Analyse and evaluate the production in relation to the
British film which influenced it.
My short film is about a young man who dislikes using public
toilets due to an unfortunate past experience. This character spends his time
in this film taking a journey home while he is in need of the toilet, his
friend along with other things get in his way or remind him of his discomfort
of wanting to go toilet until he finally pees himself. This film is influenced
by two other short films called “The fly” where the character is seen getting
more and more desperate and “Tight jeans” with its heavy use of dialogue.
The story uses a linear narrative as it has a beginning
middle and end without the interruption of any flashbacks or dream sequences. A
technique I used was foreshadowing in during the establishing shots which
displayed a puddle while it was raining. Also, spectators may interpret the
blue colour scheme the protagonist is wearing as another foreshadow as blue is
the colour most associated with water.
The narrative theory the film follows the most is
Todorov’s three act structure. An
equilibrium, disruption and a resolution. However, my film doesn’t follow this
structure completely as there is no resolution.
My short film uses various shots such as close-ups, full
body shots, over shoulder shots, and establishing shots. “The fly” uses a lot
of close-ups in its film to focus solely on the protagonist’s face. The reason
this is done is because the emotion of the character is important in a
particular moment, so to capture how a character is feeling, a close-up is
used. My film uses this shot a few times to show how the protagonist is
feeling.
Full body shots are used to show a characters whole body.
This type of shot can be used for a variety of reasons but the most common
reason is to show a characters body language. This shot is seen in my film in
the beginning when the protagonist and his friend are walking. This shot worked
well as it allows the audience to focus on different body parts to understand
what the characters are doing. Spectators may notice and interpret the blue
colour scheme the protagonist is wearing as another foreshadow as blue is the
colour most associated with water.
Over shoulder shots are important to tell a story as it lets
the audience understand who a character is talking to. This shot focuses on one
characters face while still having the other character in shot. I used this
shot type in my film and it also allows both characters to speak in it as long
as the shot swaps the positions of both characters.
To sell the idea of being in a certain location, an establishing
shot is required. This shot type is used in both “The fly” and “Tight jeans”.
“The fly” simply shows the car that the protagonist is in and where it is
located using one shot while “Tight jeans” uses a montage of the general area.
While the extra shots in “Tight jeans” may seem unreasonable, it helps set the
tone of the film which is also guided by the use of its music. My short film
uses establishing shots that are similar to “Tight jeans” for that reason. A
puddle is shown during these shots while it was raining to foreshadow the
ending of the film.
The sound in my film consist of dialogue, music, and
background noise. The dialogue is the most important asset to this film as the
story is built around what they are saying similar to “Tight jeans” where the
entire film is based on what the characters say. The music is rarely used in my
film, however it gives the film extra character and meaning. Music is also used
in “Tight jeans’” opening. It doesn’t add much to the film in terms of story
but it can be important in other ways. The music in the end of my film is used
to add a comedic effect as the ending is slow and has no sound. The rest of my
film has a lot of sound from the background. These noises are mainly cars
driving by as it helps the setting feel natural.
The dialogue of my film stays on the topic of the
protagonist wanting to use the toilet which is a constant reminder to the
protagonist. This makes him more and more desperate as the film progresses
which is shown through his movement and the words he delivers his words.
