Applying the 5 Key Concepts to Two Short Films by Nick Bannister

Film 1

Film: The Last Man on Earth

Director: Carlo Ortu
Released: 2011
Website: www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork
Plot Summary: The film depicts what appears to be a completely empty street with a lone man walking towards the pub, in the pub the man records himself describing how he believes he is the last man on earth and therefore does not wish to live as a result. Immediately after swallowing poison, his phone rings; his friend is calling him.

 I chose this film because of its twist during the end. The first half of the film builds the narrative up as a serious drama, until near the end when you discover that he is not the last man on earth as he so believes he is. I enjoyed it because you don’t expect the plot twist. It makes itself out to be a depressing story when in actual fact it has a dark comedy twist to it.

 

Representation

-          The film shows are suburban area, the houses are attached together which is often found in places such as this. The cars running down the street are relatively old looking and probably made during the late 90s/early 2000s. This suggests that this may be a working class area as cars such as these are known to be inexpensive and affordable.

-          The shops around the area also suggest a working class area. They appear to be independent shops. For instance on the left hand side of the screen you can see a pound shop. As this place sells cheap products it supports the idea of the working class area.

-          The pub bears resemblance to a traditional English pub. The chalk boards promoting the drinks above the bar, plus the ornaments on the wall, the wooden furniture and décor support this.

 

Narrative

-          The story revolves around this one character known simply in the credits as “The Man”, who believes that he is the last human alive.

-          The plot implies that there has been some sort of event that occurred 5 weeks and 3 days prior to the story. This event is never explained perhaps to leave a sense of mystery to the film; however we understand that the event has left “The Man” as the supposed last man alive.

-          Todorov’s Theory: 

Equilibrium – The Man walks towards the pub through a deserted street, it is not known as to why he is alone or who the man is.

Disruption – We find out that the man is what he believes to be the last man on earth; he records the events of what has been happening to him on his iPhone. The man decides to take his life fearing the risk of illness, or growing old alone

Confrontation – After taking poison the man’s phone rings; his friend “Steveo” is ringing him

Resolution – The audience finds out that the man is in fact not alone and that the man has taken his own life believing otherwise

New Equilibrium Established – As the audience we are still unsure as to whether “Steveo” and the man are the only 2 people left in the world, or whether it was down to the man’s imagination

-          The film follows a linear narrative and I highly doubt would not work following a non-linear narrative. The presence of the plot twist regarding the ending of the film would’ve been spoiled and the joke non-existent had it had been non-linear

 

Genre

-          The film builds it up to be a post-apocalyptic thriller, until the very ends of the film were it turns out to be a dark comedy instead.

-          David Buckingham States that “Genre is not simply given by culture; rather it is a constant process of negotiation and change” This is clearly shown here, as most comedies are comedies from the very start of the film, however this film is different as it is establishes itself as more of a thriller than a comedy at the beginning before its plot twist changes the perspective of the film in terms of genre.

 

Audience

-          The film was screened at the DC Shorts Film Festival, USA (2012) and was screened as part of the official selection.

-          The company that created the film were Sugar Spun Pictures and the film was directed by Carlo Ortu. Ortu has directed a numerous amount of short films plus one feature length film; a black comedy called “The Killers”.

-          The film was tagged under comedy on the BBC film network, and therefore people looking for a comedy are going to come across this film really before most people.

 

Media Language

-          I like this shot particularly as the shot begins to zoom out from the man’s face due to the sudden realisation that he is in fact not the last man on earth.

-          I find this shot interesting because of how simple and effective the zoom out really is. It shows the sudden shock of the main character plus it demonstrates how the “bigger picture” has been seen by the man.

 

 

Film 2

Film: Envy

Director: Sam Hendi
Released: 2007
Website: www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork
Plot Summary: The plot revolves around two friends who discuss their feelings and love for the same man and the consequences that occur as a result of their feelings.

 I chose this film for its structure and non-linear storytelling. The way that the film is presented gives you a feel for the characters and provides a more sinister story through the friends talking about their dark secrets

 

Narrative

-          The story revolves around three characters; Rebecca, Sophie and Adam. They are all friends.

-          The plot shows us that the two friends Rebecca and Sophie are in love with the same man. Rebecca is Adams girlfriend but Sophie has been having an affair with Adam behind their back.

-          Todorov’s Theory   

Equilibrium: Rebecca, Sophie and Adam are all good friends. Rebecca and Adam however are in a relationship

Disruption: Rebecca and Adam have having a rough phase in their relationship, they have decided to take a break but Adam hasn’t contacted her in two weeks. We find out that Sophie and Adam are having an affair behind their back.

Confrontation: Rebecca finds out about Sophie and Adam after walking in on them by accident.

Resolution: Rebecca breaks up with Adam as a result and disowns Sophie as a friend

New Equilibrium established: Rebecca, Adam, and Sophie are no longer friends and have parted their separate ways.

-          The plot follows a non-linear narrative and as a result provides more of an emotional impact on the characters and the audience. The structure of the plot is made almost in a documentary style, showing Rebecca and Sophie talking about their secrets before they found out about the affair.

 

Genre

        -          I believe the film can be classed as a romantic-thriller.

-          The film itself is based upon this affair about these 2 characters but at the same time is structured like a thriller. The intense music and the close up shots and angles all relate to that of as thriller.

-          Steve Neal stated that “Genres are instances of repetition and difference” which can be related to this film as well. The thriller genre usually will include a gun of some description and will involve a mystery that must be uncovered. This film also shows that the genre is changing, you’d be hard pressed to find a romantic thriller anytime soon

 

Audience

-          The short film Envy has not won any awards nor has it appeared in any festivals as of yet. The BBC film network has thus far been the only place that has shown it. There is an extended version running at approx. 10 minutes on Viemo.

-          The Director Sam Hendi has directed a few short films, Wrath in 2010 and Black sheep in 2009

-          The film is tagged under romance, and infidelity on the BBC Film Network Website

 

Media Language

-          I find this shot here rather creative and interesting. It represents the characters discovery of the dark secrets that have been discussed by Sophie through most of the film.

-          It the shadow in the room and the light outside the room gives the representation of a room full of dark secrets and the character Rebecca going into dark territory.

 

Film 3

Film: The Black Hole

Director: Phillip Sansom, Olly Williams

Released: 2008

Website: www.youtube.com

Plot Summary: A sleep deprived office worker photocopies a "Black Hole" late one night - Suddenly the possibilities seem endless. Will greed get the better of him?

 

I chose this film because as an example of how such a simple idea could create a really interesting and engaging short film.

 

Representation

-               The man works in an office; this is evident from the cubicles, photocopiers, clocks, plain white boring           looking walls and work desks that are commonly found in such a place.

-               The man wears stereotypical office clothes such as a white polo shirt, a grey tie, and black trousers. The man’s sleeves are rolled up which suggests that he does not care too much about his work appearance yet he would wear smart clothes to work.

-               The colours of the shirt also suggest that this is a boring place to work in. The white the grey and the black combine give the impression of a dull and lifeless working place.

-               The man’s hair is also messy and his facial expression is blank. This could suggest that he is bored and tired of working in the office.

-               The man also tends to look at his watch from time to time this suggests that the man just wants the work to end, giving us the idea that the man does not enjoy his job. Stereotypically working class people do not enjoy their jobs and have to live with the jobs they can find even if it means that it’s not a job that they like.

-               The idea that the man does not enjoy his job can also be shown from the man’s physical appearance as well. He looks tired, his hair messy as if he literally does not care anymore about his appearance

-               Evidence to support the idea that the man is from a working class background is his lust for money. He takes multiple packets of cash from the safe without much hesitation. The camera moves close to his face to show his lust and how desperate he is for the money in the safe.

-               The man also is not too cautious about if anyone can see him. He’ll glance around every so often but the excitement of all the money makes him take less noticeable of this.

-               The amount of cash that he is taking out of the safe could also suggest that the man is not well off but rather poor. We can also tell this from the camerawork as we can see from the happiness and excitement shown to us by the close up shots.

 

Narrative

-          The story revolves around a worker who is tired and sleep deprived who finds a piece of paper with a black hole on it which can be used as a door to unreachable places

-          Todorov’s Theory: 

Equilibrium – The man is sleep deprived and tried working late hours in an office.

Disruption – The photocopier beings to play up but in doing so creates a piece of paper with a black circle on it, it is soon revealed that the black circle is in fact a black hole and can allow you to reach places that he couldn’t reach before.

Confrontation – The man decides to break into certain places in the office, prime examples being the food dispenser and the safe.

Resolution – The man who tries to rob the safe with the black hole gets trapped inside the safe when he crawls in too far and the paper falls off; trapping him inside

New Equilibrium Established – As the audience we are still unsure as to whether the man gets found in the safe… the film ends with him knocking inside the safe asking to be let out.

 

Genre

-          The Film conveys multiple genres, Crime being the main one, as it shows how the man’s greed for money allows him to end up in the situation he finds himself at in the end of the film.

-          Because of the ending of the film you could also argue that the film contains certain aspects of comedy, due to the main character getting trapped in the safe in a sort of slapstick comedy moment.

 

Audience

-          The film was created by HIS films who also made short films such as “Desperately Seeking Dinosaurs” and “The Devil’s Wedding”

-          The film was distributed by Future Shorts; they first posted the short film on YouTube. Since its upload the film has gathered a total of 11,992,113 views.

 

Media Language

-          The initial shot where we see the man at the photocopier is my favourite shot of the short film. It instantly reveals a lot to the audience about who that person is. The environment and the surrounds also paint a picture of the character for us.