Now that the short film is completed, we will enter short film competitions and distribute our short to different companies. I will email TFL explaining the concept of our short film and will ask them if they would like to see it. I will offer them the opportunity to use it when in meetings and if they would like it for any other purpose, to let us no, meaning that they can get their own copies. I will also talk about the fact that our short film is avaliable to watch on vimeo and on youtube, and that we have also viewed some of the cabwise work. I will explain that we think the cabwise adverts were not well aimed enough to a younger audience, which is our aim.
We will also distribute our work on youtube and vimeo, where people can watch our short film all around the world.
Over the course of this unit, I have watched many Short films. One of our main influences was ‘About a girl.’ The concept of this film influenced us with our script and also the way we filmed it. ‘About a girl,’ was successful when it came to intriguing the audience with what the main character was saying. Her character also influenced us to make our main character have a similar personality, which misleads the audience.
Another short film that was an influence to our short film was ‘Black cabs,’ which I found on youtube.com. This short film influenced the way we filmed our footage in the cab. The shot angles were interesting, and this short film allowed us to see what camera shot and angle would work best in a smaller space. There were some shots from the front of the taxi looking onto the couple in the back, which we used. When filming our cab scene, I sat in the front of the cab as Ali held a torch underneath Felicity, making sure we had sufficient light. I then gave the camera over to Ali, where she filmed the back of the cab driver and also, the cab driver looking back at Felicity through his rear view mirror. This was also a shot that we had found in ‘Black taxis.’ Cabwise released a television advert on 2006, which was based on people getting into unlicensed cabs after a night out. When watching this advert, we felt that it didn’t really appeal a younger audience. The short film was good and effective as many people at the end start to realize what was happening. We felt that if we create a short film based on unlicensed cabs, we should aim for a target audience of 16-25’s, as this had not been done before. Cabwise also released a image advert at the same time. Similar to the television advert, we looked at the image and brainstormed ideas around it. (You can view black cabs online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjXhWlw5C6U)
As the majority of our group is now eighteen, when we have been out in the past, we have realized the dangers. More and more people are not being careful with how they get home, hence the amount of attacks that are happening. Every year, a large amount of teenagers turn eighteen, and we want to make sure they all are notified about the dangers. The more attention we bring to people, the more enjoyable having a night out will be.
Overall, I would say that our short film was as successful as how we wanted it to be. The aim of our short film was to show our audience the dangers of getting into unlicensed taxis. We used a factual scenario in our short film to show the audience the dangers. I feel that we portrayed our idea productively enough for the audience to understand our concept.
As a group, we felt that the planning stage of creating our short film was definitely important, to make our piece successful. Individually, I created the synopsis, Character profile, shot list and both myself and Shannon created the script together. I have learnt from this stage of creating our Short Film, that planning is important as our group stayed focused and organized when it came to filming sequences, organizing locations and actors. The shot list allowed us to have a rough idea of the shots we needed to film, at what stage of the short film we wanted them, and also the locations of each shot. The character profile allowed our actors to adapt to the type of characters we were looking for.
One of elements of our short film that works well is the simplistic shots of our character on the sofa. We wanted to keep our shots relatively simple and felt that this location would be a good idea. We made our actor wear white, blending in with both the color of the sofa and also the colour of the walls. Our aim was to show purity, contrasting with what had happened to Felicity the previous night. I feel that the colour scheme greatened the disgust in what had happened to her, as anyone who had been in a similar would feel dirty and unclean, hence the reason why we used a contrasting colour. I also feel that this clinical location allows the audience to focus on the character and her dialogue, rather then anything else. Although I felt that this part of the short film worked very well, I would say that if I had the opportunity to go back and change anything, I would have reduced the amount of shots of our main character on the sofa, and experimented with different locations. An example for this would be at the end of the short film. We could have used a shot of Felicity lying on the floor after the cab man had kicked her out of his car at some point during the middle of the night. I think that this would have made the ending more powerful, showing a short clip of what had actually happened to her straight after, with a voice over of Felicity's dialogue.
Another element that worked for use is having shots of both girls in the pub. This signified own of our aims of our short film, which is to be careful when going out at night time, as the girls were shown drinking too much alcohol and talking to random old men, not really taking much care of themselves. Our original idea was to film outside of a club in Croydon with a larger group of girls. The day we had planned to shoot our film, we had realized that not many people would be out as Croydon is usually busy on a Thursday night as it is student night. We also came to the conclusion that as we only had two girls, the best idea would be to go to a local pub and ask the manager if we could film for a while in their quietest area, and will not disturb the rest of the pub. The location of the pub was great as we filmed what we needed, had a few people that were willing to be in a few shots and the pub was also safe. One of the most effective shots of when the girls were in the pub was when they were conversating with the older man. This linked to what Felicity was saying in her voice over: 'There were loads of old men there, but they were a right laugh...I guess.' I do think that this shot could of been edited slightly better, as the sound of the group laughing, came in too loud compared to the previous dialogue from Felicity. If we were to go back and change this, I would change the levels in Final cut pro of this shot.
I would say that the shots of the cab driver work very well. We cut any diegetic sound out of the scene and used Felicity's dialogue as the voice over. This created a more intense feel to the scene and allowed the audience to get a better understanding of what had actually happened. One of the shots that worked most well of both Felicity and the cab driver, is the rear view mirror shot of when the cab driver is looking in the mirror at Felicity. This shot intensifies the mysteriousness of cab driver and also makes the audience feel 'uneasy,' enhancing our aim of the short film which is to show audience members the danger of getting into unlicensed cab's. When searching for short films based on cabs, I found on youtube which used this type of shot, which was the influence of this shot.
When writing the script for our short film, we wanted a 'hard hitting' script that would make the audience understand the trauma our character had been through. Our script was influenced by the short film 'About a girl,' where the young girl is seen to be happy in the first instance, until it gets to near the end of the film where the audience become surprised as to what has happened to her. The main character is seen walking along a canal speaking a monologue, breaking the fourth wall. Her character is seen as a bubbly, happy girl that enjoys life. We wanted to achieve a similar look, so by this, we created a script that sounded exactly the same as a 'happy go lucky' young adult would talk. Our script told the story from beginning to end, and it was one of the most important elements of our short film. Like 'About a girl,' we wanted the audience to think that she was a happy person, but become slightly confused with some of the things she was saying, therefore they have to carry on watching the film. This leaves the audience intrigued as to what’s going on. Our chosen actors also added their own piece to the script, making sure they felt comfortable with what they was saying, and also making sure their dialogue sounded realistic and flowed well together.
Another shot that worked well in the short film is when Felicity finds herself on Midholm road. We little movement and speech as possible, creating more mystery and tension on the scene. When the camera is behind Felicity and she is walking with no shoes on, I cut the shot in half and sped up the fast half, creating an effect where it looks like someone is following her. Then I slowed down the second half at the point where she turns around and looks behind her. The reason why I did this is because I wanted to show that the character was scared, and also show the audience that issues like assault and rape can have a long time effect on people. I felt that this shot showed this as it shows Felicity being paranoid and frightened being out in the open by her.
Overall, I would say that our piece turned out successful and many parts worked well. If I had the opportunity to go back, change and improve things, then I would. I would have liked to experiment with sound. Although the piece was seen as to be very effective without sound, I think that sound might have intensified the given effect on the audience. The most effective place for sound to have been added would be when Felicity is getting ready and also when the girls are seen drinking in the pub.
I would also change the fact that the majority of the shots are of Felicity sitting on the sofa. A wider variety of shots would have been more effective and also interesting. In the feedback received from the Year 12's, some students said that showing the attack would have been more effective, which I agree with. If I had the opportunity to go back and film some more footage, I would film felicity being pushed out of the cab forcefully by the cab driver, and have a shot of the cab driver looking down at her, wiping his mouth at the same time. Although the shots of Felicity did really work well with the piece, a few more shots on a different location would have also worked. This had already happened to our group after the first filming. We filmed the cab, pub and home scenes, but when we started editing the shots together, we then realized we needed to film more. So we then booked out another camera and filmed Felicity getting ready, and on Midholm Road. As a group, I don't think we experimented enough with our editing. I would go back and experiment with the editing to make the piece more interesting and complex as I think our editing was quite simplistic. But in defense, this could be down to the fact that the content of both the script and film is seen as powerful enough. When editing, we came across a problem with continuity. This was because we had filmed different shots of Felicity saying her monologue on the sofa, but we came across a problem when Felicity had changed the side of her hair parting. When we was editing we noticed this and tried coming up with a resolution, but the only thing that we could do was add a different shot of Felicity looking in the mirror, before cutting back to her talking on the sofa. The problem is not really noticeable to anyone else, but because we had watched the short film over and over again, we noticed it. If I was to go back and improve anything, I take continuity more seriously. Continuity also came up as a problem when we had filmed Felicity again when we booked the camera out the second time. The first time we filmed Felicity, her skin tone was browner. The second time we filmed her, the tan had died down which was noticeable. This meant that we couldn’t use this specific footage.
Our short film reaches out to a younger type of audience. The concept and content of the film attracts a younger audience. Like I previously said, we want to attract new adults and people that are not really aware of the dangers of getting in unlicensed cabs. The location of the pub attracts people age 16-25, as many of them like to drink. I would also say that our short film is more directed towards girls rather then boys. Girls in the audience can relate to the main character, which therefore means they will feel more inclined to listen and watch. Also, the characters bubbly and open personality automatically attracts people to watch and listen, as she can seem quite interesting.
Questionnaires Out of the Questionnaires, I am going to evaluate 5. The questionnaire was given to a group of year 12's. The year 12's watched our short film, and then filled out the questionnaire based on what they saw and their personal opinions on the short film.
1:To open our short film, we started with a black screen with the main character starting her dialogue and then faded to the shot of her on the sofa talking. Do you like this opening of our short film? If not do you have an idea of what could have been more effective?
For the first question, five people answered 'yes'. Two of those people gave responses as to what could have been more effective:
More images of in the taxi could have worked
If there was less of the main character on the sofa
2. Our goal was to show young people the dangers of getting into unlicensed cabs and to advise people to organise safer travel arrangements prior to a night out. Did our storyline illustrate our aim suitably?
For the second question, all respondants answered 'yes'.
3. For the flashback scene of Felicity walking home after the attack, did the experimentation with the colour give the scene a good effect?
For this question, four people answered 'yes,' with one participant stating it was their favourite part. One person answered 'no.'
4. Do you think the use of music would have added more to our short film?
For this question, two people answered 'yes.' Their written response was:
It would of made it a bit more attractive
Short film would of been more intense
The other three people answered 'no,' with their written response as:
The dialogue worked well. At no point did I feel bored
It was fine listening to the characters voice
Her dialogue was very important
5. We purposely didn't include footage of the attack. Do you think withholding this scene makes the film more powerful or do you think it would have been more powerful with it?
For this question, three people answered 'with.' Two people answered 'without,' with one written response stating 'Leaves it to the imagination.'
6. In terms of entertainment, what did you find the most effective in our short film and why?
For the last question, two people said 'Location.' One written response was:
The pub location was good and so was the location of the sofa when the girl was talking
One person said 'Actors,' because she was good. Another person said 'Use of camera shots.' The written response was:
In the cab it was very dark, which worked really well.
The last person said that both the 'Use of camera shots,' and 'Actors,' were most effective.
From these answers, I have come to the conclusion that The storyline was well illustrated throughout the short film, which was our main aim. We could of added more shots, including a wider variety when Felicity is seen in the cab. We didn't use many visual effects in our short film, but 80% of participants said the colour change on one of the shots was effective. I have also come to the conclusion that music wasn't very important to the short film, but could have been tested to see if music would intensify certain shots. 60% of participants said that having the attack scene would of been more effective. If we was to go back and change anything, this would be one of the first things to change. As a group, I don't think we focused much on sound and visual effects, hence the reason why they came up least effective out of the five elements that made the short film. If we was to go back and change anything, I would say next time we focus a bit more on these two elements, as they could of created more of an effect on both the short film and audience.
1. To open our short film, we started with a black screen with the main character starting her dialogue and then faded to the shot of her on the sofa talking. Do you like this opening of our short film? if not do you have an idea of what could have been more effective?
Yes No
What could have been more effective?
2. Our goal was to show young people the dangers of getting into unlicensed cabs and to advise people to organise safer travel arrangements prior to a night out. Did our storyline illustrate our aim suitably?
Yes No Could have been made clearer
3. For the flashback scene of Felicity walking home after the attack, did the experimentation with the colour give the scene a good effect?
Yes No
4. Do you think the use of music would have added more to our short film?
Yes No
Reason why:
5. We purposely didn't include footage of the attack. Do you think witholding this scene makes the film more powerful or do you think it would have been more powerful with it?
With Without
6. In terms of entertainment, what did you find the most effective in our short film and why?
Use of camera shots Locations Sound Actors Visual Effects
Short Film Script Draft. SAMANTHA MONOLOGUE: Aarr last night was a great night! I got absolutely smashed though! Hahaa, Dont think I can even remember most of it (pause) Oh no, wait, yeah i got ready at Hollie’s house which was a bit of a rush cos I’d come straight from stinking work and we had to leave by 8 for us to get to Croydon for 10, I dont know why we had to get ready at hers, shes such a spoilt brat sometimes so yeah i’m rushing TRYING to look good, still decididng what to wear when we got 10 minutes until we had to leave! Oh yeah I wore some sexy little red dress instead of the leggings and blouse in the end, it complimented my figuire more. So yeah we left Hollie’s, my hair just puff up everywhere because of the rain I was screwing while Hollie was laughing...bitch! Then we bluddy missed the first bus so I’m sitting there in the cold, legs out and that, but the drink started kicking in, I had 2 smirnoff ice’s at mine and Hollie had a bottle of Rose she stole from her sisters bag, we downed that in turns. When the bus finally came it was soo! Funny! We were singing ‘Black eyed peas-I got a feeling’ and you should of seen some old couples faces hahah oh and oh my god can you believe some little boy tried to grab my bum! Cheeky git! I wanted to slap him! You should of seen the pub last night! There was loads of old men there but they were a right old laugh...I guess. One of the men said I had legs like Marylin Monroe...I felt like a queen. Well anyway, me and hollie put the ole jukebox on and danced to whatever came on. It felt like the room was spinning at one point, but it felt great! Got to like 1 now and Hollie still wanted to stay but I’d had too much to drink and just wanted my bed, I told them I’d get the night bus but they didnt let me (angry) so stupid Hollie called up Brian and asked him for the cheapest cab service, I was just too drunk to argue. It only took the cab about 10 minutes to come, so that was good(pause) So I said bye to Hollie and the drunken old men and stumbled outside, my feet were burning! I didnt even care I walked with no shoes on hahaha. The cab man was actually a laugh, well I cant remember what the hell I was saying, I was just carrying away, it was the drink talking.(pause) but he didnt say a word(pause) I think he was scared of me or something(pause) He was driving some long way back to mines but I was too drunk to even notice...until this morning when I woke up on Midholm Road. I looked around me, I had no bag, no money and no shoes. What had happened? I had ladders in my tights and my cardigan was ripped. I was so confused, I couldn’t even remember what had happened really. I just sat there in silence. I didn’t know what to do, so I started to walk home. All I could remember was going out to a pub, having fun and dancing nothing else. As I was walking, people were staring at me, making me feel uneasy, like there was something wrong with me. This was at like 10 in the morning, so obviously it was all the old people having their midmorning walk, being nosy as per usual. I finally got to my house. I had no keys on me, so I had to climb over the back door and sneak through the kitchen window. Luckily my mum was at work, so she couldn’t ask any questions. I walked into my bedroom and stood infront the mirror. That’s what was wrong with me. Half of my face was covered with bruises and scratches like I had gotten into a fight. I sat down on my bed staring at myself in the mirror trying to remember what had happened. Things started to come back to me slowly, getting ready at Hollie’s , then going into the pub, then eventually coming out, and...and going into a cab. The thing is, oh yeah, Brian got the cab for me. Then I got into the cab, and I think I must of been talking to the cab driver because I do sort of remember there being an awkward silence..which wasn’t my fault. What is confusing me, is that I woke up on a different road. Hmm, maybe. But no. I do remember my clothes being ripped and me being robbed. But its not like I was asking it from anyone its just, I mean...maybe I gave the cab driver the wrong idea. I just spoke to him, nothing else. Now I can kind of remember him trying to take down my clothes, forcing me to get naked infront of him. Woahhh ok this is weird, because now im just not remembering anything else apart from being pushed out of a car with nothing. (silence) I don’t really think the cab driver realised why I was so upset, but then again now I’m thinking fuck it! Shit happens and it definitely happens to me.
PREY-SHOT LIST Shot One: Samantha sitting in her room, talking to the camera, breaking the fourth wall with clothes in the background on the bed and on the floor, like a typical 18 year old girl’s bedroom. (Actions include her laughing and smiling, looking happy.)
Shot two: Flash back of the girls walking down the road after they have dressed up, ready to go out. The group of the girls are laughing and joking around, having fun. Location on a road walking to the bus stop.
Shot three: Back to Samantha talking about what had happened that night. Close up of right side of her face.
Shot four: Girls queuing up outside of Yates, joking around, having a cigarette. When she talks about flicking ash on the lady behind/in front of her, sudden cutback to Samantha saying it, enforcing her anger.
Shot Five: Shots of girls inside of club, dancing, drinking having fun. Shots of Samantha dancing with some men, and flirting. Samantha’s voice over in background. Shot Six: In the toilet, Samantha saying she wants to go home. Samantha arguing with friends saying she will take the night bus, but friend says she will get her a cab. Friend calls Brian who gets a cheap cab service.
Shot Seven: Samantha walking out of club, stumbling tripping up over herself. Get’s into cab.
Shot Eight: Inside the cab, Samantha flirting with cab man. Close ups of cab driver and rear view mirror of facial expressions of cab driver and Samantha in the background.
Shot Nine: Samantha in room, speaking rest of monologue.
Shot Ten: Pan View of Samantha’s other side of face, seeing bruises and cuts.
Shot Eleven: Samantha looking out bedroom window. Close up of bruised side of face enhancing the effect on the audience.
For our short film, we wanted to attract a variety of different people, especially people between the age of 16-25. There have been previous adverts from TFL, based on unliscenced cabs. This advert is from Cabwise and both the text and the image, influenced both our idea and visual style of our short film.
We also went on youtube.com to view different short films. One of the short films were from cabwise. We also found another short film which is based on being in a Black cab. We were influenced by some of the camera shots and angles, especially when the camera cuts the the cab driver but in his rear view mirror.
add videos.
We also watched a short film called 'About a Girl.' This short film also influenced our visual style, as the girls character misleads the audience to thinking that she is a happy person, which is the complete opposite to the storyline and the event that happens in the short film. We felt that this worked effectively and felt that this would be a good way of enticing the audience to want to watch more.
Characters Samantha: 18 Year old girl. A student who lives at home with her Mum and Dad. Her relationship with her mum is very good. They are seen as best friends and sisters rather then mother and daughter as they get along so well. Samantha tells her mother everything, but fails to find it easy to tell her mother about this situation as she is too scared of what she might think. Samantha’s mother Karen, see’s Samanth as her sister. She tells her most things including what what bad things Samantha’s dad has done to her in the past. Her dad is the silent part of the family. He has done hurtful things in the past to both Samantha and her mother, which Samantha doesn’t agree of, hence the reason why they don’t get along very well. Both Samantha and her mother, don’t take much notice of him. Cab Driver: The Cab Driver in this Short Film is seen as silent and mysterious. David is not a liscened cab driver, and has a criminal record of acting as a liscence cab driver and being reported by women as either attacked, raped or being in an unliscened cab. He put’s on a different personality so that women that get into the cab, think he is a helpful gentleman that just wants to make sure they get home safely.
Samantha, an 18 year old girl, enjoys an eventful night out with her girl friends in a club, but has a bit too much to drink. As she stumbles out of the club and leaves her friends, a suspicous man pulls over and asks if she wants a cab. As she thinks about the cab mans proposition, she decides to get in but doesn’t realise that she has just made the wrong move, until she wakes up in a ditch. Samantha talks about her horrific experience, but tries to move on and look past it.
For our logo, I went on the internet and searched for a licensed taxi plate, then traced it and changed it in Adobe Illustrator. This is the image off the internet:
This is the image that was made in Adobe Illustrator:
In this short film, the black and white film, creates a mysterious effect on the sequences, as she is very loud, where as black and white are simple questions. The black and white colours are contrasting, signifying the differences between both characters. White signifies purity and cleanliness, relating to the male. Black is more dark and mysterious, signifying the woman's character.
The woman's pale white face, with dark black eyes and hair, makes her look quite possessive and like a witch. This also relates to her personality as she can seem quite 'crazy' as she sings and screams Darling do you love me to the male that doesn't take much notice. The square surroundings, creates an intense feeling that they are trapped together and that he cannot move.
The males character differs o the woman, as he sits still for quite a while, whereas she is seen running and jumping about. The close up shots of her face, impose a sense 'invading privacy' as she is quite 'in your face,' relating to the fact that she is very loud.
When the two are out in the garden, the big tree's surrounding the pair, creates a feeling like they are stuck in a maze, again, making the guy seem trapped. She runs around him as he tries walking away from her, but her fast pace movement, intensifies the fact that he can't really go anywhere.
The still camera angel of the two walking towards the camera, looks like the same walk, when your walking down the aisle to get married. This resembles the fact that she's saying darling do you love me, as she would want to marry him.
Towards the end, when her hands are around his face, her hand movements make it look like she is forcing him to open his mouth and retaliate.
The sound in this short film, is mainly the voice of the woman singing. She sins in different paces, sometimes low, high, fast and slow. The given effect of the singing, reinforces the fact that this is all about love. Her laughter, sounds similar to a witches cackle, again, reinforcing the evilness in her.
When the couple are walking, there are sound effects of the mans feet hitting the floor. This makes the audience feel that they are coming closer to the screen, and also reinforces the fact that he is trying to get away from her.
About a Girl,was released in 2001 by Brian percival. About A Girl was also released around the same time as the film About A Boy 2002, wich shows that About a Boy,may have had ideas form the 2001 version to make this film.
At the beginning of the film, the wording comes in text form. This signifies youth culture, as in 2001, mobile phones started to become more popular with the youth. In the first shot, the girl is seen singing and dancing to Britney Spears. This shows escapism as she seems like she's living in a different world. The camera angle from the bottom, makes her seem superior, connotating that she wants to be ontop of 'the world'. The clouds in the background are quite dark, profretic phalacy, signifying something bad will happen that day. In the shot, she is dark, connotating her background life could be quite dark and dull.
Britney Spears, at the time was seen to be 'innocen' which, she wasn't. This shows that maybe, she relates to Britney and possibly looks up to her as her idol. When she is singing and dancing , the audience may find this amusing and laugh. this is because we can relate to her character as of a younger age, as we probably were doing similar things.
The next shot, her working class background is shown as she is seen quite 'chaved' up. The surroundings are quite dark, with walls connotating she feels trapped in her surroundings e.g.family. She is seen as not close to her family as she talks to herself. She has very much to say, but there is no-one she can confide in and talk to, so the only other person is herself. In the backgrond of the flashback, noises include dogs, playground and birds.
There is a feeling of a broken family. The mum and dad have broken up. The shot with her dad, she says 'I'm not a kid,' showing she's growing up. Dad doesn't respond to her, showing he doesn't care much. He carries on reading his newspaper. The dad is on the doll, always to busy to see her and cannot provide for her neeeds. He plays football, a working class sport, signifying his social state. Most weekends she spends with her dad, he takes her to watch the football which he would do with or without her. When she is seen sitting by herself on the benh, the camera pan makes her look young, feable and alone. When she and her friends are on the bus, the singing and dancing makes them look younger, but shows them elebrating youth.
In the shot where she is in the chemist, the sales assistant asks if she would like any help. She starts to talk and says 'looking after image.' From this and also what we already know of her, you can see she doesn't lead a good life. She wants a piano but mum cannot afford to buy one for her and thinks she's always difficult. The mother usually only thinks of herself instead of herself and her children.
From the way she talks, we see that she has a mind of someone older. She starts to talk about her parents' relationship and how she fits in. We as an audience, establish that she wants to move out. This element of her personality, again, shows her being more mature, as she feels she can fend for herself. We also see that she mentions many celebrity names such as Nirvana, Britney, Bono, Madonna and Stereophonics. This connotates to the audience that she realises that she's currently not living the best of lives, hence the reason for aiming to be with the celebrities.
We feel that she has learnt a way of life from her mum, as she throws a dog in the canal. We see a colour change before she throws the baby into the canal. the dark, grey and dull surroundings, signifies to the audience that something is going to happen. The pace of things are finally slowed down, including her dialogue. She then drops the baby and says 'still gunna have a 99.' This shows that this is her unique way of dealing with personal issues like this and no matter how big it is, she can just start over again and forget about everything. The carrier bag is significant to her, she is disposable and the baby came out of the bag and floats to gate, then she will traapped again.
At the end, one side of the river is very bright contrasting he other as its very dark. This relates to the saying, 'the grass is greener on the other side.' Now she has disposed of the baby, she can be happy now.
Pixar is a production company based in California and started in 1979 as part of Lucasfilms, as the Graphics Group. In 1986, Pixar was bought by Apple, then in 2006, Walt Disney then bought it over. Pixar is well known for its computer aimated feature length and short films. Pixar has created around 10 feature films to date, with many short films. The studio itself has won many awards, including six Golden Globes.
Many short films a re avaliable to view on the internet on websites such as youtube. Submitting your work over the internet allows you to attract a wider audience, and receive more recognition for your style. Web cinemas are good for students who want to show people other then the ones surrounding them. Some of these websites include:
The BBC Film Network, allows anyone to upload their work onto their website. The website is dedicated to showcasing new British filmakers and their films. On the website, you can browse the films by category (genre), organisation or event. To sumbit your film, you need to register with film network, then fill out the online form and send in a hasrdcopy of your film. Every film is not guaranteed to be showcased on the website, but if your film indicates individuality and flare, your on the right track.
Short film is defined by its length. Short films are under 50 minutes long, apart from Micro Shorts, which are under 5 minutes in length. They usually have a small budget, meaning small cast. Short films are usually experimental with content and techniques, attracting a niche audience. Young students and aspiring directors usually make short films. This is usually a calling card by making a name for themselves, getting recognition for their work and also develop a unique style. Short films are usually realistic and grainy, portraying real subjects. Most short films can be seen in film festivals, art galleries, awards ceremonies (BAFTA's), internet, specific TV channels like Channel 4 and in the cinema.
In comparison....Mainstream cinema has feature length films with more surreal narratives, making the films more commercial attracting a wider audience. With a larger budget, more marketing is avaliable, which means advertisments on TV, Newspapers, Radio and Billboards, hence the larger audience. A larger budget means well known actors, with funds to employ extra's. Mainstream film's will also take longer to film, as they are longer and will have more 'glamorous' locations, with differnt settings. Mainstream makes more profit as it is more commercial, but watchers may be passive rather then active, as some Mainstream films can be similar.
Short film is defined by its length. There are no set codes and conventions for Short film, as there are different genres. These include:
Documentary
Animation
Black and White
Drama/Horror/Thriller
Fiction
Colour
Some conventions include:
Asthetic complexity-The way some shots and sequences in Short films may look complicated in itself. This can be seen in Berlin Horse (1970). Although it's just a horse, visually, the horse constantly moving round then going backwards may look complicated to the audience, but its about experimenting with new and different techniques.
Plurality of content-Content is usually detailed and catchy, making the audience passive rather then active viewers. The film is usually quirky, keeping the audience more interested in the film.
Breaking the fourth wall-Some Short films can break the fourth wall, with the actor/actress looking directly at the audience, creating a more realistic and intense atmosphere.
In the year 1895, the first ever Short Film was created. The first films that were ever created, are short, which are due to technological reasons, meaning that technology in the 1890's was no where near developed as in 1950's and onwards. These short films were also seen as experimental sequences. This allowed directors to creates something very short, and experiment with different ideas. The Lumiere Brothers are one of the first filmmakers with the first film: La Sortie de l'Usine Lumière à Lyon (Workers leaving the Lumiere factory, which is 46 seconds long).
SHORT FILM AND HOLLYWOOD
Short film was very popular with short, quirky sequences. The Classical Hollywood narrative came into action in roughly 1910, and wiped out Short Film. The style of Classic Hollywood narrative consisted of:
A narrative
Actions in chronological order
Protagonist with an antagonist in conflict with the protagonist
Equilibrium, disequilibrium, equilibrium. Closure to a narrative.
Continuity
Mise-en-scene
90 minutes long
Genre's of film
When Hollywood was introduced, Genre's were produced. This meant that viewers could watch different films depending on its genre. The Hollywood Studio System was also introduced which was most dominant between the 1920's to 1950's. The studio system referred to Motion picture studio's creating their own films, with Human Resource's signed to a long term contract, persisting on vertical intergration. This would mean them having total control over cinema's/theatres and distrubutors, increasing sales of movies. In 1954, any connection between production studio's and theatre's was broken due to the 1948 Supreme Court ruling.
Cinema exhibits required the films to be no longer then 100 minutes long, allowing cinema to have 2 hour blocks for food, advertising and trailers. By the 1930's and onwaqrds, short film was hardly interesting to anyone.
PRESENT
After the 1954 Supreme court ruling, Hollywood no longer follows the Studio System. Now, Short film is seen as a cheap way of experimentation and room for innovation, taking risks with minimal finance. The studio's have developed a system of scouting directoriall talent using film festivals. One director successful from this system is Martin Scorsese. One of his most famous Short films was The Big Shave, 1967. His brutal, American gangster style was involved in the short film. The film was directed to America's involvement in the Vietnam War.
Scorsese uses shots establishing that the short film is set in a bathroom e.g. shots of the toilet, tap, bath tub and mirror. The colour of both the bathroom and the clothes of the protagonist is white, signifying purity. The sense of clean and purity opposes to the vast amount of blood seenin the short film. The blood also stands out amongst the white background. Close up's are used to show the audience the protagonist shaving his face. The idea of him shaving repeatedly taking away layers of his skin, relates to the idea that in the Vietnam war, group's of people's lives were taken away, repetitively. Gradually, more blood starts to pour from his face whilst shaving, especially at the end. Again, this signifies the more war there is, the more people are going to die. From the protagonist's facial expressions, you can see that shaving his face this violently, seems like a normal thing to him. This again relates to the soldiers that fought in the war, as they seemed to think that this was 'normal', when actually, by going to war, they were basically killing themselves.
EXPERIMENTAL/AVANT GARDE/ARTHOUSE
Because Short film couldn't compete with Hollywood and Mainstream, it found its own home with the art. Experimental cinema is a style that is the opposite of mainstream. The use of techniques such as out of focus, non-diegetic sounds and non-linear narrative, with out of chronological order shots playing on structure are some of the noticeable traits of Experimental cinema and are used to keep viewers active rather then passive watchers. There is usually a low budget involved with a small crew. One example of Experimental Cinema is 'Mothlight' 1963 by Stan Brakhage. Mothlight is a 3 minute long film and was made on a 16mm film.
Brakhage used bits of grass, bug and moths to cerate this naturalistic short film. As there is no sound to the film, the silence allows you to soley concentrate on one thing, which is the film itself. When watching Mothlight, it made me think of the cycle of seasons because of the use of leaves, moths and other garden bugs. There is a shot with small particles falling, which reminds me of a moth in its catepillar stage and the cycle of the life of a catepillar/moth.
‘Meshes of the Afternoon’ 1943, created by Maya Deren, located a place for USA Avant Garde film making. Deren created Avant Garde films between 1940-1961 and displayed a highly individualistic sensibility towards short film. As well as an Avant Garde film maker, she was also a film theorist, where she’s criticised Hollywood cinema and created her work to oppose Hollywood.
Art house film, is relatively similar to experimental and Avant Garde. It differs to Hollywood mainstream, with its social realistic style, concentrating on the characters ideas and dreams. Art house films are usually directed towards a niche audience, meaning a small budget with less finance to market the film, employ professional actors and experiment with special effects. Producers usually show films at Art house cinema’s/speciality cinema’s and film festivals. One famous Art house film festival is the Bethany Art house film festival. Because the budget is so small for Art house films, it depends on magazine reviews and Art house authors to ‘rake’ in a larger audience.
The Free cinema movement came in the 1950's resulting from a protest to the supremacy of mainstream. After the Second World War, conventional films were still being created, until the mid 1950's where Liz Anderson, Karl Reisz and Tony Richardson founded the Free cinema movement. Initially, there was 6 short programmes of short documentaries which were shown at the National Film Theatre between February 1956-March 1959. They were put together by young film creators. Due to problems of getting their work out, they decided to come together. Although the documentaries were made individually, there was a similar style that each documentary shared. The six films were funded by the BFI Experimental film fund, created in 1952.
Free cinema mainly looked at the class system, especially the working class, and drew attention to the problems some people were suffering in that day and age.They featured working class people at work and also in society. Most of the films from the Free cinema movement are short film and have a shoe string budget. The crew were usually unpaid, and the footage is usually shot with a 16mm Bolex camera, creating an 'home movie' effect.
'We are the Lambeth Boys,' 1959 by Karl Reisz, explores a group of young working class teenagers at work, school and with their friendship group, usually in a club.
SHORT FILM ON TV
In the 1960's and 70's, TV provided some small viewing of short films. They were scheduled into 'Filler,' which is when short films are used to either fill in small gaps like an interlude, or if a live broadcast was suffering from technical difficulties, a short film would be used, 'filling' the amount of time needed to fix the problem. In the 1990's, BBC2 series 10 x 10 in association with the BFI, started to showcase short film. Then, later in 1993, the BBC launched 'Video Nation,' which is a mass observation. One of the noticeable techniques used when filming, is the use of close up shots, establishing the persons facial expressions. The video diary was to influence the generation of reality TV online in 2001. From this point, video camera's started to become less expensive, and more small and compact, making it easier to get hold of and allowing more people to make video's like similar to the one's on Video Nation.
When film first came out in 1895, film was around 15 seconds long and was based on simple activity. Through the silent era, there was no sound to film until the 1920's. Now, short film is a reputable form of film with many directors, with different forms including Video Activism, Free cinema and Experimental. Although short film is aimed towards a niche audience, there are ways to exhibit Short film.
Most short films have a small production budget. This means that there is not enough budget to have famous actors. In many short films, there are no actors involved, but when there are actors involved, there are very few, and are usually friends of the film-makers/directors or normal people. Shane Meadows used his friends in his short film productions. This is easy and probably more economical as friends may volunteer and not be paid.
For many Short Films, film-makers are also the director, producer and script-writer for their production, which can be due to the low budget. In Hollywood, most directors in mainly made short films, then moved onto making feature length films, sometimes 'Hollywood'style.Shane Meadows born 26th December 1972 is an up and coming British film-maker. After being caught stealing from places such as Sainsbury's and Boots, Meadows realised it was time to make something of himself, which was to become a film-maker. In 1994, Meadows made a deal with Intermedia Film and Video Ltd in Nottingham, so that he could borrow their equipment, and he would work at the company for free. His friends started to become interested in his work, after viewing the short films he had made by himself.
Shane and his friends decided to create their own low key event which was called 'Six of the Best' after consideration for the fact that there was hardly any festivals showcasing short films. This event allowed people to bring their short video's and pay a small amount to have the film showcased to an audience. 'Six of the Best' eventually turned into 'Flip Side' after popularity with its audience.
Shane Meadows is a perfect example of a film-maker taking on each production role, to make his own piece of work. Meadows has been approached by places like Channel 4 to create a film making workshop, because of his experiences and knowledge on film. One of Meadows' short films is called 'The Stairwell' 2005. This is a 15 second film about two people bumping into eachother on the stairs.
This Short film produces subliminal messages that the audience can take. One of these is that you never know what may happen. This is because both people were walking up the stairs, and were extremly shocked when they bumped into eachother. Another message that Shane could be trying to get the audience to understand is that you must be carfeul and look where your going. Another message that Meadows may be trying to portray is that in Engalnd, people are always in a hurry. Some of his film portray's elements of British lifestyle, in A room for Romeo Brass and This is England. In The Stairwell, Meadows may be trying to show the audience that some elements of British lifestyle is rushed, which may end up with people suffering consequences.
In the titling sequence, the flickering words that appear on the screen, represents the flickering lights on the stairway. Also, at the end of the film, the flickering words are seen again, with sound of a flikering light, enhancing the silence in the film. The jaunty camera angle at the end of the sequence, can represent seeing this short film from a different point of view. Different viewers may take this film in different ways, thinking that there was a message behind it, or that the film was purely based on the fact that the two characters bumped into eachother on the stairs. The below angle also represents superiority. The flickering light, creating a tense atmosphere in the sequence, seems to have great significance to the film. By watching it from underneath, this makes the audience feel quite intimidated and vulnerable, just like a thriller would.
The camera attached to the woman character, makes it look like she's gliding, and away thinking in her own world. This shows that she wasn't paying attention. There are no static shots of her walking up the stairs for more then roughly 3 seconds. But this could also be due to the fact that most shots are cut to the beat of the music. The male character is seen dressed in dark colours, with his hood up, making his character seem quite mysterious. There's a shot focusing on his hand and watch, which could signify that he is in a rush to go somewhere, hence the reason for him running down the stairs at a rapid speed.
The music in this short film, intesifies the fact that we don't know what is going to happen, until the bang, of when both characters smash into eachotheras the music changes. The dark colours on the wall, sets a dull tone to the personalities of each character. There is no expression from the characters until they bump into eachother.
Some Directors like to work on both feature length and short film. Short film ideas, can 'spark' off a feature length film, which is what happened with some Hollywood Cinema. Terry Gilliam, is a film direcrtor, screenwriter and animator, and directs both short and feature length films. He has worked with people like Tony Grisoni, a British screenwriter on the recent Kingsland #1 The Dreamer. Gilliam mainly specialises in feature length films and short animated films. This is The Miracle to Fly, 1974, an animation short film.
DIRECTORS IN HOLLYWOOD
Directors in Hollywood mainly made short films, then moved onto feature length films. Steven Spielberg, born 18th December 1946, is a producer, screenwriter and director. spielberg's first short film was Amblin', which was based on a hippie love story from the 60's. The 26 minute long film was shown to producer Dennis Hoffman and Sid Sheinberg at Universal Studios, and was then signed to a long term contract.
Coffee shorts is an independent production company specialising in independent short films, advertising filmakers work. Films are usually found on the internet and are usually spread around on online channels where people can view. Their website specialises in Documentary, Narrative, Animated, Documentary and Experimental films.
ATOM FILMS
Founded in 1998 in Seattle, Atom Films offers short films and animations from independent creators. Atom Entertainment was bought out in 2006 by MTV Networks, where the name changed to Atom.com. Atom specialises in mainly comedy short films. Just like Coffee shorts, Atom finds people with films, publish the films on the internet, where they can build an audiencde and recognition.
On some distribution company websites, there is a link to Atom films, where viewers can watch the films on the website.
Short film's have a much smaller budget then Mainstream, which means that it is harder for films to be distributed. But for the fact that Short films have a lower budget, they are not expecting to make a great deal of profit. But, because of the fact that short films don't usually make an income, profitable distribution is not usually found In Mainstream cinema, the distribution side deals with Box Office sales and merchandise, which is where they make a profit. Again, Short film doesn't really provide merchandise for its viewers, therefore is not expecting to make a profit out of nothing.There are companies such as 'Dazzle' and 'Future Shorts' that distribute and exhibit short films. On the Future Shorts website, it states that they have there own post- production studio where people can edit their material. They also set out to reach the target audience and future buyers of films, as this website is like a catalogue, to pick any films that are interesting. Some Short films can be found on DVD. Compilations can be made after an awards ceremony/film festival showcasing films that won, and also DVD's for schools/colleges. Short films are mainly distributed on the internet, where directors and film makers can also search to find raw talent.
RUBBER JOHNNY
This is an experimental short film which got turned into a music video irected by Chris Cunningham in 2005. This is a good example of distribution as the short film was turned into a music video. It comes on DVD format with an art book and photographs from he film.
EXHIBITION
The most effective way of showcasing short films is at a film festival. Most cinema's will not play short films. Short films are also avliable on youtube to view and many different websites such as atom.com. The BFI, is also another place where British films are showcased. You can watch both feature length and short films. Each computer is equipped with headsets, and on the computer, it gives you some information on each film with the director and actors names.
DEPICT!
Watershed Media Centre enhances creativity and talent that they see in one. Watershed have their own competition called DepicT! This competition is part of the Encounters film festival which allows international and national film-makers to create a 90 second piece of experimental cinematography. To enter the competition, you have to fill out the online form, send in your dvd with the film being no longer then 90 seconds, and you cannot enter more then twice.
CONVERGENCE'S
Convergence's allows the public to view video's and short films on your technical appliances. Many of these new appliances have the internet on them, which means that you can view these video's from your mobile. The Apple iPhone is an important piece of technology as I know it has an youtube app. Other convergence's that can be used are you internet, xbox,ps3 and wii.
There are thousands of film festivals held around the world, all differing on content and aim. The longest running film festival is the Edinburgh International Film Festival, running since 1947.
There are different reasons as to why people want to win at a film festival. One of the reasons is money. At the Encounters short film festival, the totalling prize money was £12,500. Another reason is recognition. Even if contestants do not win an award, but have produced excellent material, they will still get noticed for their raw talent. You also get to meet directors. Some Hollywood films have been influenced by Short films, which means, director will approach filmmakers about their ideas, if they are good. By showcasing your work, many people can see this and later show an interest. This is why it's also good to publish your work on the Internet.
SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
Sundance Film Festival, held in Park City, Utah, takes place in January. Sundance accepts films both internationally and nationally and is the biggest independent film festival in the U.S.A. The festival first called US Film Festival, began in 1978 in Salt Lake City, founded by Sterling Van Wagenen, John Earle and Cirina Hampton Catania. The original plan was to bring more filmmakers to Utah, broadcast American films and show to the audience what independent films were about, showing what film making is like outside the Hollywood 'system.' The festival name later changed in 1985, to Sundance Film Festival, when Sterling Van Wagenen later returned, after running the Sundance Institute.
Films that can be entered into the festival include US, Documentary, US Dramatic, World Cinema, Documentary, World Cinema Dramatic, Shorts Programs and Animation Spotlight. To apply, you must fill out an online application. There are fee's that apply:
EARLY SUBMISSION DEADLINE: U.S. & INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILMS Monday, August 17th, 2009 - $35 ENTRY FEE
U.S. & INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILMS & DOCUMENTARIES Monday, August 17th, 2009 - $45 ENTRY FEE
OFFICIAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE: U.S. & INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILMS Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 - $50 ENTRY FEE
U.S. & INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILMS & DOCUMENTARIES Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 - $75 ENTRY FEE
LATE SUBMISSION DEADLINE: U.S. & INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILMS Monday, September 21st, 2009 - $75 ENTRY FEE
U.S. & INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILMS & DOCUMENTARIES Friday, September 25th, 2009 - $100 ENTRY FEE
Here is a trailer from the film 'New Low,' from Sundance;
EXPOSURES FILM FESTIVAL
Exposures film festival, held in Manchester, is usually held in mid November, with the first festival held in 1994, with the original name 'Northern Exposures.' It is the largest festival in the UK, showcasing students work. In 2003, the rules were that Exposures accepts videos from students 19 and under from the North West only, until 2005, where students from all over the UK could enter. To enter the Exposures film festival, you have to fill out the form and send it off, but you must read the guidelines to make sure your work is eligible for entry:
Rules and Guidelines at a glance
•To be eligible for entry work must have been produced whilst studying at a UK institution between August 2009 and July 2010 (detailed explanations can be found in the exposures 2010 Rules & Guidelines •Work can be of any genre, theme or type. •Work must be under 30 minutes long. •You must fill in one form per artwork submitted. •Films will not be accepted without a completed entry form. •Do not send your only copy or original. •Send your entries on DVD only, and make sure it works before you send it. •Make sure your work does not infringe any copyright – you must have permission for any music or images used. •Incomplete or invalid entries will not be returned. •Don’t forget to sign and date the entry form
Video activism, is where a group of people record evidence on video, to support and circulate any issues regarding the environment and society etc. The topic will be important to the individual and you will film the evidence. There is a symbolic link between Video Activism and Short film, which is that they both provide the audeince with 'impactful' information, making them active watchers rather then passive.
Green Peace and Amnesty International, commission specialist subject short films. Here is a video on whaling and how the maker disagrees with it:
We also went on youtube.com to view different short films. One of the short films were from cabwise. We also found another short film which is based on being in a Black cab. We were influenced by some of the camera shots and angles, especially when the camera cuts the the cab driver but in his rear view mirror. 
