Short Film Research - Jamie

The Black Hole


This short film uses some very interesting camera tricks and cuts in order to fool the audience into thinking their is a black hole in a piece of paper. I think it is a very clever idea, and the editing has made it very believable. I like the way they have managed to make the office look so dull and boring by using a filter, this gives the shots a grey tinge. There are no bright colours which could suggest happiness and motivation. They have also used many medium to long shots to show the open space around the main character, this is to build on the feeling of loneliness, which again shows boredom and how he must be feeling fed-up. 
  He discovers a black circle, which turns out to be a hole that he can put his hand through, this fills him with excitement and in the end greed gets the better of him. However, as he is discovering how the black hole works, some very clever camera work and use of continuity editing gives the illusion that things can pass through the paper. 
  Also the good thing about this short film when looking at what is practical and what we can achieve when creating our own is that it is relatively simple. The film uses basic props, an office building, a piece of paper and the use of a sound effect (aswell as the clever cuts) in order to create the film. So the film has given me some inspiration as to how professional we can make our short film. 

  Here is an example of how a prop has been used in order to create a simple illusion.


You can also see from this screen shot how grey the shot is, due to the filter.




Here we see a close up, which there are few of in the film, it is used because we now see a change in his emotions as he becomes more and more excited and intrigued by his discovery.





From this screen shot we can see where lighting has been used effectively in order to create a more sinister tone, as the man is almost taken over by his new evil plan to use the black hole to take money from a safe. Throughout the film we slowly see how this mans ambitions slowly grow as he discovers just how useful the black hole is. This contrasts with what we see at the very beginning, a man who looks very unmotivated.  

Goodbye Mr Snuggles


This film by Jonathan Hopkins has many interesting different camera angles in order to make a certain scene feel frantic and out of control. The film is about two upper class old men, who live in the countryside, that want to do some painting out in a field. Relatively simple, until Mr Snuggles, a crazed psycho clown, decides to invade their peaceful normal activity. 
  When we see the two old men, many medium to long shots are used to show their surroundings, it also creates the impression that the two men are very calm, and that they often meet up to go for a bit of painting, and that nothing unusual is going to happen. 

Here is an example of one of many medium to long shots used to show the two men and where they live. Mise en scene is important, they are both dressed in clothes suited to go out and walk in the countryside, the house is very grand and old, and the car is very formal and practical. Its not a sports car or and old banger. 

The men begin to trek across the countryside to find the perfect spot for their paintings, still many long shots are used to show the surroundings, and to also give the impression that they are on their own, nothing else is around them, therefore the audience to not expect anybody else to intrude. 


The music at this point is very classical, we can hear some violins softly playing in the background, again keeping the feeling that everyone and everything is calm, and nothing is going to happen. We suddenly cut to a shot of a road, the music has stopped, and all we can hear is a car driving up through the gears, sounding rather fast. It then cuts back again to the two men walking across another field, and another long shot is used, almost to show that they are still safe. 

Here is the shot of the road, it doesn't give any idea to the audience as to where the car is, but as the audience can hear a car, it shows that the car is probably going to come into view at some point. However it doesnt, not yet. 

It cuts again to the road, but now we see the car come into view, the car is swerving left to right, and we can see from the screen shot that it is on the grass verge. This gives the sense of a lack of control.






A sequence of very fast cuts between many close ups begins of who is inside the car and what is inside the car. First we see this mans face, he has something in his mouth, and we see his face is painted. At this point we hear the man laughling, I believe it to be an evil laugh. 

The audience now sees its first sign of danger, a gun. We now know this man is dangerous, aswell as being out of control, and dressed as a clown. From the shots from outside the car, we can see that the car is traveling in the countryside, therefore the audience links the car to being in the same place or area as the two old men painting. 




The car drives into the field in which the two men are painting. Only one of them acknowledges the car. A great long shot is used to show the differences between the crazy man dressed as a clown, and the two upper class old men. This is a great way to show conflict, as we now know that something is going to happen. We see that the crazy man has a gun, and he starts shooting at the two men, but one of the old men gets out his own gun from his paint box and shoots him dead. Again this is stereotypical in short films, there is a twist that the audience doesn't expect. And it is also very funny, the films genre is a comedy, so it shows that in 5 minutes that a comedy can be done.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p00593g0

Shelf Life


This film is by Charles Hendley and was made in the year 2000. At first we see a bedroom from a shot from above, so its overlooking the room. This is so the audience can clearly see that it is a normal bedroom, theres nothing peculiar about it. I think a filter has been used, because the shot is very dull and grey, aswell as the room being very colourless aswell. There is also music to accompany the shot, which is a very low drowning sound. This creates some tension, and makes you feel uneasy when watching. 
  We see a man come into the room, he's a man who looks to be around 40 years old, wearing very casual clothes. So nothing unusual can be seen, even though you feel you should be looking out for something to happen. The camera stays fixed above the room, still looking down, again adding to the feeling that you are supposed to be observing something, and from the music, it seems it will be something bad. 

Here is an example of the overhead shot used, and you can see how dull the lighting is in the shot. 










The man sets up all his tools he needs to put up a shelf. His behaviour suggests he has some sort of OCD, because of the way he lays out his tools in a neat fashion. This gives off some kind of psychotic vibe. He also puts on a mask, masks are linked with the thriller genre as a stereotypical prop, so we start to see conventions of a thriller. But, as he starts to drill the holes in the wall to put up the shelf, there is a moment where you think, maybe he is just innocently putting up a shelf? 
 We then see a close up of an old man, blood starts to drip out of his mouth, as he then falls against the arm of the chair, and reveals the drill hole which is obviously from the man putting up a shelf. This is good use of continuity, as the two rooms could have been filmed in different locations, hoever we are lead to believe they are directly next door. 




On the left, is a good example of depth of field. We can see he is in focus whereas the screws are not.




http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p004thbd



Signs


I really like this short film because the storyline and idea behind it is really simple, yet its very effective. I have seen this in many of the short films I have seen, it seems the more simple the better, but its the effect the film has on the audience in such a short time thats important. 
  The use of mise en scene in signs is very good, because the film is set in an every day working environment, in an office building, so attention to detail with mise en scene is important because this achieves the sense of realism in the film. As the audience you can generally believe that the characters in the film work in the office, and it does not look fake or set-up. The two characters are wearing the stereotypical office worker type clothes, he's wearing a shirt and tie, and she is wearing shirts, jumpers, knee length skirts which are very formal. This completes the whole everyday office workers image and setting to make sure the audience really believe everything they see is really happening or has happened. 

  
Here is an example of how mise en scene shows how formal and boring their lives were before they met, and now we see them breaking away among others going about their daily routines.




The most interesting thing about Signs is the fact that their is very little or no diagetic sound throughout the film. The film relies on non diagetic sound in the form of a soundtrack to create tension and alter the mood, this is quite a hard thing to get right, and I believe the producers have got it perfect. The main character in the film is a man who is all alone at first, he seems unhappy, so to get this across to the audience a very solum downbeat soundtrack is used. As the man finds this woman, who is also an office worker, and finds himself having a connection with someone, the music begins to gradually rise in tempo, as he becomes more and more excited about the prospect of meeting her. It is a great example of how a film doesn't have to include dialog in order to portray feelings or emotion. It shows just how powerful the use of mise en scene and sound are. 
  I would like our short film to include these characteristics, I hope we can develop an idea that is different and interesting in order to capture the audience in such a short period.

King Ponce


King ponce again is another good example of how short films tackle typical stereotypes, and try to make the film very different in order to receive the audiences' attention. For example we see a group of young teenage boys, who are up to no good, and do not wish to conform to anything they deem as 'uncool' in this case ballroom dancing, realise that it isn't so bad, and end up taking part in the class. This turns what the audience think is going to happen on its head, a surprise alternative ending to that of which the audience have made up in their heads. This backs up what I have said, I really think that in a short film, a twist is needed. 
  What I like about the camera work in King Ponce, is that it makes you think you are with the teenage boys, because they use many tracking shots, and the shot reverse shots are broken up with pans around the group of boys, almost like you are sitting with them. 
  I also like the editing in King Ponce, for example they use a nice fade in and out of two different shots, its used to show the character is dreaming about a girl from his dance class, and is very effective. I think I should take fades into consideration when creating our film. 

  
  
Here is an example of the fade being used in the film. You can make out two different people in the shot in different places. 














This screen shot is from when Robbo joins the gang and where I think the shot reverse shots and pans make you feel like you are with them. Very effective.