‘Skirt’
Directed by ‘Amanda Boyle’ http://www.virginmediashorts.co.uk/film/3545/skirt
Skirt was produced in 2011, and I
found it by typing into Google: Virgin Media Shorts, and found this website
with a number of short films. It has been described as a Drama. From my point
of view, however, it comes across as more of a Comedy/Romance. There are
elements of humour throughout which made me, as a spectator smile, and we as
spectators can gather, within the first 20 seconds, that these two people are
likely to form some kind of romance towards the end. It is ‘quirky’ in the
sense that it has unusual and original elements, which I will explain within my
notes. The film involves a woman moving in to live with a man which she does
not know. Rather than getting to know each other in a traditional way by
speaking and making conversation, they show gestures of generosity and
affection in a number of odd and intriguing ways.
I chose this film because I
thought there were a number of interesting camera shots and editing techniques
throughout. I also found the storyline clever, funny and original.
Representation:
- Through Mise en Scene we are shown that they are
not living in a particularly expensive flat through this shot -
This clearly
shows that they are not living in an exceptionally glamorous block of flats
and, through common knowledge, we as spectators know that it is less expensive
for two people to own a flat rather than one, and perhaps he needed this
stranger to become his flat mate for financial support. This suggests that
neither of the two characters are wealthy, and are probably not earning a lot.
- Both of the characters are clearly presented as shy
as they are both unable to communicate with each other besides saying ‘Hi’
and ‘Bye’. Another noticeable aspect to the film is how there are only 3 shots
with the two of them anywhere near each other – one at the beginning, one
in the middle, and one at the end, where they are closest. The rest of the
shots consist of: shots by themselves, POV shots, when they are by
themselves and shots where they are in separate rooms. This is used to
present their personalities.
- The woman, through use of skirts, and dresses, is
presented as feminine. She is an attractive brunette with a quirky fashion
sense.
- In comparison to this, the man is in a smart suit throughout. This shows their differences in lifestyle. For example, she may be a university student, and he has a job. It also represents masculinity and femininity through the comparison of a dress, which men generally do not wear, and a suit, which women tend not to wear.
Narrative:
- The plot is chronological.
- The chronology of the narrative is linear. The effect of this is that the spectator does not know what will happen between these two people in the end. This is effective as it intrigues the spectator with the description being – ‘Two People, one flat.’ If they were to be shown the ending of the two people being close to each other, the film would have no mystery, therefore the spectator may not be intrigued to watch the film.
Genre:
- A genre which I think is identifiable in the film is Comedy/romance. A way in which they aim to amuse the spectator is by using stereotypical elements. For example, women are typically known for being indecisive in the morning over what to wear, and can tend to leave clothes everywhere. We are then shown the man’s unimpressed expression to this typical behaviour of a woman. This could be seen as humorous. We are shown this through a low angle shot of the man looking down, slightly to the right of the camera. This is humorous as it is followed by the shot of the clear disorganisation which the woman has left in a house which this man, looks to have, primarily owned. As she had just moved into the flat, you would have thought she would have made some effort to be tidy!
- This is immediately followed by 2 shots, similar to the previous, from the woman’s point of view. It shows her reaction, at a low angle shot, which looks equally emotionless, then an over the shoulder shot which shows that the man has organised her possessions as a kind gesture. I as a spectator thought this was unexpected as many people would not make the effort to organise someone else’s mess after a day at work. This in my eyes is humorous and intrigues the spectator further.
- The kind gesture is what Rick Altman would call a syntactic code. Gestures of kindness or affection between two people, in films, often lead to a romance. Therefore, as an audience, this is a syntactic code as initial gestures of kindness or affection are often signs which suggest that a film will involve romance.
Audience:
- I found the film in the 2012 shortlist on Virgin Media Shorts. It says ‘Championing undiscovered talent’. This suggests that the website is for new film developers for people such as students, or just generally people who are interesting in making a career out of film making. Virgin Media Shorts seems to look like a starting point. Therefore, I would expect the audiences of these films to be new film makers looking for inspiration and ideas.
- Age – I wouldn’t say there was a particular age for this film as it would appeal to many audiences. Young children, however, may not understand this, and from the ages of the two characters, I wouldn’t expect it to be aimed at an elderly audience.
- Gender- In my opinion I think it is more of a women’s film as women are typically known for enjoying romances more than men are. Many men, however, may enjoy this, but I think it is more aimed at women.
- You can also find the film here http://blog.mulberry.com/2012/04/18/skirt/
- when you click on this the first two opening paragraphs explain ‘Last November we told you about Skirt – a short film
directed by the talented Amanda Boyle. The film was commissioned for a
feature in InStyle magazine which asked brands to create a short film exploring style. We’re delighted
to tell you that the film has been nominated for Best Fashion Film in the
Vimeo Film Awards –please vote! The awards ceremony is part of the
Vimeo Film Festival, held in
‘The Plotters’
Directed by
the Guerrier brothers with writer Simon and director Thomas.
I was
attracted to this film as I also found it among the ‘Virgin Media’s Short List’
which tend to pick the best short films out of a large range. I found the film
clever and funny which drew me to pick it as a short film to analyse. To sum it
up, it is about Guy Fawkes and his men plotting to blow up the Houses of Parliament on the 5th of November, however,
they cannot decide on who is going to ignite the gun powder due to the confusion of which man is the explosives expert as
many of them have the same forename. We of course know, however, from the tradition 'Bonfire night' on the 5th of November, that this does not go to plan, and Guy Fawkes is caught. The unrestricted narration adds to the comedy of the film and I thought it was very humorous.
Representation:
- The group of men vary from around 25 to 35. The fact that they are all dressed in very similar clothes and all have beards and mustaches is all part of the comedy of the film therefore it is not easy to say how their appearances represent their social groups. We are aware, however, from the beginning of the film that this is set in 1605 which means their fashion and clothing will be very different to how we dress today.
·
The character’s accents imply that
they are well educated.
· Guy Fawkes, who appears to be the leader of the group,
comes across as the most controlling as he has the most dialogue
and is sitting at the head of the table rather than opposite each other like
the rest of the characters.
- The other characters do not differentiate much as this is the joke of the film. They are all portrayed as clueless and cowardly men.
Narrative:
- The narrative is in chronological order. I think they have done this in order to avoid confusing the spectator as short films do not have much time to unravel a story from, for example, a flashback, as they have a very limited amount of time.
- We as spectators are already aware of how this story ends due to the celebrated event 'Bonfire Night' therefore I think their aim of the story is to entertain the spectator through suggesting that the men who planned the explosion were all a bunch of clueless men and the explosion was in fact not well planned at all. Guy Fawkes was only picked because he was the only one who volunteered. And in this case he did not mean to volunteer. We do know, however, that this was not how the real event went therefore they have created a new twist which I thought was very effective.
- A genre which is clearly identifiable in the film is Comedy. The audience are already aware of what happens to ‘Guy’ as we know about the story of Guy Fawkes as we celebrate the event every year. The directors have used this to their advantage as they have twisted the idea that the explosion was well planned and turned it into a comedy by involving cowardly men, none of which, want to ignite the gun powder, and by chance Guy Fawkes accidently says that he will do it. The spectator knows that it was not an act of bravery as it is given away in his facial expression that he does not want to do it.
Audience:
- The film would appeal to a wide audience from the age of 16-50. I think it is fair gender neutral despite the fact that all of the characters are men. Men may be likely to find it funnier than women, however, as a female spectator, I personally found the film amusing.
- The people who I expect to watch the film would be mostly students, who are interested in making a short film, and going on to have a profession in filming. They may use this film as inspiration for their own.When I typed into Google ‘the plotters short film’ I found http://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/the-plotters---now-in-cinemas - it is an article from the 14/09/12 which is very recent. It explains in the first paragraph -
The Guerrier brothers' short film The Plotters will be
shown in more than 200 cinemas around the UK
Media language:
The opening of the short film suggests that a dark and
secret plan is going on through the weather (pathetic fallacy). This technique
is often used in film to show mood. I think they have used this successfully as
it is clearly ironic that a ‘dark and secret’ plan is not going on, but a group
of clueless men are attempting to make a plan which we, as spectators, know is
going to fail.
Beth
I found this film through Virgin Media Shorts. It is about a
woman called Beth who is an agoraphobic after being involved in a fatal car
crash over two years ago. Throughout the film there are enigma codes which
eventually tell us that she is counting down the days to see her niece, for her 1st birthday, who she hasn't met before. This is a huge issue for her as she does not want to leave
her house. We as spectators observe her actions and empathise with how she
feels through a number of shots and techniques used by the film makers. The film makers have described this as a 'Drama'. I personally agree with this as there is not a particular genre which the film fits under. Often this is the case with short films as there is very little time to create a certain genre.
Representation:
- Femininity – we are presented with an overhead shot, and mid close up on a woman’s face, lying in bed, starring at the camera. She appears to be wearing very limited make-up as we as spectators are supposed to be presented with a woman who has just woken up. This creates social realism as it is a known fact that most girls do not sleep in make-up. She is attractive and looks like she’s in her mid 20’s.
- She looks like a normal woman you may see in everyday life. Again, I believe they have picked this woman to be in the film to creates social realism. The story is about being in a fatal car crash and how the woman has been affected by it and the fact that she looks like a woman you would see in everyday life tells the spectator that this could happen to anyone. This allows the spectator to empathise with her character.
- We can also infer that Beth is living in a flat through the POV shot of her looking through her door. This tells us that she is either middle class or working class. It is not clear, however, as she could be middle class but live in a flat as she lives on her own. Often when people live on their own they do not have a large house.
- The delivery man is also very ordinary. He is wearing a plain pullover and a shirt underneath. His facial hair reinforces his masculinity. He is also concerned for the woman as she will not come outside of her house to collect her food. This concern reinforces the fact that she is deviating social norms through her refusal to open her door to a delivery man, and do normal everyday tasks.
Narrative
- The narrative is linear structure without closure. We are left with wondering if Beth will attend her niece’s birthday event. As a spectator I was left with the impression that she would not turn up as we were shown a shot of her crying at the end. This reinforces the idea that the character is finding it very difficult to see anyone. The only element which is non-linear is the flash back of the accident, but I think the film makers have done this in order to imply to the spectator that the experience still is very new to her and still shocks her to this day.
- The plot is based on an event which happened in the past. Roland Barthes’ theory of enigma codes applies to this film as they have decided to give us hints throughout which keeps us inquiring about what has happened and why this woman is so distraught. It also gradually tells us how she lives her life in consequence to this.
- Typically, the story is not too complicated as they have only a limited amount of time to tell the spectator the story.
Genre
- I cannot identify a particular genre in this film. Steve Neal’s genre theory expresses that genres are instances of repetition and difference. I agree with this and I could not recognise enough familiar elements to decide upon a genre.
- Short films often do not have a genre as there is very little time to create enough elements of a certain genre, therefore they usually have elements of different genres rather than just one.
- The film makers may not have categorized this film into a genre as it could just be trying to convey the message that these things can happen to anyone and car accidents can have a huge impact on people's lives. This could possibly be conveying the idea that you need to drive carefully or you'll have to live with the consequences. For example, 'Beth' reminded me of this T.V advert as I felt there were similar elements to the film and the advert. They both had the same mood of sadness and emptiness which had an effect on me as a spectator.
Audience
- I think the audience is fairly wide with an age range from around 17 to 50. It is appropriate for this age range to begin at 17 as it is the legal age to drive. From anywhere between the age of 17 and 50, and above, people are driving everyday. Obviously people over the age of 50 do drive, however, as the girl is only around the age of 25 I assume people over the age of 50 may find it harder to empathise with the woman due to the age difference. It could appeal to anyone driving, however, as they are all in danger of being involved in a car crash.
- I think the video is fairly gender neutral. The main character, Beth, of course, is female, so I can understand that a female audience may find it easier to empathise more than men.
Media Language:
- The mise en scene in the film is essential. The colour pallet is fairly limited throughout the entire film which emphasises the dull and unhappy emotions she is experiencing. The flat appears to be very plain and tidy which could imply that she is organised and possibly suggests that she does not want many personal belongings around her as she does not want reminders of the past.
- There is also a photo of a young boy by her bedside table. This could imply that she had a son and he may have died in the car crash. This is not clear in the film however.
Maybe
http://www.virginmediashorts.co.uk/film/3388/maybe
This film
was produced in 2012 and the writer/director is called Jgrey on the Virgin
Media Short List’s website. I have chosen to analyse this film because I thought
it was well filmed, had a good storyline and it had a clear beginning and end. ‘Maybe’
is about a man who gets embroiled in his imagination of a possible relationship
with a young woman waiting at the bus stop with him, and can’t help but wonder
if she’s the girl of his dreams.
Representation:
- Masculinity – this film
definitely represents modern masculinity as the male character is thinking
about love and is caring for the girl. He is not just thinking about sex,
dominance and jealousy like traditional masculinity represents.
- Facial hair represents
masculinity
- Femininity – the film presents
us with modern femininity as well as modern masculinity. She has short
hair which was traditionally see as manly, and she dresses in quirky
clothes rather than pretty dresses and skirts like a traditional representation
of a woman would.
- She is wearing makeup but not very much and is an attractive young woman.
- Both representations of femininity and masculinity are positive in this film as they break the stereotypes.
- The film deals with social
realism through showing the couple doing things which normal couples do. For
example, going out for a coffee. They seem to move into a small terraced house together. This again is
realistic as we are not given any clues to what their jobs are but we do
know that the girl is young therefore unlikely to be earning enough to
afford a house.
- The girl, however, is
represented through his perception of the perfect girlfriend, so this is
supposed to be from a male point of view. Traditional males may have perceived
the perfect girlfriend as looking good all of the time, cooking and
cleaning for them. This breaks the traditional ideologies of femininity
which is positive but there are still elements of this where the voice over explains 'Maybe she cooks for me and content with simply the look on my face' rather than him cooking for her.
- In this shot we can see that she is washing up and he is helping her and caring for her. This is positive and modern as it represents a man expressing his emotions rather than acting tough and emotionless like a traditional male.
Narrative:
- As spectators we are not given
much background knowledge about either of them therefore the story is
simple to understand as it is purely about his imagination of a life with
the young woman
- The narrative is circular as it ends with the shot at the beginning. It is made clear that it was purely his imagination and he does not have the confidence to talk to the girl.
- I think the ending is effective as it is clear when he says 'Maybe she can never be mine. Maybe I can't live with that'. As he says that they make eye contact. This tells the spectator that maybe they'll get to live this life that he's been imagining.
Genre:
- Again, this short film has been described as a ‘Drama’. From my point of view, I thought the film had many elements of a Romance. Though it is purely his imagination, we can still see that there could be a possible romance between the two at the end where they make eye contact.
- Steve Neale’s theory, which expresses how genre can be categorized by repetition and differences, applies to this film as there are many elements of romance in the film like: holding hands and kissing.
Audience:
- People who might watch this are
likely to be interested in making films and want inspiration to make their
own as the Virgin Media Shorts website is for people who are interested in
producing films and making a short film is often where people start.
- As a film I think people from
the age of 15 to 35 would enjoy this film as it has fairly young actors in
it.
- Though the main character is
male, I think women would find this more appealing as females are
typically known for liking romances more than males.
- As the characters appear to live in a small terraced house together, we can infer that they are either middle class or working class. This implies that the audience is either working class, middle class, or both. They are also both waiting at the bus stop. This implies that they possibly may not have the money to afford the expenses of a car. As the man looks in his late 20's or early 30's, this tells me that he is quite likely to be working class. The female, however, looks as if she is in her early 20's which could suggest that she is a student, or still living with her parents, therefore either working class or middle class.
- Also through their clothing we can see that she is not dressed in designer clothes and he is not wearing a suit besides from where he wears smart clothes for work. This implies that they are not wealthy and have normal/ working class salaries.
Themes, issues and ideologies:
- Love - we are presented with a man who desires to have a girlfriend and be loved. This challenges the old dominant ideologies in which females were considered to be the gender who desired a relationship more than a man.
- Marriage and children - in an older film set in the 70's would quite likely portray the woman as wanting the relationship and wanting marriage. This want is not evident in 'Maybe'. There may be no mention of marriage because this is seen from a man's point of view, and often men are presented as 'non-committal' today. On the other hand, however, it could just be representing a modern society as there is far less pressure for couples to marry today whereas marriage was almost compulsory 60 years ago and it was very much frowned upon if you weren't to marry before having children.There is also no mention of children which again may portray this odern representation of a man who is 'non-committal' however, on the other hand, this may also just signify the modernity of the film as the pressure to have children is far less intense today and people are having children later and later.
- Sex - A traditional man would not be interested in love but would be interested in sex. There is no mention of sex in 'Maybe' which is interesting as it is from a man's point of view. This again is a modern representation of a man because it implies that they desire to love someone and want the relationship for the romance etc, rather than just sex.
Very good work Mia. Well done! Keep on researching throughout now.
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