Short film analysis 'Feeder'

Feeder

'Pam likes to help her sick father eat his dinner. Or does she?'

The latter events of this film are foreshadowed right from the beginning, as the audience are lulled into a false sense of slightly unconvincing security through some mise-en-scene stylistic features. During the scene when the women is cooling down her cup of tea, the props and style of the room seem innocent and rather sickly sweet with floral designs on a few of the tiles and a card saying 'daddy'. The orange titled walls are bright and gentle, with orange usually depicting warmth and joy, so the fact that the women looks miserable could represent the fact that shes hiding behind a veneer, appearing to be something she isn't and leading a life of deciet, which creates suspence for the audience because even though the setting is stereotypically joyus, something isn't right which is confirmed at the end of the story. It could also represent the womens immaturity and childishness, as shes using a cup and saucer much like a childs play set whilst sitting in the brightly coloured room and later on the narrative the audience discover that the women has been affected by issues in her childhood that she can't let go of, so I believe the director has included this deliberately to allow the audience to discover the mentality of the character, as well as her lifestyle. This is something I want to replicate in our film, as I feel having a well developed character will allow us explore the characters whole persona as well as being gripping and interesting for the audience to watch.
The audience are also falsly led once again when a sense of sympathy is at first created for the women. During the beginning sequence watching her travel to the hopsital and we can hear the non-diegetic voice over when she is reciting her words. We feel sympathy for her because the immediate guess is that she is miserable because of her family situation, and the fact that her father is supposedly in hospital, a taboo subject which can often make people feel uncomfortable. Whilst this scene is being played, the significance of her words isn't fully understood until the ending, creating the assumption that pherhaps the character is nervous which would again create sympathy for the audience. Her mumbling words could also represent the characters sheer isolation and lonliness, as she walks alone with no one to confide in after sitting in her kitchen alone despite setting several places at the table. It also allows the audience the first glimpse of the insanity and selfishness of the character, althought they are unaware of it at the time which I think the director has done to try and create a likeable character you sympathise with througout, only to discover her real motives and persona, shocking the audience which is something I could encorparate, with a versade the whole way through until the ending.
Although the character of the father isn't in the film very much, his presence is still subtly noticed throughout, at first during the beginning with the card saying 'daddy' on the windowsill behind her, and when on the way to the hospital the women drops her card with 'dad' written on the envelope. I think the dropping of this card could metaphorically symbolise the dropping of dad, and the adopting of daddy as the 'daddy' card is set up proudly in her home on the windowsil, yet her card is carelessly dropped. This could represent the womens chilling child-like mindset where on the surface she appears to love her daddy very much and acts as a doting daughter, yet the flashbacks of her father depict her real 'dad', of whom she still holds much bitterness and anguish toward and whose food deprivation has driven her to steal from vulnerable hospital patients.

Short film analysis 'The Rules Of The Game'

The Rules Of The Game

'A groom walks round a palatial country house describing what he would do if he found out his fiancee was cheating on him...'

I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film because out of all the films I have watched so far, this film actually allows the audience to feel like a member of the cast, as the camera tracks around with the main character and he speaks directly to the camera, as if hes talking directly to you. The tracking following the man down the stairs was one of my favourite pieces of camera work because even though conventionally when tracking behind someone they wouldn't be facing the camera, the man is walking at an angle looking at the camera so eye-contact is maintained. I think this is extremely effective because when the audience feels more involved within a story, they engage with it more and thus will want to watch on. Tracking in this format also creates a sense of discomfort, as it almost feels as if you are too immersed within the narrative during the moments when the insanity and bitterness of the man is portrayed through his story. This is something I think I would want to replicate in our own short film, because that sense of being unable to escape the reality and almost being forced to watch on will help create a much more shocking and dramatic short film.
Once the man had spoken about a segment of his story, a cut was used to establish a new thought, or a new section of the story, for example after the kitchen sequence. This could represent the irrationality of the mans mind, chopping and changing between different ideas and deciding the best way to seek revenge, which immediately creates a sinister atmosphere as we feel we are being confided in by a dangerous man. It could also represent the emotions of the character, and how his thoughts progressed because as he says at the end 'he doesn't want to hurt her', showing how the character is spilt between feelings of love for his fiance and hatred for what she's done. These mixed emotions depict the man as being very un-stable and unpredictable, and therefore making him appear more of a threat as his outcome is uncertain.
During the first few shots in the beginning of the film, the isolated location is established, through medium-long shots looking at the vast, desolate landscapes. An isolated location is a typical convention of a horror film, which could represent the fact that something horrific is going to occur in this location, whether the audience see it or not, and straight away establishes that the victims fate is sealed because there is no where to run for assistance should the predicted happen. This gives the audience a clue to what the narrative is largely about, establishing the intentions of the deranged character within the first few seconds. By doing this the director has allowed for the story to un-fold slowly, something I could encorparate into our own short film as doing so will add an element of thriller, building tension and suspence whilst still being shocking.

Short film analysis 'The Condition'

The Condition

'A terminally ill man glimpses a phantom face in his lung x-ray and spends his final days flyposting an etire city in a desperate search for its owner..'

I very much like the concept of this short film, with its original and innovative narrative that explores death and desperation as well as being slightly chilling through use of fast, rapid shots of the 'phantom face' which are used in various points throughout the film. These edited shots are so quick they almost blur into one which could represent the confusion of the whole situation as well as the franticity and desperation. I also find these rapid shots quite frightening, as the actual poster looks rather child like, immediately making it appear much more sinister as its a subject that shouldn't or isn't thought of to be assosiated with young children. The fact that it looks childlike also highlights the capabilities of the dying man, as it is poorly constructed yet appears to have taken everything out of him to create it emphasising the dark situation and his utter feebleness.
The way the character is styled is something I particularly like about this film, appearing unkept and fragile which not only emphasises his ill, weakened state, but also makes him metaphorically invisible, as no passer-by stops to help him or shows concern as he stands grief stricken on the pavement clutching his flyers. This creates a sense of helplessness and sympathy for the character and emphasises how utterly desperate and almost tragic his situation is. Much like the previous short film his costume also depicts realism, with stubble showing a rough, rugged character that is relatable and likable in the sense that the audience wants to help him and wants to see him succeed. The make-up that has been used to style the character emphasises his woeful appearance, with large bags under his eyes and frown lines on his forehead, it gives the audience clues to the kind of restless, frantic lifestyle hes leading in spite of his poor condition which to me makes the character almost admirable through his detirmination.
The location is another stylistic feature I particularly like, as the director has chosen to situate the film in generic areas which represent the mass of the British population, busy dual carriage ways and graffitied street walls. The busy main road I feel is particularly effective, because it represents that no matter how dire your situation, the world continues on, as is shown through the man standing at the road side, watching the busy traffic race past oblivious to his desperate pleas. These kind of representations portray powerful messages, which is something I want to include into our film as I feel most effective dramas will evoke emotion and during a short film its important to achieve this almost instantaneously to grip the audience with a well thought out narrative.
The lighting is very much natural, with no ehancements made. However the director chose to film on a day on which the weather is miserable, dark grey and gloomy with puddles from rain on the ground, adding to the depressing, miserable atmosphere and representing the emotions of the character as he feels bleak.
I particularly like the non-diegetic voice over, of the man narrating and expressing his opinions and thoughts. I find this particularly effective becasue it gives the audience an in-sight to the characters irrational mind, and allows you to become involved within the story. The way his thoughts are repetitive when talking about the phantom face depicts the way his mind is rapidly becoming more and more frenzied and insane, constantly questioning everything around him and creates sympathy for the character. This is something I think would be good to use in our short film, because it gives the character real depth and not only allows you to witness his events and travels, but also hear his emotions and thoughts, seeing the progession as he becomes more desperate near the ending of the film. As we want to create a drama, narration from our main character is something to seriously consider as I want to make it shocking and gripping, almost uncomfortable to watch.
At the end of some of the scenes, like the scene on the train, the camera blurs out of focus to move onto the next which could represent the confusion of the situation, and the way that things are moving on quickly, both in terms of the mans illness and within the real world as the population bustles by, and the man is getting left behind in it all, completely overwhelmed. This creates a strong sense of helplessness and panic as time is running out for the man and the audience immediately sympathise with him. The blurs could also represent how the man has become so obessed with discovering the phantom face, that is always on his mind, its all he cares about and his days just blur into one because he is constantly fretting about and doing the same thing. I think the idea of obession is something I could encorparate, as it really portrays the state of mind of the character and the fact that hes powerless to resist against himself.

Short film analysis 'The Undertaker'

Within my group we have decided to create a short film, therefore I have researched a few short films from the BBC film-network that I found to be inspiring or interesting as they all acquire well written narratives and use innovative new acting talents.

The Undertaker

'An undertaker's desire to impress a young women goes horribly wrong'

Firstly I have analysed first impressions of the main character, the undertaker within the narrative, as I think the director has deliberately included many clues in the opening sequence which tell us a lot about his persona and the lifestyle he leads, which I feel is very important, especially for a short film where the character needs to be in depth immediately.
Character analysis
The first we know of this character is his voice, the fact that there is no image means the audience must focus on what is being said and the nature of the conversation which appears to be light-hearted. This adds a sinister edge to the sequence immediately because through the title of the film the audience are aware what the scheduling is about, with death and burial is seen as stereotypically quite a taboo subject, that people aren't comfortable discussing, suggesting that this kind of business is just second nature to the character and something he feels completely at ease about.
An extreme close-up shot is then visible of the man continuing his conversation, looking downward as though studying an object before him. The extreme close-up allows the audience to see who has been speaking, and also allows them to recognise the actor, critically acclaimed Rhys Ifans. It also allows the audience to see clearly how the character is presented, his formal attire informing and confirming that he is the undertaker as he is dressed in a drab, and rather cheap looking suit. This paired with the earring on his right ear, a small ring, and messy blonde hair indicates that this character is slightly eccentric creating a sense of unease and discomfort, especially as the audience are aware of his profession, which almost makes him appear a threat. This shot continues for sometime, however the audience do not hear a response from whomever he is talking to, and instead we are shown his facial expressions and light-hearted banter as he jokes about 'everyone wants to buried on a Sunday'. This immediately creates an atmosphere and sense of discomfort and agitation as his joke seems horribly inappropriate and clearly the other people within the conversation aren't in a laughing state, which further emphasises the strangeness and eccentricity of the character.
The lighting used, which appears to be natural lighting coming from a source on his left side, highlights only half of the characters face, creating harsh contrast and contours, especially under his tired eyes. His eyes could imply that he is restless and conjurers images of his estranged, hectic lifestyle. As he finishes speaking, the character looks up and smiles at whoever he is taking to, as if he's been holding a conversation with a friend, which again gives the impression of unprofessional and almost too at ease with what he's doing. His facial expressions contradict what he's saying creating and emphasising an immediate contrast between the two.

Film analysis
The film overall uses natural, basic and often harsh lighting which emphasises the characters imperfections and flaws which I like as it creates a stronger sense of realism as the characters aren't made up to look perfect and depict 'real people', for example the lighting used during the very first introduction shots of the characters that allows us to see the characters, particularly the two females looking exhausted and both physically and mentally drained. This makes the characters more relatable and creates a sense of sympathy for them, which is something I could replicate during our own short film.
The same can be said for costume throughout the sequence, as the same style is applied with the female character wearing rather comforting, layered clothing during the sequence when she first visits the chapel of rest, immediately creating a sense of vulnerability and the need to put up a barrier, seperating her from the threat of the psychotic undertaker. This realistic style of clothing is something I feel we could apply to our own film, as realism allows the audience to relate to the characters and makes the whole sequence more believable. The costumes are also used to express the characters emotions and feelings, as in this scene vulnerability and fragility which is something I want to apply to our own film, as this will allow the characters to be portrayed in depth in a short space of time.
The camera work within the sequence is kept basic, however focuses greatly on the characters faces, portraying their emotions and setting the tone for each scene, which allows the audience to follow the story with ease, even though they are unsure of the eventual outcome and in certain scenes a strong sense of unease and discomfort is created, giving the impression that something bad is going to happen. One piece of camera work I feel is particularly effective is when the camera tracks the hand movements of the undertaker when he is preening the corpse. These jittery, sharp camera movements allow the audience to feel more involved within the film, and particuarly in this uncomfortable sequence that epitomises what the film is about, both through the literal undertaker, and through the awkward, taboo subject. This camera work is also powerful because its emphasising the process of beautifying the corpse, as though trying to conceal underlying problems through a visage. I could expand on this idea or concealing or ignorance to the reality within our short film as we wish to create a drama/thriller and this is something I feel I could encorparate.
I also like the use of shallow depth of field during the bar scene, when only the women in the foreground is in focus. This allows the audience to concentrate not only on what shes saying, but again it highlights her impefections which in turn makes her appear exposed, as she appears more vulnerable and the audience attention is fully on her.