young adults can enjoy the film, as well as parents watching it
with their children. The short film is fun for adults, and scary/exciting for
children, therefore appealing to a wide audience.
•
I
think the film is enjoyable for children as it’s exciting, scary and relatable;
whereas adults will find it fun. The surprisingly negative representation of
‘Old ma Sprockett’ adds to the family-feel of the film.
•
The
film has no yet been screened anywhere else, but has had positive feedback on
blogs and film review websites.
•
‘Old
man Sprockett’ has made the ‘The Peoples Choice Award’ virgin media shortlist
2012.
•
The
film was directed by Hazel Meeks, an independent film maker.
Media
Language-
I find this shot particularly engaging, as the lighting
creates a focus on the boy’s face, allowing the audience to understand how he’s
feeling and connect with the character. The boys facial expression suggests
that he has seen something scary, and makes us want to watch on. Furthermore, it shows the setting as well,
and gives the spectator a chance to see the weird house that he’s exploring.
I really like this shot because it seems almost symmetrical,
and creates a real emphasis on the two boys. The dim lighting creates an eerie
atmosphere, and because the camera is positioned so far away from the
characters, it makes them seems really alone.
Film- The most beautiful
man in the world
Director- Alicia Duffy
The basic plot of the
story shows a young girl, roughly around the age of 8, who seems to be
extremely neglected, and left in a dull room with her dog all day, with only
the television to keep her occupied. The plot goes on to show the girl leave
the house and play on the street with her dog, and then go to explore a field.
She then meets a man, who gently takes a bug away her from her face. However
her mother then calls her back into the house, where she is once again left in
the room. I chose this film because I found the narrative really creative and
engaging. I found it on the ‘BBC film network’.
Representation
·
The social groups represented in the
film are age and social class. Certain issues are also raised in the film, with
the most dominant one being neglect. The representation of this issue raises
the dominant ideology that neglecting a child in wrong and harmful, and they
should not be left alone all day in a dirty room, in dirty clothes and with no
interaction. The issue of neglect is shown through a number of ways, one being
through mise en scene, the girls costume is grubby and she appears unclean, the
décor is also dirty and dull. It is also shown through diegetic sound, for
example at the start of the piece, we can hear the T.V, gun shots and screams,
suggesting that she is watching an inappropriate, violent programme. This is
not only effective as a child of that age should not be watching it, but it
also links in to suggest that there may be violence in her life, or certainly
unhappiness. The lack of dialect in the film also creates a feeling of neglect.
· I
think that this film is an example of a social realist film.
· The representation of the young girl
is hard to analyse, as we don’t learn much about her other than that she is
severely neglected, however she seems to be portrayed as a typical child. The
family seem to be fairly low class, as the area that they live in seems dull
and bleak, and what we see of their house looks fairly plain/empty. The representation of the mother is obviously
a negative one as the majority of audience will feel that the neglect being
shown is wrong, and she is abusing her child. (However in contrast, their may be a much smaller ideology that it is
acceptable to leave your child to their own devices, and will not see the
neglect as such extreme.). Furthermore I feel that the man is represented
in a very positive way, he seems to be helping her, making her feel safer.
Their could be many ideas as to whoe the man is, an imaginary friend, a dog
walker who just happens to meet her, but it is clear that he makes the child
feel happier.
Narrative
·
We
do not know much bout the story behind the plot, but we can certainly guess a
lot about the child’s life based on the set and details that we see in the
plot. For example, we can guess that she is severely neglecting all the time,
based on how dirty she is, and how she seems used to be stuck in that room,
suggesting that it happens all the time in the story not just in the plot.
·
The
plot shows a linear structure as it is in chronological order, but also shows
examples of colloquial ellipses, to make sure there is no narrative content
that is not essential to the plot.
·
Todorov’s
theory can not be applied to this film, as there is no equilibrium ot begin
with, there is no normality, it is confusing and dramatic from the start right
through to the end. If you look at Vladimir Propp’s theory, you could say that
the mother in a villain, the young girl
is ‘hero’ who is seeking happiness, trying to escape the her sad home life,
and that the strange man is a ‘helper’ as her seems to be trying to aid
her/make her feel safer. However it is difficult to place it into this theory
as there are only 3 characters.
Genre
·
The
clear genre of this film is drama. This is shown through the use of themes and
representation (as I have already
analysed above) and also through sound, mise en scene and camera work.
·
Short
films are generally examples of cross-genre pieces; however this particular
film is resists being categorised, and no specific genre is identifiable. This
may be due to the feeling of ‘unknowing’ that is expressed throughout the
narrative, as the spectator is left unaware of what will happen to the girl,
and who the man is, therefore the ending can be interpreted differently by
different audiences, and a genre is not
clear.
·
Rick
Altmans theory of semantic and syntactic could be applied in a way, as the
theme of neglect is the sort of theme we would expect to see in a narrative of
this type.
Audience
·
I
think that the film is mainly aimed at adults and older teenagers, as it has a
theme that could be upsetting for a younger audience.
·
The
audience will enjoy the film because it has an interacting, and emotionally
engaging narrative.
·
This
film can be found of film websites such as the BBC film network, and on film
review and critic blogs.
·
It was directed and written by Alicia
Duffy, who has written and directed two other titles. Hugh Welchman produced
the short film, and was funded by ‘The
Short Channel Scheme funded by the UK Film Council's New Cinema Fund in
collaboration with CNC’.
Media Language
This close-up shot at the beginning of the sequence is
particularly effective; it has slightly shallow depth of field, with only the
girl in focus creating emphasis on her face. At this point in the narrative,
you don’t know anything about the character or the location. Furthermore this
shot reveals nothing, it creates enigma, as you begin to question to plot and
want to know what is going on. I think that this type of shot to include in our
sequence as it causes the spectator to want to watch on.
I find this shot particularly interesting as it is low-angle
shot, taken from underwater. I think that this is a really creative idea that
we could incorporate into our own work, as it is a different and effective
style of filming. It supports the feeling (that is created throughout the
narrative) that as an audience we are watching the young girl from a distance
as she lives a typical day in her life, creating a feeling of empathy.
I think that this is a particularly engaging shot. This part
of the short film is really effective in general, as it is when the girl meets
the strange man. Throughout the narrative the issue of neglect is shown, and
this scene creates a feeling of hope, that the girls life will get better. The
man resembles a hero, and could be appear god-like as he places the insect in
the girl’s hand. This shot communicates all this, and makes it clear that he is
helping her and making her feel safer.
Film- Post-It Love
Director- Si & AD
The film begins with two shy characters exchanging
glances, and the plot goes on to see them expressing their affection through
post-it note pictures. The end of the short shows them fall in love.
I chose this film because I think that the plot is
endearing and fun to watch and I think the style of filming is really creative.
I found this short film on Vimeo.
Representation-
- The social group represented
in the film is gender, and the two characters are also represented as very
shy. The characters are a young man and a young woman, and there
difference in gender creates a contrast.
- The film is a romance, and
therefore the characters are represented quite a traditional way as they
try to show their affection to one another.
- The two main characters are
a young male and female, who both work in the same office, but seem to
have never come across each other before. The woman, is represented in a
traditional way, she looks very typically feminine, being dressed in a
‘girly’ costume. She shows traditional traits, like not taking the first
step and talking to the man, and acting very shy and quiet. However,
arguably she also shows modern traits, as she too makes pictures with
post-it notes and therefore makes a move on the man. Furthermore, she is
working in an office and seems to be equal to the man, therefore this is a
modern representation. The male character is not represented in the
traditional ‘manly man’ way, he is quiet and shy, and does not immediately
go up to the woman and ask her out.
I feel that these are both positive representations as they
compliment the ‘cute’ style and romantic genre of the film.
- I don’t think that the film
deals with any issues, apart from the two characters being shy, however
they overcome this by communicating with each other in a different way.
Narrative
- The plot does tell a story, of two people meeting and ‘falling in love’, however we don’t know anything about the characters story, who they are or what they do, we don’t even know their names.
- The plot is chronological,
and I think this is to keep the narrative easy to follow, and to show
their relationship evolving.
- Todorov’s theory cannot be
applied to this short film, as there is no disruption to equilibrium; it
is simply the story of a developing relationship.
Genre-
- The clear genre that is identifiable
in this film is romance, as is a story of two people falling in love.
- Steve Neale’s theory of
repetition and difference and been identified in this film. For example,
an example of the repetition would be the happy, parallel soundtrack and
the close-up shots to show facial expression of attraction. Whereas the
difference would be the post-it note art, as this is the USP, and the key
feature of the film.
- Rick Altman’s theory of
semantic and syntactic could also be applied.
Audience-
- I think that the intended
audience for this film, would be mainly women, but also men, of the same
age as the characters, or roughly ages sixteen years to thirty years. I
think this because they will be able to relate and connect with the characters.
- I think that the audience
will appreciate the film as the narrative it is light-hearted and sweet,
and the characters are really likeable. The plot is simple, making it an
‘easy watch’, allowing the spectator to just enjoy the plot.
- The directors Si & Ad
have worked together for over a decade and have directed a number of
films. The production company for this film is ‘Academy Films’.
Media Language-
This is my favorite shot through the whole film. I think that the symmetry is really eye-catching and creative, and it really shows the contrast in gender of the characters, but the similarity of costume and body language. I think that this shot is really strong and I think it would be a great technique to use in our film.
Film- Dream Girl
Director- Alice Seabright
Dream girl is a short film about a early morning tube journey, where a
woman falls asleep on a strangers shoulder.
I decide to look at this film because I think that the narrative is
really sweet and interesting, and I also really like the location of the tube.
I found
this short film on ‘Virgin Media Shorts’.
Representation-
- The social groups that are
represented in ‘Dream Girl’ are gender, as it is a sort of a young man and
woman; and possibly social class as they are travelling on the tube.
- This film could be classed
as a social realist film.
- I think that the female
character is represented in a rather traditional way, as she falls asleep
and rests her head on the man, therefore seeming like the less dominant
character, and also quite delicate, as she is asleep. As she is on his
shoulder, he seems to be protecting her, and the dominant role, as he is
in control of her head being rested on him. Both the man and woman seem to
be of a similar age and social class.
Narrative-
- The plot does not reveal
much about the story, and there are a number of unanswered questions about
the characters. As an audience we don’t know who they or where they are
going on the tube journey. However in this film, this does not get in the
way of enjoying the plot, as we don’t require any of this information, and
it actually makes the plot stronger, as it highlights the fact that the
two characters are strangers to watch other just as they are strangers to
the audience.
- The narrative is an example
of a linear narrative as it is in chronological order; I think that this
is to keep it simple and easy to understand.
- I think that Todorov’s theory
could be applied to this film. The equilibrium would be the man just sitting
on the tube, then the disruption would be the woman falling asleep on him,
as his expression tells us that this makes him feel uncomfortable, the resolution
would be him almost getting of the train, however the new equilibrium
would be him sitting back down with her asleep on him as we now know that
he wants her to sleep on him.
Genre-
- Short films are often examples
of cross-genre, and they are also commonly not a genre at all. I think
that this particular film doesn’t really fit into a genre, but you could
class it as a romance. I think that this film resists being categorised,
being it is so different to a lot of other short films, and is really
unique.
- You could say that the film
has an example of Rick Altman’s ‘syntactic codes’, as the plot develops
and the man ‘falls in love’ with the girl, this it what we would expect to
see in a romance.
Audience
- I think that the audience of this film
would be men and women, aged 15 years to 25 years, as they can relate to
the characters and also the setting, and enjoy the light-hearted
narrative. I think younger teenagers/children wouldn’t really understand
the plot, and I think the older people would understand but probably wouldn’t
enjoy it as much.
- I don’t think that this film
has been screened anywhere else, as it is a small-budget independent film.
- Dream Girls was a 2012
virgin media shorts winner.
