Textual analysis of Easy Reader

Title: Easy Reader
Director: Lewis Rose


Narrative
This linear narrative tells the quaint story effectively with little dialogue. The film remains uncomplicated throughout telling a simple story of one man and his unique method or pursuing possible romance. 


This short film tells the story of Gary and his frequent trips to the library. Gary walks into the library to be greeted by the woman on the reception desk, it is clear from their conversation that Gary is a regular visitor to the library. He selects a book, Sherlock Holmes, and takes a seat on a sofa opposite a women. He skilfully glances over the book at the woman and sees that she is reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Gary replaces his book and swiftly leaves the Library.
Later in the day he returns, dressed as Huckleberry Finn with the same book in hand and attempt to talk to the women who is their again reading the book, but she avoids his conversation and leaves. Feeling somewhat deflated the receptionist asks him if that has ever worked. Gary recollects and the audience is shown how he has done this numerous times, he sees a woman reading a certain book and he dresses as one of the characters in order to break the ice in order to get to know her.
He sits down feeling once again deflated and lonely. As Gary returns to read Sherlock Holmes woman walks in, dressed head to toe as the title character. They exchange a smile and the film ends.

Characters
For a two minute film with a simple narrative such as this, this short film has more significant characters than I would expect.

There is the main character Gary who's story we follow. He is a character the audience may sympathise with, he a harmless fellow who's unorthodox flirting methods are unsuccessful. The audience may also find him relatable as they may be able to identify with his awkward attempts at conversing with women. However he has no problem talking to the lady on reception.


This woman is familiar to Gary and it's clear from their brief conversations that they have met before. She acts as a confidant for him telling him to "Just be yourself Gary". I expected her to be the answer to Gary's dating woes possibly due to her red dress and accessories acting as foreshadowing due to the colours connotation of love. 

Garys first love interest comes in the form of a blonde woman  reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. She is the stereotypical female love interest character, she is pretty, blonde and perhaps more unconventionally she is intelligent. This image is created through appearance alone and forms an instantly identifiable character

Finally there is the woman who, as a twist at the end of the tale, does exactly what Gary had been doing. She comes in dressed as Sherlock Holmes, the book Gary was reading. This instantly presents her as a favourable character to the audience as she is ultimately the thing the protagonist strived for: some one to love.


Locations
The film is set entirely in the library. Gary obviously likes it there and feels comfortable there as it is apparent from his easy conversation with the receptionist and later from Garys memories that he goes there quite regularly. I feel that only having one location to the film contributes to the simplicity of the short as a whole.

Cinematography

• Foreshadowing  - I really enjoyed the use of this technique in the film. There is the earlier mention of the receptionist wearing red and it's connotations of love but there is also some foreshadowing that is less of an interpretation however it is very subtle I nearly missed it. The final women, the one who dresses as Sherlock Holmes in order to impress Gary appears right at the start of the sequence in the background when he is first reading Sherlock Holmes. 

First in focus...

... then out of focus a he sits down

This does answer the question as to how she knew Gary like the book, it turns out she saw him at the beginning. She is only visible here for a few seconds and I had to watch it again and pause it to see is it was her. It's like a little Easter egg hidden within the film!

• Focus shifts - Used several times in this film, shifting the focus of the shot is a technique that changes what the audience is looking out without necessarily changing shot.  

Here we see the shift of focus throughout one shot. 

This technique is an innovative way that I feel helps keeps the film visually pleasing. It doesn't really serve much purpose other than it looks fantastic. 

• High angle shot - This shot shows the library and the woman Gary is going to talk to. This shot almost acts as an establishing shot (although establishing shots are usually the very first thing seen in a sequence), showing us the library, the layout of it and how far away Gary is from the woman. 

Editing

• Eyeline match - This continuity technique shoes us what Gary is looking at, allowing the audience to understand a bit more about how the character thinks. For example first Gary looks at the book rather than the Lady. 

...this is what Gary sees.

Gary looking over the book...

• Fade transition - as Gary looks up and remembers the past events the camera tracks upwards and into a fade transition. The bright white fade signifies that the events depicted have already happened rather than are happening at this point in the narrative. 

• Quick cuts - lots of quick cuts are used when Gary looks over at the first woman. This reflects his maybe nervous feelings at getting caught watching, it shows he is taking quick looks at her.

Sound

During quite parts of the film (the stretches without dialogue) a subtle trumpet tune plays. The score is not very fast, it matches the pace of the action which is also subtle. I think a louder, more prominent piece of music would have cut up the film more, making it more segmented, whereas as it is the action just flows from one thing to another. 

Titles

The opening title 'Easy Reader' is cleverly presented within the scene on a book whereas the end credits are more traditional on a black screen. In total the titles take up no more than around three seconds of screen time which allows more time to be devoting to the narrative. 

My thoughts

I really like the twist at the end of the narrative. I also like the expression of love in normal situations, so often love is presented as this perfect thing expressed through grand gestures the cost the earth to pull off but here it is in an eccentric but sweet fashion. The focus shift is a technique that really appeals to me and it's shown very well here. 

Textual analysis of Trolleycide

Title: Trolleycide

Director: Daniel Armtrong

Narrative

Trolleycide is spoof appeal/documentary about the work of mock charity the NSPTC. The short film documents the life of several supermarket trolleys. There is a young trolley called Allan, the narrator describes Allan's difficult life as a trolley, telling the audience how "he is forced to do 24 hour shifts with no wage" and how he is unable to see or feed his children. Later we hear how "Charlie gets scared when people are pushing him around, telling him what to do". Further on a trolley commits suicide by throwing himself into a canal. The short film ends with the narrator asking the audience to give what they can to the NSPCT in order to save and improve the lives of trolleys everywhere.

It doesn't have a typical story narrative as it is more of an advert than a story. For example there is no real resolution: first we see the problem (abuse), then how it could be solved (counselling) and what may happen if the audience doesn't act (Trolley suicide - Trolleycide). But at the end there is no guaranteed solution, only a plea for help.

Characters
There are 3 main trolleys in the sequence which act as characters:

• Allan 
• Charlie
• The suicide victim trolley

These characters are the victims of abuse and are presented to the audience as vulnerable. To convey the emotions of these characters the narrator describes their situation and a black and white filter is used over the  shots. More effort must be made during the editing process to express the emotions of inanimate objects because they lack facial expression, language or any means of communication that we use to derive meaning.

Along with the trolleys humans are present in this film too, they are represented in one of two ways. The human characters are either abusing the trolleys or helping them. 

This conforms to the stereotypes of charity appeal adverts: it's most usually humans causing harm to what ever the subject of the appeal is be it children, donkeys or the few remaining white tigers. But it is also humans redeeming themselves by trying to correct the situation. That's how the ads work. They make you as the viewer feel guilty in order to get you to donate, and that is exactly what's happening in this spoof which is part of the reason it is a successful, funny spoof. 

Locations

The film is set over several locations: A supermarket interior and exterior/car park and a canal. The supermarket is the everyday environment for the trolley and where most of the film takes place. These everyday locations add to the realism of the film, having it set in such places makes the whole film more believable and realistic. 

Editing Techniques

The editing is really important in this film to convey the emotions of the trolleys a of course, as I said under the character heading, we can't derive much meaning from their unedited image alone. Several techniques are used to achieve this effectively. 

• Black and white filter - Sometimes a black and white filter it used to signify the past or to make footage look old but in this film it conveys feelings of sadness and hopelessness. It intensifies the intended feelings of suffering of the trolleys in the footage. 

• Fade transitions - these transitions keep the pace of the film slow. A fast pace film tends to be a more exciting one, and that is not the aim of this piece. Fade transitions are commonly used in real charity appeals, making this an effective use of them in a spoof charity appeal. 

• Inter-layed  text -  "THIS ABUSE HAS TO STOP" said by the narrator and was also displayed on screen all in capital letters to intensify the serious message as it it was a real campaign by a real charity. 

Cinematography

• Hand held camera - It looks like most if not all of this short film was shot with a handheld camera without a tripod. The shots are shaky and unstable, I like this as it gives an edgy look to the film and could create the illusion that the footage was shot undercover. However it also makes the footage look unprofessional and unfinished. 

• Panning shot - The panning shot is used to show the amount of trolleys lined up outside the shop giving more of an insight into the depth of the 'problem' and how many trolleys it affects. 

• Wide shot - This wide shot shows a lot of the environment surrounding the character. It presents his as a very isolated character and again highlights him as one of the victims of the film. 

Sound

There is no music score in this video which is a shame, some depressing music would be quite fitting.

The characters never speak in the film. The only dialogue is in the form of a voice over mimicking real charity appeals telling story's of the turmoil of the victim (which in this case are the Trolleys). The voice over speaks in almost a monotone fashion relying on the subject to pull on the heartstrings of the audience. This again is similar in real charity appeals. 

Titles

Apart form the Virgin  Media shorts starer and end on the video the are no titles to the film.The absence of the titles doesn't subtract form the tone or the message of the film but makes it more like an advert than the short film it was intended to be. It also makes it look less professional as a short film.  

My Thoughts

I really like this short film because of the spoof nature of it. It's funny because people do treat supermarket trolleys this way and if they weren't inanimate objects yes, it would be horrific. It conforms to the conventions of real charity appeals, almost poking fun at them, using them to the film makers advantage by applying them to an imaginary problem. 

The film as a whole looks rushed to me, the lack of stability in the shots, the editing mistakes (such the fade transition into an identical shot) and the fact there are no titles or music ruins it a bit. However the idea is brilliant and that pulls it through for me. 

Textual analysis of 3x3

Title: 3x3
Director: Nuno Rocha

Narrative
This short film tells the story of two characters. First we see a security guard playing basketball, practising his shooting. A caretaker comes along sweeping the floor and the Security guard shows off his ability looking very smug. The security guard goes to his office, pours a cup of coffee and starts watching the security screens. The caretaker remains on the court and has a go playing basketball. However he is not very good, missing the shot every time. The security guard is watching and laughing from his office. The caretaker stops playing and get his ladder out and take measurements of the hoop and makes very complicated calculations. In the end the caretaker make amazing shots and the security guard still watching from his office can't believe his eyes. The guard runs to the court but the caretaker has resumed sweeping the floor. The film ends as the security guard returns to his office to find a package containing sports clothes and the caretaker wearing basketball gear waves to one of the security cameras, knowing the guard would be watching.

Enigma codes

• Do the characters know each other?
• Why is the security guard playing basketball?
• Was the cleaner always secretly good at basketball?

Characters

There are two characters is this film, the caretaker and the security guard. 

The security guard is represented a the antagonist in the film. He is a smug character who underestimates the caretaker due to his status. The slow motion shot of this character laughing at the caretakers failed attempts accentuates the idea of him being a spiteful person. 

The caretaker is the protagonist. Underestimated by the caretaker this character challenges representations and preconceptions. He turns out to be a very intelligent person as opposed to the unskilled worker the audience and the security guard perceives him to be.  

Locations

The only two locations in the film are the hall with the basketball court and the Security guards office. The film could be set overall in a school or a sports centre. I like how the film is set in everyday and in a way mundane locations, it makes the film more relatable and easy to identify to.  I think the film is set at night because the locations are deserted apart from these two people, this allows the characters to do what they want as no one is there to judge them apart from each other. This in turn allows the caretaker to challenge the stereotypes that surround him.                                       

                                                                        

Cinematography

The shot types vary throughout the film to create different effects. 

• Low angle shots - During the first scene it shows the hoop, presenting it an intimidating entity. This also foreshadows it as a major subject within the narrative of the film, which it is: it is the thing the characters want to 'conquer' as it were.  

• High angle shots - Shows the caretaker celebrating after he misses the lay up shot for the final time. The high angle shot conveys him as smaller and lesser than the net and perhaps the other character. This reflects his failure of the shot despite his celebrations. 

• Close up shots - used to show actions of the characters such as the caretakers immensely complicated equations. Showing this so close up emphasises the complexity and introduces the idea that there is more to this character, that he doesn't comply to the stereotypical representation of cleaners being just cleaners. 

Editing techniques

• Slow motion - This builds anticipation, particularly when use in the caretakers run up to the hoop. Prolonging the action raises suspense, the audiences expectations rises and in this case are not fulfilled.

• Match on action - Matches the pace of an action over more than one shot, shown here when the guard throws his napkin into a bin. He throws it in the first shot and we see the napkin falling the bin on the next shot. 

• Eyeline match - Used when the guard is looking at the security screens to show the audience what he is seeing. Along with Match on Action these continuity techniques help the sequence appear uninterrupted and like a continuous action.   

Sound

There is no dialogue in this short film and yet the audience understands the narrative completely. Simply through the use of cinematography, editing and the facial expressions of the actors the story makes sense. I think this is such a skill, one which Rocha has exhibited very well. 

The non-diegetic music plays over certain points of the film. What sounds like a clarinet or oboe plays a simple tune when the caretaker is taking measurements of the hoop and the court. This simple melody stir a feeling of intrigue within the audience.

During the slow motion sequence of the caretaker running towards the hoop the sound of the ball bouncing echoes as if leading to a triumphant shot. It builds suspense along with the slow motion. 

Titles

The titles are in a simple white font, firstly the directors name overlaid on the shot of the hoop followed by the title of the film '3x3' in a different, more brush stroke font. I'm not entirely sure of the meaning behind the title, it may be a Basketball term I am not familiar with or a reference to the maths involved in the caretakers calculations. The credits roll at the end of a black background in the same simple white font as the directors name accompanied by the same tune played within the film. All of the titles are simple and do not distract from the narrative.

My thoughts

There are several points about this short film that really appeal to me. I like how there is no dialogue an yet the story is conveyed so effectively. This is down to the effective use of shot types and editing along with the simplicity of the story. The nature of the story also really appealed to me, I like how it plays with preconceptions of the characters as well as how the action stemmed from a seemingly normal situation which, for the characters, is their normal work environment.

                                                                                      

Initial Ideas Part 1

At this very early point in the process I find my head full of ideas, at several points in the day I think about this project. This series of post will be about my initial thoughts and ideas for possible subjects for my short film.

1. Point of view imaginary friend

Some one is talking to another person, but this person is the camera (so it's a point of view shot). These characters go throughout their day like normal, just doing things that friends do, so such as going for coffee or seeing a film.

As these characters go throughout their day anyone who walks past looks at the first character strangely, perhaps throwing hurtful remarks (their nature will become clear in a second).

At the end of the film the camera stops acting as the point of view for the second character and pans round to reveal that there is no second character, only a figment of the first characters imagination.

Potential problems

• The message could be hard to convey, it may not come across that the person is talking to an imaginary friend. 
• It could be boring, because the main idea falls at the end of the narrative.

This Years Brief

This year I will make a short film, this brief is this:

"You will plan, construct and evaluate the work with regard to the form and style of the productions and their intended audiences. You research and planning will take the form of a blog, which should be constantly updated. Your evaluation will be presented in the form of director's commentary. "

The first stages: Ideas and research