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
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.
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
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.
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 |
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| Credits |
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