Post 1; Research existing short films

In this post I am going to analyse an existing short film that we have watched so I can achieve a better understanding of the media language elements such as camera, editing, sound, costume and mise-en-scene. Analysing this short film (That Old One) will enable me to understand what conventions are used in short films and what kind of story lines they follow, this will help when it comes to making our own short film.

Here is a link to a website which shows a short clip from the film That Old One: http://www.jameshenry.org.uk/oldone.html

The plot of That Old One is about a man who wakes up in bed with a woman but because he was drinking the night before doesn’t remember what happened. As he walks home he has flashbacks of the events of the night before and imagines scenarios of what could happen when he arrives home to his wife.

There are a variety of shots and angles used to enforce the positions of the characters; a high angled shot is used to make the leading man ‘Tom’ appear strong and aggressive at different points in the film whereas in others low angled shots are used to make him or the wife character to show their vulnerability and weakness. There is also a great use of close up and extreme close up shots. Through these shots the audience can see the characters facial expressions, reactions and thoughts. An example of how this is effective is when Tom is in the club and an extreme close up shot of his face shows the audience that he is drunk and doesn’t know what he is doing, this is also inforced with the special effect used to make the edge of the screen blurry when the camera shows things from his point of view.

The editing used throughout the film is non-linear, meaning that the story is not in order of events but goes back and forth between what is happening at that point in time and what has previously happened as well as the different scenarios that may occur when he gets home. Using this kind of editing creates a sense of confusion for the audience as to what is real and what is made up therefore creating a sympathetic link between the audience and the character. As well as this there have been a lot of hard cuts used which keeps the pace of the scene and film quite fast, a technique that seems to be used in the majority of short films we have watched.

Throughout the film a mixture of diegetic and non-diegetic sound is used to create effect and change the way the audience views the characters. One obvious use of diegetic sound is the dialogue of the characters as well as any other sounds such as Tom screaming that are made by the characters themselves. The non-diegetic sound is used help portray the emotions of the characters or the situations that they are in for example when Tom is walking home there is calm music being played over the top of the atmosphere track (a layer of extra backing track to lay over the original and allows you to alter the background noise levels) of the diegetic sounds. Another example of the use of non-diegetic sound used is when Tom goes back to the row of houses trying to figure out which one he came out of there is a jungle beat being played giving the scene an element of tenseness and meaning. The non- diegetic sounds that are used are sounds that as an audience we cannot see the source of, unlike with the diegetic sounds, but help create atmosphere and mood throughout the film.

The lighting used in That Old One is different to lighting used in any of the other films we watched. As well as the natural light there are un-natural lighting colours created using coloured gels. This lighting is used in correspondence with Tom’s feelings and situations, for example dark colours and warm lighting is used when he is trying to remember the night before but is confused. When he is thinking of things to tell his wife and how they would play out a green light is used to show the audience that it isn’t real, while the green light is being used a Foley popping sound is used to make it clearer to the audience.

The mise-en-scene is important in any film and in That Old One it is no different. The costumes are very important to the story line as even if they are part of Tom’s imagination, they are an extension of the character at that point in time.  Tom’s costume doesn’t change throughout the film, he is wearing the same suit that he was wearing the night before showing the audience that he hasn’t been home. The cup of coffee he is carrying at the beginning enforces the story of him having drunk too much and isn’t able to remember what happened. When Tom is making up situations about how his wife will respond to his return home her costume changes depending on what he believes she did the night before and how she will react.

There is little use of props other than to decorate rooms apart from Tom’s wedding ring. On his way home he realises his wedding ring is no longer on his finger, this is where the story starts and for the first two thirds of it the main plot line revolves around it. He soon finds his ring attached to his keys, another prop, that’s only used for about 30seconds. Other props that are used are an unopened box of condoms which leads him in to another scenario in his head and the cup of coffee at the beginning which he spills down himself prompting him to look at his ring finger.

There are very few locations in the film; Tom’s walk home, the woman’s house, his house and outside the row of houses. Each location is used several times and in varying shots.