3 Short Films Analysis:
As part of my ongoing studies I was tasked with the analysis of three short dramas. I will be analyzing the production elements used, as well as screen writing techniques for each, explaining how they influenced my work.
Soft
Soft is an award winning short drama directed by Simon Ellis revolving around a the father, son relationship of the two main characters as they deal with a threat to their home environment.
The film opens with a mixture of professional and mobile phone footage. This is a stylistic technique that continues throughout. After the brake away from the initial mobile footage we are presented with a more standard high angel establishing shot. I chose not to use mobile footage in my film as i felt it would distract from the drama, however i liked the establishing shot technique, and opted for a low angle myself so that i could incorporate the iconography of my setting. Iconography is something that "Soft" didn't really utilize, however it utilized other stylistic techniques.
The first one i noticed was the use of shadows. One character in the film has been injured in a fight and is apprehensive to reveal it, therefore half of his face is concealed in shadow.
Something i took from this film is the use of tracking shots. The camera often follows the characters around rather than cutting away, something i used when i wanted my characters to move to a new location.
The use of camera shots is fairly standard, however there are some that use a jib, had i had access to one I could have created some emotive shots, however i felt although it made an effective establishing shot in this film, it was unnecessary for mine. The film made effective use of close ups, switching between over the shoulder shots to gauge characters reactions to one another. This is a technique i encountered later in my screenplay when tensions were high.
The narrative in this film was linear however what was interesting about it was the fact it cut between characters and locations so the audience experienced it from multiple perspectives. This technique can sometimes be used to help you sympathies with the villain of the story, however in this case it is used so that we understand the emotions of our two man characters, as well us help as gain backstory for characters we would not otherwise receive.
The editing changed pace slightly towards the climax of the film, utilizing fades and quick cuts to build tension and allow for the creation of montages, something i considered in my film but decided against. However it worked well here to re invent the atmosphere of fear and tension, in to one of anger.
Cold
Cold is a 20 minuet short drama made by Emily Diana Ruth in 2015. It revolves around one character on a quest to discover who her real parents were, and what happened to them.
The film opens with a blank un focused establishing shot of a bright snowy setting. We then transition in to a tinted screen and we hear the voice over of the main character, at this point in the film we understand that we are hearing her thoughts. The voice over technique is a common convention in drama films, used at the beginning to "set the scene" and fill in some information the audience wouldn't previously be aware of.
In relation to mise en scene the film is shot quite stylistically. Depending on the genre and mood of the film, will denote the exposure and amount of color tinting used. The plot of this film is quite serious and mellow, as a result the exposure is kept relatively low. As a stylistic choice most of the film is shot at night or evening. The low light if used correctly like in this film, can be a very effective technique as it means that the audience has to focus more on the characters and events taking place. My film was well exposed, but after taking inspiration from this film I felt i should bring the light levels down slightly.
This film relies heavily on it's soundtrack as it doesn't have a lot of dialogue. The track its self is very mellow so as not to distract from the dialogue, but is always present to maintain an atmosphere. Although this technique was effective in this film, my screenplay was dialogue heavy so i worried less about the addition of music, and kept it to the bare minimum.
In relation to camera shots the majority of the film uses mid shots and close ups, this keeps you constantly focused on the main character, and the few extreme close ups used, help you to empathize with her. Occasionally the character will switch direction, or location, the film cuts quickly between shots, keeping your attention more on the character than her surroundings. Background detail was something that they did not focus heavily on in this film. Instead opting to focus more on the use of props to drive the narrative forward. Early on in the film we see the character clutching a photo and as the narrative progresses she picks up more papers and clues about her parents. Instead of using dialogue to reveal this information, the audience interprets it from the props and information they are presented with. This is a technique i took inspiration from, i used a mixture of props and dialogue when writing my film.
To top it off there is the occasional POV shot used in the film, a technique i found particularly useful and used sparingly to focus on particular details/props that are important to the plot. The narrative is linear and easy to follow something I wanted to reflect in my screenplay.
The narrative is pushed forward by the characters interactions with her environment, rather than other characters. The occasional discussion with another character will cause her to take an action but this is not focused on for too long and her search for clues, and innate curiosity is the primary drive. This is something i took on board and at the beginning of my film it is my characters interaction with props and their inner thoughts that is the primary drive. However i do rely on his reaction to other characters later in my screenplay.
Our Brother
Our Brother is a 2014 two part short drama film directed by Charlie McDonnell, centered around two characters who deal with their brothers death in different ways.
I drew considerable influence from this film when writing my screenplay/film. To start with this film primarily uses hand held camera shots. This is effective since it is easy to change angles and track characters as they move. It also allows for easy over the shoulder shots which is the main reason i chose to use hand held shots in my film.
Continuing on from this, rather than using cuts or fades, this film prefers to use pans and tracking shots, since the staging of the characters has them sitting, standing and moving around each other a lot, it is more effective to follow their movement than change location. This is a technique that allows for an easy to follow narrative, something i wanted in my own plot.
When it comes to the plot it is primarily motivated by the characters dialogue and reactions to one another, rather than major events or props (although they both feature in this film). Over the shoulder shots and close ups take up the majority of the screen time, allowing us to feel more connected to the characters and events, yet still allowing enough background detail for us to interpret where they are, and where they are going.
Another piece of inspiration that i took from this film was the heavy focus on dialogue, this film negates most background noise, using minimal non dietetic sound (enough to create an atmosphere, but not as much to distract from characters dialogue). This was the exact effect i wanted in my film.
Whats interesting about this film is it likes to play with the 180 degree rule. By using tracking shots and staging the characters so that they walk around each other they can mess with standard dynamics, without creating confusion.
The lighting in the film is kept as natural as possible to give it a real life feel, and create an effective, immersive atmosphere. This technique is quite effective and is something i intended to reflect in my work. However one technique that I'm not convinced is entirely effective is the lack of cuts. Some scenes are played out using only a single shot or very occasional cut. The length of shots while it keeps the focus clear, can lead to a slight loss of interest from an audience, and is something I will not be using in my own work.
As a whole the writing relies on the interaction between a brother and sister. Recently their other sibling died (death is always a big topic used in dramas) and they deal with it in very different ways. One of them wants to move on while the other is stuck in the past, and this often leads to tension and argumentative tendencies between them, making for an effective drama plot.
The idea of siblings was something i knew i wanted to do from the start, and this film gave me the confidence to go ahead with the idea, and provided options of how the characters should be presented/develop.
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