Short Film Analysis #5: "From Dust"

I've chosen this short film to look at as the grainy, black-and-white style of this film draws parallels to my own short film idea. "From Dust"is an epic, animated film that captures the lift-off a rocket ship, juxtaposed by an interesting and reflective non-diegetic poem. The film can be watched below;

Mise-En-Scene: The film uses popular symbolic iconography of space travel, looking as though it was based upon a NASA-like take-off.  Images that resonate with this idea includes the futuristic style of the control room and the spaceman's outfit. Moreover, there is a sense of patriotism in the way in which the film has been crafted; the male spaceman has a hardened facial expression and looks suitably macho, making him appear to be strong and in control. Moreover, the presence of the American flag, coupled with the expensive looking spaceship and equipment, all the reinforce the idea of American superiority. Indeed, the way in which the spaceship flies towards the sun holds some metaphorical resonance, as though anything can be achieved, an idea complemented by the video's rags-to-riches title.

Cinematography: I really enjoyed the stylistic approach of the way in which the film was captured. The grainy style of the film made it appear to look old-fashioned, which perhaps contradicts with the futuristic style of the music. It almost feels like its been shot on Super 8 (which of course it isn't given it's animated), which is kind of similar to the style in which I want my "VHS" section of my short film to look like. The black and white style of the film adds to the melancholic and reflective nature of the short; this allows the orange of the sun o hold even more dramatic weight in the story, to be representative of hope and achievement in an age that's otherwise totally drained of colour. Consequently, the cinematography used in this film is really effective in the way in which it captures the epic and symbolic tone of the film and its underlying message.

Camera: The use of camera angles are also significant in the way it conveys and adds to the overall tone and message of the story. The first shots put the audience into the spaceman's shoes, the long ride up in the lift and the walk down to the spaceship adding to the anticipation and tension as the audience awaits lift-off. An extreme long shot of the rocket creates this idea of scope and magnificence; moreover, tension is reinforced  by the close-ups of the control panels and the spaceman's hardened facial expression. Long shots of the rocket rising up toward the camera, as well as shots of the tail end of the spaceship looking down and the satellite adds to the epic nature of the piece, taking the breath away. The final shot, a long shot from the reverse of the ship as it approaches the sun reinforces the idea of human ambition and determination.

Sound: The futuristic tone of the film is created by the spacey, Daft Punk-style non-diegetic music. The hopeful, ethereal tone of the sound adds to the bittersweet message of the film. The diegetic sound of the rocket enforces the idea that the take-off is momentous, and the ambiguous nature of the non-diegetic words add to a sense of mystery and intrigue.

Editing: The editing gives most prevalence to the astronaut to show his significance as the main character in the short film. Moreover, the lenghty nature of the cuts shows a confidence in how the take-off will be exciting and thrilling, without a load of quick cuts.

"From Dust" was interesting, albeit perhaps lacking in plot. The quality animation, coupled woth well thought out shots make this a breath-taking short film.

Target Audience

"Before"

It's important, in whatever sphere of Media production, to gauge a rough idea of who it is you want to target your product at. To determine a target audience for my short film, I must consider age, gender, ethnicity and occupation. This forces me to get an understanding of who it is that's likely to watch my short film, and so therefore the film's plot, themes as well as mise-en-scene, should all reflect who that target audience is. Consequently, I feel it's pertinent to look at who exactly my target audience is, and why I've chosen this demographic as my primary audience.

 

Age: My target audience in terms of age is between the years 25 to 45. I feel as though the bleak, dark tone of this film makes it appropriate for an older audience. The film's lack of action and violence may put off a teenage audience, but the implication of violence and murder perhaps won't be liked by a traditional, conservative pensioner demographic. Also the fact hat the film is set around a couple makes it more reliable to a middle aged target market. Whilst taking on a film with an older target market than my age may be a challenge, I knew from the off that this wasn't necessarily a teenage film.

 

Gender: Without meaning for this to sound like a cop-out, I genuinely feel this short film should be appropriate for both a male and female demographic. The lack of on-screen violence makes this more suitable for a female audience. However, I don't necessarily think this will be off-putting for a male audience; hopefully, it should be relatable for both men and women, and so therefore should be suitable for both genders.

 

Ethnicity: This film is targeted at a White British audience. The White British cast makes it more identifiable with this target audience, and, so while I firmly believe that any good film could be enjoyed by all ethnicities, in this respect my film is most likely targeted at a White British demographic.

 

Occupation: The complex, hematic nature of this film means that it's likely to be targeted at a more intelligent, wealthy target audience. The film's ambiguous, morally confused nature means that it's a demanding film on the audience's part. Consequently, it's not a film that's targeted at those looking for a popcorn film, and as a result of this, I would say this is a film targeted at those who are ready to think about this film and its message.

My Storyboard!

As part of my presentation I had to create a storyboard, in spite of the fact that I'm terrible at drawing. However, this process was really important in order to bring to life the vision that I have of the short film, portraying the kinds of shots I wish to capture. Moreover, the storyboard forced me to consider the practicalities and logic of my script: how long each shot is going to go on for, how I'm going to transition from one frame to the next through editing etc. Consequently, I felt the production of this storyboard was useful to both myself and the others that I presented my storyboard to, allowing me to present my ideas for the film in a clear and thought-through manner. My storyboard can be found below:

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

Page 5

Page 7

And Page 8

 In summation, I've the found the story-boarding to process to really be invaluable. It's forced me to look at my script in a more technical, practical context, making me more aware thean ever of sound, editing, camera angles, as well as timing of shots. It'll be great to use the storyboard as a visual aid when it comes down to shooting the film itself, and can act as a means of guidance as I know move into the production stage...

Presentation Pointers...

In order to present my ideas in a way that is clear and easy to understand, I produced a presentation, featuring notes and pointers that ensured my presentation never stalled. Conveying these ideas in a way that was efficient and easy-to-digest was really important to me, and so I'd like to share with you the information and ideas that I relayed to my audience in my presentation:

Plot: 

A suspenseful drama, in the same vein as the likes of Alfred Hitchcock.

"The Before" looks at the events preceding a tragic murder, as opposed to the event itself and the aftermath.

The murderer revolves around a man (Liam O'Reilly) who gets vengeance on his ex-wife (Emily Poulton), who has cheated on him. The film pointedly ends in the seconds before the murder itself, which isn't shown on screen.

The film builds suspense through flashbacks and flash-forwards. This distinction between times is recognised by the way in which the flash-forwards are shot in black-and-white.

Captions are written across the screen (eg. '18 Days Before), making the audience question what is about to happen.

Meaning:

A critique of the way in which the Media over-simplifies crime (ie. the innocent victim and the evil perpetrator).

An emphasis on how film can still be intense and suspenseful without gore, blood and violence, all of which are glorified in popular Media today.

"The Before"; looks at the events preceding the murder, as opposed to the event itself and the aftermath.

Equipment List:

Canon 600D.

Flashlight- used to create moonlight.

Microphone- still needs to be bought.

Tripod.

Camcorder- can be used for VHS-based scene.

Props:

Rose.

Rocking Horse.

Red book that looks like it could be the Bible.

Fake Knife.

Inspirational posters, quotes and images.

Mock-up photos of the couple in happier times.

Location List:

Street: Lovel Road, Chalfont St Peter.

Marriage counsellor office: My living room.

Conservatory: Emily's conservatory.

Bathroom: Emily's bathroom.

Front door: Liam's front door.

Example Shooting Schedule:

Saturday 7th December '13 10am-4pm: Shoot all the outdoor scenes on Lovel road (Actors needed: Poulton, Back, O'Reilly).

Saturday 14th December 10am-12pm: Marriage counsellor scene (Actors needed: Poulton, O'Reilly, Fiona Harnett).

Saturday 14th December 6pm-8pm: Conservatory and bathroom.

Editing and post-production completed over Xmas holidays 2013-2014.

Feedback From My Pitch!

Last Friday, I successfully delivered a pitch detailing my plans for my short film, including a storyboard, a script, a rough draft of my poster, as well as a summary of my film's plot and meaning. I was really pleased with the way in which I presented my pitch; I felt as though I conveyed my ideas clearly, and in a way that my audience could actually understand, which was my biggest fear, given the complex nature of my story's theme and narrative.

I was given several pointer's to work from, all of which were minor things to work on, all of which were points that I agree with and am happy to adjust. The improvement's I need to make are as follow's:

-Change the film's title from 'The Before' to simply 'Before'; the punchy nature of the one-word title will have more of a lasting impact with viewers.

-Change the tagline to 'Every After Has Its Beginning'.

-Make the imagery of the rose, rocking horse and the preacher's more clear at the end of my storyboard.

-Perhaps add a drop of water to the rose, capturing a shot of it falling off the rose, symbolic connoting a tear.

As I've said, these are all things that are easy to change, allowing me to now focus of production. I'm pleased that I now have my idea sorted, and the foundations for my production are mostly there, with locations, props, cast and equipment for the most part sorted. I now look forward to making these adjustments, and working to begin production...

"The Before" Poster

"The Before" (First Draft)

This is my first draft of a script I wrote called "The Before". I was really drawn to this idea and I'm happy with how the first draft turned out, albeit knowing that there are a few things that'll need changing. I'll explain the inspirations behind this script in a future post, but I think it's best you just take a look for yourselves...

 

"The Before" (First Draft)

 

Scene One:

Present day: A suburban street road- shot in black and white to give a surreal, menacing tone. Quick montage-like cuts create a snapshot of this non-descript suburbia:

-Close-up of wilting rose set against the backdrop of white-picket fence (the only thing in colour the red rose petal).

-A red rocking horse strewn across a front lawn.

-Long shot of Jehovah’s Witnesses knocking on doors with red bible.

A noise like ringing in the ears gradually intensifies (non-diegetic)

All other diegetic sound (the wind, children crying in the distance, the talking of the preacher’s) drifts in and out of focus, and feels distant.

Cut to a long shot of a male figure standing in the middle of the road.

Close-up of the man: intense, menacing look behind his eyes as he looks at something beyond the frame.

Jump-cut to over-the-shoulder shot as we see what the man is looking at- a woman with red hair, with another man.

Moving to a medium shot, we see them laughing and talking (not audibly), oblivious to the lone figure.

The woman’s face is obscured by her distinctive red hair. Finally, she turns (in close-up), revealing one of her eyes. She looks straight into the camera (the camera acting as the eyes of the mysterious male), looking shocked.

The buzzing builds to a dramatic crescendo, and we hear her gasp, the sound echoing and reverberating.

Scene Two:

Birds eye view shot of the man who was looking on in the previous scene and the red-headed woman. The scene is shot in colour.

The tagline written across the centre of the first shot implies that this scene is in flashback, and it also links to the title: “24 Days Before”.

She is turned to face away from him, her hair yet again obscuring her face. The man is looking up towards the ceiling (and therefore the camera). The camera slowly zooms in on him, conveying his deadpan facial expression. There’s a real stillness, no noise.

Suddenly, we hear laughing and excitable discussion, leaving the viewer temporarily confused.

Cut to a handheld VHS recording of the pair when they were happy together. Timestamp; July 2nd 1998- having a romantic picnic, bright, high key lighting, has a dreamy quality.

Dialogue to be improvised in order to have a naturalistic effect, but the gist of it is to show how loved up they are.

The male protagonist will hold the camera, the footage purposely grainy and shaky- again, to create a sense of realism.

Non-diegetic music- tinkly, sentimental, happy.

Cut back to the bedroom, by which time the camera has zoomed in closely on the man’s pained expression.

The tinkly music continues, in this context feeling melancholy.

A single tear rolls down his cheek, one side of his face in light, the other concealed in darkness.

Cut to a close-up of a framed pic on bedside table, the music now fading. It’s a picture of that same picnic, a happy moment in time.

Voiceover (non-diegetic): ‘Having issues in your marriage is TOTALLY normal...’

Scene Three:

Cut to a shot of the speaker, close-up. She’s middle aged, wearing a false smile, dressed glamorously, the epitome of annoying.

Cut to a shot of her name card. Adorned on it is, ‘DR SMILEY, MARRIAGE COUNSELLOR’.

Cut to a long shot of the office. Camera positioned behind the silhouettes of the couple looking across the mahogany desk at the aptly named Dr Smiley. Written across the frame: ‘18 Days before’

The walls are grotesquely saturated with affirmations, inspirational quotes and pictures of smiling people.

Quick montage-like cuts of close-ups of the different pictures of smiling people, the place feels oppressive and intimidating.

Cut to a mid-shot of the faces of the couple behind the desk. After all this ‘smiling’, there’s some humour in the fact that the two are most definitely NOT smiling.

Camera lingers awkwardly, the pair looking straight ahead, avoiding eye contact.

Shot-reverse-shot of Dr Smiley’s reaction to the apparent silence- her faux-jollity is wiped of her face, grimacing in the awkwardness of it all.

No music, apart from ticking of the grandfather clock, highlights this awkwardness.

Dr Smiley: ‘Well, um, how about you express your feelings, Mrs-um-Mrs Brown...’

Cut to a mid-shot of Mrs White, looking disgruntled: ‘It’s Mrs White! [looks pointedly at Mr White, whose out of the frame] And I-I don’t know what to say, he doesn’t care about me anymore, it’s as if he’s not in the room-look-see what I mean!?!’

Cut to Mr White, close-up. Camera leaves Mrs White out of focus, focusing on the foreground- Mr White.

The woman continues to vent, understandably so, but the volume of her words reduces, becoming distorted; so much so that her words descend into a really low-pitched voice.

Buzzing begins, intensifying. His face is totally blank, deep in thought. He then begins to smile, completely out of the zone, making Mrs White’s voice becomes even more annoyed and distorted.

Buzzing reaches a crescendo...

Scene Four:

The couple’s house. It’s dark, the only light shining into the conservatory being the moonlight. The camera is positioned low, at the man’s feet looking upwards, giving him a position of power. He’s sat on a large leather seat, throne-like.

His face is shrouded in darkness; non-diegetic sound of him recounting past arguments- they echo:

Man: ‘...I FOUND THE TEXTS ON YOUR PHONE....’

Woman: ‘Yeah.... well, so what, I deserved better than you’

It’s ugly stuff, a wall of noise, in complete contradiction with the comparatively silent surroundings of the man as he sits in an empty conservatory.

Moon-lit shot of a close-up of his hand: he’s holding a kitchen knife, held downwards against the coaster next to the armchair. He’s casually twisting it, rotating it, scratching the coaster absent-mindedly.

Buzzing intensifies.

Foreground of the knife shifts out of focus, concentrating on the background-it’s a photographic portrait of the pair in happier times.

A long shot shows him walking towards the photo. Close-up of him pressing the knife against the frame, the moonlight reflecting off the portrait.

Non-diegetic voice over: ‘ I CAN’T BELIEVE SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENED IN OUR COMMUNITY!’

Scene Five:

Back to the present day- back to black and white. It’s a BBC News-like live interview of an elderly man, his head peeking out his front door (which is red), looking wild and utterly afraid.

Caption written across the frame: ‘WOMAN MURDERED BY DERANGED EX-HUSBAND!’ There’s no solemnity about the way it’s being reported.

Old Man: ‘They were such a lovely couple, the fella even offered to help me take my weeds out!’

Cut to a close-up of faceless, unidentifiable mourners laying down roses- the red of the roses is the only colour in the frame.

The scratching of vinyl and distorted sobbing from the mourners can be heard.

Scene Six:

Quick jump-cuts show the man putting on a vinyl record. The tagline ‘The End of “Before”’ is written across the frame. BJ Thomas’ ‘Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head’ begins to play; it’s bittersweet music, the calm before the storm.

Montage, shot in black and white, ensues, pace of editing gradually quickening as we move to the climactic shots.

-The bathroom: brushing his teeth, taking a series of pills. The bathroom looks green, almost acidic, the tiles dirty-looking. The positioning of the camera is looking at his reflection in the mirror.

-Getting dressed: dressing in scruffy attire, an ironic ‘Employee of the month’ badge pinned to his jumper.

-Picking up the knife: a low-angle positioned shot, placed by the knife on the table, the man pausing. The pace of edits is dramatically slowed, emphasising to the viewer the significance of this scene. He picks up the knife hesitantly, the hilt of the knife sticking out of his trouser pocket. A medium shot show’s the man’s figure brushing past the photo, the frame crashing to the floor as he leaves the front door.

Walking the streets: a quick series of long shots of the man traversing the streets, his menacing face juxtaposing with the normal images of suburban life. Panning will be used.

The stand-off: Finally, we return to the opening scenes of the film. Shots of the rose, rocking horse and the Jehovah’s witnesses are repeated in order to emphasise this idea. The music becomes distorted, the buzzing sound drowning out all diegetic and nondiegetic sound.

A repeat of the shots (up until the point where the female protagonist gasps) is replayed. Suddenly, the buzzing stops- immediate silence.

Close-up’s reveal the woman’s muted reaction, screaming and yelling with no sound. The final shot is a close-up of the hilt of the knife, the woman’s distinct red hair blurred in the background.

The longest shot in the film, it’s a tracking shot as the man (and the knife) moves towards her. After a few seconds, the man’s hand places a firm grip on the hilt of the knife, still in his trouser pocket.

Total silence. Cut to black. Pause a couple beats.

‘A FILM BY FINLEY HARNETT’

‘THE BEFORE’

An acoustic version of ‘Raindrops Keep Fallin on my Head’ plays as the credits continue.