Short Film Analysis

Wasp

Wasp is about a single mother who is struggling to provide for her children. Despite this, she is still seen trying desperately to have some normality (dating and going to the pub). The camera shots used in the pub scene allow the audience to see the men watching her as she tries to find David at the pub and when she is playing snooker. Whilst at the pub she is wearing a short skirt and vest which attracts the attention of most of the men there, including David. This presents the ideology that women are sexual objects and that the clothes she is wearing are for the purpose of attracting men and not simply because she wants to wear them. Another key element of this short film is the characterisation of the mother. She cares a lot about her children and this is evident when she leaves David after hearing one of them scream. This is the scene when the families struggles push them all to breaking point and the diegetic sounds of yelling and crying symbolises this but the embrace they share shows the strong bond between them. This film conveys the importance of family through the love a mother has for her children despite their struggles. 

About A Girl

About A Girl is known for its shocking twist of an ending which can lead to multiple interpretations. One of interpretations is that a teenage pregnancy might have occurred and she is disposing of it the same way her mother disposed of the dog she tried to hide in the house. She is copying her mother’s questionable behaviour because she does not have a better example. The other main themes and issues raised in the film are ambition, domestic violence and social deprivation. The film is shot with the main character addressing the audience, which suggests the girl is confident. However, this can also imply that the girl needs someone to talk to. Considering that the people she is talking to (the audience) are strangers this presents the idea of counselling. The girl speaks quite quickly throughout the film and this can represent either panic or excitement and the use of jump cuts adds to this representation. The only shot that is quiet is the one showing the baby in the canal and that could imply that she has nothing to say about it or that she cannot explain it, especially to her mother.

When The Day Breaks

When The Day Breaks is a animated short film with anthropomorphic animals as characters. The appearance of the main characters seems to be metaphorical as there are also regular fish, dogs and pigeons. The film shows the two main characters getting ready for the day with contrasting attitudes. The male chicken is serious and organised and makes a shopping list before heading out to the shop. The female pig is cheerfully dancing and peeling potatoes for her breakfast. She realises that she is out of milk however and goes to the same shop as the man. This appears to be a set up for a romantic meeting between two very different characters, however it results in the man being fatally hit by a car after giving the woman a cold glare for bumping into him. The woman, being overwhelmed by a feeling of guilt, rushes back inside. The view then takes the audience through electrical wires that lead back to the chicken’s home and then a series of flashbacks is played to provide the audience with some background on the character. This also generates some sympathy and questioning. The chicken appears happy and lively in these flashbacks, so the an active audience might question why he is no longer this way. 

Curfew 

La La Land Question

Discuss how important cinematography is in establishing strong responses from spectators to a key character in La La Land. Refer to one scene in detail. 

In the ending scene, Mia and Sebastian are shown in the cinema, watching what could have been if their relationship worked out. This scene includes yellow lighting, which connotes happiness. I think this could also represent 'golden hour' which is the time of day when the sun starts to set. This could convey reality, where the sun has began to set on any hope of a future for Mia and Sebastian. Another colour that I believe has been used to show feelings is blue. When Mia is pregnant, herself and Sebastian are both wearing blue. This could suggest calmness and peace or even the gender of their child, who is shown five seconds later in a blue blanket. When the dream sequence has ended, the blue lighting used has a different meaning. I think the darker blue conveys sadness or misery. The close up shot of Sebastian shows the audience the shadows on his face, and the blue light creates an outline whilst also being the only light source. The lighting in this shot contrasts the 'What Could Have Been' sequence because the emotions conveyed in both are oppositional. The 'What Could Have Been' sequence is full of happiness, which is portrayed by yellow, high-key lighting and the actors' facial expressions. When the sequence ends, the audience is taken back to reality, where blue lighting and shadows are used to convey melancholy. Mia's dress further implies this emotion and contrasts the dress she wears in the sequence. 

This sequence also includes references or parallels to other musical films. An example of this is a reference to "Broadway Melody of 1940". Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell danced across a starry stage in "Broadway Melody of 1940" and Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone waltz through a romantic, star-filled room. 


Another scene in the sequence references "Singin' In The Rain". Both films have a monochromatic colour scheme and large-scale public dance scenes. La La land appears to be heavily influenced by the 1952 film. 

This scene allowed me to respond actively because I can relate to Mia's wish fulfilment and question how the couple could have made things work. I can also feel sympathy for her because her 'happily ever after' with Sebastian is now unreachable and reality has taken over. This scene has allowed me to align with Mia because she dreams about a happy, working relationship but knows that her dream career is important to her as well and in this scene she realises that she could not have had both. 

notes (what to include):
-spectatorship
-alignment
-preferred reading 

Winter's Bone Question

In Winter's Bone Granik relied majorly on social context. The plot is mainly shown through setting and costume instead of dialogue, which is minimal. This is done because 'Winter's Bone' is an independent film that relies on realism. An example of this is the cup scene. Merab throws tea in Ree's face and then hits her across the face with the cup. She is then dragged and pulled by her hair by Merab and two other women. I thought this was a very strange and unnecessary attack because it is more common to see guns or fist fighting in films. The camera shots used here represent Ree's frantic attempts to escape but are also quite confusing and difficult to follow. This scene caused me to start asking a lot of questions because, not only are the women carrying out acts of violence, it appears to be a 'normal' act that is carried out when people do not follow the rules. This is very different to how people are disciplined outside of Ozark. Usually, if someone refused to stay away from someone else's property, a restraining order could be put in place. However, there is not a scene showing the police being involved at all, instead the citizens 'take matters into their own hands'. When questioned by Teardrop they tell him that Ree refused to listen when she was told to go home. Teardrop's only concern is that she was possibly hit by a man, but when he finds out it was actually a woman he accepts it and offers to take Ree home. I thought that this reaction was odd because whether it was a man or a woman should not matter; violence is never acceptable. I found it difficult to relate to any of the characters in this film because they have very different behaviours and ways of surviving. They appeared violent and disrespectful to me in this film because they attacked Ree with a very poor excuse for doing so. I was also shocked that no one was arrested for murdering Ree’s father since it’s a very serious crime.

Storyboard

Synopsis

Synopsis

Bates is shown murdering the kid. His motive is unclear but supposedly he is insane and looses his temper. There is a scene of gratuitous torture and violence.

·        Doyle gets called regarding the "suicide" and from Bates’ perspective he sees his chance to cover it up by requesting to assist Doyle. He leads him to an undisclosed location and we see him attack Doyle in the train station lift and drag the body away.

·        Bates finally gets to torture Doyle, he gags him, beats him and eventually murders him.

·      Finishes with a similar scene to the beginning and therefore has an almost circular narrative.

·      Film ends with a blackout after looking at Doyle's dead body on the floor of the art studio Bates used to frame his masterpiece artwork in, the murders. As he is not captured the ending is ambiguous on whether he will continue on this path or he has finished with his murderous ways.

Pan's Labyrinth question

With close reference to one scene from 'Pan's Labyrinth', explore how cinematography and mise-en-scène create meaning.

In this scene Ophelia has taken her brother and plans to take him to the labyrinth, but she is being chased by the Captain. The first shot follows Ophelia as she heads down a staircase, with the Captain showing at the top of the stairs after an explosion, the light from it shadowing his figure. The camera then uses a pan movement to follow the Captain, and the lighting has reverted back to hard light. This is used to show shadows and create a feeling of mystery and fear because the audience do not know if Ophelia will succeed. There is a swift dolly movement as he leaves the building, which shows his men being killed in an explosion, despite this, the Captain continues to hunt down Ophelia, so this adds to his already well developed character. The audience can observe how much he despises Ophelia in this scene, because he choose to continue chasing after her, even when his men were dying.

This is followed by a 12 second shot of Mercedes, who is looking for Ophelia in her bedroom. The lighting in the room is from the various explosions outside and is a yellow/orange colour. This is the same colour the audience sees later in Ophelia’s kingdom, so this could foreshadow her return. After Mercedes notices the chalk door, the camera focus changes to Ophelia again. The audience is now aware that Mercedes is looking for Ophelia and this short shot could bring a sense of hope to the intense scene.

Tracking shots are used next and hard light is used again, to follow Ophelia and the Captain into the labyrinth. After a few seconds the camera uses a dolly curve to see each character from a different angle, first from the front, then the back. Cuts are used to show Ophelia turning corners and the Captain following her a few seconds behind. These camera movements and several shot changes create a realistic experience because the audience are following the characters through the twists and turns of the labyrinth. The next shot is a long shot of Ophelia running into the centre of the labyrinth, the change in shot occurs when the labyrinth closes, because the picture is then pitch black, this could foreshadow the Captain not being able to see the entrance to the labyrinth. The Captain, unable to enter the centre, leaves in a different direction. The camera then zooms in on the Faun as Ophelia approaches him, and then a ‘shot and reverse shot’ is used. Reaction shots are used and are also important here because it allows the viewer to see how Ophelia reacts to the final task and therefore forms a connection between character and viewer.

At the end of their conversation, when the Faun asks Ophelia if she would give up her throne for her brother, the Captain is seen behind her. Because Ophelia agrees that she would give up her throne for her brother, the Faun leaves her to confront her fate with the Captain and a pan is used as she is turned around. This is followed by the Captain taking back Ophelia’s brother and shooting her. The shot used here (a mid shot) means the viewers cannot see the wound, but instead they see Ophelia’s bloody hand. This could actually be considered more affective than just a close up of the wound because we see her reaction as well and there is a small amount of light on her hand to clearly show the severity of the injury. At this point in the scene the non-diegetic sound (the soundtrack) increases in volume and adds to the tragedy of the scene. It is at this moment that Ophelia realises she has lost, as she is dying and can no longer keep her promise to her brother (taking him to her kingdom and making him a prince).