TECHNICAL ANALYSIS OF FOUR SHORT FILMS

Young Offender

By Isabel Anderton

http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p004pr1w

CAMERA – there are a lot of close-up shots of the protagonist of the film and his actions. This is to show the emotion of the character to add an in depth view of his thoughts and feelings. Many of the close-up shots are of Ali writing, this is used as it is significant to the narrative of the as he only writes when he is angered and builds tension when he begins to write more aggressively. There were some mid-shots used to signify the ethnic diversity between the inmates, which is integral to the narrative as Ali has a hatred for ethnic minorities.

EDITING – there were many focus pulls used but not between the characters. Many of the scenes begin with a camera shot behind a set of steel bars, to then focus on Ali. This signifies his loneliness throughout as he is not just literally trapped behind bars but mentally too – he feels isolated being one of the only white British males in the institute. The lighting is also dim throughout, which also signifies the ‘darkness’ to Ali’s personality and his hatred of different ethnicities.

MISE-EN-SCENE – the film is set in a Young Offenders Institute and most of the shots of Ali are in his cell, which connotes that his mind is trapped with his thoughts and feelings of hatred. The plaster in which Ali is required to wear over his racist tattoo is a significant part of the mise-en-scene, as when he finally decides to let his feelings overrule him, he removes the plaster, connoting that he is being himself and not conforming to the rules of the institute.

SOUND – the diegetic sound throughout the film has been edited to appear louder to the audience. This is used with small occurrences such as when Ali writes, the sound of the pen to paper usually increases as he continues to write, which connotes that he is becoming more angry.

The Ends

By Justin Edgar

http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p005g5pd

CAMERA – there are a lot of mid-shots and long shots used in the film. These are used to signify the setting and surrounding of the film – the poverty stricken and rundown estates and this connotes the stereotype for such places of violence and shootings. There are many close-up shots used of the characters to signify emotion. At the end of the film there is use of a bird-eye shot, this is to show how insignificant the character’s lives are, as the scene beforehand is of Jaybee’s girlfriend shooting herself and the shot represents her as small and a worthless life.

EDITING – there are a lot of fast-paced and shaky camera movements used to connote the seriousness of the shooting and that Angela’s future is uncertain. Focus-pulls are also used from character to character to signify that one character’s actions affects another, such as the pull from Angela’s sister to her brother, who begs the gang members to call the police.

MISE-EN-SCENE – the setting of the film is in a poor estate surrounded by drugs and violence. This connotes the stereotype portrayed by the media of where violence actually takes place in Britain. Clothing and language of the characters also represent the stereotypes of Inner City London gang members.

SOUND – sounds such as the gunshot were edited to seem realistic. The beginning of the film uses a dark non-diegetic soundtrack to notify the audience that a serious incident is going to occur whereas at the end of the film, the soundtrack changes to a piano-based saddening theme which connotes that the actions in the film have taken place and there is no point of return.

Light ‘Em Up

By Phil Stoole and Damien Wasylkiw

http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p004t6mn1

CAMERA – there are various close-up and long shots used to set the scene and show the emotions of the characters and highlight the relaxation they feel which contrasts to the destruction ahead of them.

EDITING – there are various focus pulls, which focuses on the skyline ahead of the characters to signify to the viewer that something out of the ordinary is occurring. The skyline itself seems edited to show a darker red, which connotes ‘danger’ and ‘love’ – ‘danger’ being the destruction and ‘love’ being the teenager’s love for cannabis and their feeling of relaxation after smoking it. Of course, the explosions in London are edited in to fit into the narrative.

MISE-EN-SCENE – The film is set on an empty grassy hill with a view of London City. There is a major contrast used – the teenagers are sitting on the hill without a care in the world, whereas just opposite of them there is destruction and death of the city. This is done to show a stereotype of the typical teenager – with no worries.

SOUND – The explosions in the film are diegetic as there is no way they could be real. The sound of nature has been edited to appear louder and some diegetic effects added to highlight the relaxation and peace of the teenagers.

Easy Hours

By George Ravenscroft

CAMERA – there are many uses of close-up shots of the characters in the film to show the audience the emotion that they both feel. There are also many point-of-view shots used to signify what the characters can see and why they are reacting in a certain way to each other’s actions.

EDITING – There is a lot of editing used in the film, most notably the ‘cardboard’ appearance of the protagonist and the woman on the poster ‘ripping’ off from it. This is significant as it plays a role in the narrative to highlight the feelings of the main character. There are many focus pulls to highlight certain items and the character’s actions in the film.

MISE-EN-SCENE – The film is set in a shop. The lighting feels dim although there are many lights around the shop. This is to connote the feelings of the shopkeeper, that although he is in bright surroundings, his suspicions of the young man cause him to sense certain darkness around him. A lot of the products in the shop are also ‘blurred’ from the shopkeepers point-of-view to reiterate that the only thing he notices is the young man.

SOUND – there is a lot of diegetic sound used in the film, the majority of movements by the characters have been made louder and more significant to build to tension between the characters, every creek and footstep is made noticeable. There is a point in the film in which the shopkeeper can here a wasp flying around him, there is no wasp, however is used to show his paranoia of the young man entering his shop.