Emma- 4 Short film analysis

Apricot.
Ben Briand
Community choice award winner 2010
(11 minutes long)

The man in this short film is an amnesiac and suffers from short-term memory loss. He states several times through the film, "I don't remember," after she asks him about his first love. In the flashback, he is seen as a young boy who takes several photos to remember his surroundings, and he attunes the taste of apricots to remember things. I chose this short film because I enjoyed the filming techniques and overall style of the film, its sounds and visuals work closely together to portray emotion and memories.

Representation- this short film represents childhood and growing up.  The ‘present’ arts of the film use social realism but the ‘past’ sections seem to have a dreamlike quality to them.
The female character is remembering her past loves while the man is in control of the questions being asked and a majority of the situation, he is able to make her remember even after she questions his motives. This could be seen as a stereotypical relationship where in which the male has the dominant power. This would be a negative view but because the males motives for asking such questions are for a good reason the audience sympathies with him. The film deals with the issue of forgetting your childhood, many people are unable to recall everything that happened in their childhood and simply forget things that have happened to them. The male character has amnesia; we know this because he repeats the phrase ‘I don’t remember’ whereas the female is allowing herself to think right back into her childhood.

Narrative- the plot follows a non-linear structure and goes from present to past several times throughout the film; this allows the viewer to gain a secure idea of what the female is remembering and how she is also feeling at present. It gives us an insight into things being related, such as the music that runs through, and the taste of the coffee at the end that tells her the man is the boy she has been remembering. The ‘present’ plot is linear and is the same when showing the ‘past’ plot but they run parallel so the overall plot of the film is not linear. The opening of the film is an establishing shot of the two characters at a table in a café, it seems like an initial meeting but by the end of the film it is clear that the pair have known each for other years. The impact of having this flip of feeling between the two characters is huge; the viewer feels a sudden sense of understanding and is able to enjoy the moment as the film comes to a close.   

Genre- I think this film is a romance, it have codes and conventions that many other romance films have as well, such as the ‘first date’ image when the couple are at the café and the kiss at the end of the  film.
David Buckingham explained that genre is ALWAYS changing and this can been seen in ‘apricot’ from the interesting take on the romance and the idea that the male has amnesia and the pair have met already but have forgotten. An advantage for using traditional codes and conventions for the genres is that the viewer then knows what to expect and will be less likely to be disappointed with the film.

Audience- the film has been published on you tube and many other websites such as vimeo and the director’s webpage. I think the film is aimed at audiences aged 20+ (both genders) and maybe in the middle class.
The audience could be pleased by the films romantic story line, imaginative filming techniques and dream like imagery. This film won a ‘community choice award’ in 2010. Director- Ben Briand, Australia.

-Focus techniques extreme focus techniques are used during the film, most of the sequence is filmed using a very shallow depth of field which shows the sentimental value of what is in focus, whether it is one of the characters of an object in a flashback. -Camera Movements and angles the parts of the film that are in the ‘present’ consist of many close ups and extreme close ups of the two main characters. We do not get an establishing shot of where they are, only a quick two shot to establish where they are positioned with each other, because it is unimportant, the director is just letting the audience know what they need to know and see. During the flash back sequences the camera work creates a surreal, dreamlike effect on the characters and their surroundings, a lot of slow swooping camera movements are used as well as extreme close ups on props that remind the female character of her past love. The male character is filmed from slightly below eye level, this could be showing that he has more power compared to the female, along with asking the questions he is in control of the situation.

Editing there is a lot of slow motion techniques used during the flashbacks which again give a dream like effect to the images. Eye line match is used during the shot reverse shot sequence between the two characters and also follows the characters eye movements when she is recalling past memories and looking up.
-Lighting / colours The Lighting used in the film also affects this dreamlike feel to the memories, colourful lighting is used; red and golden filters are used, creating a strong sense of personal or sentimental Value to the images by the female character as she recalls her childhood.
-Setting / décor the setting of the scenes in the present are assumed to be in a modern coffee shop or restaurant but we are never able to see any detail of the characters surroundings because of the extreme shallow depth of field.

I am butterfly
Carlos Florez
(six minutes long)
3^rd August 2012 

 

This is a story of a little girl who is abandoned by her mother. This five year old promise’s to seek and take vengeance against the man who took her mother away. I chose this film because of its narrative and characters; I was interested in how the director created a sense of such a strong bond between a mother and daughter and then for that relationship to change so suddenly.

Representation-
As there are only two main characters in the film the social groups used are difficult to distinguish, social realism is used throughout the film; while we watch the mother and child walk through the surrounding streets. the main character of the little girl ‘Butterfly’ is a positive representation of a child that has been through a traumatizing experience, until the very end of the monologue, we hear her say she will ‘kill’ the man that her mother went with, this shocks the audience as she has sounded so calm and innocent all the way through the film. The film deals with issues such as abandonment and being alone, the distress in the child’s cries when her mother walks away reinforce what a serious issue the film is dealing with.

Narrative- The film’s narrative is in linear order but the monologue that runs over the images is from the future, we find out that the mother has abandoned the girl before we see it on screen, the monologue is an interview between a police officer and the child after her mother left.
The film begins with extreme close up’s of the two main characters with slow calming parallel music on in background. We get a feel for a loving relationship between the pair as we watch them explore quiet areas in a busy city. The ending is a shock for the audience, after getting a feeling of a happy relationship the mother leaves her child alone in the central city area, the closure of the  monologue also is a shock as the child suddenly becomes very aggressive towards the male character and says she will ‘kill’ him.

Todorov’s theory would suggest that the equilibrium in this film the mother and daughter walking through a city, the disruption is the mother abandoning the child and the confrontation links to the child talking to the police officer during the voice over, but then then film ends without a clear resolution or new equilibrium showing that some films (especially short films) are unable to comply with regular rules and techniques.

Genre- Short films usually use multiple genres because they are unable to have only one due to the time limitations. Sometimes short films unable to be placed into a genre category altogether and I think this is true to ‘I am Butterfly.’   
One theorist stated that part of the audiences’ pleasure in watching films is knowing what will happen next and also not knowing. This is true to ‘I am butterfly’ as the audience know that the mother is going to leave her child but we do not know when or how, and the actual leaving of her character is a final shock to us. I am unable to give a genre for this film as it contains many different codes and conventions from many different genres, one of the codes would be the affectionate body language between the two characters. Another would be the bright colours surrounding the characters and even the ice creams that they eat, they are brightly coloured and the pair have fun  and mess about together while they eat them, these show that this film cannot be from a horror or a thriller genre as we would expect ‘darker’ techniques and imagery.’

Audience- The platform that the film was posted on to was ‘You Tube’, meaning that anyone can view it, this could show that the intended audience is not necessarily one that the producer wanted to impress personally such as a on a website specifically focused on awarding and comparing short films.  I think the demographic for this short film would be people aged 16+ and could be enjoyed by both genders. The audience may be pleased by the shock of the outcome and by the little girls monologue throughout the film because it contrasts with the title and look of the film.
The film appears on you tube and was categorized as ‘entertainment’ and the actress that plays the mother’s website and hasn’t won any awards.
The director, Carlos Florez has won an EMMY for his work on short films, music videos and adverts in the U.S.A

Image 1- this image shows the child is content; she is enjoying herself and being treated by her mother. The film contains many extreme close ups that allow the viewer to get unnaturally close to the characters and gain a better idea of how they are feeling.

 Image 2- another close up, this shows affection and makes the viewer confused by why the woman would want to leave her child. 

 Image 3- many of the shots in this film are disorientating, using swooping pans and handheld filming techniques. This may be the director’s way of showing that the female character is feeling confused or unsure what she should be doing. 

 Image 4- the final shot in the film is of the little girl, left alone in the busy city centre, it is one of the first times we get a shot that is still, slow pace and establishing, showing the girls world has stopped, that moment has frozen and the child is completely alone.

Black hole
Philip Sansom & Olly Williams
2008

 

The films directors and writers wrote this summary for the film- ‘While working after hours copying documents, a bored clerk kicks and punches the buttons of the photocopy machine when it jams. The photocopier releases a piece of paper with a black circle in the center, and when the clerk puts his cup of coffee on the spot, he discovers that it is indeed a black hole. The clerk uses the black hole to get a chocolate bar from a vending machine. Then the greedy employee decides to use the black hole to open the door of a room with a safe and steal the money from inside’

Representation- This film represents social realism by it being set in a mundane office building and with the character dressed in a simple suit. The way the male character is represented could be seen as a stereotype of middle class people working in an office, his costume doesn’t tell us much about his personality other than about his job. I think the expected audience for this film would be both genders between from the age of 14+ this is because the message behind the film might not be taken in by young children but the actual visual film would still be enjoyed. One of the issues that this film deals with is greed, when the man realises when he could do with the ‘hole’ he becomes greedy and wants more and more from it, beginning with a chocolate bar from a vending machine and then money from a safe.

Narrative- plot and story are used in the film effectively; we see all of the events throughout the film in chronological order which gives the viewer a chance to get to know the character and learn about his intentions as he thinks of them. The film opens with an establishing focus pull of the male character in an office standing behind a photocopier, we get a sense of him being unhappy in his job, maybe he is unhappy with how much he gets paid or how he is treated? which links to the ending as he tries to get more money out of the businesses safe.

Genre- the genre of this film is difficult to state; many short films use hybrids of genres or use more than one genre in one film because of timing it is hard to create a story with only aspects of one genre in under 10 minutes. Because the genre of the film is not clear we are unable to apply Altman’s theory of semantic codes.

Audience- I think the expected audience for this film would be middle class people maybe from the age of 14 up. The film can be enjoyed simply for its narrative and interesting visual techniques but the message behind the film about greed and want might not be noticed by younger viewers. The film has been put on to many different platforms on the internet, mainly short film websites such as ‘vimeo.com’ and ‘shortsbay.com’ the company behind the films production is ‘HSI Films’ and has made many other short films.

Themes and ideologies- the film has a hidden moral message and warning of greed in contemporary culture, the man becomes greedy and tries to steal money but ends up getting trapped in the safe and is therefore punished for his greed. The film has a simple narrative but is based around a huge and important message; this is different to other mainstream feature length films because of its simplicity. 

Media language- this film is full of big close ups to show the characters emotions, he changes from being tierd and irritable and by the end of the film he is over come with greed. The camrea movements are very simple and slow, this shows the character’s movements in full and the audience are able to follow him  as he comes up with his plan to steal the money. The post production techniques in this film are very effective but are also quite simple to achieve.

 

Love field Mathieu Ratthe
2008

Representation - the issues dealt with in the film could be death, crime, birth, and life. Because the film uses many elements from different genres it is difficult to explain what issues it tries to represent. The film is set in a field on the side of a road, this is done in an interesting was because of the way the field is filmed it has a sinister feel to it, the camera work shows the setting in bits and does not have and establishing shot of the area, only the field . The genres used in this film are Horror, thriller, suspense but at the end the genre could be seen as being a lot less dark and mysterious because our questions are answered. The working class male character is automatically seen as the ‘bad guy’ this could be from the way he is dressed, he wears dirty overalls with a white vest underneath and a muddy green cap, he looks sweaty and unwashed, his appearance makes the audience feel uneasy, what is he doing there? And why is there blood?  This is a negative representation of a stereotypical working class American. The audience would have assumed the man is bad from his representation and the female characters cry’s and the bloody surroundings of the pair even though we do not know who she is or what is happening to her, as soon as we see the knife being stabbed into the ground we assume it is bad. 

Narrative- we arrive at the action once it has started so we do not gain any extra information about what is happening, the narrative is linear and we see the action unfold in chronological order as if we were there watching it live. This has an effect on the audience by letting them have some information but holds them back from any real information about the characters. Theorist Rick Altman suggested the idea of sematic and syntactic approaches, ‘love field’ uses this theory of sematic codes throughout, iconography such as knives and blood are seen during the film, these are all common in horror films. These codes are recognised and used by the audience to enjoy the film because they feel comfortable with the commonly used images.  

The beginning of the film shows shots of the field and the road signs, allowing the audience to gain an idea of where the action is happening, the setting looks slightly dark and sinister, the crow makes the scene feel more dramatic, compared to the ending. The music completely changes as soon as the baby is on screen, and we then get an establishing shot of the field from a completely new view point, the man is confirmed as a farmer as we see his abandoned tractor and the woman’s car left at the side of the road.

Genre- the genre for this short film is horror but it is then revealed to the audience that the whole scene was in fact completely innocent. This is an effective way of using genre because it keeps the audience in suspense without having the usual genre codes and conventions.

Using Todorov’s theory of narrative can be applied to this film, with a few alterations; we are not shown the Equilibrium at the beginning of the film but we do realise the disruption and an attempt to repair the disruption of the woman struggling in the field and then the final outcome of the audience realising that the woman was giving birth the male character is in fact helping.

Audience- I found this film on vimeo but it is available eon many other film platforms such as you tube and IMBD and is listed in the horror and suspense genres. I think the expected audience for this film would be people from 16 years+ and from middle or working class. The audience would be pleased by the films shocking ending, it is extremely unexpected and the characters turn out to be completely the opposite of what the audience assume them to be at the beginning of the film. The production company behind the film is ‘Matt Ratt productions’

Media language- Love field begins with and ends with establishing shots, but each give the audience a new opinion of the setting, the beging one is  darkaand slow with sinister parralell sound effects. This music continues throughout the film until the very end when the audience realise what the situation actually is and changes to a brighter, happier tune.  In the beginning of the film we see an extream close up of a persons foot clenching and unclenching, this is an effective shot allowing the audience a tiny piece of information about the situaltion without reveailing the true circumstances. We also get a repeated image of a crow, this bird reminds the audience of danger or death both of these are traditional codes and conventions from the horror genre.

Themes and ideologies- the film deals with the threat of death and crime but also birth , this mix of themes creates an interesting narrative and the codes and conventions are unusual for most short films.