Research: Short Film Analysis: Agender

Plot/ Narrative 

In this dystopian short movie we find the protagonist, Charlotte, conflicted with emotions in a world where homosexuality is seen as the norm and heterosexuality is seen as something deeply wrong. Men are inferior to women and as a result, they are treated like slaves and like slaves, they receive violence.

This is a well-edited low-budget feature which, in fairness is quite a good film, with a deeply interesting plot, certainly well constructed for a 10 minute movie. However, as a criticism the acting is not great; the script could have also been refined and made a lot more powerful. Take the intro voice-over and the end voice-over which uses rhyme. Often I just wanted to scream out no, don't say that and I found myself huffing in annoyance, waiting for the girl to give a more realistic performance. Where was the emotion? Frankly I couldn't connect with it. I realise that acting timid as she was, was part of the character but on the most part, scenes like when Charlotte couldn't quite believe that the guy might like her, the acting was poor. Despite this, looking at the film just shows me how important casting is for my film in order to grasp the emotion and realism of the story and make it convincing for the audience.

Characters

In this short film we are introduced to 2 main protagonists: a rebellious young girl named Charlotte and young man (whose name we never find out, which in effect helps to highlight the disregard and lack of respect the women have for men). Other than that we meet Charlotte's two mothers and fellow classmates. From the scenes in the classroom we get an idea of the treatment of men from how the one male character in the room is made to serve the female teacher: totally under the teacher's control.


Initially we see a younger version of Charlotte with her mother and this is when we are first introduced to the first parent. In the scene the mother can be seen judging her daughter's actions and as a result, praising her with a look of satisfaction when Charlotte hits the young boy. In the two shots on the right we see that this woman is wearing a khaki coloured vest top, a maroon cardigan and jewellery. It's not clear if she's wearing make-up however the costume, despite the colour of the vest top, are all icons of femininity. However, in these shots we see that her hair is tied back, connoting practicality which conventionally, is a masculine trait. This subverts the feminine stereotype.

However, as we find out later on, this woman is a lesbian. The media stereotypes lesbians to appear 'butch', strong, muscly and have cropped hair. Here we can see that the woman subverts the lesbian stereotype. We can also assume that because of her age she must be a mother. Why? She comes from the house, looking to her daughter for some form of action when she sees the boy going through their rubbish, like a teacher observing students progress to see if they've learnt what's been taught.

Charlotte, as seen in the close up shot on the right, clearly wears a lot of make-up, a symbol of femininity. This tells us that she also cares about what she looks like which is another conventionally feminine value. Considering this is a dystopian/ Sci-Fi film it is typical to find that the main protagonist is female, so in theory we can immediately assume that this is a dystopian film purely based on the fact that the main character is female.

Charlotte's second mother appears to conform to the feminine stereotype, wearing jewellery and what appears to be a floral top. It's also very clear that she is wearing make-up, showing she does value what she looks like. We aren't aware of the fact she is Charlotte's second mother until eye-line-match shows Charlotte looking at a family photo hanging on the wall where all 3 are standing together. Just as with her partner, this character appears very feminine, subverting the lesbian stereotype.

The second most significant character in this short film is the young man. In the medium close up shot on the right we see that he is wearing a dark raincoat, a black top and a hoodie. Conventionally, these are all typical pieces of costume that connote masculinity. The costume also ascribes to the stereotype of a young person. From this we get the reading that this character is a young man, probably suggested to be in his late teens, early twenties and that because the clothes don't look particularly expensive but rather worn out, we get the reading he is on the run, or at least in hiding.

Although minor, we are also introduced to two stock characters who appear to be in a relationship. Both characters are wearing typically very feminine clothes, paired with accessories and hair and make-up which is neat, tidy and attractive. Evidently in this film, the characters subvert the lesbian stereotype which films tend to conventionally portray as having short, cropped hair, masculine clothing and having an all-round 'butch' appearance and personality.

Camera Shot/ Angles/ Movement


This film is a perfect example of the execution of camera movement, camera angles and camera shot. For one there is a lot of tracking, panning and zooming in and out that is used well in the film to lead the audiences' eye past the characters and to see what they are doing. Zooming is also used to convey what the characters are feeling, whether it's anger, or shock,  in which case you would zoom in. We have eye-line match and shot-reverse-shot to establish relationships between the characters and to show the audience that what the characters are looking at is significantly important (e.g. Charlotte as a young girl looking at the boy and the moment Charlotte makes eye-contact with the two classmates whose hands she is staring at).

Another brilliant shot that helps sustain the reality of the narrative is this extreme close up shot (on the left) of the teacher's mouth. By using such a detailed and close shot the director/producer is giving the audience the reading that Charlotte is bothered by what the teacher is saying, suggesting that Charlotte doesn't believe in the way society is run in this dystopian film. This proves crucial to the plot.

Editing

Continuity editing has clearly been used in this film although the narrative structure is non-linear which drops us immediately into the scene, producing the most shock from the audience when we realise how both genders are in a situation of unequal power. As for editing techniques the producer has used fades to white when the title appears, to create the effect that time has passed.

Sound

As with most films, to achieve an effective understanding of the plot and to maintain realism in a film, both diegetic and non-diegetic sounds are used. Agender displays this very well. Incidental music is used when Charlotte is taking food from the fridge, suggesting she is doing something risky. Likewise, any moment where we find tension or trouble about to occur the music intensifies. Incidental music is used a lot in this film, to build suspense and worry for the protagonist. The only light-hearted moment in the film is when uplifting music has been used for the moment when Charlotte and the guy realise that they like each other. It's not just the juxtaposition of music that causes a whiplash of emotions to hurdle our way but the careful fades and cuts of the music. For example, at the end when Charlotte unexpectedly hits the guy the music stops altogether, proving shocking and dramatic.

Lighting

High key lighting has been used here, to ensure the atmosphere and mood isn't ominous, however possibly a blue filter has been used also to create a sort of foreboding atmosphere, implying that the world the characters live in is wrong and unforgiving.

Typography


The film uses formal typography with a black font and white background. From a fade to white, the title dissolves in, floating around the middle of the screen before the text dissolves and the shot cross-dissolves into a close up of the protagonist's face. When we see the title the music gets louder, as if the convention of all movies (either louder background music or a sound motif).  The use of black writing on a white background creates this idea of role reversal because usually it is so common to see films use black background and white writing. By creating this idea, the titles help to inform the audience that the film has something to do with a role reversal, in this case it's power of gender (from when women were once inferior- not any more though). The white also has connotations of being lost and isolated, some of the many themes to cross into the film.

This film, in relation to titles, conforms to the conventions of films, with titles beginning the film and credits for cast at the end. Most credits for short movies are created to look different from how any other film sets them out. In Agender they have used a neat and organised structure which is very appealing. If you notice, some of the text is faded, which suggests that like the way the words are almost incomplete, the world is just as incomplete when there is no fairness and equality in whatever sexual orientation you have. This theory, if the deeper moral meaning of the film, shows us in a unique way that there can be no 'complete' and good world when people are deprived of what they love: in this case, whether they are homosexual or heterosexual.

Research: Short Film Analysis: Identity

Plot/ Narrative

The story behind this short film is based on the idea of identity, hitting hard on the issue faced by many young people and in fact many adults to this day: self-consciousness. Using masks the director of this film has made thoughtful consideration for how to represent this idea of 'the right beauty'. It's also fascinating to see how the producer has developed this film, through using a non-linear narrative where the intro is the end scene. This is then reversed to show what lead the protagonist to the point where she no longer wears her mask.

Characters

A convention of short films is that within the first 30 seconds you are bound to be introduced to the protagonist. This short is no exception.  As soon as the film begins we are immediately introduced to this protagonist. In the medium close up (on the right) the character is located in a bathroom, appearing quite dishevelled. We are given no context and so as we watch this girl, clearly spent but oddly relieved, we are given the reading that something has happened that has in some ways changed her outlook on things. From this moment the scene is replayed backwards.

When time is reversed we find the character sitting alone in a busy school/ college canteen. In her hands is a sketch pad. Most puzzling is why she's wearing a mask. That is until we realise that everyone is wearing a mask, all different colours. In the film most of the stock characters wear the same mask, corresponding to what social group they belong to. As the title implies, this is a film centred around the idea of identity and thus individuality.

In the medium close up shot below several girls are staring up at a poster stating that this is what beauty looks like, it's not about being individual, or having a unique identity ( in other words, a unique and decorative mask, completely atypical to the other masks in the film).

A really powerful element of this film is that there's a close up shot which tracks another stock character walking from a group, wearing a lilac mask. As soon as she nears another group she pulls off the mask, wearing a bright red one. This is a really well-thought, intuitive and powerful piece of footage because it's grasping the reality and idea of people being 'two-faced'. Building characterisation certainly for this stock character, I think the producer/director has intended for the audience to get the reading that the film is addressing the harsh perceptions of people in society e.g. judgemental and malicious behaviour towards others, such as acting like an honest friend when in fact that person is mocking them behind their back.

Camera Shot/ Angles/ Movement 

I really respect this film, and it's certainly commendable of appraisal because of it's high level of professionalism. 'Identity' uses a diverse range of camera shots, angles, movements and editing techniques to bring this story to life and therefore to allow the audience to connect with the main character.

One of the shots I really like is this close up shot where the camera tilts up, showing the character looking at her reflection in the mirror. What's particularly appealing about the shot is the way in which the camera shows the audience both the back of her head and the reflection in the mirror, giving the illusion that we are involved with the scene.

Another shot I thought was worth mentioning is this medium shot which the camera zooms into to focus on the main character. In front of the young adults are small desks. Behind the group is a wall filled which an array of posters and a map of the world. This leads us to understand that the main character is in a school environment; therefore informing us of the film's location.

The camera is also known to track the main character as she walks through the school corridor. One of many gripping and powerful shots, as demonstrated in the shot to the left, is that the producer/director tends to use a lot of close up shots of the main character. In this case we have a shallow focus shot of the side of the girl's face which helps us to see how disconnected this character feels from the rest of society: thus building characterisation. It's also significantly important to note that the teacher doesn't appear to wear a mask. This brings up questions such as why isn't he wearing one? Do only young people wear masks? Is it about growing up, and understanding that image doesn't matter that you can finally be considered mature, just like when the girl decides to walk away without the mask by the end of the film?

Another shot to grab my eye was this medium shot ( on the right) of the girl, sat alone in the school/college canteen. The scene is cut between this shot and shots showing the groups of people talking amongst themselves. By editing in this way and so juxtaposing the image of the girl on her own with the groups of people, the director is emphasising the isolation and loneliness this girl experiences- another pointer as to the divided feeling of an outsider which seems to be a key emotion the film explores with this character.

Another powerful and effective shot is the crane, high angle long shot which is used right at the end of the film. By using this shot we see the collective impact this girl has had on the other students, just by the temerity and conviction she displays through having disregarded the mask.

Finally we see that at the end and at the start of the film, the camera tracks the main character as she makes her way around the canteen to the toilets. One of the crucially significant editing techniques used by the editors is in running the film footage backwards to signify the reversal of time. By implementing this editing technique in to the film, the director/ producer creates, as said, a non-linear narrative, which is interesting and yet still easy to follow.

Sound

This film begins using a voice-over, conforming to the convention of short films because typically any voice-over found in a film comes from the main protagonist. Both at the start and end of the film we hear a synthesised sound resembling the movement of glass, such as might be heard in fantasy films when time rewinds and shattered glass rises, moving back into the smooth, large piece of glass it once was. Throughout the film both non-diegetic music and diegetic sounds play. These diegetic sounds include people chatting, the scraping of knives and folks on plates and the school bell, all of which are sounds typically found in a school/ college environment. Towards the climax point in the movie (when the main character takes her mask off) the music changes and gradually gets louder, signifying this is a paramount moment in the film. Interestingly enough, throughout the whole film we never hear the girl talk and this proves that body language alone is enough to impact the audience-so long as you use the right camera shots (for effect).

Lighting

This film uses high key lighting however it also looks as if a filter has been used to create a more desolate atmosphere. It may also be the case that a filter hasn't been used but rather the dark school corridors give the impression that one has been.

Typography


As is typical with many movies, this short film uses a colour scheme of black and white: white writing and a black background. The title in the shot on the right shows that the typography used is very harsh, appearing to be streaked with small incisions. The font therefore connotes violence and is similar to the writing we conventionally see when advertising any media associated with the military. It's unusual therefore that the producers chose to use this title, purely because the reading of it doesn't match the plot. However, if we look at it in the way this film is trying to demonstrate the cruel reality of society in this strange alternate universe, then I can, in some ways, understand why the font was used. The title, as we see, isn't centred but rather it sits at the bottom corner. In a way this is more reflective of the film, giving the audience the reading that this is a film about individual loneliness and isolation, just as the placing of the title suggests that it doesn't belong in the middle, but rather deserves seclusion.

As for the remaining credits, which run at the end of the film, the font is clearly very different and so is the layout. In the screenshot on the left we can see that 4 job roles have been segregated into two different columns. Personally I don't think this arrangement is attractive so rather than use this example as a stem of inspiration for my own credits, it's more something I will avoid to ensure my film is attractive in all ways.

Research: Short Film Analysis: Many Moons

Plot/ Narrative

Bertie Gilbert , a 17 year old film-maker, director and writer takes common place in the making of his own short films. Many Moons is one of Bertie's less regarded films, particularly because of the length of it (being around 2 minutes). Nevertheless it is a brilliant film, admittedly confounding but gripping all the same. In the short we see the character discussing how sorry he is (although the story behind this apology is unknown). It's a very intimate moment because as an audience, we are seeing a very vulnerable side of the character and that is particularly effective at drawing in the audiences' attention.

Characters

The only character we are introduced to is Bertie's character. Other than that we are given little information about the other character, who Bertie's character addresses using the sound recorder. The male character explains how he might not see this person ever again in a very outspoken, touching way, making the audience wonder where is he going? Is he going to die? We don't know whether he is an intelligible person or not but the way he talks about odd, weird facts like the size of a wale's heart, gives the impression he is spontaneous and fairly intellectual.

In this close up shot (to the right) we see the character is dressed in a shirt and and dark jacket connoting wealth and professionalism. He is also wearing glasses, an icon of intelligence and nobility. This leads us to assume the character must be a rational, intelligent young man. However matched with the dialogue (irrational behaviour), the short film is subverting the conventional assertion that he is level-headed and mature.

On the other hand, the shot on the left shows the young man wearing Nike trainers, conventionally an item of clothing that's associated with teenagers. This is showing the film is conforming to the stereotype of a young person showing the audience that this is perhaps a confused character, uncertain of how he should appear, just as his mind is uncertain about the future he sees with the character he's making a recording for.

Camera Shot/ Angles/ Movement

Example of a blurred location shot

Bertie has constructed this film with dexterous professionalism, making appropriate and effectual camera shot choices in order to entertain the realism of the film. Some of the really powerful shots that are used in this film are ones where the camera is moved about a lot, creating a blurred, disjointed image. This gives the reading that these images are connected with the character, as if they are point-of-view shots taken from Bertie's character's perspective. This suggests he's a daze, and the character feels his senses are numbed to the environment, a reason for why he feels he isn't going to see people again. In the shot above we can also see that the character is on the ledge of a building top, causing the audience to jump to the conclusion that he will jump. By doing this, we feel more engaged with what's happening because we want to wait and see why he is making the choice to do so.

Example of a blurred location shot

Close up shots dominate the film, ensuring that the audience has the best opportunity to be gripped by this one character who speaks so apathetically to the sound recorder. This is particularly useful and something I can definitely use in my own short film to hopefully make the audience emphasise with my own characters.

Some of the camera movements we see in this film, other than the uncoordinated movement of the camera, includes panning and tracking shots, but which used when the male character jumps up to stand on the ledge of a building. This helps to emphasise the fact he is standing high up on a dangerous escarpment.

Editing

Simple enough, the editing consists of cuts and for the title sequence, fades to black has been used. The use of cuts helps to sustain continuity in the film, whilst the use of fades slows down the tempo of the film to highlight the fact that this is not an action movie: it doesn't need bold editing techniques but rather the context of the film is sad and needs soft fades to black to convey this dejection.

Sound

One of the first things we hear when we play this film is the score of the movie, a soft-numbing piece of non-diegetic music. On top of this is the non-diegetic sound effect of an old recording. This gives us the reading that the character is using a sound recorder, even before we see him actually use it. Along with this is the use of dialogue. Gradually, as the movie begins to transcend, the music develops and the serene sound of a piano being played hits our senses. As relaxing as it is, it also heightens the mood into a doleful atmosphere; for myself, it was a struggle to not succumb to my emotions and cry.

Lighting

Having been filmed at night, the film uses low key lighting which creates a dismal and morose atmosphere, but one that is strangely peaceful. What's particularly effective about using low key lighting is that when Bertie's character uses a torch, it's strikingly vibrant in the dark environment, emphasising how lost the character is in this unilluminated and unforgiving world he sees.

Typography

Title

 The most prominent element of the credit sequence is the use of colour. 40 seconds into the film the title fades in and the background of city lights illuminates the shot background in a beautiful and entrancing way. Before this though is a series of informal credits explaining that the film has no context and the audience must decide for themselves what the meaning of the the story is. The font is the same throughout, even up to the end of the film where the final credits then fade in. What's different however is how Bertie uses a variety of font colours which contrasts well with the dark background.

Credits

Credits

Research: Short films

In this post you'll find 3 short films, sourced from the depths of the internet to give me the foundation understanding which i can use to construct my own film. I found that the majority of the time i became bored by most of the short movies so at least the preliminary research has shown me how important it is to begin my short movie with an effective and gripping intro and ending. Another thing to be aware of is the fact that most short movies found on YouTube last over 10 minutes. For myself, the task is much more challenging; for the A-level specification I am required to compress the footage i take into only a 5 minute film. Below are a few of the short films you may find interesting; one short film projects the anxiety felt by many young adults based on being self-conscious. The second is a Sci-Fi/ dystopian film which shows a society where women are the dominant sex, and that being heterosexual is seen as being wrong. The third short movie is much longer, made by a YouTuber around the same age as me. You can find a list of his works on IMDB which similarly to the video below, tells stories about an individual's struggle to overcome a difficulty, in this case his friend's suicide. 

Research: Viral Marketing Case Study (Cloverfield)

Cloverfield (2008)

Genre: Action/ Sci-Fi/ Thriller
Box Office: $170, 764, 026
Budget: $25 million
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Studios: Bad Robot Productions

Following the film's release of the trailer, a teaser site (www.1-18-08.com) was created to provide exclusive pictures which built hype for the public. An additional viral website was put online (www.slusho.jp) for a fictional Japanese drink which was penned as subtly giving clues about the film. Moreover another film was made (http://www.tagruato.jp/) with an interactive map of a company's drilling operations, specifying their rigs. Along with these viral marketing campaigns came vlogs by the main characters. More information on this can be found here. Furthermore 8 fake news clips, all in different languages were published online, documenting the destruction of an oil rig in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. To avoid confusion and worry to the public, subtle details that the videos were part of the campaign, were employed. By using so many different viral campaigns, developed in extravagant detail, Cloverfield was able to create and sustain a deeply tangible story.

Research: Methods of promotion

The main aim of promoting a film is to get it seen by as many people as possible in order for the institutions to attain the highest value of capital they can possible achieve. For a short film this is very similarity the case, where it's promoted to gain money but also as a teaser for a feature film; the success off the back of the small film will then act as a guide for how how much success can be predicted for the full length feature film. For example, before Warp Films created Tyrannosaur, they made a short film named Dog Altogether which received a BAFTA for Best Short Film and a Silver Lion for Best Short Film at the Venice Film Festival. This showed Warp Films that they could safely invest their money into making Tyrannosaur because there was an audience who would support it.

Film promotion is done in several ways; notably the producers promote through using technology in order to grab the audiences' attention and build hype for the film. Below are some of the ways a film is promoted.

Heritage

Heritage marketing simply means non digital forms of marketing e.g. posters, cinema trailers etc. Due to the rapid growth and development of technology this method however cannot be used on its own to promote a film and get it seen by the right people (target audience), although it was certainly the only way we could promote a film roughly 20-30 years ago.

Digital

Digital marketing is digital forms of marketing e.g. trailers, websites etc. Under this term comes pull marketing and push marketing. As said, the expansion of technology has changed how we promote films but also how the audience can come into contact with it. Push marketing is marketing the distributor/promoter places specifically for the audience to come into contact with e.g trailers, TV adverts. Whereas Pull marketing is marketing the target audience locates and seeks out themselves e.g. source the website, go on YouTube etc.

Advantages 

Digital technology has offered a logistics-light, cost-effective, and efficient dynamic, promotion strategy for institutions to promote their film. It has meant that now all institutions have the power to promote their film globally, because it isn't as expensive as it once was to do this. Digital technology has also meant that a wider audience can be reached and therefore more people will be likely to watch the film, raising a greater degree of profit for the film.

Viral Marketing

Viral marketing is the spreading of information on the internet, slowly releasing information about the film e.g. social media. Building hype is the central purpose of viral marketing, to keep fans interested and making them feel that they have to 'earn' the knowledge about an upcoming film. Viral marketing has the advantages of low costs, higher credibility and like digital marketing, higher efficiency. 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises created a fictional file for a criminal investigation which was posted online at the film's site, TheDarkKnightRises.com, which included a press release explaining how Batman had left graffiti drawings of bolts around the world. The public had to submit photographic evidence on Twitter or email to gain an exclusive frame of the film's upcoming trailer. This is just one example of how hype was created. However, whilst viral marketing is in many ways, a revolutionary form of marketing it doesn't guarantee a film will 'go viral'.

Fortunately it is just as easy, if not simpler to promote a short film over social media.

Web 2.0

A final way films are promoted is through web 2.0. Web 2.0 is associated with web application that facilitate interactive information sharing e.g. YouTube, Twitter, Facebook etc. It allows uses to interact with other users or to alter web content.

Research: Distribution

Currently distribution is dominated by US Conglomerates, including Walt Disney, Universal and Twentieth Century Fox to name a few. This is mainly due to the fact that the capital available is much higher than for independent feature films such as those created by the UK film industry. In relation to this industry, there is independent distribution in the UK which includes Pathé, the Entertainment Distribution Company and Momentum (Pictures).

On average, the distributor will receive 40% off of box office revenues, 30% of which is spent on marketing, promotion, prints, certification and administration. It's the role of the distributor's to do one or more of these following tasks (and more):

• Acquire a film
• Acquire DVD distribution rights 
• Arrange promotional partnerships

Distribution can be divided into 3 groups: publicity and marketing (promotion), film sales and circulation (copies to cinema). It's up to the distributor to decide whether a film needs a saturation (700-1000 prints) or an art house release (20 prints). They also need to consider when the film should be released. This can depend on the target audience. For example, if the film being promoted/distributed is aimed at families, ideally the film would be released in the summer holidays. However if the film is intended to be seen by adults then the award season would be a more beneficial time to distribute the film (Jan-March).

For something to be distributed it can be done in several ways: through television (airline, digital etc.), theatre, the internet and physically distributed. With regard to the theatre, a film, and short film alike can be distributed through being previewed at film festivals, community screenings, within art-houses and/or cinema chains. As for the internet, websites promoting the films are created, as well as apps, streaming sites and subscription platforms are all available where the audience has direct and instant access to your film. Finally with physical distribution, dvds, books, comics, posters, merchandise, bluray, and flash drives are all other options which the audience can choose to find out more about about a film and is yet a selection of ways a film can be distributed, promoted and therefore seen by more and more people worldwide.

Case Study

On the website, Short of the Week, I stumbled across a case study for a well distributed short film, promoted with surprising success, and only achieved through patience and determination. The film, The Thomas Beale Cipher by Andrew Allen and Jason Sondhi was an award-winning film. Distributed both online and at festivals, the makers collated the analytics from both to find out what gained them the most attention and secured business and distributor interest from established companies. These can be found here with further information on the case also.

1. The plan for distribution across the web was put into several steps sure to help the makers finally reach a standard where their film would grab the attention of industry experts. The first of these was to publish the film on Vimeo. YouTube was likely to afford them more viewers, however Vimeo would ensure the right viewers would see the film. Since this article was published in 2011 it's not as likely that this case stands today, since as we know, YouTube is becoming a major video-based site where people will look to find short films and promote them, simply because of ease. 
2. Secondly, posting a film early was likely to give the film a full day to gain lots of views and is something that this film was posted with in mind (Monday morning).
3. Allen and Sondhi used Short of the Week to enable their short film to be shared to a viewer-ship of similar film makers and industry experts, looking to distribute and promote the next big short films. 
4. Social Media. It was important for the crew to get together and share this film across social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter since it was on these that a film's popularity could really grow. Today it is even more useful and important that films use these, as when one person sees the film, they will share it to friends who we share it to other friends and so on-meaning the film can be noticed globally and therefore retain popularity on a global scale.
5. Targeting key institutions/ bodies. Through emailing individuals of companies or companies directly themselves who might be interested in the film, it was important for Allen and Sondhi to get them to adopt an interest in the film so that they might share it. This is also the case for blogs with major view counts. If a film can be shared this way then it is more likely industry experts are to take an interest in the film and that a  film will be available to a wider, global audience.

At the end of it all, it proved that in fact distributing the way they did online, afforded them more attention both from the target audience and industries who had interest in the film. It also cost them nothing to do all of this, something that had enabled them the greatest viewer-ship of all, providing the most benefits. Although this is a 2011 case study, already back then the internet was growing in importance and popularity. Now however it is a fundamental asset to distributing a film. To see that it had such a huge impact on this short film, even back in 2011, just shows that despite distributing for festivals like most full length feature films do, for a short it's just as important, if not more, that a film is distributed/ promoted online.

Research: Narrative Theory

In addition to the notes I made on Vladamir Propp and his discussion of narrative, he added to his own theory by identifying what he called 'narratemes'. Simply put, the narrateme is an event that essentially drives the narrative forward, sometimes diverting it off into a different direction; however this isn't an evident feature to have been used in every story.

Claude Levi-Strauss

Levi-Strauss was a French academic who believed that our understanding of words originated from their opposites rather than the meaning of the words themselves. For example, our idea of a hero derives from our association of the binary opposite e.g. antagonist. He importantly went on to say that oppositions helped people to understand the ideas and associations between binary oppositions such as masculinity/ femininity, good/evil etc. It was also evident that within particular societies, one opposition is commonly favoured more than the other. For example, a lot of people prefer good to evil because of the connotations of being good.

Structuralism

Within film, structuralism simply looks at how films convey meaning through the use of codes and conventions (e.g. camera shots), in the same way language varies/ changes meaning through communication. Many features can be used to convey this, which is why structuralism can be quite a complex theory. For example, dark lighting using a blue filter might be used to convey an early night/ early morning scene providing us with the understanding that the scene is set during a particular time of day. However when you add low, ominous music, the mood immediately changes, especially when quick cuts/ shaky shots are used to give the reading that the the film is a horror. It is conventional for horror films to use such features, showing that the meaning can be changed through the slightest edit technique; ultimately this effects the meaning of the film.

Roland Barthes' Narrative Codes

Barthes believed that narrative works with different codes involved, causing the audience to want to make sense of them. There were several he identified. These included:

• Enigma Code: this refers to a mystery within the film. Although clues are dropped in, the 'puzzles' are meant to confuse the audience to make them want to solve them, essentially reeling them in and making them want to watch more of the movie.
• Action Code: a sequential series of events that occur using proairetic elements to build suspense. An example of this might include someone falling in love, followed by an accident about to happen.
• Symbolic Code: this focuses on symbolism within the text, looking at opposites and how they contrast within a film to create different effects, affecting how we read the narrative. This can include using an object to refer to something outside of itself. For example, the rose in Beauty and the Beast represents the love of the beast and Belle but also the danger of the curse that brought it into existence,as a constant reminder of the beast's petulance.

Roland Barthes' Hermeneitic Code

This is very similar to the enigma code, referring to elements in the plot that have the audience raising questions that we want answered e.g a broken, bloody blade leaves us wondering who used the blade, why it's bloody, how it broke, who was the victim, was there a fight etc. The Proairetic code, similar to the action code, refers to an action in the plot that will lead onto another. For example, Katniss Everdeen draws an arrow and we're left to ponder at whether she'll shoot the target or miss it entirely.

Stanley Kubrick

 

Along with many others, Kubrick coined the term 'non-submersible units', referring to the parts in films that couldn't be left out because of how essential they are to a story. These are the elements to keep the viewer engaged with the film.

Research: Short Films (Narrative)

Much like a trailer, within the first 30 seconds of the film we are introduced to the main characters or at least an event that will have an impact on how the story plays out. With the introduction of this it is common to find lots of close-up and establishing shots to introduce the audience to the characters and to set the scene.

In short film non-linear narrative is commonly used however this typically follows an open narrative and so we find the opening begins in the middle of a scene/the story. It is also the case that short films will raise more questions than answers, particularly with films that last less than 10 minutes. This can be an issue. Since the film I create will be no longer than 5 minutes it's likely that no matter what I do, the film will raise lots of questions. Yet in the most part, the audience should at least be able to understand the concept of my film's plot/ narrative. Flashbacks, is an example of an editing technique that isn't however something usually found in short films, particularly because there isn't enough time to include them. Therefore they are not a convention found as part of a short films' narrative.

Todorov's Narrative Theory (NOT MY OWN IMAGE)

Todorov's Narrative Theory

Tzvetan Todorov developed a narrative theory than he broke down into 5 points. These can be reduced to three simple points: equilibrium, disruption, equilibrium. 

An example of a film to have followed this structure is The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

1. The Pevensie children move to their uncle's countryside house and live out their time there (equilibrium)
2. Edward meets The White Witch ( disruption of the equilibrium)
3. The Pevensies discover The White Witch is an antagonist in Narnia and Edward is working with her ( recognition of the disruption)
4. Aslan, Narnians, and the Pevensies come together to defeat The White Witch and her forces in a fight to the death ( an attempt to repair the damage)
5. The White Witch is defeated and the Pevensies reign over Narnia as the new kings and queens ( new equilibrium)

*It's important to note that not all films follow Todorov's narrative theory.

Vladimir Propp's Character Theory

Propp developed a theory identifying that there are 7 main characters which he found in a multitude of films and said could be applied to many others. As an example, I've paired each principle character with the characters from Star Wars.

1. The villain (Darth Vader/ Darth Sidious)
2. The donor (Obi Wan Kenobi)
3. The helper (Hans Solo/ R2-D2 + C-3PO)
4. The princess (Princess Leia)
5. The false hero (Lando Calrissian/ Darth Vader)
6. The dispatcher (Obi Wan Kenobi)
7. The hero (Luke Skywalker)

Syd Field's Three-act Structure

Field outlined a paradigm that most screenplays follow. He said Act 1 comprises of the first quarter of a screenplay. Act 2 comprises the next two quarters of the film and then Act 3 comprises the final quarter of the film. This can be seen below.

(NOT MY OWN IMAGE)

Research: What's a short film?

Branching into A2 Media is undoubtedly a big step up, thrusting me into deeper waters and leaving me sluggishly wading through the mess that is my unchallenged mind (because of course, the holidays provided a breather, academically not burning the cog-work of my brain). So here I am, having been given the brief and deciding what I am to do with the year. I can either choose to spend my time producing a trailer, or to go with a short film. I've chosen the latter.

So...what is a short film?

Fundamentally the greatest difference between a full-length feature film and a short film is the timing. A short film will last no more than an hour and can be as short as 3 minutes. In my case, the course requires me to make my movie in 5 minutes. As for the form and structure of the narrative, you have to compress the story into a limited space of time and there is obviously an inability to make a really in-depth movie. However, the structure is relatively similar. The intro will begin on a low, introducing the audience to the characters and eventually mid-way through the film, it will reach a climax before the problem is resolved at the end. The slight difference with some short films however, and particularly those that do last around 5 minutes, is that the films end on a disconcerting note, much like when you watch a horror movie and you think it's over, until suddenly you see the reflection of a paranormal being which raises more questions than those answered. In contrast to full-length feature films, short films don't have to begin with the titles and in some cases, the title and credits don't come until the end of the film. It's clear that essentially, short films have different conventions to full-length feature films.

In relation to distribution, short films are usually used to determine the success of a future, full-length feature film. Take Warp Film's Tyrannosaur for example; the success off the back of short film, Dog Altogether, helped the company establish that creating Tyrannosaur would enable them to raise substantial profit rather than resulting in the film being a flop (and causing a considerable loss of capital). In other cases short films are distributed for the same purpose as feature films: to entertain the audience. Critically, short films are just as important as any ancillary product because they are promoting the work of a film company.