For the running scene’s we decided to film them at Sutcliffe track in Eltham because it will make the film seem more professional and we don’t have to worry about how the running tracks will look. Also it gives us a chance to do long shots and establishing shots due to the fact that it’s such a big area to use.
Arsenal Football Club
Highbury House
Drayton Park
London
Our film is based around the main character competing in the 2012 Olympics 100 m race and having flashbacks about his past life, but in order for him to race in the 2012 London Olympics he has to qualify, although the scene that we are going to be filming is not him competing in the actual real competition we still however need a really big crowed cheering. Me and Naomi had to find an event to go to where it will be the same atmosphere that Olympic games usually are, we came up with the solution of attending a football game and filming the crowd but blurring the image so we don’t see any faces due to the fact that it is illegal to publish videos of people without their consent.
Charlton
Maryon Road
Woodlands
London
There are scenes where the main characteduring his race, begins to think of his brother getting killed, so whilst Marlon (Main character) is running his also having flashbacks of his older brother getting chased and shot, the location that we are going to film these scenes is going to be in Charlton near council estates because it connects with Marlon’s past life and where how he grew up. We are hoping that the image of this location in a way connects with our target audience.
The media has played a major role in revealing the development within British youth culture. It’s been said that it exposes violence in a number of ways through TV, video games, and even the news. We see so much violence through the media so some people believe that we have become laid back to it. The generation involved with gun crime is getting younger and younger to a point where boys as young as 13 are drifting in and out of the ‘gangster’ lifestyle.However I and Naomi feel that nowadays the media is used as an element to send out positive messages towards youth culture. There’s films and TV shows that reveal why gun crime is rising and how it can be avoided. Artists that have had close experience or even affected by gun crime in London use their music to send out positive messages and inspire people.
Inspiration Through TV Shows
Ross Kemp did a TV series supported by sky one where he looked into gang culture where shootings, stabbings and assaults have been effecting society. Despite several tragic events, the availability of guns and knives on the streets of London continues to be a major problem, but more alarming is the willingness of youths to use them with fatal intent. Ross Kemp got close to some of the gangs on the streets of South London to find out how they have evolved, why the situation has become as serious as it currently is and what can be done to bring things back from the brink. Looking at different sides of the problem Ross he spoke to both members and victims of the London gang scene. This show revealed the lives of London’s gang members and the communities affected by them, and offered viewers unique insights into how and why so many young lives are being consumed by violence in Britain’s capital, and how people have generally been involved in gangs and are trying to get out, or people lucky enough to have gotten out and are now trying to help deter people in their community from joining gangs.
Clip from one of the episodes
“Childhood? That’s dead man, died a long time ago” - Quote from one of the Gang kids
Inspiration Through Music
Grime is a genre of urban music which has been developing in London's underground since the early 2000s. With its combination of influences from UK Garage, drum'n'bass, to hip-hop it is the latest style to evolve from the UK garage scene and plays a big part to youth culture. It has been criticized that grime artists were helping to create a culture "where killing is almost a fashion accessory and deeply racist,” Government officials’ referred to popular artists and crews as "boasting macho idiot rappers”. Although the government has one point of view, the artists and listeners point of views are completely different. Their lyrics are capturing, encapsulating, and preserving the life that they have lived on the streets every day.
So Solid crew was one of the leading artists to bring garage music to a mass audience however their gigs often ended in violence. Although So Solid Crew was criticized for their violent content they still attempted to send out messages through songs such as ‘Broken Silence’ which spoke out about government prejudice which they felt they had faced. A former member quoted “the thing that makes artists’ great worldwide is when you can go through things like that and come out and still have a smile on your face."
Giggs is a current UK grime artist that the majority of today’s youth culture looks up to. He is known for rapping slowly in a low voice, which he described as "something different, enough to separate me from all the competing others" he released his debut independent album “Walk in da Park” which received mainly positive reviews, and was very successful, selling out in most HMVs in the first two days of release. Giggs also has his own clothing brand, SN1 wear, including T-shirts, jackets and caps quoting previous lines from his songs.
However Giggs recent UK tour was canceled due to police intervention and has been said that the police do not like him because he is one of the UK's few genuine rappers, having served two years in jail on firearms offenses. On his debut single, “Don't Go There”, Giggs raps about leaving a life of crime but that he's still prepared to murder somebody with a gun, should the need be. Teenagers like to listen to him because he reminds them of their older, tougher brothers while other people admire Gigs for his raw storytelling. I think instead of the police canceling his shows they should invite Giggs to do an anti-gun concert or sign him up to talk to teenagers about preventing the growth in gun crime because kids actually listen to him and see him as a role model. Giggs is using his past life experience involved with gun crime and youth violence and is making a positive impact out of it, by sending out a message that even when you have been through a lot of things which will affect you for the rest of your life you should not just forget all about it, you should use it as motivation to be successful in life.
Bashy is another UK grime artist seen as a positive role model who has been bought in today’s modern society. He uses his music and personal experience to inspire and motivate young people He has been very vocal about time as a bus driver, in order to promote the idea that working is cool to teenagers. He was still a struggling independent musician but still did all he can to be successful. His involvement in popular films such as Kidulthood and Shank has helped him make a phenomenal impact between mainstream media and the business community.
In 2007 he released the song "Black Boys" for black history month. It was this track that propelled Bashy into the nation's consciousness, catching the imagination of a country suffering from many incidents of violence amongst its inner-city youth. With frequent reports of shootings and stabbings on news bulletins, and with the media continually focusing on the lack of role models in certain communities, he felt that the nation’s inner city youth needed a reminder that they had a number of positive role models they could look to for inspiration. His debut single provoked controversy, as some people called the track racist. This prompted the governing body Ofcom to investigate. Rumors soon began to circulate that the track had been banned from T.V. Certain sections of the black community were outraged; groups were set up on the social networking site Facebook in order to fight the ban. This prompted people of many races to get behind and support Bashy, in a united stand against racism. It was as a result of this publicity and grass roots action that Bashy was invited to perform at the Love Music Hate Racism Rally in 2008 at Victoria Park, to a crowd of 100,000. He was asked to take the main stage alongside Damon Albarn. Bashy persuaded various British artists share their views on the subject and feature on the track.
Although Grime music is portrayed as the reason why gang culture is a rising issue in London, others might think differently. Grime music has allowed young artists to produce creative and innovative musical style and has also given them a reason to move away from violence. It’s allowed grime artists such as Dizzee Rascal to increase the popularity and fame of grime and grime artists internationally.
Inspiration Through Films
Bullet Boy is a 2005 film set in London, starring Ashley Walters (former member of so solid crew) about a family in crime ridden east London, the eldest son's involvement in gun crime, and the effects of this on his younger brother. BULLET BOY tells the story of two brothers growing up in one of London's most volatile neighborhoods, where a minor street clash escalates into a cycle of
violence that has tragic repercussions. The key classification issues in this film were language, violence, sex, sex references, drugs references and drug use. It was perceived as a serious film with a naturalistic style and clear points to make about contemporary issues such as gun crime and other criminal activities.
Bullet Boy Trailer
The narrative of Bullet boy is shown in a very basic manner through voice overs and texts shown throughout the trailer to back up and go with the voice overs. This consists of young males involved in violence and crime by the use of guns which results to them getting into trouble with the police. The narrative indicates the target audience of the film as most of the characters shown are mostly males and the only main female character is portrayed as a sexual object. Throughout the trailer, there are many props used such as guns, handcuffs, cigarettes, torches, and baseball bats. This connotes that the film will be based around crime as there are many scenes in the trailer which show the males in the characters being arrested or put at gun point. This allows the audience to be familiar with the genre and also have an idea about the narrative of the film.
Bullet Boy inhabits an impulsive world where friendships and loyalty are tested to the extreme, the transaction of fate and circumstance seems as casual as a coin toss, and the slightest flare of emotions can set off a devastating ripple of events.The film takes these two boys, their friends, families and enemies through an eventful and emotional three days as one gun changes hands leaving in its wake a trail of destruction. The title BULLET BOY doesn't just refer to one person. It could apply to any of the younger male cast: during the course of the film a gun passes between all of their hands. This film was based on a subject that wasn’t really explored in a British cinema during the time, the generation of kids growing up in areas where guns have become a fact of life, where boys attempted to become men before they even reached teenage years. The film ends by asking what will become of the younger brother, whether he would follow his brother’s footsteps or follow a path that could avoid him ending up like his brother.
Kidulthood is a 2006 British drama film about the life of several teenagers in west London based on real kids and real stories. It was directed and written by Noel Clarke who also stars in the film. It’s just another day at school for West London teenagers Trife, Jay, and, Moony: fights and bullying in the classroom, sex on the playing field and drugs in the schoolyard. But things are about to flip sharply for this crowd with school canceled following the tragic suicide of bullied a girl, the teenagers are all forced to face their own responsibilities and blame for the situations they have got themselves into.Kidulthood takes all the violence, sex and intoxication experienced in a teenage year and condenses it into a single day. Kidulthood gives information about the issues and lifestyle that certain young people experience and provides emotional release through close identification with the characters and tragic outcome. We can identify Propps sphere of action where Trevor is the hero and Sam is the villain.
Music used in this film falls into the genre of grime and hip hop attracting the target audience of youths who experience similar situations as the characters. Costume worn by the actors is clothing that is usually worn by an average teenager living in London. Much of the acting takes place on the streets or flats which gives the text authenticity. The film does not represent the glamorous side of west London but the youths who are portrayed using negative stereotyping. Although Kidulthood will mainly appeal to those of a young age group, it could possibly appeal to those of the older generation due to the actors and actresses. The way in which the film will be able to attract those of an older generation is if they were able adapt to the older characters or directors even. The film touches on some very noticeable issues without trying to pretty them up. The storyline might be a bit shocking for some but, unfortunately, it is very real. Films that tackle teen gangs or cliques are the backbone of modern independent cinema. The best examples of the genre communicate with teenage audiences in a language that they identify with, while also reminding adults what it was like. They are also a wake-up call to conservative adults.
Clip from the film where bullying occurs
Someone who grew up where kidulthood was set made a statement saying “Kidulthood is a deeply shocking film. It reminded me of my childhood in a lot of ways. There were fights in our morning assemblies almost daily. My brother's best friend was suspended for beating up the headmistress's husband. The previous headmaster left within two years of joining. His background was in the Salvation Army but this was one social challenge too far. And this was primary school.I moved to another area of London in my teens, but I kept in touch and I hear terrible stories. Friends who became drug dealers. The friend I made at an evening class who confided that he slept with teenage girls in flats near the Tube station, Friends of friends who were stabbed. The plot of Kidulthood may be exaggerated but the heart of it rings true”
Kidulthood closes with a big teenage party in one of those chichi, double-fronted Victorian London houses hosted by someone who was desperate to impress his peers whilst his parents were away. This is where unacceptable teenage behavior occurs and violence rapidly results to death of another teenager. Kidulthood is able to educate those who watch it as it gives the audience an understanding into what people who live this lifestyle have to go through on a daily basis. The audience gets an inside look into how peer pressure can affect teenagers and how some can be persuaded into living a dangerous lifestyle; this is represented by the crimes they commit and the things they get up to. By viewing the trailer alone you will be able to identify the overall message which is telling the audience that you should not be a follower or maybe even a leader but that you should choose your own path into how you wish to live your life.
Britain has developed into a society where the younger generation are stereotypically viewed as a threat everyday life. Issues are mainly raised in areas such as; Gun crime, underage sex/teenage pregnancy, drugs and education which have all been a big part of the media. Status seems to be really important in the UK which leads to street gangs. Teenage boys from the age of 14 are stereotyped as criminals and threatening, although some points are true within youth culture, it can be highly over exaggerated on how teenagers are ‘rebellious’ and has been criticized that the media does not pay attention to the positive activities that the younger generation brings to society and focuses on the negative points. Crime within the youth culture seems to commence from broken homes, poorer backgrounds and ethnic minorities.
The target audience for mine and Naomi’s short film is mainly aimed at wide audience that seems to be affected by the problems that occur in today’s modern society, to narrow it down we are hoping that it connects to boys and men aged 15-25. I and Naomi will attempt to represent teenagers that get involved in gang culture and what influences them to get involved. We want to make the approach towards our short film realistic by using typical locations such as council estates and actors that will also be viewed as the target audience.Our film will be focusing on society and youth culture. We are going to explain where gang crime and the use of drugs can possibly come from and we are going to use through a storyline of ‘broken homes’. I feel that I have witnessed youth culture in London from personal experience so it has inspired both me and Naomi to make drama based around that. Most short films that represent today’s younger generation only focus on the bad and violent points, however me and my team member have decided to focus on both sides hoping to send out an inspirational message towards our target audience.
SYNOPSIS.
It will be about 5 minutes long and is based on a story where a boy is taking part of a race to qualify in London 2012’s Olympic events (Sport is a big inspiration for teenage boys in the UK) however just before his about to run he gets flashbacks of him growing up on a council estate with a drug addict as a mother and how gang culture and drugs contributed to a tragic event in his life where his older brother who was someone that he looked up to and loved, gets shot and dies. Throughout the narrative voice of Marlon (Main character) he talks us through the film in order for us to understand the images that we are viewing this way the audience will get a better understanding of his life events and how he succeeded to where he is now.
Target Audience Profile's.
Ive picked at least four people that I would expect to be in the target audience for our film.
Cameron Jahansi , Age 17
I currently live in west London with my mum who works as a nurse in a local hospital. I am in my final year of college and hope to go to university next year to study business and financial computing. I am an only child but my mum still makes me work for my money and claims that ‘everything is so much easier for young adults these days which makes them take advantage and not appreciate anything’. I did go through a phase where getting in trouble by the police and in school became part of my life but I realized that I was not helping myself and just putting my mum threw things she didn’t deserve so it was up to me to make things right and I chose to live my life the correct and safe way.
David lockett , Age 23
I just graduated from City University with a LLB in law hoping to start my legal practice course. I have a five year old son who has changed my life drastically in a positive way because I know everything I do right now is for him. I have a younger brother who is 16 and is currently serving 9 months in youth offenders for handling stolen goods and contributing towards criminal damage, I hope that when he gets out he follows my footsteps and start to approach life in a positive way. I enjoying experiencing new things and living each day as it comes. I have had a fair life and have tried to stay out of trouble and get jobs that would occupy me. Although I am a young father I try my best to teach my son the things my father taught me which helped follow dreams and not pay attention to what individuals can do to try and bring you down, sadly my father passed away a few years back which effected the whole of my family but I think it hit my younger brother the most.
Natalie Wilson , Age 43
I have five children the younger two who are twins aged 5 live in foster care, one aged 7 lives with me and the older one aged 14 lives with her boyfriend and his family. I have a history of being an alcoholic and addicted to drugs which made me neglect my children making life for them hard and difficult. Doing this was the worse thing any mother can do and I am ashamed that i put my own flesh and blood through this. Although I don’t have the best relationship with my kids I am trying my best to make it up to them. I have a job at the local supermarket Iceland’s which has helped me with my role as a mother tremendously. I promised my children that I would never fall back into that route again and I am going to stick by that promise. Ever since I got diagnosed with breast cancer I have realized that I am only affecting the people that mean the world to me. I am on patrol at the moment by the social services who are watching to see if I am capable enough to have custody of my two little beautiful boys.
Laurence shenton, Age, 33
I have two kids one boy aged 6 and one girl aged 4 , I currently work full time and do voluntary work every now and then in a youth centre. I enjoy having a laugh but spending time with my family is when I appreciate life the most because I know many people will do anything to be in my position. Recently I have been promoted at work to the job title as a ‘Student Service Officer’ which has never made me happier, young people come and speak to me when they need help with anything, or just need someone to talk to because they don’t have anyone else they can turn to, this has allowed me to get closer to the younger generation and actually talk to them about how they see things. I must admit it has taken me a very long time in order for students to trust me but it has been worth it, they seem to teach me more than I actually teach them. What society needs to understand is that these kids are not animals or what people make out to be; they just want to be listened to. Working with youths has made me despise of the stereotypical view towards the youth in the UK.
Target Audiences are set to focus on different groups: Adults, teens, children,mid-teens, and preschoolers. It is essential to become familiar with your target market, their habits, behaviors, likes, and dislikes. we have decided to try and reach not just our target audience but everyone else that will possibly connect to this because of life events
I created timetables so it could help us to be more efficient and organized. I am hoping that we stick to this and get everything done on time as planned, if this happens then me and Naomi would have plenty of time to spend on editing.
My Moodboard includes everything that I feel links with my idea of the Short Film, it contains colours such as yellow which represents happiness and success and grey which represents sadness and death all which links to what the type of mood is going to be in my film. I also have pictures of guns,rappers and hoodies which goes with some parts of the film that has a different genre to the rest of the film which is Crime/Gangster, pictures of trophys to show success pictures of words that are negative to show theres a downfall in the film at some point. In the middle of my moodboard I have taken print screen pictures of a music video by a rapper named "Giggs" where the song is called "You Raised Me" the reason why I have put this in the middle is because it inspired me on what type of short film I Should do which I would talk about in my later posts, but its two printscreens of one of him smiling and one of him looking angry which connects with the whole happiness/sadness or angry/full of joy theme that I am trying to bring to my short film.
I have streets of London so theres an idea of where the location is going to be and whether its going to be during the day or night which gives the sense that there would be "gangster" part within the film and a "success" part, I put the picture with the word drugs in a stop sign to ensure people that i want it to be an educational film.
I have selected certain pictures that I put into my moodboard that
I feel is the most important to my film and how they all connect.
I have included this picture in my genre moodboard because i want my film to have a positive impact in a way i want it to be educational/inspirational to my targeted audience.
Looking at the picture you can see that the colours used around the words "POSITVE IMPACT" is bright colours that connects with the theme of being happy there is no sense of dull in the picture.
The theme of my film connects to gang culture and how it effectsthe modern society these days, what types of weapons is usedand how the loss of one life can effect alot of people The image of a gun already gives a negative view which makes it obvious that there would be some downfalls in the film.Ive included a picture of a gun because it points out to my target audience although it does not have to be people that actually live by this weapon but to people that have been effected by the way these weapons are used.
2012 is an important year for many individuals as there are certain events that will be going on that people will be looking forward to the reason why I have based my film around this is because it looks to the future and what could be the outcome on how you act towards certain situations, it also gives the chance to reveal what having a positive impact can do to your future.Personally i think it gives the sense of looking forward to something, or achieving a goal not only for yourself but fior someone special or people around you, it may be not just about winning medals but winning something thats much more personal.
This is an image of someone that has grown up on the streets and has gone through rough times alot of young individuals go through, however i have inserted this certain individual because i see him as a inspirational role model that has been trying to make good future of himself although he has had a rough expirience in life he has not let that break his stride so his delivering positive messages through music which is something that many people listen to and is influenced by whether it is good or bad music young individuals connect to it in many ways, but "Giggs" have chosen to deliver positive music due to his past expirience which shouts out to everyone who has had similar expiriences as him or is even going through it now.
My film includes many mixed emotions that characters feel that leads them to certain events or leads to negative results and to have negative results you start of with negative thoughts. This picture has most of the negative things people could be thinking in order to act in a certain way, however these thoughts in my film leads the main character into reaching for success.
This is a film that was released not long ago that focuses on how things turnt out in the future all because of how people acted in the past, its a interesting storyline between a boy losing his brother in a fight and him having to get revenge in taking someone elses life, the film that i am trying to create connects with this film however the revenge that i am using is not a negative revenge but a positive revenge, i want my film to show that revenge does not always have to mean you doing something bad to someone else it could always mean doing good and recieving something postive from it.
Using these pictures in my moodboard has helped me develop a stable storyline and how I want it to target my audience. Its given me the idea of what sort of message i want to send out and what kind of impact i would like to recieve from it, i have put negative and positive pictures in because my film will include ups and downs because i believe thats what life is about, and how you could turn negative past into a positive future.
Whilst discussing what genre would our short film be, Me and Naomi decided to research different kinds of genre's and study how they work and what genre most popular films fall into.
Action and Adventurefilms are usually high energy, big-budget physical stunts and chases, possibly with rescues, battles, fights, escapes, destructive crises.) Non-stop motion, spectacular rhythm and pacing, and adventurous, often two-dimensional 'good-guy' heroes battling 'bad guys' - all designed for pure audience escapism.
Comedyfilms are light-heartened plots consistently and deliberately designed to amuse and provoke laughter by exaggerating the situation, the language, action, relationships and characters. This section describes various forms of comedy through cinematic history, including slapstick, screwball, spoofs and parodies, romantic comedies, black comedy and more.
Horrorfilms are designed to frighten and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a cathartic experience. Horror films feature a wide range of styles, from the earliest silent Nosferatu classic, to today's CGI monsters and deranged humans. They are often combined with science fiction when the menace or monster is related to a corruption of technology, or when Earth is threatened by aliens. The fantasy and supernatural film genres are not usually synonymous with the horror genre.
War and Anti-war films acknowledge the horror and heartbreak of war, letting the actual combat fighting (against nations or humankind) on land, sea, or in the air provide they primary plot or background for the action of the film.
Crime and Gangster films are developed around the sinister actions of criminals or mobsters, particularly bank robbers, underworld figures, or ruthless hoodlums who operate outside the law, stealing and murdering their way through life.
Drama films are serious, plot-driven presentations, portraying realistic characters, settings, life situations, and stories involving intense character development and interaction. Usually, they are not focused on special-effects; comedy, or action, Dramatic films are probably the largest film genre, with many subsets.
Some genres are more powerful than others: they differ in the status which is attributed to them by those who produce texts within them and by their audiences.
A genre in any medium can be seen as embodying certain values and ideological assumptions about the society we live in.
To help me with my research I decided to do a questionnaire and give it out in college and social networks such as facebook. From 20 questionnaires filled out by our target audience it helped me and Naomi identify how much people know about short films. What they think of them and what sort of genres they are interested in.
I gave out the total of 20 questionnaires to my target audience in order to get some guidance on how to work on our short film.
This result shows that the majority of people enjoy watching short films that are based around drama and comedy. So it makes us feel confident due to the fact that we had the idea of making our film a docu-drama.
Most people voted that they watch a film on the internet which is probably because it’s free and saves a lot of time. Although a few others voted for cinema and television it still indicates that we should attempt to convince people to try other strategies.
Camera angels seem to be the least that people find appealing in a short film. In response the most important thing that individuals take notice of and like is the music and acting.
From this question we know that short films are not really something that mine and Naomi’s target audience is fond off as it received a less result. However it is up to me and my team member to interest them in order to this we need to make sure our advertising is appealing to people, and attempt to convince them that it is something worth watching.
The feedback that I have received from this questionnaire just from 20 people alone has helped me into preparing my film. The results that I have got from my target audience are really helpful because it gives me an idea of how I could start my film and how I could end it.
I and Naomi decided to keep our group very small with just the two of us to avoid problems and difficulties that usually occur within big groups. We were able to sit together and have an open discussion about our strengths and weaknesses and how we can help each other. We made a plan on who was going to focus on certain tasks, we divided the tasks between us and made sure we was both happy and comfortable with what we was doing. We discussed how we should avoid any problems that could happen whilst working on our project, and agreed to always keep each other updated. We promised to one another that we will stay on target and try our best to not disappoint. We then started to create a story for our short film and both agreed on something that we both feel passionate about, something that inspires us personally. Agreeing on what to do, and having the same idea’s has made me feel confident that we will both do well in this project, due to the fact that we are both dedicated and although its going to take a lot of work its going to be exciting at the same time.
I took the time to research on short film websites and how they appeal to their audiences. I viewed up to websites and noticed that they all had other media techniques such as music,articles,briefs and more in order to reach a larger audience. Everything that these websites have to offer is listed at the top of the home page so viewers know whether they are on the correct website or not When viewing film websites there’s many things that users would expect there to be such as useful information and guidance on where specific information is this makes it useful for people to surf the website. It has to be readable and original. On most websites there is usually the company logo on each page which shows the consistency. Websites have to be reliable so there is usually a search bar somewhere in case viewers want a shorter way in to finding whatever it is that they are looking for.
The BBC is the largest broadcasting organisation in the world, its mission is to enrich peoples lives with programmes that inform, educate and entertain. This website is structured with links and titles easily to provide the user with easy navigation. All the pages offer a search option at the top of the page which effective to the user and also efficient. The use of grey background is effective towards the colour of the titles and font sizes.
The logo appears at the top of each page which shows consistency and it offers a link back to the main page. The website also offers users a chance to sign up and receive up to date information about film which links to a simple form and a newsletter and press release gets emailed to you directly. Whilst surfing the website I came to the conclusion that it’s easy to navigate and all the required information was quick to get to.
Today I watched and analysed five short films which were; A Cannes Film Festival Winner, The Black Hole, the wrong side of the bed, the last cookie and Light em up
These films showed me that short films can go without a dialogue but you would still be able to the storyline due to todorovs narrative structure. A Cannes Film Winner was a short film that lasted under one minute and it had enough concept in it to tell what the short was about and what type of theme it was from the use of close ups, sound and the expressions on the actors faces, although it was really short it still had a big impact.
Another film that I Viewed without any dialogue that I thought told alot was"The Wrong Side Of The Bed" which was a comedy and we could tell this by the image, lighting, the mise en scene of Location, Editing and Sound showed how both characters was reflected on each other even though it was the same person they had different stories that was put together and there was no dialogue used but it was still funny.
A Cannes Film Festival Winner
The use of non-diegetic in this particular short film coming from another source gives us as viewers the calm feeling and also the use of character. There is close up shots of the little girls hands and hair which makes the viewers think what is about to happen, this alone shows that in a short film without dialogue you can still be able to get an idea of what the film is going to about and how you can connect to it. The use of slow music indicates the little girl’s feelings and supports the meaning of the characters expression and movement.
The Black Hole
Looking at Todorovs theory the beginning, middle and end are not individual elements of a narrative but are defined the relationship to each other the beginning can only be defined by its position in relation to the middle and the end for example we cannot be sure of the signicance of events at the beginning of the plot until we know they are going to be disrupted.Todorov suggested a slightly more complicated description of narrative structure than the simple situation/problem/resolution using his five posited stages 1. A stage of equilibrium 2.A disruption of the equilibrium by some action 3. Recognition that there has been a disruption 4.An attempt to repair the disruption 5.A reinstatement of the equilibrium.
Our 'Black Hole' narratives translates:
Man doing his work
Man notices something unusual
Man interferes and realises the advantages
Man uses advantages in a bad way
Mans actions puts him in a difficult position.
This short film has a different concept to the other short film that I have been viewing as it looks at two different parts in the film although it’s the same person it makes the audience think. Looking at semiotics and audience readings which are meanings that are encoded into a media text and how an audience may decode these meanings. So everyone could be watching this short film but half the audience could connect to the good part of the film and the other half of the audience could connect to the bad part of the film. Once you accept that people use the media or even connect to it in different ways then the text should study how this happens based on the idea that texts don’t only have one meaning. Each one of us is constructed in many different ways through family, education,peers,etc which has an effect on us on how we view the media in different ways.
Audience has three responses towards the media which are: Dominant, Oppositional, and Negotiated. Dominant values of society are accepted by the audience. Negotiated is when the audience accepts most of the values but may be critical towards some of the aspects.Oppostional is where the audience ideally rejects the dominant values described within the text so therefore semiotics recognises both the power of the text but also the ability the audience has in order to deny it. So when we apply this to ‘The Wrong Side of the Bed’ it gives the audience to have two separate views on one film whether its Dominant, Negotiated or. oppositional
The Last Cookie
There is alot of close up shots of the characters and their actions. This is to show emotion of the characters to add an in depth view of their thoughts and feelings. Many of these close ups are of the characters reading or drawing about cookies as it is significant to the narrative. There are some mid shots used to signify how much the cookie means to the characters.
There are alot of fast paced movements used to connote the excitement and determination of recieving the cookie. Focus pulls are also used from character to character to show how one characters actions combines with the other characters actions such as the pull from when both characters are reaching for the same cookie. This type of music was used to create humour but changes at the end which connotes that the actions in the film has taken place and is ended with disappointment.
Light em up.
There are different types of close ups and long shots used to set the scene and show emotion of the characters and highlight the relaxation they feel which contrasts to the destruction ahead of them. Focus pulls used focuses on the skyline ahead of the characters to signify the viewer that something that does not usually happen is about to happen. If you pay attention to the skyline you will notice it has been edited to a darker red which connotes evil and danger but also love, danger being the destruction and love being the feeling the characters have towards what they are smoking.
The film is set on a empty grass hill with a view of the destruction that’s happening to London city. There is a major contrast used between the teenagers sitting on the hill without a care in the world whereas just opposite them there is a big dangerous event occurring, this shows the stereotypical view on teenagers that have no worries. The sound of nature has been edited to appear louder and there has been some diagetic effects added to highlight the relaxation and peace of the teenagers.
