Evaluation from research

Deciding my brief

From looking at my skills sets for each of the following briefs, I have decided that I will be best suited to conducting the short film task. The predominant reason being that I will only have to use a camera and tripod. I feel that -especially from the last task- I can take a variety of shots in order to represent the narrative in the best way possible.

From my research...


As part of developing my understanding about the key concepts, features and codes and conventions of a short film it was vital to form an analytical and technical opinion about each of the extracts.

From looking at the short film called 'The Plan' I liked the way in which the black and white editing was used in order to create a darkness or mystery to the male protagonist in the narrative. As an audience member I felt engaged with the character from the very beginning of the extract. This was emphasised through the use of the spoken narrative throughout the text; thus meaning that as an audience member I had no option but to listen to what the protagonist had to say. This idea of a spoken narration was also seen in the short film 'LOL' in which the female protagonist informs the audience members on her name, home, relationship status, friends and current events. (This links to Hayden White's theory that narratives address issues of order, desire and law, authority and its legitimation of subversion. The demand for closure in the historical story is a demand, I suggest, for moral meaning... -sismedia.wetpaint.com/page/narrative+theory-)

Throughout the course of the spoken narrative, a variety of scenes are shown to audience members. This is good for presenting each scene in a particular way as it is seen from the 'eyes' of only one character in the form of non-diegetic dialouge. Whereas, the short film 'About a Girl' the audience members become engaged with the female character in a different way as the female protagonist speaks directly to the camera in the form of a monologue or spoken diegetic dialogue. Nevertheless, as the protagonist is just speaking about her life in the backdrop of her home-town, the audience members gradually lose interest and become disengaged with the actual narrative of the text. Thus, meaning that if I were to use this narrative form in my short film I would use non-diegetic engagement as it would allow me to present a variation of shots, angles, characters and mise en scene. This links to the "Auteur" theory, in which the "basic principle was that the film was a work of art; just like a novel or painting, it was essentially the product of an individual's imagination". (Genre and Auteur theory)


I felt that in each short film the use of realism was maintained in different levels, I especially noticed a certain level of realism in the short film 'LOL'. The mise en scene of the text was landscaped around the idea of being a teenager, being at school, hanging out with a mate and going to a party. Each scene was carefully thought out to meet with a particular mindset of being a teenager. For example, the use of the social networking group 'Facebook' and the continual use of the mobile phone stresses the advance in technology in modern day society but it also helps to represent a relatable concept to audience members. This links to the theory put forward by Robert Stam, in which he pointed out "While some genres are based on story content (the war film) others are borrowed from literature (comedy, melodrama) or from other media (the musical). Some are performer-based (the Astaire- Rogers films) or budget-based (blockbusters) while others are based on artistic status (the art film), racial identity (Black cinema), location (the Western), or sexual orientation (Queer cinema)".

This idea of a relatable concept is also seen in the short film 'Accident' in which it becomes apparent that an injury or troubled situation has occurred in a London town. The idea of realism is maintained as no non-diegetic sound is used -i.e. a soundtrack or song- thus helping to create a realistic situation through the use of ambient sound instead. Thus, enabling me to link Aristotles theory from the 4th Century BC "the most important is the plot, the ordering of the incidents; for tragedy is a representation, not of men, but of action and life, of happiness and unhappiness".

As well as this, I also recognised the use of close ups that were used an extensive amount throughout the majority of the short films. This was evident especially in the short film 'Accident' whereby close ups were formed in order to focus the attention of particular characters, facial expressions, props and personal belongings. Through using this particular shot it meant that audience members were given key hints to the climax of the narrative, however they were not giving the complete mystery of the extract. Thus, helping to maintain a sense of realism as in the rush of an accident it is not always apparent to notice all aspects surrounding the scene. This idea of mystery was also seen in the short film 'About a Girl', in which it was recognised that the young girl felt troubled by her family life and background as she was always kept out of the way. This was clearly emphasised upon the use of close ups surrounding the majority of the text. Thus, showing that the girl has something to hide from not just her family but her audience members too; consequently helping to keep audience members enticed to keep watching. Nevertheless, the audience members are given hints to the progression of the narrative through a variety of shots. This is especially noted in the beginning scene where a long shot is used to establish the main protagonist, however her face is 'blacked' out so that the audience members are unable to see the face and features of the girl. From this I feel that it is important for me to create the same effect, therefore I will use close ups in order to distinguish a clear narrative and keep the audience members waiting for a climax within the narrative.