Research 5.1

Research

In order to get the best out of this project I will gather research on short films based around the same theme, using Vimeo and Virgin Media Shorts I will establish the use of practical methods used in the creation of short films.  I intend to interpret 3 – 5 short films that i feel will be of some substantial use to me  and the outcome of my project, the first film I’ll be talking about is “Broken” a short drama i came across that i felt could help me in the planning to analyse the narrative structure and the technical elements  of the film

Broken

Director of photography – Adam Brown

Director –  Matthew Bartlett &  James Kermack

Duration – 1:30

Format – One camera Single Drama (Romance, Non Linear)

Narrative Structure – The concept of this short drama “Broken” is about two individuals that seem to be stuck in a rough patch in their relationship, the story has no dialogue but through their body language and through the camera techniques used (Close – Ups) were able to understand the emotions that run through the story. The strong expressions and tears that flow from the characters faces in the close up shots that allows to create our own atmosphere. As the director pulls away the absence of sound from the drama he gives the audience the task of interpreting the scene in their own way, without the dialogue of the drama the audience is forced to swap positions with the characters allowing them to fully understand the concept of the drama.

Technicals Elements – Throughout the drama they use a mixture of diagetic and non diagetic sounds to fill the room with emotions, as there is no dialogue used. they use a variety of camera techniques such as cross – cutting and cutaway shots that help bring the scene together; with the use of flashbacks and the film term ‘match on action’ helps us the audience piece the puzzle together. They use  a range of medium and close up shots to capture the emotions their trying to pot ray as the director was trying to capture the raw emotion that ran throughout the scenes.

http://www.virginmediashorts.co.uk/film/3417/broken#.UqmjUhbakRk

Cornerstone (extended)

Duration 2:18

Format – Single Camera (Drama, Romance)

Narrative Structure – The concept of this short film is about the journey of a young male that commences on his path of finding his true love, he has fallen in love with the girl he hasn’t met; (katie) we witness them meeting at the door of their building without the use of any dialogue he lets the chance pass him by. But coincidently katie drops a list of shopping (the piece of paper containing the information) the memento that kicks off the start of journey in the opening scene of the film. Through the use of the light acoustic guitar playing along in the background turns out to very effective in altering the mood of the audience.

Technical Elements – Within the story the director uses a mixture of close up shots to capture the small details, for example in the beginning of the film the camera is zoomed up into the male’s hands; while we watch him open up his wallet to take out the paper containing a shopping list written on it. He uses  long shots nearing the end of the film; when the male character is chasing after Katie that is seen from the other side of the river. He doesn’t overuse or misuse any edit for example fading to black or cutaway shots to prolong the progress of the story.

http://www.virginmediashorts.co.uk/film/5341/cornerstone-extended#.Uqms0hbakRk

I came aross

https://vimeo.com/4717303

Love –

Narrative structure – I feel the concept of this drama hides many meanings since their is no dialogue, there is something about the drama that allows the audience to be swept into a kinda trance, a type of state of mind that relaxes our minds and shows of the beauty of love, or maybe the power of music and how it has the undying ability to move mountains within a film, having the UN-doubting power of  carry the audience with a soft melody.

Technical Elements – In this particular drama the director has decided to remove any form of audio and just rely on the visuals to tell the story, in this type of film the type of shots that are used are crucial because the audience will also have to adjust and depend on the visuals to understand the situation, just like the first film i posted visuals and sound plays the big part in transforming a normal scene into a powerful play.

Lovely Monster

Narrative structure – This is not your average story about boy finding girl, its deeper than that we find that in hurt, in pain, in suffering those who believe seek love, in the documentary it follows the life of a young that is suffering; living with a monster inside her. The reason i chose this a apart of my research is because i feel type of shots used are those that are similar to mine.

Technical Elements – In this documentary i feel the use of close up shots plays an effective part in exploring the depth in emotion, the use of natural lighting really complements the skin tone of those who are interviewed, i feel the color correction brings out the bold tones that are hidden away in the darkness. Also the use of the background music changes the atmosphere on the film.

https://vimeo.com/29717311

Steven Spielberg – We see embedded into this short clip of films directed by Steven Spielberg that he has emerged with a new style of filming, he puts random objects into the scene that to us plays no purpose but in any scene everything single object has a job to carry out. Spielberg leads us on a endless journey, guiding us through each scene thoroughly explaining the concept and meaning of each object. With each directors creativity there is a story behind each thing they do, a moment in time that inspired them to capture the scene at that exact moment in time, at that exact angle. I’ve also noticed his habit of using close ups that are similar as what you’ll see on a portrait with just the picture of the human face drawn or photographed onto it, the aim of the use of a close up is to generally capture the full range of emotions being

slow paced close ups

Lars Von Trier – slow motion -done.

Wes anderson – first person view- writing a story narration.

Stephen Chbosky – perks of being a wall flower – zooming out, allowing character to look brittle and fragile sitting down on a chair screaming-zooming out

Edgar Wright – fast paced cut shots

Techniques