Short Film Analysis - One Minute Time Machine

Short Film Analysis - One Minute Time Machine

Duration - 5:40

Camerawork
Some very nice shots in particular the use of the wider two shot which while might not be possible in the piece I am planning was useful for understanding how two people can express their emotions through proxemics when sitting on the same seat

The use of montage towards the end of the piece is very effective and creates a highly comedic crescendo to the piece as a whole. While is isn't particularly relevant to my piece as I don't intend to use montage the cutting between various scenes for comedic effect is something that I would like to explore further as I like the idea of contrasting the serious conversation between the two main characters and the silliness of the rest of the party 

Sound
The sound design is simple but effective with the sound used for the time machine providing an effective sound bridge between scenes.

The soundtrack adds a need degree of levity to the piece which could become quite depressing towards the in the quick pace and light hearted tone that the soundtrack establishes was not maintained.

Narrative.

Simple repeating narrative due to the gimmick of the piece which is the time machine. This works very well for comedy and helps to effectively develop character throughout the piece as we learn more about both the people in the piece 

Plot Summary

Adulthood 

Plot Summary 

Setting - Party/Outside Party

Length - 5 mins (minus credits)

Sam finds her friend Danny lying on a sofa during his 18th birthday party. The two get into conversation and Danny confesses his fear for the future and the fact that he doesn't know what he's going to do. . While they try to open up to one another there is still bad blood between the two of them and this leads to Danny becoming fed up with Sam and storming out into the garden. Sam waits a moment to compose herself before heading out into the back garden where she sits down next to Danny. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out her phone and puts on a song from their childhood. She grabs him in a hug as they listen to this song together for very possibly the last time. Fade to black 

Short Film Analysis - Let it Be (Opening)

Let it Be

By Bertie Gilbert 

Camerawork 
Throughout the piece the camera is obviously handheld. In contrast to other texts who use this technique either to give a sense of unease or tension in particular scenes this use actually helps to build intimacy with the various characters in the text and this is highly effective at drawing the audience into the story that the film is telling. 

Editing 
The editing isn's a highlight of the film but it is highly competent it is primarily used to transition between the various cenes and this is done effectively as often a emotionally heavy moment in the narrative is effectively undercut by a comedic framing or some comedic dialogue. Take for example the opening of the piece which would could be played as quite dramatic however the slow zoom out of the camera and the comedic nature of the fact that a dog is being killed this allows the piece to take a more whymsical tone as the death of major characters is not a focus until later in the piece which gives that particular reveal a great deal more gravitas

Sound 
The music included in this makers films is often created by the musician "Tom Rosenthal" whose style is very distinctive his music is highly effective in this piece as it captures both the optimism of the future but also the somewhat childlike way in which the two main characters are acting and the strangely whimsical nature of the narrative.

The song used at the end of the piece is particularly effective as it builds to a crheesendo but then fades out as the impact of the nights actions sink in for the characters and it is replaced by the simple sound of the wind 

Narrative 
Named after the Beatles song the piece opens with the reveal of a woman about to kill a dog. You hear two people arguing over music in the back ground the camera then cuts to a shot of these two entering into the garden. They notice the girl and argue with her. She is then revealed to believe that she is actually the grim reaper.

Next scene inside the house with the two arguing over keeping her company. She does some bizarre things ( she is the comedic centre of the film). It is revealed that the two are broken up and that one is moving out. Cut to later in the evening as they prepare for a party. Then into a party as the couple try to reconsile and relax but the male pushes it too far and it is revealed that the woman was meant to die.

The piece concludes on a beach on the thames as the boy catches up with the girl and they have a heart to heart and the play ends with death discussing which beatle will die next

Short Film Analysis - Tick Tock

Tick Tock - Campus Film Fest
Length - 5:00

Camerawork 

The opening shot of the clock moving backwards immediately clues the audience into the nature of the piece and the ticking of the clock links into the central theme of the piece that being what do you do when you are running out of time 

Overall the camerawork has a beautiful ascetic and the continuous shot is highly effective at increasing the tension in the scene while also giving a sense of the viewer literally flying back through time 

Editing 
The titles that randomly appear throughout the piece are unfortunately the weakest part of the piece as they don't really have much connection or explanation other than the significance that a viewer can give them and so after several viewings they do become quiet interesting initially they are more distracting and annoying than actually effective. 

The titles are nessacary as they are speaking a foreign language and because they are speaking in reverse and these work very well and the font matches the style of the film
 
Sound
The single sound track throughout is highly effective at building the emotional tension of the piece as well as matching the pace of the camera work and it transitions between build up and full score at the right moments

The use of sound effects such as the ticking clock, heartbeat and the distortion on the vocals are also very effective in particular a moment where the mans heartbeat which can be heard throughout the majority of the piece slowly fades and is replaced by the ticking of the clock which brings the piece full circle in a very satisfying way. 

Narrative
The reverse narrative of the piece is an interesting twist on a normal narrative twist and there are some moments when the sequences work fantastically well (such as the scene in which he runs across the field back to his dorm). However there are a couple of moments when the dialogue is difficult to comprehend due to its reverse nature and the opening twist removes some of the drama from the piece as a whole and would have been better placed towards the end of the film

Short Film Analysis - Nostalgia

Short Film Analysis - Nostalgia 

Length - 5:00

Camerawork

The cuts during the car crash are handled extremely well however the acting does let this down so much

The change from dream to present is handled extremely well.

The camera switches between some fixed shots and some stabilised dollying shots which have a mixed impact. On the one hand they add to the confusion that the main character is obviously feeling and also adds to the dream like state. However sometimes this strays over into making the shots clunky and leaves certain characters half in and half out of the frame

The blur on the edge of the frame is disorienting and adds to the confusion in the scenes

Editing

The editing after the car crash could have been sharpened up as their is a beat of the main character waiting to react before he moves

However in general the film uses very few obvious cuts as the camera is often free moving and this limits the need for cuts. In addition to this the scene changes to remove the bodies are handled very well and there is no obvious difference between cuts.

Sound

The soundtrack isn't prominent and is only used in two different situations. Firstly it is used during the party seen in order to add to the atmosphere of the party as a whole and it does indeed do this. Secondly the ending news report is highly effective at keying the audience in and wrapping up the fairly confusing story very well.

The sound effects such as the car crash and the sound effect used for the collapse of both of the other two deaths are handled very well and are timed perfectly adding to the impact of the scene as a whole

Narrative

Goes through three different deaths
- Car Crash
- Falls down Dead
- Kiss than turn round into death and drop down dead

Narrative Theory Todorov/ Strauss

During my research into the narratives that I could construct in the limited time period of the short film that I shall produce I used Todorov's theory of equilibrium as a basis for this planning.

This theory states that all stories can be broken up into five section these are

1. An equilibrium is set up
2. An event Disrupts this equilibrium
3. There is a recognition of this disruption
4. An attempt is made to repair the damage that this causes
5. After this a new equilibrium is established at the end

What I have decided to do is focus on point four of this theory the section in the narrative where  an attempt is made to repair damage in this case the damage that has been done both by the panic of nearly school and the break up of a long term relationship. The film therefore ends on point 5 with the new equilibrium established as both characters look to the future

In addition to this the themes of this piece of the opposition of past and future are directly picked from the theories of Levi-Strauss with his ideas of binary oppositions.

Levi Strauss, a French anthropologist in the 1900s, proposed a theory of 'binary opposites' which entails that the majority of narratives in media forms such as books and film contain opposing main characters.These binary opposites help to thicken the plot and further the narrative; and introduce contrast. For example, in a superhero film this could be good vs. evil, in a horror film this could be human vs. supernatural, and in a comedy this could be young vs. old. 

In the film Danny and Sam are supposed to be Binary Opposites of each other with Danny being a nervous pessimist while Sam is an eternal optimist and it is the conflict between these two ways of thinking that is central to the films narrative.

Music - Initial Ideas & Research

Initial Ideas
I'd like to include one possibly two music tracks in my production
The first of these I'd like to play at the beginning of the piece and then possibly be in the background as if its playing in a room next to the one that the characters are sitting. This would be a more dance music style track and be diegetic to the piece as it will be playing as part of the party itself rather than as an accent to the rest of piece

The second one I'd like to play during the finale of the piece where the two people reconsile and look to the future which would slowly build as the camera slowly draws out and then cuts to black and then the chorus hits as the title of the piece is displayed.

Placebo
King of Leon
Viola Beach