Post 2

Research into Student films

Risk It - Bill Pfohl

The creativity was very high, as this idea is consists of a simple idea constructed in a medium of different ways. This is because a boy was relying on a physical coin flip to determine is future. This idea was taken from the 'coin flip' superstition to decide fate - the coin flip would decide the boy's fate with his relationship. The short film featured 2 locations. This was a nice approach as the narrative was not interrupted with the setting changing. This allowed the audience to create more of a connection to the narrative as the settings were kept simple. The settings were a street and a lounge in this short film. The costumes were natural in this short film. This was due to the director wanting to maintain the simplistic effect of the setting in combination. Also, it would not be appropriate if there was an absurd character (e.g. fawn, alien etc.) in the setting. The costumes were comfortable, casual clothing. The props were the disk, two phones, TV remote and the bowl of popcorn. The use of the mobile phones allowed the director to connect the two scenes without direct interaction. The genre of the short film was romance, as the main character was in a dilemma about whether to ask a girl out and he had to rely on fate to choose for him. Although this was a romance, the target age that this film would be most appropriate for is teenagers. This is due to the short film featuring teens and the audience would be able to relate to the characters and create a connection to the narrative. The editing in this short film was consistent as the shooting involved shots no longer than 3-4 seconds in length. As the film was 4 minutes in length overall, the editing had to be closely monitored to ensure that the film production flowed efficiently and smoothly as the director had planned in the beginning. The editing team would have had to closely work with the director, as some scenes contained only diegetic sound whereas some of the other scenes featured only non-diegetic sound. The filming and final product consists of shots no longer than 3-5 seconds in length. Of these shots, most of the shots are wide shots, as the character is shown to be running etc. The shots that are used in this film are panoramic, wide, close up, and over the shoulder. The inconsistency of the shots could be argued to connote the character's emotions during the film. I liked that this film was easy to relate to, in the respects that the characters were of my age range, and the film featured a lot of teen themes. However, I did not like that the narrative did not continue longer so the character was shown to be confronting the girl that he went on dates with. Despite this, the audience could have inferred that the date went well and they are in a happy relationship as a result of the character's facial expression in the concluding scene. The sound in this short film was both diegetic and non-diegetic. For example, in the opening scene, as the music plays over the top - this sound is non-diegetic, as the actors cannot hear the music being played during filming. An example of the use of diegetic sound, is the dialogue, as the sound can be heard by the actors during filming. The text tone in the opening scene is also an example of diegetic sound. The casting of the characters was very important for this film. This is due to the narrative containing teen themes and the only appropriate actors for this scene would be teenage boys. For example, if two older women played the parts, the narrative would not flow correctly and as well as if two teenage boys played the parts.

Too Quick to Judge - Maaz Khan

The creativity of this short film is significant. Although the idea was simple and common, the cinematography and screenplay is what makes the creativity so significant. This ides could be taken from the 'don't judge a book by it's cover' statement, as the man unfairly judges the girl. The location of this film is a park bench. This allows the characters to be placed in a setting that is natural to them, so that the audience is not fixated on why the characters are in an unnatural environment. The setting is also consistent, which is a benefit for the director as only one location has to be taken into account during filming. The costumes used in this scene were in direct relation to the character's ambience, as the characters are from two different backgrounds. This difference in background is portrayed through the contrasting of colours in the costume. For example, the girl is wearing a dainty white dress, whereas the boy is wearing athletic sports gear. The genre of this film is teen drama. This is because of the characters being of a teen age, which makes the film more appealing to the teen audience range. However, the audience range is significantly widened by the moral of the story. For example, some teachers may show this in school assemblies or PHSE lessons in order to educate students on prejudice. The editing in this short film was consistent as the shooting involved shots no longer than 3-4 seconds in length. As the film was 4 minutes in length overall, the editing had to be closely monitored to ensure that the film production flowed efficiently and smoothly as the director had planned in the beginning. The editing team would have had to closely work with the director, as some scenes contained only diegetic sound whereas some of the other scenes featured only non-diegetic sound. The filming and final product consists of shots no longer than 3-5 seconds in length. Of these shots, most of the shots are wide shots, as the male character is shown to be running etc. The shots that are used in this film are panoramic, wide, close up, and over the shoulder. The inconsistency of the shots could be argued to connote the character's emotions during the film. Of this film, I liked that the moral of the story was applicable to society and provides a 'life lesson' within the narrative. However, I didn't like that the girl was so conveniently placed on the bench, and I think that if she was placed on a park bench rather than a forest, the narrative would have flowed better than the original setting. Although, one drawback of using a park bench is the background noise that the park will make. The sound in this film is a combination of both diegetic and non-diegetic sound. For example, the monologue in the film is diegetic as the actors could hear the sound whilst the filming was commencing. However, the first one minute of the film is only consistent of non-diegetic sound as the characters could not hear the soft melody playing over the top of the scene to contrast the narrative. The casting of this film was crucial for the film. this is because if the cast was different, the narrative would not have flowed as smoothly as it does. For example, if the cast consisted of two girls, the effect of the narrative would not have been as powerful as it would not show the contrast of the effects of social diversity.

Ross - Declan Allen

The creativity of this film is noticeable. This is because a simple idea has been taken and exaggerated into a plot narrative. Although this narrative is simple, the plot has been 'bulked-out' in order to allow the audience some imagination. The settings that were used in this film were natural and known to the audience. The settings were a school, household and a park bench. These settings were used in order to create a sense of relation between the audience and the character/director. The costume that Ross' character wears, is mainly black which could be argued to connote the character's inner feelings living a life as Rose. The other characters are seen to be wearing lighter colours, and nicer clothes which could also be argued to be representative of the inner feelings of Ross. The props that are used include a pile of books, basketballs and a fire pit. The genre of this short film is a drama, as the characters are part of an emotional narrative in which a solution to the problem will be achieved at the end of the film. The film could also be argued to be a teen film, as the characters are young and more appealing to the younger teenage audience as opposed to if an older character was cast. The editing in this short film was consistent as the shooting involved shots no longer than 3-4 seconds in length. As the film was 4 minutes in length overall, the editing had to be closely monitored to ensure that the film production flowed efficiently and smoothly as the director had planned in the beginning. The editing team would have had to closely work with the director, as some scenes contained only diegetic sound whereas some of the other scenes featured only non-diegetic sound. The filming and final product consists of shots no longer than 3-5 seconds in length. Of these shots, most of the shots are wide shots, as the male character is shown to be running etc. The shots that are used in this film are panoramic, wide, close up, and over the shoulder. The inconsistency of the shots could be argued to connote the character's emotions during the film. I like that this film is able to give the audience that don't know about LGBT+ issues an insight into what it is like being transgender. However, I don't particularly like that the acting isn't brilliant as it takes the professionalism away from the film and it gives the film a comedic element. The sound that is used in this short film is both diegetic and non-diegetic. However, the majority of the sound used is diegetic. An example of how diegetic sound is used is dialogue between the characters. However, in the opening scene, the source of sound was non-diegetic as the actors were not able to hear the soundtrack being played over the top of the scene. The casting that is used in this short film is predominantly teenagers, as the audience is teenage based. This could be argued to be due to the lack of professionalism due to the lack of acting skill. Despite this, if the cast was of an older generation, it would not have a strong effect on the audience like this short film had.