Depict short films

Family dinner

I like the short film ‘Family Dinner’ because it has unique shot types, narrative etc., making it interesting to watch. Instead of being still all the time, the camera is moved in an arc around the table, briefly zooming in on each conversation before quickly moving away. This gives a dizzying effect on the viewer, as the camera is never still – especially when the daughter gets in trouble, as instead of continuing its circular motion around the table it quickly moves back and forth between each speaker. The short film is also shot in one take instead of using cuts to edit it together. This makes it more entertaining to watch and captures the attention of the viewer better than if the camera was still, or had cuts.

The narrative in this film was interesting as although the family were sitting together at the table, everyone was having different conversations. As the camera moved from one conversation to another, the previous conversation faded out so it can no longer be heard. This creates a confused effect, as it makes it hard to follow what’s happening – a good representation of a family being separate from each other’s lives.

The mise-en-scene of the film shows us its set in a kitchen in a family home. The music playing is very light-hearted, to match the tone of the conversations taking place, except for when the daughter is in trouble, as then the music completely stops to focus the viewers’ attention on what’s happening. The costumes being worn are regular clothes to match the age of the person wearing them, e.g. one of the teenagers are wearing a hoodie, whilst the grandfather is wearing a jumper with glasses. The lighting used is quite bright, and stays that way, to match create the light-hearted tone.

Lighter

https://www.depict.org/2017/lighter/?category_request=2017

‘Lighter’ was interesting to watch because the narrative included was very different, as it was a voice over, and the voices were echoed to reflect this. The homeless man was remembering the day before when everyone refused to help him, and the voice over gradually changed from being only a few voices to lots of voices shouting at once. This made it very overwhelming and uncomfortable to listen to, until the voice over is suddenly cut off and replaced with ambient sound. This sets an eerie, uncomfortable tone for the rest of the film.

At the beginning of the film, there is a long shot of the man walking while the voice over plays. As the shot stays like this for several seconds, it creates ambiguity around the man as we can’t see his face right away. The camera slowly zooms into a medium shot, until the man crouches down and we can no longer see him. The camera moves very quickly back around at the same time as the voice over cuts off, which makes it seem even more abrupt and confusing. The camera moves around from the homeless man to other people, before being interrupted with cuts of lighters and cigarettes. The camera goes out of focus and hazy as this happens, creating a disorientating effect and makes it harder to understand what’s happening.

The film is set on a street at night (which is reflected by the ambient sound), so the only lighting is motivated lighting from streetlights. The clothes the man is wearing is completely black, which helps create a tense atmosphere along with the lack of lighting. As the film progresses, the ambient sounds are replaced by sirens and static sounds which slowly get louder. This creates a creepy, uneasy atmosphere which makes the viewer feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable.

Ideas are illegal 

https://www.depict.org/2017/ideas-are-illegal/?category_request=2017

The short film 'Ideas are illegal' is different to the others as it's animated, and has no form of narrative. Instead, throughout the film, there are video gaming sounds to mark what's happening, for example when the lightbulb lights up there is a ping, followed by a brief silence as the rest of the workers turn to look. This makes the viewer realise that he's done something wrong and creates tension.  

The editing in this film captures the viewers' attention as the shots are interrupted by images of rivers, etc. As this happens, it slowly zooms in on the worker's face so the viewer knows they're seeing his thoughts. The images slowly appear faster until the lightbulb lights up, so the audience knows he has had an idea. There is also a close up of the workers face as he starts running, so the audience can see the fear in his expression, before switching to a close up of the hand chasing him. This creates a threatening atmosphere, as the close up makes the hand seem bigger and dangerous. The images in his mind are repeated as they were at the beginning, until they show the lightbulb shattering, symbolising his safety and the extinguish of his idea. 

The film is set in a factory, and the lighting is very dark, to give a threatening, uncomfortable atmosphere, especially when the danger arrives. While the hand is chasing the worker, the video gaming sounds become louder, giving the film a video game impression. There is no colour as it's all in black and white, apart from the illuminated lightbulb, which is broken by the end of the film. The film then fades completely to black. There are no costumes as the film is animated, but the workers are wearing dark suits which fit with the dystopian theme.  

Change of Hands - Induction task

Our induction activity was a task about continuity. Overall, we were quite successful with our continuity. However, there are a few errors, for example one of the balloons is in a different place in two different shots. We also had a problem with continuity when it began to get dark, as it changed the lighting, and we were unable to control it.

Overall, I think our editing mostly went quite well. I think the best part of our editing was the music we selected for the film, and the blending of it. The music was blended so there isn't an abrupt cut between the two different pieces of music. When editing, we also experimented with colour change, adding titles/credits and using a different transition apart from a cut.

Connotation Photos continued

Poverty – poor people don’t have much access to food, and don’t have much to eat. This picture represents this, and how the poor are viewed by society.

Fear - a well-known fear is a fear of heights. The low camera angle presents this fear as it emphasises the height.

Danger – fire alarms connate to danger as fires cause a lot of destruction and takes a lot of lives.

Connotation Photos

Friendship – two people shaking hands symbolises friendship and trust between two people. 

Purity – water is a clean, pure substance that people use every day, and that we rely on to stay alive.

Weakness – smoking can become addictive. Some people consider addictions weaknesses, especially if they can’t overcome them. The ‘No Smoking’ sign can also symbolise people who break the law, which can also be classed as a weakness.

Desire – the clothes represent a career in fashion, and links to people’s ambition and desire to become successful.

Loneliness – the person sitting by herself in an empty corridor emphasises how alone she is, and the curled-up position she is sitting in shows she feels lonely.

Greed – the sweets and drinks represents the greed of people in this country, when there are people around the world starving because they don’t have enough food.

Love – a poster with ‘love’ written on it.

Strength – metal holding up a large, heavy structure represents a form of physical strength.

Wealth – a pocket watch is associated with the wealthy, particularly as it is gold. 

‘The Hunger Games’ film review

American director Gary Ross brings you The Hunger Games – a dystopian science fiction adventure film based on the book by Suzanne Collins. In the post-apocalyptic nation of Panem, which is divided into twelve different districts, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) takes the place of her younger sister when she is selected to take part in The Hunger Games – a televised event in which the tributes from each district must fight to the death, until only one remains. Along with her district’s male tribute, Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), Katniss travels to the Capitol to train for and participate in The Hunger Games.
Fittingly, both our key characters narrowly escape death once in the arena and faced with the Careers, tributes from Districts 1 and 2 who, for some reason, have been training for this bloodbath from an early age, and are consequently the most skilled tributes – but clearly not the smartest, which is made apparent when Katniss outsmarts them with a nest of genetically modified poisonous wasps. As Katniss fights to return home to District 12, the most forced romance possible between her and Peeta blossoms, keeping them stocked with resources to stay alive as the viewers in the Capitol are entertained in the murders happening before their eyes.
Whilst the starving residents from the Districts living in poverty mourn the deaths of their children, the Capitol residents stuff their faces with exotic food, creating CGI forest fires and wild beats for the tributes to fight off when they get bored. This film brilliantly portrays a selfish society split into rich and poor, which hints at our possible future if we allow war, greed and rebellion take over our lives. It also shows both the positive and negative consequences of genetic modification on animals, from mimicking songbirds to venomous wasps, and raises a question: do we, as a society, really value all life, or just the lives of the wealthy?
With gruesome fight sequences and an effective use of CGI, this perfect blend of dystopian and science fiction raises ethical questions about our future whilst delivering action filled entertainment. Whilst the slow evolution of the romance between Katniss and Peeta can be tedious, this film is a must see that will win the approval of fans of action and dystopian fiction.