Today we watched and analysed a couple of short films with Simon. The short films were Soft & Stew and Punch.
Soft - Simon Ellis (2007)
- simple yet effective
- limited dialogue - story told through action
- leaves you with something to think about
Where did the idea come from?
Personal experience? Witness? Article?
- witnessed a boy being bullied on a school bus. Driver was boy's dad but didn't do anything about the bullying.
Genre: social realism / drama
Setting: urban neighbourhood / community
Characters: father, son and gang
Conflict: Violent / physical threat. Father / son domestic conflict. Father's internal emotional conflict.
Theme: Fatherhood, respect, fear, masculinity
25 word pitch for Soft:
- A father and son are victimised by a violent gang in a coming of age drama, leading to a strained relationship between the two.
Picking apart Soft:
- dad perfects his parking - perfectionist
- wearing a suit, coming home in evening - details of characters give away clues about their personality and occupation
- suit - white collar job
- already some conflict with son - "can you move your bag?" straight away - not a great relationship
- first sight of the cricket bag
- white shirt - morning, sensible, mundane, ordinary
- making tea seems routine - mundane
- keeps himself to himself
- doesn't like any conflict / tension
- sets up who character is by his activities / what he's wearing
- mobile phone footage links footage
- claustrophobic tunnel like footage - trapped in his own boring life?
- the bell (when the bell tolls) - adds ominous atmosphere
- youths target another innocent person - shows they will victimise anyone
- lack of interaction with shop keeper reinforces the idea that the character is not very sociable.
- father projecting insecurities onto son.
- says "victim" at the same time as seeing the youths
- blinds like bars (prison like, trapped)
- only time he shouts at his son
- car alarm going off the whole time
- wide angle lens helps give distorted image
- mobile phone footage relates back to when boy beaten up at start.
This whole session has helped provide inspiration for what I could include in my short film. The concept of my film doesn't have to be too elaborate to be interesting. It could revolve around everyday life like Soft.
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