Evaluation

   When I researched short films, I was unaware of just how different they are to normal films. Not only are they of a short length, but they use different techniques and ideas to convey their message. The idea of a moral or message is also a must in a short film, as they are made to tell the viewer something. My film does tell a story which is coherent and relevant to today’s society. I have tried to avoid stereotyping in the story, as this leads to narrow audience groups, and I wanted my short film to have a universal appeal. The story is implicit – in that the viewer gets the opportunity to think about things. I chose to make my film this way as I wanted to provoke thought and generate a response from the viewer. The voiceover is a key part of the film, and though it tells the story, I have chosen to keep that at a minimum, so the viewer can consider the thoughts and feelings of the characters involved. I chose to make the film about something realistic and relevant as that means that most people can relate to it. Though not everyone is homeless or materialistic, they can empathise with the main character as she becomes a victim of fate.

   I believe that my film does capture the audience’s imagination, as it begins with a shot of a house – provoking thought and questions. The voiceover telling the view that ‘this was her house, this was her’ also generates interest, as the viewer wonders who the narrator of the story is. The story progresses, as the viewer understands that something is about to change and the exchange between the tramp and the woman acts as the twist of fate. It also creates sympathy for the tramp and encourages the reader to watch and see what happens to the woman. When she misses the bus, it is viewed as karma, as is the loss of her job. The viewer gets to see the more vulnerable side of the woman when her boyfriend leaves her and she sits alone contemplating her situation. This creates sympathy from the viewer and leaves them asking what will happen. Losing her home answers this question and her confusion and isolation is used to appeal to the viewer as everyone has felt like this in their lifetime. The ending brings a sense of finality and satisfaction to the film. The film isn’t predictable, but it is relatable and the ending sends the message that the film wants to viewer to acknowledge. This message can be interpreted in many different ways – and I found this out while carrying out my questionnaire. Some interpreted the message as being one about karma and fate whilst others believed the message to be of hope and spirituality. This demonstrates the universal appeal of the film and the utilization of a message to capture the audience’s imagination. It also mirrors the conventions of other short films that I have watched. I have used some of the conventions like messages, realism and close-up camera shots (to show expressions) to make my short film as authentic as possible.

   I believe my short film does look realistic because I have used and developed conventions of other short films. At AS level, we were required to produce a 5 minute sequence from a full-length film, and this made me realise how fine the line is between beginnings and trailers. I made sure my film did not look like that by using establishing shots and the voiceover to show the audience that it is a film. The slower pace of the film is aided by the voiceover which is important as trailers tend to be fast and concise as they are made to sell the product. Clips are longer than those in short films, around 20 seconds each and all are in chronological order. I have used a variety of shots, including long shots – to make sure the actions are shown in full, mid-shots – to see the face of the subject more clearly, and close-ups – used in order to make reactions and expressions easily visible. The variety of shots means that the audience has a good view of the actions and events that occur in the film. The film also uses real houses, streets and realistic clothing which is important as it contributes to the authenticity of the film as the use of things, as they appear in reality, means that it appeals to the viewer as they are able to relate to it.

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Evaluation

   One of the best parts of the whole film is when the woman’s boyfriend leaves her, and her vulnerable side is exposed. This is compounded by her sitting on the floor alone. I think this is one of the most important scenes in the film as it proves that the woman is not infallible. It also demonstrates how situations can rapidly deteriorate, which is another thing that audiences can relate to. The fact that the boyfriend isn’t seen is important as well, as I wanted only the woman and the tramp to appear in the film. This is to emphasise the fact that the tramp is the only other constant in the woman’s life, which she later realises. This presented a problem, as the doors needed to be moved, and the front door slammed to show the boyfriend leaving. I resolved this by using the actor who played the tramp to move the doors and leave quickly, so that the audience could not see her face. This worked well as the boyfriend’s seemingly callous nature is heightened by the fact that he says nothing. I think this is one of the most poignant scenes as it appeals to every member of the audience through the woman’s confused state, isolation and depression. The shots I used were also important as I showed the woman’s face outside the door as she looked out, to show her expression. I also zoomed out of the shot of her sitting on the floor to emphasise her loneliness. I think this worked well as the woman appears alone, and as the scene changes to her leaving the house, it emphasises the passing of time. This scene – the one where the woman leaves – is also important. One of the best shots is where she turns off the light as it symbolises her leaving. When this was shot, the idea of turning the light out was only suggested as it would be considered the done thing, and would be pointed out as a mistake if it wasn’t done. However, when the woman does turn the light off, it removes the sense of warmth and homeliness that her house had which speaks volumes to the audience.

   This relates to another short film convention – that of symbolism and connotations to convey feelings and thoughts. I tried to incorporate this into my film by having the subject wear black to convey a sense of order and uniformity. This contrasted with the tramp’s mismatched clothes and friendly personality. Also, the idea of having her hair up neatly conveyed a sense of restriction, whereas the tramps hair was left loose to emphasise her freedom. Symbols were things I picked up on whilst watching short films for research, and though they seem trivial, they trigger things in the audience’s minds and are a very useful tool to use. The use of character types as part of conventions and generic codes is also important. The fact that I only used two characters and contrasted them greatly was for the audience’s benefit so they could interpret the meaning of the film without complexity or overuse of dialogue marring it. This means that the differentiation between the two characters was easy enough for the audience, as the woman clearly represented stability, materialism and ignorance while the tramp symbolised homelessness, freedom and peace. The conversion of the woman to the tramp’s way of life is hugely significant as it provides the main message of the film, which is aided by the voiceover. This is another part of the film that worked well, as it faded in to a close up of the woman, followed by a mid-shot of the tramp and the woman (this was done to reveal that the woman is now friends with the tramp). The part where the tramp lends the woman her scarf is done to symbolise kindness – a trait the woman obviously lacked previously – and the end shot of the two together which I zoomed out of, ends the film with a finality and sense of accomplishment which is compounded by the voiceover and the fading out.

   I believe my film is successful in its aims though it’s not without its flaws. I have acknowledged that improvements could be made, and my questionnaire highlighted this as well. These improvements include issues to do with costumes and shots. Overall, however, I am happy with my film and the ancillaries as they work well with each other and convey the film’s message accurately.

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Planning

I have enclosed a copy of my storyboards - which I remade halfway through the production of my short film. This is because the storyline had changed and I wanted the storyboards to reflect the end product. They also helped me keep the original story in sight during the editing process.

Planning

This is a copy of my planning for the storyline of my film. I took inspiration from Sliding Doors - a film revolving around fate and focusing on how a single moment in a person's life can alter the course of their future. I decided on using a bus in my storyline, as they are easier to come by than a train or any other form
of public transport. I brainstormed so I would be able to chose which would be the most suitable as I had to take logistics, money and time into account. Originally, I was going to include a scene on the bus in my film. However, the film would have been too long, so I showed that the woman missed the bus by her checking the timetable. I also brainstormed about the issues I could portray in my film. I chose the theme of homelessness, fate and materialism as I believe they are a relevant and contemporary issue. I wanted my film to be thought-provoking and different, which I believe I have achieved. I wanted it to have a universal appeal, so that anyone could watch it and be interested in it. I also wanted the film to be implicit so people could form their own opinions and reactions to the film.
I can see that my film is different to my earlier planning in some ways, however, I believe this has been because of my increased knowledge of the production process - and my eventual choice to change the storyline to fit the time limit. Overall, I think the film still reflects many aspects of its original planning, as I did not want to move far away from the original concept, but includes new and interesting aspects that works within the film better than some initial ideas.

 

Planning

I have included the research and planning from the pre-production stage of my coursework. It includes storyboards, short film research, brainstorms, and general planning for the filming of my production. It took me around a month to plan properly for my short film. This included a filming session which didn't produce much good footage. I learnt from this, and while I did use a very small part of the footage in my final, it served mostly as a learning opportunity as it made me realise exactly how I wanted my film to look.

This is a copy of the brief for my production:

'A short film in its entirety, lasting approximately five minutes, which may be live action or animated or a combination of both, together with two of the following three options

a poster for the film;

a radio trailer for the film;

a film magazine review page featuring the film'

I chose to do a poster and a film review for my ancilliaries as I believe they accompany the film well.

This is a copy of my research for my short film. I have included my full research and a brainstorm. I watched films from various sites. They were of various lengths and I made notes on them. All of them had a main issue and I found the research helpful as they assisted me with planning my film. From this research I learnt of the conventions of short films including:

•  the focus on a main issue
•  the common use of close-ups to show reactions and expressions
•  the minimal number of characters
•  the implicit nature of the films
•  the unusual methods used by some - e.g. limited speech
•  the recurrent theme of messages and morals

I used all of these conventions and more to help me in the planning of my film.

Evaluation

   After carrying out my questionnaire, I found that, all of the people I surveyed said that my production did look like a short film, though it was for various reasons. They also suggested some improvements which I found helpful.

   Several people said that the film’s length and portrayal of a topical issue (homelessness) both help to make it look authentic. Another said a valuable life lesson was part of the moral that the story tells and that the conveyance of a message was very significant. I was happy that the film successfully conveyed the intended message, which is one of the key conventions of a short film. Also, the fact that it was identifiable as a short film to every member of its audience means that it fulfilled its purpose.

   When I compared my film to other films that I had watched, as part of my research, I was happy as it mirrored different films in different ways. For example, my film focused on an important issue- homelessness – whilst telling a story. I was also happy as my film addressed other issues – such as materialism versus spiritualism and fate. This was shown through the protagonist’s realisation that material items don’t always bring happiness and was compounded by her declaration of peace at the end, despite her seemingly hopeless situation.  My film also included fate as part of its storyline – which was inspired by the film Sliding Doors. At first, my film was going to include a scene with a bus, and the different events that would occur if the protagonist caught or missed the bus. However, my film would be too long if I included this scene, so I had to allude to it instead.

   The people I surveyed also said that the film was enjoyable and was effective as it provided a message through a story. It also engaged the viewer, but still conveyed its message. I was happy, as I wanted my short film to be enjoyable, as I found some short films to be too long – some were fifteen minutes. This meant that some films felt too long and slow-paced which is what I didn’t want for my film. For example, The Undertaker – a story about an undertaker – was very jolty and uncomfortable to watch. I felt that the time limit – five minutes was perfect for my film as it allows the film to tell its story, without being slow-paced or boring.  

   Watching other short films – both professional and amateur, was really helpful as I was able to envisage how long my film would be. I developed their conventions as they helped me to decide on my plot, and helped me decide on the types of shots I would use in different scenes. It gave me an insight into the conventions of short films and illustrated how they are different to normal films – e.g. shots, storylines, and symbolism. My film used these conventions as it has a message and conveys a clear message. I did challenge some conventions – most notably the timeline – as most short films had plots that took place in a short period of time, whereas the events in mine occurred over a period of a few weeks.

   Other people who were surveyed said that my film looked authentic mostly because of the poster and review that accompanied it. These were the ancillary tasks that I was required to produce. They both took around two weeks to complete and were reasonably easy to finish. I used the same picture from the poster in my review to establish a sense of continuity and uniformity. This means that my film, poster and review all look as if they are part of the same production, which is what I was aiming for.

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Evaluation

   The people I surveyed did point out flaws and offer suggestions, which I was happy with, as I too had found ways in which I could improve my film. The main issues are to do with continuity, for example, there is an umbrella depicted in the poster that is not seen in the film. Not many people noticed this, and those that did said that it was a trivial flaw of little importance. The umbrella was used as a last resort, as it was raining heavily on the day the poster shoot was done. This was one of the problems I encountered during the pre-production phase, though it was easily averted. I did consider cropping out it out of the photo; however the position of the subject would seem absurd as they would appear to be holding something. After further consideration I decided that I would include the issue as part of my evaluation and keep the flaw as it was not troublesome.

   One other flaw that I noticed was the fact that the character wears the same clothes throughout most of the film, despite the fact that several weeks have passed in the film. This was because the film was shot in one day. At first, this was a problem, but when I carried out my questionnaire and no-one else pointed it out, I realised it wasn’t a huge problem as it wasn’t as obvious as I had first thought. This was trivial compared to the problems I had incurred whilst shooting the film as it took two shoots to get it right and four months to complete. I was working alone, which was unfamiliar as, at AS level, I had worked in a group. Working on my own gave me complete power over the film, but also left me with a lot of responsibility. The editing process was particularly different, as I didn’t have the opportunity to ask for second opinions, and instead had to rely on my own. However, in time, I found working alone to be enjoyable as I shaped the film according to my previous vision and was satisfied when the final film looked as I had imagined it.

   Also, it gave me an opportunity to use the cameras, tripods and editing equipment alone. I did encounter some problems during the filming process as, during my second shoot, the camera’s batteries ran out before I had finished shooting my film and I did not have the opportunity to use a tripod. Despite this, I found the tripod was not completely necessary, and as a result of its absence, my filming became steadier which was a benefit. I also found a way round the battery expiration as I stopped filming for half an hour and used the last ounces of the retiring battery to film my final scene in one take. This initially made me apprehensive, as I was worried that the ending would look rushed. However, in the end, the ending was one of the best parts of the whole film, and its brevity meant that the time limit was adhered to, which I was happy with.

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