Researching Short Films - 'I Love You'

This short film is a comedy based on the lengths a man would go to to have sex with his girlfriend. The main characters include deaf Catherine and her able hearing boyfriend Tyler. But when Catherine tells Tyler she loves him he replies 'I love Jews' in order to challenge her lip reading skills and make it look as though he was returning the love.

The film is set in the apartment of the main male character and is shot between three rooms; the bedroom, the bathroom, and the balcony. It is a very simplistic film with a very unique idea behind it which is what makes it memorable. By sticking to three parts of the house it makes the story seem more realistic as if we were watching the events occur first hand like a fly on the wall. This makes the film more comical as it appears to the audience as something that could happen to an everyday couple.

The music at the beginning of the scene resembles that of a flamenco guitar, setting a romantic mood for the audience. Passion is something that is often associated with Spain and Flamenco and implies that the couple are very passionate about each other. The music also helps to represent to the audience the heat between the young couple suggesting that the relationship may still be relatively new. However, this music stops abruptly when Catherine says the words 'I love you,' which is brilliant timing for it to be comically effective.

This off-beat comedy is intended for purely entertainment value and would be ideal for a target audience of teenage or middle-aged males. Considering the target audience I think the best distribution for this particular film would be on the internet. I think this would gain the best exposure from the chosen target audience because this particular media is mostly used by this age and gender.

For this short film I would give it a certificate of 12 as it only contains one taboo word. However, the sexual implications of this film may make it a bit too mature for someone at the age of 12 but that could be debatable. I do not, however, believe that is it too adult to give it a certificate of 15 as there are no simulated sex scenes or overuse of harsh language.

Researching Short Films - The Plan

This short film is was a very simplistic piece based on a young man who quits his job, leaves his girlfriend and drives to Vegas to gamble all his savings. The entire film was set in black and white and had a very philological feel to it as the main character was very reflective in his narration. There are only two central characters in this short film. The main character is the young male with whom the audience travel along with on his journey and the supporting role is the mysterious girl he meets whilst travelling who later becomes the love interest. I believe the intention of this producer when they created this film was purely for entertainment, perhaps with an underlying moral along the lines of 'live life to the full' or 'take risks and do the unexpected.'

Judging by the plot as well as the central characters in this film I would assume that the target audience was teenagers and young adults in their 20's. This is because I think the storyline of fleeing your home and driving to a foreign place to risk all your money on a gamble is something that would appeal to younger audiences who are more interested in 'thrill-seeking.'

The film is set in unknown locations presumably places the young man passes on his way to Las Vegas. The young man never seems to be in a recognisable location for any length of time which ties is with his urgency to get to Vegas. However, the main focus of this piece is the road and what it symbolises; freedom, independence and a journey. I think this would appeal to teenagers and young adults who still have some sort of restraint in their lives and would love to have the courage to do the same thing.

The music starts off with a very upbeat and light-hearted tune using either a keyboard or xylophone to achieve this. However, when something goes wrong half-way through the film the music changes to an eerie female vocal which then develops into a instrumental piece performed by strings, presumably Cellos. At the climax of the film, the instrument used sounds like a Church Bell being beaten ever so slowly. This slow, dull, 'dong' is often associated with execution and death as it is often heard when someone is awaiting their death. This ties in with the seriousness of the gamble the young man has taken as it could be seen as the end of his life is he loses.

The film contains camera techniques which give the film a 'fly-on-the-wall' documentary feel. By using the unsteady camera technique it makes it look as though someone else has filmed it without the characters knowing. Due to the amount of editing skills and creative filming used for this short film I would suggest that it be distributed at a Film Festival in order to broadcast the producers creative film-making skills.

The plot of this story could be suitable for anyone of any age, but the use of taboo language and adult content e.g. gambling and swearing would raise the certificate significantly. The two uses of the 'F word' would immediately raise the certificate up to a 15 and would be unsuitable for anyone under that age.

Researching Short Films - Love Field

The short film 'Love Field' was based on a trick of the mind using camera work and typical genre determinants. The film is based on a woman giving birth in the middle of the field, aided by her farmer husband. However, by using shots that restrict the view of what is actually going on and adding thriller music to the scene, the audience immediately assume the genre of the film is a thriller.

I think this short film would be more targeted towards a middle-aged audience. This is due to the context of the woman giving birth as well as the implication of her being murdered. I think the clever use of camera work and conventions would be more appreciated on a more mature audience as opposed to teenagers. However, I would suggest a certificate as young as 12 years of age for this short film as it doesn't contain any physical violence or taboo words. On the other hand the plot does have very gruesome implications which may frighten young children and uses a lot of codes and convections of a horror film which would be unsuitable for a young audience.

The music used in the short film consists of mostly stringed instruments, which are usually associated with horrors and thrillers. The high key of the strings make the scene very intense and eerie. The music also escalates in pitch as the storyline develops more, making the audience more uneasy and putting them on the edge of their seats.

The fact that the film is set in a baron town is supported by the quietness of the opening couple of minutes. The town seems almost deserted and creates a worrying fear that you are completely alone. This is an unnerving feeling to have as an audience member as this sets the audience up for bad things to happen; giving the first implication that the genre is a thriller or horror.

During the first couple of minutes the audience are shown the open field to establish that it is in the middle of the countryside as well as a town sign swinging in the wing and creaking. The creaking sign is a typical shot that would be seen in a horror or thriller, as is the squawking blackbird which is introduced in the opening minute.

The blackbird is often associated with horrors including Albert Hitchcock's the birds. The bird's constant squawking throughout not only plays on the fears that Hitchcock had already created in 1963, but also showed just how quiet the town was as we could hear the crow over most other things. Close ups of scalpels and the sound of the woman screaming during labour are both used throughout the film as well as close up's of the woman's dirty feet and legs twitching in pain on the ground. All these things lead to the assumption that something cynical is going on and a lot is just left to the imagination.

I would assume that the intention of the producer was to shock the audience by the end result and to trick their minds throughout the entire film. This shock tactic makes the short film very memorable and entertaining as you could never have suspected the ending. Based on the clever use of camera work and editing I would suggest that the film was intended the be shown at a Film Festival in order to broadcast the producers film making talents.