Basic Idea

Plot

"A stressed young woman tries to escape the pressure of becoming a successful ballet dancer by turning to a life of hedonism."

Genre

Drama/Social Realism

Characters

Sophie Evergreen
Evanna Evergreen

Drug Dealer (Anonymous)

Locations

Ballet Studio

Street/Bathroom

Bedroom

We wanted to have minimal locations so that the focus was on the narrative and character.

Short Film Inspirations

I decided to search on Youtube for inspiration for my final A2 film piece. Below I have found some short films/videos which I can take inspiration from to create my own product.


Influences
The reason I picked this film out to be an influence for my own final piece is the way its edited. The transitions and effects that have been put over this piece are really effective and interesting. The beginning of the film shows what looks to be a house party, the camera moves fast around the people in the room but as the music changes the image pulses and slows down, the way the camera is moving puts the audience on edge as we are unsure what is about to happen. Close-ups of alcohol bottles are then shown, again the camera-work is shaky which captures the audiences interest. The lighting throughout the beginning shots is unnatural and the images keep fading in and out giving a sense of surrealism to the scenes. The way the sequences are either sped up or slowed down adds effect as the audience are kept interested throughout. When one of the girls from the party finds her boyfriend taking drugs the sequence is slowed right down, this emphasizes the emotions of the characters and their interaction. When the girl is hit the screen goes black which adds tension to the film and makes the audience wonder what is going to happen next. The music then builds up adding even more tension as we see the boyfriend on screen looking frustrated with himself, as the music hits its peek the screen then goes black leaving the audience with questions about what happens next. The characters are represented as typical 'youths' enjoying themselves at a party, the man then becomes violent and powerful (represented by the hitting of his girlfriend) after taking drugs.



Ed Sheeran - The A Team
Although not a short film this music video has really influenced the creation of our product. The way the video has been shot and the cinematography is really effective to the audience and development of the narrative and we will defiantly take into consideration these media elements in our final short film.
The film begins with a close-up of a crying woman which sets the tone of the film, hints at the genre of the film (drama) and plays with the emotions of the audience straight away. The cold black and white colouring of the video also adds to the hard emotion of the piece as there are no bright colours which makes the womans emotion stand out. The way the film focuses and un-focuses represents the hazy emotions the woman is feeling and the hand-held camera work lets the audience know that something isn't right and puts them on edge. When the camera pans upwards from (what we assume) is the dead woman's eyes all the emotion is captured in her glazed eyes which shocks and moves the watching audience, while panning upwards the camera becomes more and more out of focus which represents the woman's life and slowly being forgotten, the audience wonder who the woman is and has happened to the her. The camera then cuts to a much brighter (but still in black and white) image of the woman (who we previously saw dead) sleeping on a park bench, the fact the woman is alive now makes the audience want to watch on to see how she died. She is wearing ripped tights and dark, tattered clothing which gives the audience the impression that shes homeless. The camera-work is still handheld as we follow the woman around exploring the town this represents the unclear path of the woman, her unstable mind and the detachment of the character to her surroundings. One shot which I find particularly effective and am going to consider re-creating in our final product is the long-shot of the womans feet walking, this represents the unknown path that the woman is taking. Another shot I thought was effective was when the woman is looking towards the on-coming traffic the cinematographer has used shallow depth of field to keep the woman in focus and the traffic out so we focus on the woman and her emotions, the cars represent the unknown emotions coming towards her. More close-ups of the womans face are shown, we see the raw emotion she is feeling in her eyes which draws in and captures the audiences attention, we start to feel for the character and her situation. We then cut to a mid-shot of the woman looking in a mirror and putting on more makeup, the surroundings she in are dark and dirty which shows the audience her living conditions and lifestyle, we start to understand more about the character. Another powerful shot is the close-up of hands when buying of the drugs, the sequence is very fast and secretive, the audience now start to piece together the womans story. The woman is represented throughout the piece as a underprivileged member of society who battles with issues such as homelessness, prostitution and drug abuse. The woman is stuck is a cycle and doesn't know how to escape her current life although the audience gets the impression through her expressions and emotions that she wants to.

Short Film Analysis - Sound

I have analysed the film below focusing on the sound used.


Loved On Water
The film starts off with waves crashing against the shore, the music being played does not mirror the image as we hear slow violin music which puts the audience on edge as we expected to hear the calming sound of water, as well as the violin music we hear a buzzer type sound and footsteps which unnerves the audience even more as we cannot see what is actually happening. As the film title is displayed we hear the low tones of a male voice and a low buzzing sound which sets an eerie tone, finally the image we see mirrors the sound as the picture cuts to two men sitting at a table. The audience can only hear the diegetic sound of the men's movement which captures their attention and makes them focus on the two characters. The men then start talking to each other, the lack of sound in the background accentuates the characters dialect and makes the audience concentrate on the words which the men are speaking. We then hear eerie low music which only plays for a short time as the image changes to a deserted street, this gives the audience the impression that something is not right. The picture then changes back to the characters and the music stops. The music then starts again and picks up pace, the audience become increasingly weary that something ominous is going to happen as the music becomes more prominent. The character then loudly puts down his glasses and the music comes to a sudden halt, confusing the audience. As the character says "can you hear that, the sounds?" the music starts again, low tones are played with a piano over the top, the music is soft and makes the audience feel sad and emotional as the mans low, monotone voice is still played over the top. The music then comes to abrupt stop again as one of the men suddenly sighs and says "i'm not here for bullshit", quickly wiping away the memory the other man was trying to portray. The other man then closes his eyes and the music starts again, the music helps separate the 'reality' and the memory the man has in his head. The music begins to fade in and out and a harp is played, this gives a surreal feeling to the film, we hear muffled sounds of the sea underneath the music as the image changes to a boy surfing, this ties in the picture with the sound. The non-diagetic then fades out and we hear the proper sound of the ocean becoming louder, all the while the characters voice is still talking about different sounds. The music helps the audience to visualize the mans story.

Virgin Media Shorts

During the month of August Virgin Media Shorts ran their annual short film competition, searching for the 'the next big thing'. They allowed short film makers to upload their work for the public to review and judge. The top 10 films will have their work shown in cinemas worldwide and one lucky winner gets £30,000 to make their next film with money-can't-buy mentoring from the British Film Institute.

I have watched a lot of short films uploaded onto the Virgin Media Shorts website and have decided to analyse a few of my favorites below. (Click film titles for link to video).

Escape
The first film which really caught my attention was Escape by Dwright. The first shot introduces the audience to the landscape, which appropriate to the title, is an empty forest. We then see a young girl with a distressed look on her face slowly walk forward, forests are often a symbol of the unconscious which could hint at the narrative to come. The first sequence uses a lot of sepia colouring, the trees and forest floor are all dark brown which makes the girl stand out, this lets the audience know we should be focusing on her character and that the diegesis will be about her. As the girl walks forward the previous walking shot is played over the top which gives the scene a surreal feeling. So far I would probably say based on the isolation of the character and dark colours being used the genre of this short film would be a thriller. The camera work is handheld and shaky which makes the audience feel like somebody is watching the isolated character. When the girl starts running through the forest the slow drumming music which was played quietly at the beginning picks up which puts the audience on edge. The character then runs into a black cloaked figure and the scene suddenly flashes which shocks the audience and makes them apprehensive about the scenes to come. Throughout the rest of the running scene the shot is intercut with over-exposed footage of the girls previous life, posing questions to the audience and making them think about who this girl is and what she is in fact running from. At the end of the scene it becomes apparent that the hooded character was in fact the girl herself. Altogether I enjoyed this short film and thought it was edited very well to make the scenes thrilling and I liked the use of the hand-held camera as it put the audience amongst the action and got them involved with the story.

Apple Juice
I really enjoyed the short film 'Apple Juice' by Johnnyruff as although the concept is very simple this short film is very well put together. The scene starts with a close-up of a young girl drinking from an apple juice carton, the shot is very vibrant and gives the film an immediate sense of fun. We then see a young boy looking longingly at the carton and then at the fridge, the shot of the young boy looking inside the fridge is from his point of view, looking up at the fridge which is comical as everything seems huge and out of reach. All of the first sequence is silent apart from the shot of the young girl laughing as she hands the boy the empty carton and watches him try and drink it, this again adds to the fun of the film and relaxes the audience. Soft happy music starts playing as the young boy then proceeds to walk up to a huge apple tree, all through the opening the colours are very vibrant and effervescent which captures the audiences concentration, the use of close-ups on key elements of the scenes also draws in the audiences attention and makes the diegesis easy to understand and follow. When the boy returns with the apple and drinks the juice through the straw the animated facial expression used by the young girl adds comic value to the film. Altogether this short film is very simple but beautifully captured and makes the audience feel content all the way through.

My life with(out) her
The short film 'my life with(out) her' by rjmoir is very cleverly done. I chose this film as one of my favorites as the editing is very dynamic and I can take inspiration from the contrasts displayed. The use of split screens all the way through (although hard to follow the action sometimes) is effective and engaging for the audience. One screen shows the mans life with his girlfriend and one without, its interesting to watch each screen and how different each activity is. The shots also match up with the music being played which ties the whole sequence together. The camera work is very smooth and interesting to look at and every shot is different and intriguing.

Short Film Analysis

All short films below were found on the Future Shorts Youtube Channel.


Apricot
The sequence starts off with the image blurred, a low non-diagetic sound is played giving the opening a sense of mystery. The shot soon sharpens and the non-diagetic sound suddenly stops. Within the shot two people having a conversation in a coffee shop, presumably on a date, the lighting is subdued giving a sense of a relaxing, safe, atmosphere. The credits are inter-cut throughout the opening sequence while the dialogue is still being played, tying the credits into the sequence seamlessly. The characters appear to be having a good time, the relaxing atmosphere and the sense of laughter puts the audience at ease. No music is being played we just hear the generic sounds of coffee shop surroundings and the characters dialect, drawing the audience into the characters. When the female character talks about her first boyfriend the shot  quickly cuts to what we assume is a flashback of her first love and cuts back, this contrast comes as a surprise to the audience as we are used to the subdued colourings that the burst of light and colour is effective. Throughout the sequence this continues to happen and slow, sad, non-diagetic music (string instruments) is quietly played during the flashbacks. The cinematography of the flashbacks are beautiful and interesting, mostly filmed in outside locations the colours are bright and brings a sense of nature and natural beauty to the short film. Altogether the film is slow paced and romantic, drawing out the characters emotions and engaging the audience, I really enjoyed this short film.


Heartwork
The main protagonist is introduced first, she appears to be feeling alone which is suggested by the dark blues and black colouring of the opening sequence. We see her first at a bar and then at a nightclub, both locations give a sense of escape which the character is seeking, the colour within the nightclub is an unnatural bright blue which makes the location seem like a completely different place from the outside world in which people can provoke fantasies. The sequences are in slow motion which again emphasises the character's loneliness. The whole sequence follows the main character throughout her daily activities, the same monotonous club-type music plays throughout the sequence which makes her activities seem repetitive. The character sees various people dressed in heart shaped costumes throughout her travels, these represent the fact that you cannot escape from what your heart truly desires. Altogether I think the sequence is modern and dynamic.


Angus and Julia Stone 'Big Jet Plane'
The sequence starts with the character's hair blowing with a strong light in the background which we assume to be the sun, the audience thinks that the character is on holiday. The sequence then cuts to a medium shot of the character at work, her expression perplexed with her hair being blown by a fan. This shows the drastic contrast to what we assume the character desires and reality. We see her go to work in the empty shop, one shot which particularity emphasises the characters isolation is an establishing shot of the character stocking the shop with her surroundings empty from human activity. The sequence is in slow motion which again emphasises the isolation of the character and symbolises her feelings towards her work, that its slow and requires no effort. The end sequence shows the character watching television, this is inter-cut with images of escape such as a world map and postcards, we are then shown her returning to work and are shown a medium shot of her in a car looking happy, escaping. The whole sequence is slow paced and the music is calm which emphasises the long and tiring life of the character who just wants to escape.