Short Film Analysis

Surfacing by Jessica Green


Surfacing from Jessica Green on Vimeo.

Mise-en-scene
The costume is the conventional clothing that a teenager wold wear, just normal t-shirt and pants, this denotes that the person is just your average young adult. However, we see a transparent piece of material in front of her throughout which is visible due to the light shining off it, this gives us the idea that the girl is trapped, but to what it is we do not know. The location shots are just normal, bright places which contrasts with how the girl is feeling, this gives off connotations that she is intimidated by her surroundings as they are the opposite as to what she is feeling which we can tell by the expressions on her face. As the sequence progresses, emphasising how tedious this whole experience this is for her, her clothing changes from being yellow, bright and cheerful t-shirt to a blue jumper, which connotes that her feelings are getting worse and she is becoming more emotional; by her covering up more of her body, denoting that she is no longer comfortable in her own body so she's hiding away.

Cinematography
Instantly starts as an extreme close-up on the girls eyes, showing her look of worry. It's not very clear at first, then it cuts to the girls point of view, which then shows that something is covering her view. There are a lot of various different angle shots to show the girls isolation for example when there is a longshot showing the girls confusion and distress of her walking in circles. It seems to be that a handheld camera is used at first then when it has to be a steady shot which emphasises on the girls face to let the audience feel empathetic for her. There are several different shots when showing the different people who are talking about her.

Sound
The sound in this at the beginning is just a fairly ordinary noise which is expected in a communal area, people talking, things rustling; however, in this case, linking with the cinematography it is obvious the girl feels a division between herself and the rest of the people as she is not interacting with them, she is just listening - denoting that she is left out. There are several bangs, for example when the door slams shut which could represent the girls anxiety

Short Film Anaylsis

Wasp by Andrea Arnold


Wasp by Andrea Arnold from MrGreatShortFilms on Vimeo.

Mise-en-scene
Instantly the shot shows a dirty set of stairs with children walking in their bare-feet. The clothes they are wearing are extremely washed out and some of them are dirty, this denotes that the family (with an unknown/absent father) are from a rough area due to the filthy stairs and the clothing they wear. The young baby who is being carried carelessly by his oldest sister (who still looks young) is half-naked, this also denotes that the family are not wealthy and are in a place where walking round like this is acceptable. All of the children and the mother are untidy and look as thought their appearance is not looked after, they contrast with the other children and parents as they look fairly cleaner than them with newer looking clothes, which reflects the poor circumstances that the main character lives in and the poor living environments.
Other points:

• Bag of sugar as an alternative for a meal - extremely poor, borderline poverty giving off connotations that the family are probably at the bottom of the social scale. The mouldy bread also shows this as nowadays it isn't that expensive for a loaf of bread and she cannot afford that.
• All of the empty wrappers in the cupboards and on the bench denotes that she is too lazy to tidy up - not fit for parenting, some of the rubbish could be dangerous which is not acceptable as there are 3 young children and a baby which could hurt themselves on something.
• Pub scene - she wears a red top which denotes romance which could be as she is going to see a male, but it could also symbolise danger for something that is going to happen when she is there. Even when she attempts to dress up for the occasion she still looks dishevelled. 

Cinematography

Throughout this short film it appears that a handheld camera has been used all of the time. Firstly, it is used when they are coming down the stairs almost as if that is how they're moving. The shot stars with a close up on her thighs which lets the audience see the clothes they are wearing, it then pans down to the feet, which is to show that she is bare-footed. With it starting at the bottom, it allows the audience to see what type of place that these people are living in - dirty, dark, unhomely. The use of the handheld camera could also be used to show the carelessness that these people live like. The shots, when not outside in the daylight, are always dull. Some of the shots are extreme close ups especially when her past lover is talking. It focuses on his mouth at first which gives off connotations of persuasion and mesmerisation in what he is saying, it then changes to an extreme close up of his eyes which also gives off the same idea. 

Sound
There is not much to say about the sound as it is just very basic and there are no special effects. However, there is a lot of colloquial language i.e. the use of swear words - this reflects the type of people that Arnold wants the audience to perceive them as. The mothers voice is also very rusty which makes her sound common. The children also use bad language which shows that they have had a bad upbringing.

Edits
This is a very basic short film and there has not been any edits, just simple cuts and focuses on certain things. I believe Arnold hasn't used any particular edits for example transitions due to the subject matter being a serious, stereotypical thing which needs to look realistic as oppose to there being a lot of edits to make it seem fictional. Arnold tries to make the audience feel empathetic for these children and in some ways the mother as it is something which is common in areas like this.

Overal - the main technical code is mise-en-scene as it is extremely important that the audience knows just what kind of conditions these people live in. 

Further Analysis of Short Films

As we were undecided on whether we were going to produce a trailer or a short film, I only analysed one short film. Kelsey and I have agreed on a short film therefore I have to analyse moreof them to understand the concept of them all.

A2 Project Brief

Which brief are you pursuing?

The brief I am pursuing is a Short Film, therefore I am planning on analysing more short films as in my other analysis I have only included 1 short film because I was unsure on what brief I was anticipating on pursuing.

 

Identify if this is an individual or group project?

This is a group project, with myself and Kelsey Wink (www.kelseyjowink.blogspot.com)

 

List the roles and responsibilities if you're working in a group?

Mise-en-scène - Kelsey Wink

Cinematography - Katie Murdoch/Kelsey Wink

Sound - Katie Murdoch

Editing - Katie Murdoch

Acting - Kelsey Wink, Zoe Slade and Stephen Hanlon (main characters)

 

Write a brief summary of your concept for the main task:

The concept of our short film is based around the deterioration of one girls life (Zoe Slade). We have not decided upon the final reason for this but it will more than likely be due to relationships or issues that teenagers face everyday. It will first appear happy then there will be a disequilibrium, following Todorov's theory.

 

List any ideas for locations (mise-en-scène):

Stereotypical places where teenagers go:
- City Centre (Newcastle)

- Café's

- The beach

- Shops

- Parks

List any ideas for costume and props (mise-en-scène):

Costume:

Normal clothing that teenagers would wear, in doing so it will relate to our target audience. Items of clothing such as jeans/leggings with a smart/casual top for Zoe and a smarter look for Stephen as nowadays boys make more of an effort with their appearance to previous years.

Make-up:
Normal make-up to make Zoe appear natural and innocent.

Props:

We do not particularly need any props in our film that stand out just typical things found in the places where we will be filming, for example we will have mugs of coffee/tea in the café's etc.

Setting:

Light places which show life and energy, like busy shopping centres/stores which will be in Newcastle but also quieter places to show the relationship between the two people being more confined and emotive.

 

Outline your ideas for each ancillary task:

For one of my ancillary tasks I am intending on creating a poster to sum up the short film without telling you what actually happens. It will hopefully be a medium shot of the girl in the centre of the poster with Stephen behind. Zoe will appear upset but Stephen will appear emotionless.

The second ancillary task will be a magazine review article about the film.

Concept Ideas A2

If the Slideshare doesn't work, maximise it using the button at the bottom right then hopefully it should work :)

Reviewing Last Year's Practical Work

Reviewing Last Year's Practical Work on Prezi

I have reviewed my practical work that I completed last year as this year I will have to complete ancillary tasks which are similar, by doing this I can see what I need to improve! :)

Analysis of Previous Years Work!