Analysis of previous students

Here is a previous students short film that I have recently watched and analysed to see what works well and if I could get any inspiration for my own short film.

Camerawork- The camera work uses both long shots and closeups to display tension. They also display the location and can see clearly what is happening. There is a point of view shot from the hooded character as he follows her down the street this is filmed whilst walking and is shaky but the effect is good as it shows the realism behind it. There is a track whilst she is walking by the river to show the danger behind it, after this there is an out of focus shot which turns into a clear one to show the mysterious nature of the man behind him. There is also a wide angle before she sees the hooded character to show how he is not there then but suddenly appears from now where.

Editing- The editing is not as advanced as other short films that I have seen there are quick cuts and a fade to black. Other than that there are only ordinary cuts which I would probably not have in my short film. I think the fastness of them builds up the tension.

Mise en scene- As the location is outside they have ad to wear some warm clothes and obviously the mysterious character would have to had a hood on to not show their identity. There is a mobile phone which is involved to show the struggle, and the lighting is dark to show how there is a not knowing.

Sound- There is no dialogue just some tensional music that is playing in the back ground which she has found on a free downloadable website.

Overall I think that I will take some of the different camera shots that they have used as the wide shots work effectively to show the location and adds some different lighting to the film. However I will add some more editing techniques to make mine a little bit more complicated and then it will look a bit more effective for what my short film is going to be about. 

Short film analysis - Umbilical

Umbilical was the second short film that we watched as a class, it was a rather different short film as it was created by a university student who used animation to allow the short film to become very professional. When I researched this short film I found out that it had won a few awards including 'Best animated shot film'. The message of this film is that there is a link between children and technology now a days, this makes children not understand creativity or imagination. This is why the child is attached to a cord as there is no possible way of being able to communicate with other children if they are all attaches to technology. The different technologies used to create this piece is very professional and there would be no way of creating an animated short film for my work, however it does look very effective.
Camera work

• At the start of the short film there is a panning shot where it shows the cord which the child is attached to, it shows how the title is significant
• There is a close up of the crayons and the character drawing on the floor, this shows how she is isolated and has to entertain herself
• When the character goes to the window there is a low angle shot to show how she want to be outside with her fellow children. In addition it shows the face of the character in which she is sad.
• There is also a high angled shot were the character is shown of being incapable of getting outside suggesting that they are trapped in a vulnerable position
• When the character gets shocked from the cord there is a wide shot to show the dark room that she is in and the outside light where she wants to be

Editing

• It has all been edited as it is animated therefore it allows the storyline to be adapted as it is about children
• The cuts are rather long as it is difficult to edit with animation, therefore they only use it to emphasise the different scenes
• Right at the end there is a fade out which suggests that children are stuck with the reality that technology is taking over and it is never going to end, that a 'normal' life for a child has died

Sound

• When the child is quickly playing with the ball for a small second there is a piano playing which represents their happiness when playing rather than sitting in front of a television screen
• The music gets louder and louder when the Tv is fuzzy to show how technology is evil and is destroying a child's life and imagination. The fuzziness also suggests how even if there is nothing to do with technology it is still taking over
• The child laughs when playing with the ball , Gray makes this important as he shows how even if the chid only has a second with the ball they find it much more entertaining that technology

Mise en scene

• As it is animated the producer didn't have to go and buy any props or costumes however they still had to think about it when animating the short film
• There are drawings covering the floor to suggest that she is alone and has to create imaginary friends
• The packet of crayons that she stands on shows how technology is brainwashing children and they are becoming less polite. The crayons act as a symbol of the characters dreams and they have just been crushed
• Finally the umbilical cord which is connected to the characters head only allows the child to stay in a certain amount of space. It makes the child become less confident about going outside as it restrains her from going outside

Conclusion

Overall I believe hat the director and producer of this short film has kept the message in the whole of the story and it is never lost though out. As there is no dialogue it is very effective as you still understand the message. The idea is very cleaver and I have now thought about akin my short story about a message and idea to make it more sophisticated. Although it is a animated story they have used camerawork, sound, mise en scene and editing very well as they have had to think more about the time consuming work that they have to put it in. In addition it has won awards so the work has obviously made an impact, the idea of children getting attached to technology is very thought provoking as in this day and age nearly every child has an iPad stuck to their fingers. Although how much I would love to create a short film with animation I can't draw so I don't think that it would be a possibility, as well as the software to produce in school and the amount of time that I would have to put into it would make it near impossible. I have taken a lot from this short film and that I would like to depict a strong and powerful message in my short film to make it more engaging.

Short film anaylsis - Pudding Bowl

This short film created by Vanessa Caswill called "Pudding Bowl" establishes a very short story about Ivy a nine year old girl who in this film is the main character. This short film is set in 1950s Britain where a young girl is stuck in her ways, she wishes to escape the boring life that she is living to those of the glamorous Hollywood stars in magazines. As her and her brother disagree he puts glue over her long locks to draw attention away from himself to allow himself to play out with his friends. Therefore her mother decides to cut it very short hence the name 'Pudding Bowl'. After this her imagination takes control as she refuses to obey her mothers rules, seeing the stars in magazines makes her want to embrace her short hair and still show how she can be attractive and represent the girl she has pinned in her bedroom. By doing this she also gets revenge on her brother and his friends, and the fact that she doesn't let it bring her down and she makes the best out of the bad situation makes the film. I will be looking carefully at the short film and analyse the film looking specifically at camerawork, editing, miss en scene and sound. 

Camera work

• Low angle shot of Jack to make him look more important that Ivy and having control over her
• Worms eye view when her hair is being chopped and is falling to the flour just like how her hollywood dream is ending
• close up of the mother when making the food to show how inconsiderate she is
• Over the shoulder shot when her brother puts the glue in her hair to make it very dramatic, it also allows the audience to see what the brother is doing even if Ivy doesn't have a clue that it is happening
• Birds-eye-view of Ivy after her hair has been cut to make her look as though she is making a plan about how she is going to get revenge on her brother
• Extreme close up in the middle of the film when Ivy's mother has finished cutting her hair, this makes the audience feel sympathy for Ivy and makes them build an instant relationship with her.

Mise- en- scene

• The glue that the brother puts in her hair as this makes the rest of the short film happen. The glue makes the audience feel sympathy for her
• The paper that is squashed suggests that her mother is screwing up her dreams
• The lighting when her brother is in the shot makes him have a shadow which connotes that the character could be dangerous or evil
• The red dress that Ivy wears, the colour suggests that she is passionate about her dreams of becoming a hollywood actress
• The pudding bowl is a very significant prop as it is the title of the film and without it the film would be very odd
• The images from the magazines are really important as they signify the problems that she has when she receives the new hair cut

Editing

• The cuts are very quick to show how fast Ivy is loosing her dream along with her hair, which in her case are the two most important things in her life.
• The transitions whilst she is having her hair cut shows how the time is passing whilst she is getting it cut
• The blurred effect when she takes her glasses off makes the audience feel sorry for her as it shows her poor eyesight, however it doesn't stop her from wanting to look like her idols
• At the end there is a panning shot that shows the sky which suggests that her dreams are never ending and that she is aiming high
• Lastly the credits are edited on to show who was involved in making the short film

Sound

• There is a sound bridge over the top of when Ivy is looking her magazines to show how they are an important part of the short film
• A piano is played when Ivy goes to look at her new hair, in the oldern days the silent movies had pianists to make it dramatic and creates atmosphere.
• There is little dialogue to make the audience to focus on the story line rather than just watching it
• When Ivy gets on her bike there is upbeat music to indicate how although she is in trouble she is having fun

Conclusion

In conclusion, I found that this short film was my favourite as it mixed the sad thoughts that Ivy had when her hair was being cut to the disobedience of her when stealing a bike. It had funny moments which I would like to add in my own short film however making it in a different era would make it hard as the budget is so low. I will probably use some of the sound ideas to make the sound go with how the character is feeling, as I haven't though about my different genres of film I will have to think about putting the sound to their movement. Overall, I liked the plot and it was easy to understand unlike Slinky. I would hope I can make mine look as professional as Vanessa did as it was very sophisticated. 

Short film analysis - Slinky

Slinky which is a short film with a duration of 3 minutes is directed by the two individual characters. The storyline is rather bizarre, there is two males; Eddie and Jeremy who are old school friends. Eddie is confronted by one Jeremy who seems to not have grown up since school, at first Jeremy is shown as immature and silly but at the end there is a plot twist. When I looked at the codes and conventions of short films is a recent blog post a lot of the things that I found were included in this short film, the length, the size of cast and the specific editing to show the story easier. I will be analysing this short film in terms of camerawork, editing, sound and miss en scene. At the end after I have looked at the film a few times I will draw upon my thought and opinions about this short film as when I watched it in school it was quite confusing.

Camerawork

• Panning shot from sky to Eddie on the bench to show how the film is sophisticated as it takes effort to do that for a short film, also it goes with the job of Eddie which is very sophisticated as well.
• Establishing shot to allow the viewer to see that park which is associated with children, the behaviour that both the men are showing is very childlike.
• Over the shoulder shot of when Jeremy is walking past Eddie until he sees him so this allows the audience to allow the audience to see Jeremy first and therefore know that they will soon interact to start the short film.
• Low angle of Eddie which represents the inner immaturity of Eddie.
• Close up of Jeremy to show how he is an annoying character and his childish behaviour.

Editing

• Quick cuts from character to character to show how they are irritating and complies with the codes and conventions of short films.
• shot-reverse-shot between the men to show how they are having a conversation
• The beginning title and end credits add more dimension to the short film

Sound

• Ambient sound of the birds shows how its a typical day at the park 
• Sound bridge over the title at the beginning without this it would be less childlike
• Sound bridge over the end when Eddie laughs at the end of the clip whilst he is playing with the slinky
• Dialogue between the characters, Jeremy has a high pitched voice at the beginning which is childlike like his behaviour whereas Eddie has a more controlled voice however at the end it goes high pitch when he unleashes his inner child.
• Diegetic sound during to show how it is on a site specific location

Mise- en scene

• The two costumes are very different which portrays the different characteristics of the characters with Eddie in a smart suit and Jeremy in a bobble hat and scruffy clothes. They also show how they are of different class and status as well.
• The light bulb connotes an idea which is not obviously happening with Jeremy as he still believes he is a child.
• The lunch box on the bench is normally what a child has so foreshadows what happens at the end with Eddie as he turns childish.
• The space hopper is a childish toy and the director put this prop in specifically because it is obvious that he does not carry this around with him at all times.
• Whereas the newspaper that Eddie has is sophisticated and goes with the suit and job that he has.
• The slinky at the end is the main prop as it is the title of the short film so therefore comes into it
• It has natural lighting also to show how it is childlike

Conclusion

Overall, this was not my favourite short film out of the films I have watched, the plot was silly and there was no point to the short film. It was not my cup of tea and the twist at the end I thought did not work as well as the director thought it would. In my opinion I think that they had the idea that it was about adults have got an inner childlike behaviour in them and although they try to hide it they all need to release it, even though adults now have sophisticated jobs and children for themselves when interacting with other school friends they act as though they did before. The camerawork was good to establish the two different characters were however the editing was not as good as it could of been but that could of been because they only had a small budget for the short film. The only reason I laughed at this was because it was very silly and I didn't believe what I was watching was actually a short film. The dialogue was very repetitive but it did go with the concept of the short film. All in all I will not be making my short film like this as I didn't really like it and I believe I could come up with a better concept.

Making a film

When considering making a film you have to think about the specific aspects that make a film successful, there is a list that most directors and producers stick too to try and make the film look as professional as it can be. There are typical steps that need to happen to produce a finished film these include:

- scriptwriting

- producing

- directing

- cinematography

- sound

- editing

Nick Whitefield a film producer wrote a column for the Guardian about an introduction to film making, in this he quoted " If you do not go with your instincts it's a mistake. There are three other things to bear in mind: make the story that you need to make, work with people whose work you love and have fun!!"

Scriptwriting

For a script to work it needs credible characters, dialogue and a natural momentum. The creative urge can come from many places: life, friends, the news, a photograph, a painting, dreams or a piece of music are all classical starting points. Individuality is the key to making the script special. What is it you want to say? whether the aim is to educate, inform or entertain a film can be powerful tool. When you have an idea for a film the next step is to write a treament otherwise known as a synopsis, this summaries the key events in the story. So what are the basic gidelines for a treatment??
- It should outline the major events of the plot, in the present tense whithout using diaglouge. It should concisely convey a clear sense of the story, who the characters are and what they want. The length should vary between 5 pages for a short story to 12 pages for a feature length film.
- Start with the premise, the who, the what, the when and where of the story. It should capture the core of the script, succunctly describing what the story is about.
- A treatment is often used as a sales tool to be sent to potential producers. Therefore, it needs to be as quick and easy to digest as possible. It is a condensed version of the film.
- It can be helpful to produce a scene outline next, where the skeleton of each scene is written up on an index card. Each card should include the key story events of that scene and the charcters involved. The order of scenes can esily be manipulated by moving the cards into various sequences, depending on how you want to tell the story. The cards can be rearranged until you are satasfied with the structure.
The screenplay or script is a written desription of the film, which includes , setting, diaglogue, character descriptions and actions. It is a map for the film maker to follow, rather than a product in itself. All scripts are divided into scenes, which are continuous action set in a single location, changing when there is either a different time, location or both. The layout is desinged to enable easy recognition and effective communication between cast and crew. The script contains only that which can be captured on film. Redrafting is an essential part of the writing process; typically a screenplay will go through numerous drafts in the development period. This can mean changes to the entire scenes, characters, dialogue or technical details.
A narrative is a stoy told in a specific way; the story that you choose to tell is unique to you. According to people the narrative is split in to three different sections. Firstly act one is where the stoy and charcters are established, act two is when the story unflods and act three is the resolution, there the narrative atrands are tied up.
There are three techniques used to give further verbal information:
1) contextual: this is spoken or written information at the beginning of a film in order to set up the story and provide background information.
2) Voice- over
3) To camera: when a character speaks directly to the camera. This is know for breaking the fourth wall.

Producing

The producer makes a project happen; they are responsible for assembling the cast and crew and their contracts. Production moves through three distinct phases;  the first funding, research and development, the second production and the third is post production editing.  The producers will have to think of a plan during pre production, their two key responsibilities are the shooting schedule and the budget. There are a range of funding sources, both private and public and on low budget to no budget films the producers fund themselves. A major part of the pre-production planning is working out a budget based on the available funds. They will have to have a checklist of all the possible costs. The budget is fundamental to the end product. The making of a film can take anything from a day to several months. The schedule breaks the shoot into a day by day plan of what will be shot and how many days it will take to complete the film. A contingency is an important part of any schedule as well as weather or other factors may interrupt that day of shooting so they need a back up plan. Shooting usually takes place in a combination of real locations and studio-built settings however there re advantages and disadvantages to both. When using a real location a "REECE" is carried out. Health and safety procedures on location and in the studio help to ensure safe practice for cast, crd, and the public. If a shoot is set up without gaining prior permission, there is the risk that it will be closed down by the police. No permit, no film. There is an extensive range of equipment required when making a film. It would be impractical to purchase all of this equipment therefore it is often hired from specialist equipment hire companies. They provide a range of lighting, cameras and camera attach,nets, including dollies, tracks and cranes. Shooting on film offers a diverse choice of stock, which responds differently to light, the choice of stock can change the film from looking grainy and unrealistic.

Directing

The director decides on the look and feel of a film; they are responsible not only for where the camera will be in relation to the actor but also how the actors perform in front of it. It first starts when they look at the script and imagine many different ways of filming it. During pre production the director works with the storyboard artist and the director of photography to draw up storyboards and shooting scripts, which describe on paper how the script will be shot. When a director first reads the script they are likely to imagine many different ways of filming it. Their vision must be tailored to the budget and time that they have to create the film. They must focus on specific things to make the film good, these include; shot sizes, before shooting can begin the director breaks the script down into the separate shots they will use to tell the story. This choice is based on an understanding of film language, where each shot is used for a particular purpose.  Camera movements, the director needs to consider movement when filming as it adds another dimension to the grammar of the shot, close attention to focus is required when the camera is mobile, the speed of movement dramatically affects the impression and can add resonance to a shot. Creating a sequence, Where individual shots can be composed in numerous ways and the way in which they are selected, ordered and combined by the director produces different effects. The director reads each scene and considers the shooting options that will help convey the intended meaning. If the sequence is supposed to create suspense it will be shot differently to how it would be if it was meant to inspirer love or hate. Shooting scripts is a document that puts all of the shot sequences together. It is a paper version of how the director wants the film to be shot. It shows where the camera will be positioned throughout the action and dialogue; whether it will be close up or far away. Finally storyboards are the drawings of the script, shot by shot in chronological order. They are the paper version of what will eventually appear on screen. In addition directors don't just direct the camera- they direct the actors too, this usually involves casting, which is where several cots audition for the part.

Cinematography

The cinematographer or director of photography is the person who makes the director's vision a reality, through the positioning of the camera and choice of lenses, film stock and lighting.  For each scene they may shoot at least three different set-ups or angles with different focal lengths, camera positions and types of camera movement. There are usually several takes of each to try and capture the best one technical and performance purposes. The moving images can either come from a film or digital video camera and in some cases digital and film formats are combined to interesting effect. The cinematographer works closely with the director to compose the images for the film, for each shot they plan what distance, angle and lens will be most effective.  The lighting conveys mood and helps the audience understand elects within the scene creating a sense of place, time, weather and state of mind. Also there are different lenses for different situations they will have to think about how much of the image is in shot and what needs to be in focus. 

Sound

Films first started as silent without dialogue, films where typically screened accompanied by a pianist who played along, creating atmosphere. Today sound includes the dialogue, background sound, voice-overs, sound effects and music. All of these elements contribute to the story, characters and style of the film. Field sound is the sound that is recorded during production, such as the dialogue recorded by the production, synchronised and non-synchronised sounds are then added on in post-production. Synchronised sound refers to the dialogue and sounds associated with the action, such as footsteps. Non-synchronised sound is the general background sound recording of a location, known as will track. The choice of location has clear implications for the sound department. When shooting on film the sound is recorded separately to the image which is why we they mark the shot with a clapper board. In post-production all of the sounds are mixed together to create the final soundtrack, the levels are balanced so that key sounds can be heard. The human ear is highly selective and filters out extraneous sound. The microphone does not have that ability, which means it is important to choose the best one for each job.  Music is also used and can be powerful in recalling the film for the audience and is often exploited for marketing and promotional purposes. Finally sound effects are non-verbal sound that can be created in a studio or obtained from a sound library. Spot effects such as doors, footsteps or the sound of a knock on the door are usually recorded on location. 

Editing

When production is finished and the film is shot, the post-production phase begins. This is when the editor puts all of the footage that has been filmed out of the sequence back into the correct order so that it makes narrative sense. During this sound effects, music and titles are all included. The shots the editor chooses and the order in which they are combined sets the space and time of the film and guides the audience's attention. Continuity editing is the majority of editing in films it is where the shots are ordered according to the narrative time.  The first films produced were made up of a single shot where the camera stayed in one position and recorded what happened. The screen time was the same as the real time it took to record the scene. Now though it is defiantly not!!

Editing

When talking about the institutional mode of representation editing is one of the key parts that makes sure that all films are near enough the same. There are too types of editing continuity editing and montage that goes against the institutional mode of representation.

The IMR suggests that all films are produced in the same way, the different products of film such as sound, camerawork and
editing are all the same in each film. So why does continuity editing help to show that the theory of IMR is correct?
Continuity editing creates action that flows smoothly across shots and scenes without showing the inherent discontinuity it should establish a logical coherence between shots. It hides the process of editing and therefore makes it look as if time is flowing in a real way. The cuts are done in a chronological order where most films are edited in this way as it is easier to produce and therefore the audience can understand it. When directors make the film use continuity editing they must use some techniques that are commonly used to create the best film these are:

• 180 degree rule where the camera must not pass a point of the characters whilst they are filming
• Shot reverse shot where the characters are shown as either looking at each other or talking, the editing allows the audience to see that they are obviously together in that scene and are in a chronological order
• Establishing shots where it allows the audience to see where the scene is being shot it makes the continuity editing work as it must be in a particular order

However there are challenges to continuity editing and this is called montage editing. When in class we looked at two films; withering Heights and Psycho where montage editing is used. It is where a film is produced by cutting backwards and forwards to different scenes. It could happen when you have a flashback or a characters life is shown in a 1 minute slip. This ruins the flow of the continuity editing as it it losses its chronological order and makes the film jumpy, this can therefore make the audience feel very confused. In Wuthering Heights there are cuts to and from peoples relationships, it can go to and from time and place which when I watched it made me get very confused; however it can work in some ways. Psycho is a famous Hitchcock film in the 1950s where many people can remember the shower scene in which the daughter is killed. You never see the actually attack her but different shots of the knife gliding across her body. Once this happens it goes to a graphic match of the plug hole from her eye as it is like her life is draining away. This gives a symbolic and emotional point which continuity editing doesn't give.

In my opinion I much prefer the use of continuity editing as it makes me feel less confused. As I have to make a short film of 5 minutes I will probably have to use montage editing as it will be complicated if I didn't because it would be hard to introduce my characters as well as the story line. In most of the short films that I have watched there are flashbacks to their childhood etc that have allowed the story to unravel. I will have to use both of these techniques as it will show my capability of creating a well produced short film however I will have to think about the story behind it first. Montage editing is a good technique to use however it might make my audience confused if it only a 5 minute short film, I will ask my peers on their thoughts and then I can gather some information closer to the time of my short film.