Short Film Analysis

Enzy

by Sam Hendi

2007

Drama

(4 minutes)

"Envy is a short documentary-styled piece of cinema that deals with relationships and jealousy between friends.

The film is structured as a narrative story by two friends who discuss their feelings and love for the same man. As viewers, we are captivated by the characters unravelling their dark secrets and desires that leave them both puzzled in a twisted climax."

I thought the documentary style of filming made the film more engaging for the audience.  The characters directly told the audience their emotions.  The characters look directly into the camera as if they are having an interview, or making a vlog.  This would appeal to the "Big Brother" generation, who are used to listening and seeing peoples opinions through this style.  I feel this is a quick way of informing the audience of the characters emotions, however, for our project, I feel that we need to push the audience into contemplating how our character came to be in this state, and understand the reasons behind.  For our film, we will show the journey of different, developing emotions, without directly stating them.

There was also a blue tint when the characters were being interviewed.  This isolated the interview visually from the real time/flashback action.  It also created a chilling atmosphere for when the characters were describing their true emotions.  This made it more tense for the audience, and made the characters emotions of enzy more shocking.  We could incorporate this into our film, and it could link to our previous idea of CCTV footage.  From many of the films we researched, that used CCTV footage, their was usually a blue tint.  This would, like 'Envy' create a chilled, isolated atmosphere from the rest of the film.  

Throughout the character interviews the camera zooms in to extreme close-ups of the characters eyes.  This is a visual metaphor.  "The eyes are the gateway to the soul."  I feel this was effective because the dialogue that the characters are saying does not fit the flashback visual.  Having a close-up of the eyes means the audience will see the characters true emotions within their eyes.  For example, Rebecca informs the audience within her interview that everything will be ok with her boyfriend, Adam.  However, the camera zooms in on her eyes, and the fury and anger can be seen within.  

The camera also focuses on the characters mouths.  The directer uses extreme close-ups of their mouths so that the audience focus on what is being said.  For instance when Sophie says "what she doesn't know is that Adam and myself relationship", it is a extreme close-up of her mouth.  The dialogue is important because the connection and relationship between Adam and Sophie is made here, and the reason for Rebecca to be enzious is uncovered. We planned to use close-ups of our characters eyes, and mouth for the same reason Hendi has.  We want to focus the audiences attention on important pieces of dialogue and facial expressions, which will give them clues to the ending of our film.

The tension of the interviews is then enhanced with flashback scenes.  Rebecca's silhouette is used more within the flashbacks.  Within these sections the audience do not emotionally connect with Rebecca.  She becomes an image of danger and death.  Her silhouette creates a sense of mystery and the unknown.  People are generally afraid of the unknown, so using her silhouette will add tension to the scene.  I like the idea of using silhouettes, and the atmosphere they can create.  There is a moment in our film where the husband comes home, and shocks our protagonist.  I think that silhouettes would be an effective way of developing the atmosphere.

One-To-One

by Isabel Anderton

2004

(5 minutes)

"Two schoolgirls jump on the bus to go home. Monique texts a boy they met at the weekend. Being best friends, the girls do everything together... up until this moment. Monique gets her first proper date and Shaya isn't invited. I overheard bits of this conversation on the top deck of the Number 38. I used this as the basis of the script and then workshopped it with teenage girls to see what fitted and what didn't."

This film mainly represents the stereotype of teenage school girls.  The stereotype is established from when one girl rolls her skirt up so that its higher, aiming to make herself more appealing to boys.  The audience is introduced to the girl's main aim.  Attracting boys and gaining a relationship.  This is then enhanced when one girl asks "aren't you cold?".  The older generation are always questioning youth's choice in clothing and how they wear it.  Looks of annoyance from the public as the two girls loudly enter the bus establishes the fact that people are prejudiced against the stereotype.  The Directer has chosen to show teenage girls in this way for comic/mocking effect.  As audience members we become prejudiced against the stereotype.  We (the audience) look at the girls the same way the members of the public on the bus do.  The directer is implying that we are the members of the public. I liked how much detail and thought has been placed on representing this stereotype.  I liked the initial hints of the skirt being pulled up, and the expressions of the public, and how that made the audience prejudiced against the two girls.  Within our film, their is a strong 1900's woman role of a house wife.  I think we need to brainstorm ideas for the establishment of our character, and how we can use subtle hints to show her role in society and at home. 

When the two girls disagree, slow motion editing is used to show an awkward passing of time.  A long shot of the pair sat in their seats, angled down at their hands, shows a common awkward gesture.  I thought this was an effective way of passing time.  Within our film, we will need to condense an hour into 5 minutes.  Slow motion may be an effective way of showing the audience that time is passing.

The View

by Neil Neeman

2009

(4 minutes)

"The View is a short poetic film that centres around a bench overlooking the British coastline. During the film we are witness to poignant moments in the lives of the location's fictionalised frequent visitors, who each have a different reason for being there. A poem written for the film carries the narrative through from start to finish."


I liked the use of poetry within this film.  I liked how it was a continual narrator, and how the narration set the tone for the different events within the film.  I would still prefer to visually portray our protagonists emotions, without informing the audience verbally.  I think this will be a more effective, and engaging way for our audience to connect with our character.

Kate Chopin

Kate Chopin (1851-1904)

Kate Chopin was an American author of short stories and novels. She is now considered by some to have been a forerunner of feminist authors of the 20th century.

From 1892 to 1895, she wrote short stories for both children and adults.  These were published in magazines such as Atlantic Monthly, Vogue, the Century, and Harper's Youth's Companion. Her major works were two short story collections, Bayou Folk (1894) and A Night in Acadie (1897). Her important short stories included "Desiree's Baby" (published in 1893); "The Story of an Hour" (1894), and "The Storm "(1898).

Writing Style

Chopin's different lifestyles throughout her life provided her with insights, understanding and also allowed her to 

analyse 

the late 19th century American society.  Many of her stories were based on her life in Louisiana, and her portrayals of individual women

. 

Her writing style 

emerged from Guy de Maupassant.

"...I read his stories and marveled at them. Here was life, not fiction; for where were the plots, the old fashioned mechanism and stage trapping that in a vague, unthinkable way I had fancied were essential to the art of story making. Here was a man who had escaped from tradition and authority, who had entered into himself and looked out upon life through his own being an with his own eyes; and who, in a direct and simple way, told us what he saw..."

However, Chopin went beyond Maupassant's technique, 

and gave her writing a flavor of its own.  She put much focus on women's lives and their continual struggle to create an identity of their own within the boundaries of the patriarchy.  In The Story of an Hour, Mrs. Mallard allows herself time to reflect upon learning of her husband's death. Instead of dreading the lonely years ahead of her, she stumbles upon another realization all together. "She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death; the face that had never looked save with love upon her, fixed and gray and dead. But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome"

Not many writers were bold enough to address such subjects during the mid to late 19th century.