The Black Hole (Future Shorts.)
This short film is about a man who works in an office and comes across a photocopy of a big black circle. The subtext of the narrative is about greed. The man realises that things disappear when put through this black hole and he puts the paper onto the office safe and starts taking the money. He then crawls into the safe and gets stuck. The moral of the story is that greed will you land in trouble. The office is typically portrayed as dull with plain colours and a blue filter over the camera and the man looks typically bored at his office job.
Occupied (Future Shorts.)
The short film 'Occupied' is about a girl on an aeroplane who is desperate to have a cigarette. She locks herself into the toilet and we are shown a montage sequence of the things she has hidden about her person in order to disable the smoke alarm, block the vents and put her Zippo lighter together.
Lovefield.
This film was directed by someone called Mathieu Ratthe. This film contains the element of surpirse. Ratthe described this film by saying "Lovefield combines elements of horror, suspense and drama to create a story that takes the audience on a roller coaster ride of emotions." The short film demonstrates how music can create tension and it plays a big part in convincing the audience to feel different emotions. Mathieu Ratthe obviously had more of a budget when creating this short film and therefore could afford to spend money on a crew and on special effects. The narrative of this story is leading the audience to believe one thing when actually the complete opposite is happening. This film could also be an example of Claude Levi-Strauss's approach to narrative with the use of binary opposites; the idea of death vs birth. The narrative uses the enigmatic code, a simple story which turns out to be a guy who finds a woman having a baby. The cornfield and black crow usually signify a horror film as you imagine deserted ranches with strange people who live on their own, isolated from the world. The man in the film is dressed in a way that fits this stereotype as he is dressed in a pair of dirty overalls with a vest underneath. The fact that we see a dirty foot and the phone beeping leads the audience to believe that someone has been murdered. However, this turns out to be quite the opposite.
Lucky.
I would say that the genre of this film is action. It has a quick pace and involves the audience. The short film uses Todorov's approach to narrative; the use of equilibrium and disequilibrium. The beginning of the film is when the man is in the truck. The middle of the film is when the man is on the car and the end of the film is the explosion. The story is mainly told through image. There is no soundtrack and no talking. The only sound is the music at the beginning, establishing the mood. The location is in the middle of the desert. This usually signifies where bodies are buried or where people go to die. The make up and costume helps tell us the situation with the blood on the tape across his mouth and the old western style red car. The camera is handheld and shaky, it makes everything seem more real and gives a sense of urgency.
Post-It Love.
This film's genre is romantic comedy. It has a moderate to slow pace. The basic narrative is a shy boy meets girl and falls in love. There is no real narrative/arc. The characters are unable to express emotions and therefore express them through post-it note pictures. The location is a bland office with bright post-its as props. The camera work can be described as static and it is kept extremely simple. The music dominates the film and is childish in a way, making it sound like an advert.
Bitch.
The genre of the film 'Bitch' is a comedy. The narrative of the film is a boy shopping. The casting uses Levi-Strauss's approach of binary opposites. The film also uses Todorov's theory of narrative. The beginning is the single man shopping, the middle is the woman showing the photo of her son and the end is the realisation of what the woman has done. It is the suspense of disbelief which holds the audience. The woman gets away with doing something that would never happen in everyday life. The camera shows an over the shoulder dialogue sequence with close ups and shallow depth of field. The framing is using a wide angle. The film's credits reinforce the film's genre and are done in a receipt style supporting the storyline.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Research of Three Directors for Short Film
Blake Edwards:
Blake Edwards is one of my favourite directors. Breakfast at Tiffany's, the Pink Panther films and The Great Race are all favourite films of mine. The style of Breakfast at Tiffany's is extremely memorable and this is partly down to the direction of Blake Edwards. The audience feel involved in the love story between the two characters and are kept entertained. The Great Race is another memorable film as Blake Edwards keeps the audience hooked with the twists and turns of the stories.
Steven Spielburg:
Steven Spielburg is one of the most iconic filmmakers in history. All the classic films we watch today are because of his great direction. My personal favourites include Jaws, ET, The Colour Purple and Hook. His films involve many themes and genre's. He is considered to be one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema.
Stanley Donen:
Stanley Donen directed classic films such as Funny Face, Blame It On Rio and Singin' in the Rain. What's interesting about Stanley Donen is that he was also a choreographer and this made his films even more memorable as he had a say in both the direction and choreography in the film. I really like Donen's film styles as they make for interesting films and really hold the audience's attention. The choreography he used at the times of each film was different to a lot of things people were used to and that made him intriguing as a director.
Blake Edwards is one of my favourite directors. Breakfast at Tiffany's, the Pink Panther films and The Great Race are all favourite films of mine. The style of Breakfast at Tiffany's is extremely memorable and this is partly down to the direction of Blake Edwards. The audience feel involved in the love story between the two characters and are kept entertained. The Great Race is another memorable film as Blake Edwards keeps the audience hooked with the twists and turns of the stories.
Steven Spielburg:
Steven Spielburg is one of the most iconic filmmakers in history. All the classic films we watch today are because of his great direction. My personal favourites include Jaws, ET, The Colour Purple and Hook. His films involve many themes and genre's. He is considered to be one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema.
Stanley Donen:
Stanley Donen directed classic films such as Funny Face, Blame It On Rio and Singin' in the Rain. What's interesting about Stanley Donen is that he was also a choreographer and this made his films even more memorable as he had a say in both the direction and choreography in the film. I really like Donen's film styles as they make for interesting films and really hold the audience's attention. The choreography he used at the times of each film was different to a lot of things people were used to and that made him intriguing as a director.
Research of Film Styles for Short Film
What is an auteur?
Auteur theory is when a film reflects the director’s personal creative vision, as if he were the author. It is often easy to tell when a certain director has directed a film, as their ‘auteur’ is similar to other films of theirs. Auteur theory has had a major impact on film criticism since it was advocated by Francois Truffaut, a film director and critic, in 1954. It is the analysis of a film’s theory or characteristics of a director’s work that makes them an auteur. Auteurism is often associated with the French New Wave.
What is Cinema Verite?
Cinema verite is a style of documentary filmmaking which combines naturalistc techniques with stylized cinematic devices of editing, camerawork, the use of the camera to provoke subjects and staged set-ups. Cinema verite is associated with taking a provocative stance toward its topics. Differences in cinema verite include whether the audience are aware of the camera or not.
What is avant-garde film?
Avant-garde film is a range of filmmaking styles that differ from the practices of mainstream commercial and documentary filmmaking. This is also known as experimental film. An avant-garde film can be noted by the absence of linear narrative and the use of various abstracting techniques such as out of focus, scratching on the film or rapid editing. The uses of non-diegetic sound or having no sound track at all are also characteristics of avant-garde film. Avant-garde films are usually low budget with little crew.
What is film noir?
Film noir is a term which describes Hollywood crime dramas. These films can include emphasis on cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. The film noir period was from the early 1940’s to the late 1950’s. These films involved a low key black and white visual style with roots in German Expressionist cinematography. The ideas of film noir products derive from the crime fiction that emerged during the Depression in the USA.
What is French New Wave about?
The French new wave was a term given by critics to a group of French filmmakers from the late 1950’s and 1960’s. They were influenced by Italian Neorealism and classical Hollywood cinema. Filmmakers were linked by their self-conscious rejection of classical cinematic form and youthful iconoclasm. Iconoclasm is the deliberate destruction of a culture’s religious icons and other symbols by the culture itself. The French New Wave is an example of European art cinema.
Auteur theory is when a film reflects the director’s personal creative vision, as if he were the author. It is often easy to tell when a certain director has directed a film, as their ‘auteur’ is similar to other films of theirs. Auteur theory has had a major impact on film criticism since it was advocated by Francois Truffaut, a film director and critic, in 1954. It is the analysis of a film’s theory or characteristics of a director’s work that makes them an auteur. Auteurism is often associated with the French New Wave.
What is Cinema Verite?
Cinema verite is a style of documentary filmmaking which combines naturalistc techniques with stylized cinematic devices of editing, camerawork, the use of the camera to provoke subjects and staged set-ups. Cinema verite is associated with taking a provocative stance toward its topics. Differences in cinema verite include whether the audience are aware of the camera or not.
What is avant-garde film?
Avant-garde film is a range of filmmaking styles that differ from the practices of mainstream commercial and documentary filmmaking. This is also known as experimental film. An avant-garde film can be noted by the absence of linear narrative and the use of various abstracting techniques such as out of focus, scratching on the film or rapid editing. The uses of non-diegetic sound or having no sound track at all are also characteristics of avant-garde film. Avant-garde films are usually low budget with little crew.
What is film noir?
Film noir is a term which describes Hollywood crime dramas. These films can include emphasis on cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. The film noir period was from the early 1940’s to the late 1950’s. These films involved a low key black and white visual style with roots in German Expressionist cinematography. The ideas of film noir products derive from the crime fiction that emerged during the Depression in the USA.
What is French New Wave about?
The French new wave was a term given by critics to a group of French filmmakers from the late 1950’s and 1960’s. They were influenced by Italian Neorealism and classical Hollywood cinema. Filmmakers were linked by their self-conscious rejection of classical cinematic form and youthful iconoclasm. Iconoclasm is the deliberate destruction of a culture’s religious icons and other symbols by the culture itself. The French New Wave is an example of European art cinema.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)