Short Film Review

Eulogy for things left unsaid
By Rob Chiu

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/filmnetwork/A46701650

This short film was produced as part of the Twenty 120 challenge, where 20 directors produced a 120 second long film based on the theme of Truth vs. Deception. It is an emotional contemplative film exploring themes of loss, regret and facing the future.
By looking at this short film compared to the notes given to describe what makes a good short the story does have a strong script, the messages are read out by a voice over whilst playing somber music which helps the tone of the short film as it is looking at themes that can be quite distressing. The use of low key lighting and scenes of ‘memory lane’ type settings adds to the feeling of thinking about something and looking back on something.
It has a strong beginning by showing a blank screen and just saying the word ‘memories’ and then a close up of poppies with the light shining down on them. The way in which it pans the story in ‘there is no way back’ and the little boy we saw alone on the lane is running through the fields. It depicts bleakness; with empty fields and thoughts but then also shows that it’s all memories and whatever happens in life no matter where people go you have their memories. It also avoids punch lines and repetition other than with the word ‘memories’ as it is almost like using hindsight to think about things that have happened in life and how to deal with them. The way in which it uses a voice over and simple images of fields, and the windmill represents possible isolation and helps us to listen to what is said and then leaves us with thoughts too.
I think it is a good short film as it is short and simple and gets a point across quite strongly especially with it saying there is ‘no way back’ and the windmill simply stops turning and the young boy is trying to walk along the road once again. The one thing strange about the short film is that the title of it is at the end, and so other than knowing what is called from clicking on the film on the internet or YouTube etc you would not know until the end. Although there is not much actual acting in the short film , the voice over and the use of the boy/man to show him growing up and the memories and possible isolation from losses at home etc help in getting the message across. The tone of the voice especially highlights this.

New Media/We Media Survey

We were to create a survey to try and find out how much people use the internet and other new media technology in their everyday lives, this is my survery and I will upload the results as soon as I receive some...

How do people today use the internet and we media?

Male or Female?
Age?
Do you watch TV a lot?
Do you watch TV on the internet? If so on average how often would you say you do?
Do you like to watch Reality TV shows? Do you vote for them? If so how do you vote?
Do you use the internet in your everyday life?
How often would you say you used the internet?
Do you use the internet to follow the news? What sort of News do you look at?
Do you follow any political sites or the politics on the news?
Have you ever used YouTube or similar websites? What do you think of the types of things you find on the site? How trustworthy would you say it is?
Do you agree with the ability to upload personal videos etc?
Do you prefer user-generated sites like YouTube or do you prefer mainstream channels like BBC iplayer? Please explain why.
How would you say these types of sites and the use of the internet have an influence on your lifestyle?
Do you use file sharing applications such as limewire? Do you agree with them although they are illegal?
Overall how would you say the media affected your lifestyle? And how big a part does it play in your life?

Slumdog Millionaire/Borat

Research completed about Global Media and how films Slumdog Millionaire and Borat are linked to Global Media.

Slumdog Millionaire
Directors: Danny Boyle, Loveleen Tandan (Co-director: India)
Writers: Simon Beaufoy (Screenplay), Vikas Swarup (Novel)
Distributers: 20th Century Fox
Produced by Pathe Celador Films and Film4
Borat
Distributers: 20th Century Fox
Director: Larry Charles
Premiered at Toronto Film Festival
In 2007, Cohen won a Golden Globe for "Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy". With a production budget of $18,000,000 the film has grossed $128,501,044 in the United States of America and another $128,848,505 internationally, for a worldwide gross of $257,349,549 by mid-March 2007.
The two films tie into the subject of global media as both films were in fact distributed by 20th Century Fox a global media company who produce and distribute films all over the world and in many different languages and so they are actually global. Some of the issues that are raised in both films affect different people and countries around the world and in both cases the films raised awareness of certain issues or caused issues in the way certain things were portrayed like in Borat the ways in which he portrays some Americans was seen as derogatory and many disliked how he made the film and there were a lot of cases filed against Sascha Baron Cohen that were later dropped. The fact that these films raised global issues also gave a global awareness of topics as it appeared in local and national and even international newspapers etc about how it was filmed who was filmed etc.
Many films are produced in conjunction with the US as they generally have a lot of money to invest into such films and also have the media capacity to make them a success, lets face it the US is huge and they have the power to go global and have so many ties with European countries etc that currently the US is the main power in terms of global media and therefore global cinema generally comes with some connections to the US like with Slumdog Millionaire despite it being produced by Celador Films, Pathe and Film 4 it would not have been distributed without the help of the global company 20th Century Fox. A company which is well known across the globe for producing a lot of films and TV shows like the Simpsons.

Short Film/Audience Research

When researching and finding out about short films we created this questionnaire and asked various different people their views. This is the questionnaire and some of the answers we got, and what we found.

Age?
Gender?
Name 5 of your favourite films
1
2
3
4
5
What is your preferred genre?
Why do you prefer this genre?
What type of setting do you look for in a film?
Do you watch any short films?
How often would you say you watch them?
What would you expect from them?
What kind of short films do you like?
What special features do you like?
Do you prefer fast paced or slower films?
What type of music do you listen to?
Does this influence your choice of film?
Would you prefer a soundtrack or backing music?
Whats your favourits romance film?
Is it good to have an underlying message in a film?
Do you like stereotypical roles being portrayed?
What trends do you see in short romance films?
If you were to see a short film advertised on the internet or the tv which are you most likely to go and find on youtube or on demand ?


The sort of answers we recieved were these :

age?
18
Gender?
female
Name 5 of your favourite films
1 step up
2 twilight
3 50 first datess
4 the notebook
5 xmen

What is your preferred genre?
romantic/ chick flick
Why do you prefer this genre?
im not a fan of horrors/ action
What type of setting do you look for in a film?
hmm not sure
Do you watch any short films?
not realy no
How often would you say you watch them?
once a week
What would you expect from them?
a good film that keeps me entertained
What kind of short films do you like?
i dont
What special features do you like?
anything
Do you prefer fast paced or slower films?
slower
What type of music do you listen to?
rock/ heavy metal / indie
Does this influence your choice of film?
no
Would you prefer a soundtrack or backing music?
soundtrack
What’s your favourite romance film?
the notebook
Is it good to have an underlying message in a film?
yes sometimes
Do you like stereotypical roles being portrayed?
yes
What trends do you see in short romance films?
couple who split up then get back together awhh
If you were to see a short film advertised on the internet or the tv which are you most likely to go and find on YouTube or on demand ?
on demand
Where are you most likely to watch a short film?
at home

Age? 18
Gender? Female
Name 5 of your favourite films
1- The notebook
2- Sex in the city
3- Grease
4- Romeo and Juliet
5-Precious

What is your preferred genre? RomCom!
Why do you prefer this genre? Funny, romantic, true to life etc
What type of setting do you look for in a film? Town
Do you watch any short films? Not really
How often would you say you watch them? Never :/
What would you expect from them? A meaning
What kind of short films do you like? Funny
What special features do you like? Stunts
Do you prefer fast paced or slower films? Bit of both
What type of music do you listen to? Diff kinds
Does this influence your choice of film? yupp
Would you prefer a soundtrack or backing music? Soundtrack
Whats your favourits romance film? The notebook
Is it good to have an underlying message in a film? Yes very!
Do you like stereotypical roles being portrayed? Depends
What trends do you see in short romance films?
If you were to see a short film advertised on the internet or the tv which are you most likely to go and find on youtube or on demand ? Youtube
Where are you most likely to watch a short film? College

Age? 19
Gender? Male
Name 5 of your favourite films
1 O Brother Where Art Thou
2 Taken
3 Hot Fuzz
4 Bourne Supremecy
5 Shaun of the dead

What is your preferred genre? Comedy
Why do you prefer this genre? because it is funny and makes you feel good
What type of setting do you look for in a film?
Do you watch any short films? sometimes
How often would you say you watch them? rarely
What would you expect from them? to make me laugh usually
What kind of short films do you like? comedy ones
What special features do you like? clever animations
Do you prefer fast paced or slower films? faster
What type of music do you listen to? all sorts
Does this influence your choice of film? not really
Would you prefer a soundtrack or backing music? soundtrack
What do you look for in a short film? depends on what type of short film i look for but generally one with wit
Whats your favourits romance film? princess bride...
Is it good to have an underlying message in a film? i think so
Do you like stereotypical roles being portrayed? depends on the protrayal, if done well then its good
What trends do you see in short romance films? usually spin offs
If you were to see a short film advertised on the internet or the tv which are you most likely to go and find on youtube or on demand ? youtube
Where are you most likely to watch a short film? at home on my laptop

Age? 39
Gender? Female
Name 5 of your favourite films
1 Love Actually
2 As Good as it gets
3 When Harry Met Sally
4 Top Gun
5 Pretty Woman
What is your preferred genre? Romance
Why do you prefer this genre? Cos I’m a lovesick idiot
What type of setting do you look for in a film? realistic
Do you watch any short films? Not really
How often would you say you watch them? rarely
What would you expect from them? A good story line
What kind of short films do you like? true
What special features do you like? Not sure
Do you prefer fast paced or slower films? Fast paced
What type of music do you listen to? All sorts
Does this influence your choice of film? no
Would you prefer a soundtrack or backing music? soundtrack
What’s your favourite romance film? Love Actually
Is it good to have an underlying message in a film? yes
Do you like stereotypical roles being portrayed? Not really
What trends do you see in short romance films? Boy meets girl
If you were to see a short film advertised on the internet or the TV which are you most likely to go and find on YouTube or on demand? On demand

These were just a few examples of answers that i picked out, however in my overall survey I found that the majority preferred films to have an underlying message.
Many also preferred a soundtrack however as it is a short film, this will probably be unlikely to make, especially in the short time span we have. The answers were pretty close on whether they would use on demand or YouTube however the answers from those who answered that were slightly older generally used on demand where as the younger would use YouTube - highlighting that this would be a good place to distribute the film but also possibly through the TV at the same time.

We also asked about the typical portrayals of romance films and many said they liked to see the relationships between the boy and girl, however they are quite predictable that they are together they argue break up and in the end get back together. Our film is hopefully not quite like this. Many said they preferred short snappy films so that they were kept interested but not so fast that you missed the point of it. Therefore we need a good steady paced romance that will be showcased online and through the TV and aiming at 15-25 year olds - mainly those who like romance films.

Horror Film Ideas

Our task in media was to come up with a clear narrative structure for a film that included : Horror, 5 teenagers on a road trip. Four of the teens disappear/die. One, a girl, survives.

Our generic conventions: we would use to make the horror element clear are dark settings - a forest, a storm looming, and high key lighting and flashes.

Our characters include 3 boys and 2 girls A boyfriend and girlfriend the girlfriends best friend and her boyfriend and the first girlfriends gay best friend.

The story starts with all 5 teenagers heading off to a lodge in the Pennsylvanian Woods for the weekend - one which was rented by one teenagers family friend.
As they are travelling along all jolly and excited it begins to get DARK . However they get to the lodge just fine and just before the storm arrives. They get in and unpack etc, and are all sat chatting over some wine in the living room, with the sound of the rain above them. THEN, there's a knock at the door!
When the girlfriend answers the door there is a farmer stood dripping wet, the lights flash and the girl screams as he has a pitchfork in his hand but as he steps into the light he is actually ok and explains that a tree has been felled across his road so he cant get back to his farm. So they let the farmer in and he stops over whislt the storm continues.
The next morning... The farmer is gone! AND so is the 2nd girls boyfriend!
They all decide to go looking to the woods to look for him and as they are shouting for him as they have split up the girlfriend suddenly hears a crunch under her feet and there on the floor is a set of teeth... Then as the girl looks up she sees her boyfriends shoes abandoned on the floor.... covered in blood... She screams and runs back to the lodge. Eventually the others come back. But the gay best friend doesnt...
They go inside but the lights of the lodge arent working.
The 1st girls boyfriend goes out to fix the generator, whilst the girls sit close waiting for the lights to be fixed they hear strange noises so run outside to the boy. He is nowhere to be seen. The 1st girlfriend sees the boyfriend at the car so follows over to where he was getting a torch and gets herself one too, however the other girl did not and went straight to where the generator was... The other two hear screams and run to the generator where the girl lies dead... with marks of a pitchfork on her neck!
The two now very freaked out head to the car and begin to drive out of the forest.
As they are driving along the road a man suddenly runs into the road... Its the farmer from the other night... He is covered in blood and bearing a pitchfork. The girl begins to speed up but the boy makes her slow down. THEN
A hooded figure jumps from the back of the car and slashes the boys neck.
The girl suddenly stops the car and tries to run free.. But remembers the farmer down the road so feels trapped.
The farmer is now running towards her.
Then he runs past her and straight to the car where he stabs the figure with his pitchfork grabs the bodies out of the car and screams to get the girl to go with him.
And then
They drive off into the night and DONT LOOK BACK!

Unfortunately Scott and I went into so much depth with our synopsis we never wrote an anti-narrative. Although i have tried to show how it could be changed into an anti narrative by starting from the end with the farmer running to the car grabbing the bodies and trying to get the girl to go with him, then from there start from the beginning but keep cutting into other seens like the hooded figure at the back of the car, so that its working from the back but continuing through the story at the same time. Eventually ending up back at the beginning (end) where the car is driven off into the night.