Short film analysis script
- 1. Script for short film analysis We analysed a range of short films from different English speaking countries, though through the research we found our concentration narrowing down on the comedy genre, and specifically on romantic comedy. Late Bloomer – comedy, coming of age film The audience are positioned to sympathise with the protagonist of the piece through the use of first person narration as technically speaking puts us in his shoes and we see the mise en scene through his eyes. The inconsistency of the voice of the narrator and the physical stature of the boy might have been used to show passing of time and reminiscing of past events. It creates the atmosphere of a predator about to pounce on his prey, the ominous voice describes the perspective of the protagonist from a outwardly point of view. The music positions the audience alongside the protagonist to recognise the school teacher as a villain just as with Propp’s character types however she is used for comic purposes as well with her explicit graphs on the female and male reproductive systems. The effective use of close ups and zooming in, in the principal’s office brings a more sinister tone making him the ultimate villain whilst the school teachers is more of a helper which educates the protagonist or the prince on the evils of sexual awakening. Struck – American romantic comedy Struck has struck a gold mine when they unveil their star studded cast, fans of American TV shows such as ‘’Veronica Mars’’ or ‘’My Name is Earl’’ would not need much encouragement after seeing the name of their favourite actors in this brilliant story. The warm and cold lighting gels make the working environment the unwelcoming and brutal place for the protagonist while the dating world seems full of possibilities and love for the singletons however for the protagonist his heart is already occupied. The use of ellipsis shows the passage of time. The reoccurring song motif ‘’Over the Rainbow’’ follows the main character, making it his song theme song. Memorize – action fantasy thriller Memorize uses high quality of editing which kept the audience at the edge of their seats. For a low budget short film they presumably spent most of their funding on post-production and VFX. The narrative very easily follows in the footsteps of iRobot or Hitman, as an adaptation of a short story or a game. The props are very realistic, with the advertising robot looking straight of out the Star Wars franchise, aside from that the guns and the scanning device bring a sense of high class reality which might have a frightening preposition for the audience.
- 2. The use of tittles at the beginning of the film creates states the future as a matter of fact information which enabling the audience to follow the future advancements. This is a conventions of factual films based on real life stories which gives the film a sense of truth and again reality. The complementary soundtrack show how effective the use of music could be, with its loud vibrant tones perfectly synchronised with the fast paced editing creating an ominous tone from the start. Minimal dialogue doesn’t mean that the film will become uninteresting, which is proved right here flooding the audience with other visual and audible effects satisfying their cognitive needs of diversion and entertainment. Inbox – Indian romantic comedy This film of Indian origin portrays how hard it is to find love anywhere in the world, no matter where you are from. The oriental music brings to mind the rhythm of Bollywood films with elaborate dancing segments and costumes. The use of slow motion to portray the character inner happiness accompanied by his dancing would definitely satisfy romantic comedy fans who would expect some kind of embarrassment from one of the leads. The positioning of a beautiful woman and a geeky man is a stereotypical take on beauty and the beast and is an example of Levi Strauss’s binary opposites. The loveable fool with glasses, hairy chest positions the audience to root for him in his pursuit of the model-like goddess. Parallel editing allows the audience to follow both characters’ actions. The montage of the man dressing up to impress the woman creates comic timing. Transitions are essential to suggest the passing of time. The tragedy of ripping the bag is exaggerated with the audience asking Barth’s hermeneutic and proarietic codes throughout such as will they meet?, how is the red bag working?, and will he be able to fix it? It engages with the audience to sit throughout the film to find out. The Desk – American romantic comedy The Desk appeals to its target audience of American teenagers, setting the action in a high school which they will be able to relate with its social cliques of jocks and cheerleaders. The ideology is that The preferred reading of the audience would be that the protagonist ultimately finds love as we are positioned to sympathise with him by the use of the instrumental music. The film’s narrative follows the linear structure with the film starting at the beginning of action, following the action chronologically and finishing at a point of conclusion. The extended narrative’s Todorov’s theory of equilibrium is subverted here with the story beginning at a disruption of the boy’s life coming to a new school which is followed with a recognition of his loneliness where he carries out a communication with the use of the desk which brings repaired however there is a return of disruption because he is unable to meet that person as a result of a
- 3. time difference. The repair and equilibrium are established when a new girl joins the school and seems to become friends with the boy. The title is simplistic and revolves around the main event of the film. The Ventriloquist – American comedy Kevin Spacey is a definitely big pulling power for this film. Interesting, creative and unique idea of using a dummy and ventriloquism as the main plot line. The credits scrolling on a black screen is another convention of film listing all the cast, crew and production in one place. The main character is represented against the normal social stereotypes of a man because he is weak, defenceless, and vulnerable. He is socially awkward and tries to make a living out of a hobby. The Crush – Irish romantic comedy Levi Strauss’s conflict of binary opposites is used to create the main conflict of the film between the good vs evil in the from of the protagonist and the antagonist in the form of the boy (Ardle) who has a crush on his school teacher and her fiancé who seems not be in love with her. Credits superimposed on a screen is a different technique of portraying the end credits but is as often used as credits on a black screen. Representation of children goes against the normal conventions as Ardle is a dominant character in contrast to the elder characters who become manipulated through his mischievousness. When You Love Someone - drama The credits instead of scrolling down are fading in and out which is a convention of feature films as they have more time. The use of popular music collides with the production date, making it current with its young audience. The dominant ideology is that of a normal teenager Apricot – Australian romance The design of the opening titles and ending credits has a look of scratched on, the font is purposefully chosen to match the film. The soft focus in the opening creates a sense of memory, a smoky room in a bar creates a sense of intimacy between the two leads. The lighting is dark, the use of natural soft lamps created a sense of mystery and unresolved business The narrative doesn’t use a linear structure as throughout the film flashback memories are integrated into the storyline. The camera would blur out the The binary opposites of light and dark are used here to portray the difference between the innocent childhood and the experienced adulthood. The scenes when they are younger in the outdoors are exposed to sun flare to create the
- 4. pictorialism while their meeting indoors is lit using low key lighting, relaying on focusing and Inspired by Christopher Nolan’s Memento with the male character using the notepad and the camera to capture memories leaves unanswered ambiguities to the end which correspond the audience with Barth’s hermeneutic and proairetic questions. Awake – drama/horror Awake is the only short film revived which has physical features of an amateur production because of its low budget. The use of voice over to narrate the story shows gives the first person perspective of the main character and positions the audience to sympathise with the main character and his isolation from the world. Continuity editing creates a linear narrative. The use of newspaper article gives reality to the whole story and again asks Barth’s hermeneutic and proairetic questions of is he dead?, what does this mean, what’s the sense of the story?