Research
Research
As seen in my proposal the story which I am going to be doing for my short film is heavily centred around the idea of travelling to a funeral. I am going to start my research with looking into funeral travel.
Travelling to a funeral
One of the most essential aspects of travelling to a funeral is the vehicle that you travel in. It is well known that the coffin normally travels in a vehicle called a hearse.
The heasre
Upon doing an internet search of a Hearse the description given backs up what I have already stated about the vehicle being used to carry the dead in their coffins. The part of the description that particularly stands out to me is the fact that they can have a large range in how they look as normally when you think of a hearse you think of a standard black, long, dismal vehicle.
In order to understand hearse types I looked up a hearse retailer on the internet. Upon doing this I found the retailer Coleman Milne.
Coleman Milne. 2020. New Hearses For Sale | Funeral Limousines For Sale | Coleman Milne. [online] Available at: <https://www.coleman-milne.co.uk/range/> [Accessed 31 March 2020].
When I was on the Coleman Milne website I decided that in order to best find hearse types I should go to the 'ranges' section.
Coleman Milne. 2020. New Hearses For Sale | Funeral Limousines For Sale | Coleman Milne. [online] Available at: <https://www.coleman-milne.co.uk/range/> [Accessed 31 March 2020].
When I was on the Coleman Milne website I decided that in order to best find hearse types I should go to the 'ranges' section.
The range seemes rather limited however did allow me an insight into the manufacturers of the 'typical' black, long hearse which you would expect to find. As I have zero knowledge in these funeral vehicles I was absolutely surprised to see that Mercedes made them. This is because Mercedes is known for its luxury vehicles. This is even shown when you google the company.
Google.com. 2020. Mercedes - Google Search. [online] Available at: <https://www.google.com/search?q=mercedes&rlz=1C5CHFA_enGB894GB894&oq=merce&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l7.6232j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8> [Accessed 31 March 2020].
The more you think about it, the fact a luxury car company makes a hearse should be seen positively, the dead person is getting to ride in a nice quality vehicle. When you look at the Mercedes hearses online you see that their design is very modern and look a lot 'cleaner'. For this reason I do not think that I would want to use a Mercedes hearse as I feel an older more classic hearse will achieve a better effect.
Back on the 'Range' Section of the Coleman Milne website it shows Ford as another type of manufacturer. However, alongside it shows a range of Hearses called 'The Removal Range'. The image appears to be a van, so In order to understand more of this unique looking Hearse type, I clicked on the range.
Coleman Milne. 2020. Funeral Removal Vehicles & Ambulances For Sale | Coleman Milne. [online] Available at: <https://www.coleman-milne.co.uk/range/removal-range/> [Accessed 31 March 2020].
When you look on this page, it shows that this range is meant for carrying more than one coffin at once. The van's can carry up to five of them. When you get towards the bottom of the page, it says 'a cost effective solution for customers choosing direct burial or cremation without a ceremony. This immediately rules out me using any type of 'Removal Range' hearse in my short film as in my short film they are travelling to a funeral ceremony and therefore a more traditional hearse would be suited.
In order to look at a wide range of traditional Hearses, I googles 'Hearses for Sale' and had a look on the ebay search result.
eBay. 2020. Hearse Cars For Sale | Ebay. [online] Available at: <https://www.ebay.co.uk/b/Hearse-Cars/9801/bn_55184767> [Accessed 31 March 2020].
Looking at the results on the ebay search I came across the type of hearse which I believe would be perfect for my film. This is a Daimler Hearse.
This type of hearse is what comes to my mind when I think of a hearse. Interestingly, when you look up the company Daimler, it states that the company is in fact Mercedes.
I believe the standard colour of black is most suited for the hearse. This is because the colour black can carry connotations of horror, sadness, death and negatives, stomach churning things.
The Limousine
In the scenario of a funeral, as we have seen the dead body travels in a hearse. I was at first unsure how I would allow my main character into the hearse to travel to the funeral, as it was something that was not usually seen. I decided to google how family travel to a funeral.
Google.com. 2020. Funeral Family Car - Google Search. [online] Available at: <https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C5CHFA_enGB894GB894&sxsrf=ALeKk008Ng7G_oMRiByBlFK7LjBmHNDxXA%3A1585680334656&ei=zo-DXu3MJ5K68gKrwqmYCg&q=funeral+family+car&oq=what+vehicle+is+used+for+family+to+a+funeral&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQARgAMgQIABBHMgQIABBHMgQIABBHMgQIABBHMgQIABBHMgQIABBHMgQIABBHMgQIABBHUABYAGDAKWgAcAJ4AIABAIgBAJIBAJgBAKoBB2d3cy13aXo&sclient=psy-ab> [Accessed 31 March 2020].
When I googled 'funeral family car' the initial description did not give me any help in order to solve my question. I decided to click down on the google suggested questions below. This mentioned that the vehicle which the family tend to travel in is called a limousine, there is often two in many cases however, this is not true for all funerals.
In order to help ensure that my short film will be of the highest quality possible when I am making it, I am going to watch a selection of short films in order for me to understand the structure often used within short films.
1) Spider
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbgeDnWcSnU> [Accessed 3 April 2020].
Spider is a fantastic short which immerses the viewer from the outset. When you start watching the short it becomes immediately clear that you are probably not going to get an introduction to these characters which tells the audience that the the backstory of these characters is not relevant but also leaves the viewer with questions without even progressing far into the film. The colour done is post production to this film give's in an eerie feel right from the outset, it gives it a musty feel which might give the feel of it being filmed on an old film camera to the audience. This can be effective in ways such as indicating the time period, showing the state of technology or telling us about the place they live and the characters personally. Throughout the entire short the cinematography has every short from either behind or to the side of the protagonist and never from in-front of him. In my opinion this is a effective at ensuring suspense, curiosity and tension is built up. In the car it allows the audience to almost feel like they are sat in the back seat therefore being completely immersed and in the film, we see what he is doing but we can not work out how it will play out because we are almost seeing things as he does. As we progress in the film and the main twist happens the continued use of side on and behind view shots allow as to analyse the situation much like how he would. It also allows us to pay close attention to his body language which is something that I really like throughout the short. The body language is utilised a lot to help show the feeling and emotions of the characters as well as showing how they feel to each other generally and at that specific moment in time. The structure of the film is very different from what you would see in a typical normal length feature film. In a feature film you often see a Introduction, peak/dilemma and resolution to the story very clearly (Often described with a story mountain). In this short I think that we have more of a story slope in that it has the start/introduction segment of the story and builds its way up the slope to the moment of tension which in a feature film would often be at the 'peak/dilemma' of the story however in this short this also happens to be the end - you do not see this coming. I think the use of this structure has been thoroughly thought out and had much time and consideration put into it as it does what I believe it set out to achieve by setting a very constant steady pace the whole way throughout before it suddenly speeds up at the twist and then the story ends. This leaves the audience wanting to know more but left feeling satisfied with what they know at the same time, as weird as that is.
2) Bear
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKeooK0zfeU> [Accessed 3 April 2020].
I really enjoyed watching this short film, and this was possibly influenced by the fact it is set in the same world as spider as almost a sort of sequel. The short film once again explores how the protagonist unintentionally does something which causes grave harm, which ultimately ends up being himself this time. The short has a very similar feel to it due to the fact it was written and created by the same people as spider. We once again see just two main characters and a structure which has a start but no resolution as such. It is another structure aimed at leaving the viewer with questions after a sudden twist in the story. However this time I do not believe the structure of the short was trying to form the pace of the film a certain way. I believe the pace of the film was set naturally as fast with the 'panic' set in the story as he rushes to try and beat her but also cinematography played a key part in enthusing this. For example, the shots of the girl on her bike are always stabilised shots that feel smooth in nature, but this is constantly cut up by handheld, wobbly and rough feeling shots in of the protagonist rushing to try and get to this location first to pull of a birthday surprise. The handheld nature of the camera almost allows the audience to feel an adrenaline burst for the guy in hope that he gets to the location first. I really like this use of cinematography to help create that fast feeling pace. It is easy to compare this film with spider, being a film which fits in the same 'series' but having watched a variety of short films in the past it is easy to see that this short film has taken some techniques which other short films frequently use in order to make them effective in the short five - fifteen minutes you normally see them sit around. Some of these include the idea of having limited characters and location and also the idea of using a bit dramatic twist at the end of the film to leave people with questions.
3) Kukuschka
Vimeo. 2020. Kukuschka. [online] Available at: <https://vimeo.com/157167697> [Accessed 6 April 2020].
When watching this short, to me the structure had a beginning middle and an end. This is different from the first two films. In my opinion in Kukuschka you learn about the bird getting the baby bird in the beginning. This is followed by the middle segment where the protagonist is trying to get rid of the bird, before the end where they become attached and you see they have a very similar interest.
This short it also different from Spider and bear in that it does not use a moment of action near the end of the film. In fact I believe that this short film is different from the others and you walk away feeling satisfied. Instead, the use of no dialogue means you ask questions as the short progresses.
4) Future lasts a long time
BFI Player. 2020. Watch Future Lasts A Long Time - BFI Player. [online] Available at: <https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-future-lasts-a-long-time-1996-online> [Accessed 6 April 2020].
This film went back to my earlier theory of using an event - often action - in order to raise questions in the short film. You are left wondering how the guy got into the mess in the first place and what happens to the two protagonists after.
This film had around five characters in it, which is quite a lot for a short film. The use of all these characters allowed me to see another noticeable thing about short film structure, this is that due to the limited time you will often find introduction to characters is either skipped or very brief. That was the case in this film.
5) Cute House
Vimeo. 2020. Cute House In Vimeo Staff Picks. [online] Available at: <https://vimeo.com/channels/staffpicks/402081296> [Accessed 7 April 2020].
This short film demonstrated the use of very little locations. This is something that is often a convention of a short film, mostly down to budget.
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From watching these first five short films I have been able to pick out some conventions that seem to be in short films such as.
8) For Milo
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Tq71PiDJDk&t=0s&fbclid=IwAR10C5oyHnfSjyA4XU05d5RxiF2oIYyzex_hX5U39lHQJOOqlRfY_G3OJJI> [Accessed 10 April 2020].
For Milo has a major difference in comparison to all the other short films which I have watched above, this is that for Milo is a short film of only one minute however, this does not mean that does not employ similar structure to any other short films. It has a build up and then a conclusion. The conclusion is a round up to the short film but leaves the story very open.
9) The Black Hole
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5_Msrdg3Hk> [Accessed 10 April 2020].
This short story allowed me to recognise that short films often do not require the use of dialogue. In my short story I will take this into mind and while I plan to use a little bit of dialogue I do not plan to use a great deal.
10) The funeral
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrPfQocBdIw> [Accessed 10 April 2020].
This film has allowed me to recognise something which I did not see at the beginning of my research into short film structure. Most short films do follow a three act structure with a beginning middle and end but unlike feature films they will only explore one straight storyline. Feature films often have several storylines spiralling of the main one but because of the limited time you normally have with a short film you don’t have the time to explore several.
11) PICTURE DAY
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tronhPRNM0> [Accessed 10 April 2020].
This short film is yet another example of how the same conventions are seen time and time again in
every short film because they are effective. This short also has a three act structure.
In this short, even though the three act structure is seen the start and end slope's are both very steep. It is like they are there but we only need to go through them very quickly for the effect to be achieved. This is something I will take note of when it comes to making my short film.
12) The Ellington Kid
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-InkUlwrqXs> [Accessed 11 April 2020].
13) Morning After
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvQi0z3fAjA&t=9s> [Accessed 12 April 2020].
This is a comedy short film. The structure of these film very clearly shows a three act structure and demonstrated 'Todorov's theory of equilibrium.
Todorovs theory of equilibrium is where the narrative starts in a state of equilibrium before this is then disrupted. In the end there is a new equilibrium restored. The equilibrium in this film is disrupted when the girl exclaims that she is pregnant. This disruption point curve is shown in the middle part of the story where he goes out in a panic to try and get a morning after pill before realising that he can not do it. When the girl tell's him she was just messing the new equilibrium is put in place.
I believe that this structure of film is very effective. It is different from some of the other short films I have watched, with the twist being quite immediate when she says she is pregnant. Todorov's theory is something that I believe will work very well for my short film.
14) Locker Room
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1PjJ9_Yd2c> [Accessed 12 April 2020].
The more you think about it, the fact a luxury car company makes a hearse should be seen positively, the dead person is getting to ride in a nice quality vehicle. When you look at the Mercedes hearses online you see that their design is very modern and look a lot 'cleaner'. For this reason I do not think that I would want to use a Mercedes hearse as I feel an older more classic hearse will achieve a better effect.
Back on the 'Range' Section of the Coleman Milne website it shows Ford as another type of manufacturer. However, alongside it shows a range of Hearses called 'The Removal Range'. The image appears to be a van, so In order to understand more of this unique looking Hearse type, I clicked on the range.
Coleman Milne. 2020. Funeral Removal Vehicles & Ambulances For Sale | Coleman Milne. [online] Available at: <https://www.coleman-milne.co.uk/range/removal-range/> [Accessed 31 March 2020].
When you look on this page, it shows that this range is meant for carrying more than one coffin at once. The van's can carry up to five of them. When you get towards the bottom of the page, it says 'a cost effective solution for customers choosing direct burial or cremation without a ceremony. This immediately rules out me using any type of 'Removal Range' hearse in my short film as in my short film they are travelling to a funeral ceremony and therefore a more traditional hearse would be suited.
In order to look at a wide range of traditional Hearses, I googles 'Hearses for Sale' and had a look on the ebay search result.
eBay. 2020. Hearse Cars For Sale | Ebay. [online] Available at: <https://www.ebay.co.uk/b/Hearse-Cars/9801/bn_55184767> [Accessed 31 March 2020].
Looking at the results on the ebay search I came across the type of hearse which I believe would be perfect for my film. This is a Daimler Hearse.
Cars, M., Cars, O. and Details about DAIMLER HEARSE X300 EAGLE WILCOX SPECIALISTS - JUST 43, 0., 2020. DAIMLER HEARSE X300 EAGLE WILCOX SPECIALISTS - JUST 43,000 MILES - SUPERB | Ebay. [online] eBay. Available at: <https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DAIMLER-HEARSE-X300-EAGLE-WILCOX-SPECIALISTS-JUST-43-000-MILES-SUPERB/274292817051?hash=item3fdd203c9b:g:ptoAAOSwoaNdpZDT> [Accessed 31 March 2020].
This type of hearse is what comes to my mind when I think of a hearse. Interestingly, when you look up the company Daimler, it states that the company is in fact Mercedes.
I believe the standard colour of black is most suited for the hearse. This is because the colour black can carry connotations of horror, sadness, death and negatives, stomach churning things.
The Limousine
In the scenario of a funeral, as we have seen the dead body travels in a hearse. I was at first unsure how I would allow my main character into the hearse to travel to the funeral, as it was something that was not usually seen. I decided to google how family travel to a funeral.
Google.com. 2020. Funeral Family Car - Google Search. [online] Available at: <https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C5CHFA_enGB894GB894&sxsrf=ALeKk008Ng7G_oMRiByBlFK7LjBmHNDxXA%3A1585680334656&ei=zo-DXu3MJ5K68gKrwqmYCg&q=funeral+family+car&oq=what+vehicle+is+used+for+family+to+a+funeral&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQARgAMgQIABBHMgQIABBHMgQIABBHMgQIABBHMgQIABBHMgQIABBHMgQIABBHMgQIABBHUABYAGDAKWgAcAJ4AIABAIgBAJIBAJgBAKoBB2d3cy13aXo&sclient=psy-ab> [Accessed 31 March 2020].
When I googled 'funeral family car' the initial description did not give me any help in order to solve my question. I decided to click down on the google suggested questions below. This mentioned that the vehicle which the family tend to travel in is called a limousine, there is often two in many cases however, this is not true for all funerals.
Google.com. 2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.google.com/search?q=funeral+limousine&rlz=1C5CHFA_enGB894GB894&sxsrf=ALeKk01HBsZmeGee0kiTRHSnkwRPwnPo-A:1585680926803&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi83vniscXoAhXMi1wKHVuqBIcQ_AUoAXoECA4QAw&cshid=1585680952093173&biw=1920&bih=1066> [Accessed 31 March 2020].
Short Film Analysis
In order to help ensure that my short film will be of the highest quality possible when I am making it, I am going to watch a selection of short films in order for me to understand the structure often used within short films.1) Spider
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbgeDnWcSnU> [Accessed 3 April 2020].
Spider is a fantastic short which immerses the viewer from the outset. When you start watching the short it becomes immediately clear that you are probably not going to get an introduction to these characters which tells the audience that the the backstory of these characters is not relevant but also leaves the viewer with questions without even progressing far into the film. The colour done is post production to this film give's in an eerie feel right from the outset, it gives it a musty feel which might give the feel of it being filmed on an old film camera to the audience. This can be effective in ways such as indicating the time period, showing the state of technology or telling us about the place they live and the characters personally. Throughout the entire short the cinematography has every short from either behind or to the side of the protagonist and never from in-front of him. In my opinion this is a effective at ensuring suspense, curiosity and tension is built up. In the car it allows the audience to almost feel like they are sat in the back seat therefore being completely immersed and in the film, we see what he is doing but we can not work out how it will play out because we are almost seeing things as he does. As we progress in the film and the main twist happens the continued use of side on and behind view shots allow as to analyse the situation much like how he would. It also allows us to pay close attention to his body language which is something that I really like throughout the short. The body language is utilised a lot to help show the feeling and emotions of the characters as well as showing how they feel to each other generally and at that specific moment in time. The structure of the film is very different from what you would see in a typical normal length feature film. In a feature film you often see a Introduction, peak/dilemma and resolution to the story very clearly (Often described with a story mountain). In this short I think that we have more of a story slope in that it has the start/introduction segment of the story and builds its way up the slope to the moment of tension which in a feature film would often be at the 'peak/dilemma' of the story however in this short this also happens to be the end - you do not see this coming. I think the use of this structure has been thoroughly thought out and had much time and consideration put into it as it does what I believe it set out to achieve by setting a very constant steady pace the whole way throughout before it suddenly speeds up at the twist and then the story ends. This leaves the audience wanting to know more but left feeling satisfied with what they know at the same time, as weird as that is.
2) Bear
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKeooK0zfeU> [Accessed 3 April 2020].
I really enjoyed watching this short film, and this was possibly influenced by the fact it is set in the same world as spider as almost a sort of sequel. The short film once again explores how the protagonist unintentionally does something which causes grave harm, which ultimately ends up being himself this time. The short has a very similar feel to it due to the fact it was written and created by the same people as spider. We once again see just two main characters and a structure which has a start but no resolution as such. It is another structure aimed at leaving the viewer with questions after a sudden twist in the story. However this time I do not believe the structure of the short was trying to form the pace of the film a certain way. I believe the pace of the film was set naturally as fast with the 'panic' set in the story as he rushes to try and beat her but also cinematography played a key part in enthusing this. For example, the shots of the girl on her bike are always stabilised shots that feel smooth in nature, but this is constantly cut up by handheld, wobbly and rough feeling shots in of the protagonist rushing to try and get to this location first to pull of a birthday surprise. The handheld nature of the camera almost allows the audience to feel an adrenaline burst for the guy in hope that he gets to the location first. I really like this use of cinematography to help create that fast feeling pace. It is easy to compare this film with spider, being a film which fits in the same 'series' but having watched a variety of short films in the past it is easy to see that this short film has taken some techniques which other short films frequently use in order to make them effective in the short five - fifteen minutes you normally see them sit around. Some of these include the idea of having limited characters and location and also the idea of using a bit dramatic twist at the end of the film to leave people with questions.
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Watching both of the films above has allowed me to see that the moment of action, or a moment that raises a huge question is very effective at the end of a short film. This is what has been done in both of these shorts and It is something I will definitely consider for my short film.
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3) Kukuschka
Vimeo. 2020. Kukuschka. [online] Available at: <https://vimeo.com/157167697> [Accessed 6 April 2020].
When watching this short, to me the structure had a beginning middle and an end. This is different from the first two films. In my opinion in Kukuschka you learn about the bird getting the baby bird in the beginning. This is followed by the middle segment where the protagonist is trying to get rid of the bird, before the end where they become attached and you see they have a very similar interest.
This short it also different from Spider and bear in that it does not use a moment of action near the end of the film. In fact I believe that this short film is different from the others and you walk away feeling satisfied. Instead, the use of no dialogue means you ask questions as the short progresses.
4) Future lasts a long time
BFI Player. 2020. Watch Future Lasts A Long Time - BFI Player. [online] Available at: <https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-future-lasts-a-long-time-1996-online> [Accessed 6 April 2020].
This film went back to my earlier theory of using an event - often action - in order to raise questions in the short film. You are left wondering how the guy got into the mess in the first place and what happens to the two protagonists after.
This film had around five characters in it, which is quite a lot for a short film. The use of all these characters allowed me to see another noticeable thing about short film structure, this is that due to the limited time you will often find introduction to characters is either skipped or very brief. That was the case in this film.
5) Cute House
Vimeo. 2020. Cute House In Vimeo Staff Picks. [online] Available at: <https://vimeo.com/channels/staffpicks/402081296> [Accessed 7 April 2020].
This short film demonstrated the use of very little locations. This is something that is often a convention of a short film, mostly down to budget.
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From watching these first five short films I have been able to pick out some conventions that seem to be in short films such as.
- Normally Two to Three characters
- Limited Number of Locations
- A twist that will leave you with a question
- Characters won't have backstories explained.
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6) Softcore
Vimeo. 2020. Softcore In Vimeo Staff Picks. [online] Available at: <https://vimeo.com/channels/staffpicks/400748697> [Accessed 7 April 2020].
This film backs up the conventions I suggested above. This is because is had two characters, one location, a small twist when the date comes back and the backstories of the characters are not really explained. The last scene also raises that question in the viewers head of what is going to happen and what is that music.
7) Maja
This Short film was the longest short film which I had watched, despite that it will contained the many of the key conventions of short film structure that I have been observing, the film had limited locations, Characters with no back story and right at the end there is a twist which does two things. It leaves the story open ended for the audience to have questions about but it also allows for the audience to understand the story.
This idea of something which leaves questions but also acts as a rationale for why something is how it is in the story is something that I wish to incorporate into the end of my short film. Seeing that idea utilised in this film has allowed me to recognise how I will go about achieving the effect by using small subtle references that people will not think much of until the end.
7) Maja
Vimeo. 2020. Maja In Vimeo Staff Picks. [online] Available at: <https://vimeo.com/channels/staffpicks/405247867> [Accessed 9 April 2020].
This Short film was the longest short film which I had watched, despite that it will contained the many of the key conventions of short film structure that I have been observing, the film had limited locations, Characters with no back story and right at the end there is a twist which does two things. It leaves the story open ended for the audience to have questions about but it also allows for the audience to understand the story.
This idea of something which leaves questions but also acts as a rationale for why something is how it is in the story is something that I wish to incorporate into the end of my short film. Seeing that idea utilised in this film has allowed me to recognise how I will go about achieving the effect by using small subtle references that people will not think much of until the end.
8) For Milo
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Tq71PiDJDk&t=0s&fbclid=IwAR10C5oyHnfSjyA4XU05d5RxiF2oIYyzex_hX5U39lHQJOOqlRfY_G3OJJI> [Accessed 10 April 2020].
For Milo has a major difference in comparison to all the other short films which I have watched above, this is that for Milo is a short film of only one minute however, this does not mean that does not employ similar structure to any other short films. It has a build up and then a conclusion. The conclusion is a round up to the short film but leaves the story very open.
9) The Black Hole
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5_Msrdg3Hk> [Accessed 10 April 2020].
This short story allowed me to recognise that short films often do not require the use of dialogue. In my short story I will take this into mind and while I plan to use a little bit of dialogue I do not plan to use a great deal.
10) The funeral
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrPfQocBdIw> [Accessed 10 April 2020].
This film has allowed me to recognise something which I did not see at the beginning of my research into short film structure. Most short films do follow a three act structure with a beginning middle and end but unlike feature films they will only explore one straight storyline. Feature films often have several storylines spiralling of the main one but because of the limited time you normally have with a short film you don’t have the time to explore several.
11) PICTURE DAY
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tronhPRNM0> [Accessed 10 April 2020].
This short film is yet another example of how the same conventions are seen time and time again in
every short film because they are effective. This short also has a three act structure.
In this short, even though the three act structure is seen the start and end slope's are both very steep. It is like they are there but we only need to go through them very quickly for the effect to be achieved. This is something I will take note of when it comes to making my short film.
12) The Ellington Kid
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-InkUlwrqXs> [Accessed 11 April 2020].
- Repeated Conventions of Short films used such as limited location and limited characters.
- The structure of the short film does not waste time. It spends no time introducing the characters and instead gets straight to the build up. This is spending most of the film climbing to the peak until the end where you think it is all a joke but it ends with a 'twist'. People might argue that this film does not follow the 'three act structure' however, I believe that it does.
13) Morning After
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvQi0z3fAjA&t=9s> [Accessed 12 April 2020].
This is a comedy short film. The structure of these film very clearly shows a three act structure and demonstrated 'Todorov's theory of equilibrium.
Todorovs theory of equilibrium is where the narrative starts in a state of equilibrium before this is then disrupted. In the end there is a new equilibrium restored. The equilibrium in this film is disrupted when the girl exclaims that she is pregnant. This disruption point curve is shown in the middle part of the story where he goes out in a panic to try and get a morning after pill before realising that he can not do it. When the girl tell's him she was just messing the new equilibrium is put in place.
I believe that this structure of film is very effective. It is different from some of the other short films I have watched, with the twist being quite immediate when she says she is pregnant. Todorov's theory is something that I believe will work very well for my short film.
14) Locker Room
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1PjJ9_Yd2c> [Accessed 12 April 2020].
This film follows a structure which is designed to left the audience asking loads of questions. It dives straight into the narrative and the as we make our way up the story hill the start of the film introduces us to the protagonist who is friends with all the people on the football team, as is common with short films this is quick and brief and we do not find out much about the characters. The twist to the story happens at the peak of the story hill when she finds the group chat from then on we are on the way to the resolution - In my opinion the resolution is never really reached, however this is left for the audience to decide.
I really like the idea of leaving the resolution of the short film open to interpretation and is another technique I will heavily think about employing in my short film.
15) Songbird
YouTube. 2020. Songbird (2019) | Drama Short Film | MYM. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuCrXGLXYG8> [Accessed 14 April 2020].
I struggled to work out the structure of this short, it started on a really low note and seemed to get better throught the film At first I thought it was following Todorovs theory but do not think there was an equilibrium that was disrupted.
Something I have begun to notice throughout the Short films I have watched is the use of Close up shots. These are often used in order to show the audience how an actor is reacting to a certain event or what they are thinking. It is a really effective shot when you want to show what the character is seeing and their reaction before the audience see it, like in Songbird.
16) Lie Detector
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjVVNuraly8> [Accessed 16 April 2020].
This short film follows a very simple three act structure. It see's typical conventions such as limited location and characters.
The pace of this film is quite quick, but not made to feel like it is being rushed - it is at a pace that allows the audience to feel like it is a real scenario. I believe this is the case with all short films.
17) Hate
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ppFEyjwPsA> [Accessed 19 April 2020].
The pace of this film is very dependant on the speed of the poem that goes along with it. In moments of tension and action the pace feels very fast but overall throughout the whole film the pace feels quite constant.
The structure of this film is definitely a three act structure as it tells makes it way through what happened in this guys life and why, in the peak of the story you see anger develop once more when the love of his life gets attacked and the short continues to spiral from then.
The slow motion shots used throughout this film in the moment of action were really effective at bringing out emotion to the audience as it enables everyone to see the sorrow in faces and the audience to place themselves in the situation.
18) The elevator
2020. [online] Available at: <https://youtu.be/Q-TQQE1y68c> [Accessed 19 April 2020].
This is a short comedy film which has overall constant flow - this is sensible because it almost annotates how an elevator moves in a very constant motion when going up or down.
The structure seen in this film is probably closest to following todorov's theory because it starts with the guy getting in the elevator on how own, and all is normal. This soon gets disrupted by events which make him feel uneasy and this goes on for the majority of the short making the audience wonder if it will ever get resolved.
19) Mandem
2020. [online] Available at: <https://youtu.be/lwTPPdMs6yo> [Accessed 19 April 2020].
I found the pace of this short very constant and quite slow throughout. This has highlighted to me the idea that throughout short films you genuinely want a slow and constant pace other than when there is a moment of action or tension - often the turning point/twist.
This film was also an outlier to many of the typical conventions such as the use limited characters and limited locations.
I found the overall structure and story of this short quite hard to follow, and it left me confused, This has taught me that when it comes to making my short film a more simple structure can still be really effective.
20) Tic
Short of the Week. 2020. Tic By Josef Bates | Tourettes Comedy | Short Film. [online] Available at: <https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2020/04/14/tic/> [Accessed 20 April 2020].
This short definitely had a three peak storyline seen in it. I think that the structure was really well thought out to fit the scenario of a date. The introduction to the film had a slower pace as the audience are still yet to figure why this guy seems to be twitching and sneezing. Then the date walks in and introduces herself he continues to act in what would appear a weird way until eventually he tells her he has tourettes. In my opinion this is where the middle section of the story is and I began to feel the pace of the short speed up, almost showing uncomfort, like how the people around on other tables are feeling. The short film convention of a twist becomes apparent when the guy goes onto stab himself. He then goes to the toilet where we realise we are now in the 'resolution' section of the three act story structure. We feel a constant change in pace as it hops between the girl and another man and the toilet where the guy is battling with a knife. This is once again showing that in a moment of danger or action the pace will always feel faster. In the end he comes back covered in bloody with no arm twitch, because he chopped off his arm.
What I have learned from watching these short films?
As I watched through all of these short films I began to notice several conventions which were repeated throughout all of them, if not, most of them. Normally these consisted of a limited use of location and characters. A story which features a turning point or a 'twist'. A story which involves not getting to know backgrounds of characters and the audience being left with a question. I believe these are all really important to a short film even if some of them are forced because of time limitations.
In order for me to back up my evidence about finding certain conventions in short films I decided to look up short film conventions. One of the results I was presented with was a linkedin slideshare page which had a slide on each different convention. In the slideshow they cover many of the same conventions that I have done and that I have noticed. In the characters section of the slideshare they say 'Short films tend to stick to two of three main characters' and 'Short films don't have time to create deep backstory or history for the characters'. Directly enforcing my own discovery which I stated above.
The slideshare: tds14, 2020. Codes & Conventions Of Short Films. [online] Slideshare.net. Available at: <https://www.slideshare.net/tds14/codes-conventions-of-short-films> [Accessed 20 April 2020].
From the shot above one of the major things to take is the use of clothing. This once again immediately allows the audience to understand that they are indeed viewing a funeral.
The music is something extremely noticeable in this as it plays an important part in setting the scene, and bringing out emotion most likely due to it's slow and 'grand' nature/feel.
In post, it appears to me that that the levels of green have been brought up slightly to make it pop. This might be with natural association with people seeing the colour of green as a colour of life. In this case - this funeral is trying to create more of a happy/sad emotion rather than straight up sad. It is trying to create a admiration and appreciation for his life. The representation of green might help this.
'Riverdale' Season 4, Episode one
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXJVfTABWoo> [Accessed 29 April 2020].
Riverdale is popular teen mystery drama. At the start of season four an episode was dedicated to the actor who played the character 'Fred Andrews' in the series who unfortunately passed away in real life. In this episode which was dedicated to him, there was a funeral for the character of 'Fred Andrews'.
When I watch the scene, something which has been used in other funeral scenes which we find used again is music. The music is once again helping to set the scene and again is a slower pace piece of music.
Throughout the scene the cinematography is very 'smooth'. All the shots appear to be stabilized and never handheld. This makes it most suited to the situation as a handheld camera would often be shaky and not suited to situation where people are grieving. Shaky shots would normally be found in moments of high tension or action, which is nor a funeral.
The mise-en-scene of this funeral once again involves all of the characters wearing usual 'black' funeral attire. This is one of the first indications we get to the fact we are about to watch the characters funeral. We also see other objects which you would typically see at a funeral such as a hearse.
Music
From watching a variety of short films and looking at how funerals are presented in films above I noticed the use of music as quite a common element. I wanted to look into why music is used so frequently and what the effect of it is in these short films. I believe music if used to create or bring out an emotion in someone and is meant to do this in a 'sneaky' manner to compliment the footage.
Rider University. 2020. Symposium Examines The Role Of Music In Film. [online] Available at: <https://www.rider.edu/news/2014/10/14/symposium-examines-role-music-film> [Accessed 30 April 2020].
Upon reading the article 'Symposium examines the role of music in film' I managed to confirm my suspicion that 'it helps to shape emotional responses'. It also talks about how it can be used to create Rhythm/pace of a scene. The article then goes on to talk about how pieces of music can often become as significant as the film itself. I decided do watch a scene of a film where a piece of 'famous' music was used in a film.
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-VM7_DJlkQ> [Accessed 1 May 2020].
I watched the clip above from the famous 1987 film 'Jaws'. The piece of music found in 'Jaws' is something that so many people know. When I watched the clip from the film, I allowed myself to confirm the statement the article made about music being used to set the pace. As you watch the scene all is calm and then you hear that now iconic sound, and the pace of the scene immediately feels like it is beginning to pick up. As the music progresses it speeds up, naturally allowing the pace to get faster with it, the faster the pace the tension builds up. Alongside the music in this scene setting the pace it is also making the audience fear for the actors - this is an example of it also creating emotion.
I recently got the opportunity to sit in a masterclass 'Denis Villeneuve' and he said that he believes music and sound are 'just as important as the picture, if not more'. Initially when I first heard this I thought he was insane. I thought that obviously the picture is the most important thing, as it is what people pay the most attention to. As I have looked more into it and read posts and articles covering how important people think music and sound is and I am now understanding this. One thing which made me realise this was an adaptation of The Kuleshov effect.
The Kuleshov effect was originally designed to understand how the effects of editing in film. It was a clip of a man with a straight expression and every now and again the clip would cut to a show of something else like a kid playing or a bowl of soup. It allowed Kuleshov to demonstrate how people are lead to feeling the thing which it cut's to has some relevance to what the straight expression guy is looking at. A lot of people think he is directly looking at the object and therefore begin to have an emotion response. People would question why he is looking at the girl. This experiment did not tackle music, so I decided to watch an adapted version of the effect which experimented with adding music.
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtDT83lR_4Q> [Accessed 1 May 2020].
When I watched this clip, it had an effect on me which allowed me to realise the true emotional implications it had. When lighter, uplifting music was played it felt more comedic and funny but as soon as some dark horror music was added it allowed my brain to see the exact same situation in a different light - It felt like the man with the straight expression was some sort of creep, and looking at this girl. This experiment has solidified the theory of how important music is in my brain.
I wanted to see how other people initially think the importance of music is over visual components in film before and and after watching the adapted version of the Kuleshov effect with music.
In order to do this I went to google forms and created a form. You can see this in the screenshots below.
Docs.google.com. 2020. Google Forms – Create And Analyse Surveys, For Free.. [online] Available at: <https://docs.google.com/forms> [Accessed 8 May 2020].
I have not yet sent out the form but am planning to send it out to people I know in the next few days. I will wait roughly one day to get all the results where I can analyse the true effect of music carrying emotion in film.
The complete form which was sent out:
Forms.gle. 2020. [online] Available at: <https://forms.gle/hzSkGErephYF9VmV8> [Accessed 8 May 2020].
15) Songbird
YouTube. 2020. Songbird (2019) | Drama Short Film | MYM. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuCrXGLXYG8> [Accessed 14 April 2020].
I struggled to work out the structure of this short, it started on a really low note and seemed to get better throught the film At first I thought it was following Todorovs theory but do not think there was an equilibrium that was disrupted.
Something I have begun to notice throughout the Short films I have watched is the use of Close up shots. These are often used in order to show the audience how an actor is reacting to a certain event or what they are thinking. It is a really effective shot when you want to show what the character is seeing and their reaction before the audience see it, like in Songbird.
16) Lie Detector
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjVVNuraly8> [Accessed 16 April 2020].
This short film follows a very simple three act structure. It see's typical conventions such as limited location and characters.
The pace of this film is quite quick, but not made to feel like it is being rushed - it is at a pace that allows the audience to feel like it is a real scenario. I believe this is the case with all short films.
17) Hate
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ppFEyjwPsA> [Accessed 19 April 2020].
The pace of this film is very dependant on the speed of the poem that goes along with it. In moments of tension and action the pace feels very fast but overall throughout the whole film the pace feels quite constant.
The structure of this film is definitely a three act structure as it tells makes it way through what happened in this guys life and why, in the peak of the story you see anger develop once more when the love of his life gets attacked and the short continues to spiral from then.
The slow motion shots used throughout this film in the moment of action were really effective at bringing out emotion to the audience as it enables everyone to see the sorrow in faces and the audience to place themselves in the situation.
18) The elevator
2020. [online] Available at: <https://youtu.be/Q-TQQE1y68c> [Accessed 19 April 2020].
This is a short comedy film which has overall constant flow - this is sensible because it almost annotates how an elevator moves in a very constant motion when going up or down.
The structure seen in this film is probably closest to following todorov's theory because it starts with the guy getting in the elevator on how own, and all is normal. This soon gets disrupted by events which make him feel uneasy and this goes on for the majority of the short making the audience wonder if it will ever get resolved.
19) Mandem
2020. [online] Available at: <https://youtu.be/lwTPPdMs6yo> [Accessed 19 April 2020].
I found the pace of this short very constant and quite slow throughout. This has highlighted to me the idea that throughout short films you genuinely want a slow and constant pace other than when there is a moment of action or tension - often the turning point/twist.
This film was also an outlier to many of the typical conventions such as the use limited characters and limited locations.
I found the overall structure and story of this short quite hard to follow, and it left me confused, This has taught me that when it comes to making my short film a more simple structure can still be really effective.
20) Tic
Short of the Week. 2020. Tic By Josef Bates | Tourettes Comedy | Short Film. [online] Available at: <https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2020/04/14/tic/> [Accessed 20 April 2020].
This short definitely had a three peak storyline seen in it. I think that the structure was really well thought out to fit the scenario of a date. The introduction to the film had a slower pace as the audience are still yet to figure why this guy seems to be twitching and sneezing. Then the date walks in and introduces herself he continues to act in what would appear a weird way until eventually he tells her he has tourettes. In my opinion this is where the middle section of the story is and I began to feel the pace of the short speed up, almost showing uncomfort, like how the people around on other tables are feeling. The short film convention of a twist becomes apparent when the guy goes onto stab himself. He then goes to the toilet where we realise we are now in the 'resolution' section of the three act story structure. We feel a constant change in pace as it hops between the girl and another man and the toilet where the guy is battling with a knife. This is once again showing that in a moment of danger or action the pace will always feel faster. In the end he comes back covered in bloody with no arm twitch, because he chopped off his arm.
What I have learned from watching these short films?
As I watched through all of these short films I began to notice several conventions which were repeated throughout all of them, if not, most of them. Normally these consisted of a limited use of location and characters. A story which features a turning point or a 'twist'. A story which involves not getting to know backgrounds of characters and the audience being left with a question. I believe these are all really important to a short film even if some of them are forced because of time limitations.
In order for me to back up my evidence about finding certain conventions in short films I decided to look up short film conventions. One of the results I was presented with was a linkedin slideshare page which had a slide on each different convention. In the slideshow they cover many of the same conventions that I have done and that I have noticed. In the characters section of the slideshare they say 'Short films tend to stick to two of three main characters' and 'Short films don't have time to create deep backstory or history for the characters'. Directly enforcing my own discovery which I stated above.
The slideshare: tds14, 2020. Codes & Conventions Of Short Films. [online] Slideshare.net. Available at: <https://www.slideshare.net/tds14/codes-conventions-of-short-films> [Accessed 20 April 2020].
When it comes to structure in these short films I noticed the idea of todorov's theory used throughout a large amount of the films. Todorov's narrative theory involves a story starting with an equilibrium before this equilibrium is disrupted to create a disequilibrium. In the end a new equilibrium will be restored. Following this theory in a short film allows for questions and suspense to be made in the middle of the film with it genuinely being resolved for a good equilibrium at the end.
Selina Argyrou. 2020. Todorov Theory. [online] Available at: <https://selinaargyrou.wordpress.com/todorov-theory/> [Accessed 20 April 2020].
There are still a few films that choose not to use todorov's theory and instead use more of a generic three act structure. As you watch all the short films it becomes clear that the introduction part of that structure is always the smallest part, this is most likely due to the limited time a short film has so they do not spend much time introducing everything and instead let the audience work it out for themselves. The middle act of the three act structure is normally the longest part - it is like the build up to the twist or where the twist of the story takes place. It involves the actual story part of the short film and that 'one' idea you explore in it. This is similar with the resolution. The resolution is normally shorter and is often left leaving you that question with either another twist or an interesting end to the story without much description.
When I was looking into the pace of the short films I watched I made some interesting discoveries. It began to be clear to me that the pace of a film is controlled by the editor in most cases. They decide what they want you to look at and how long for. The type of transition they implement can also play a key part in changing the pace of that section of a film. When it comes down to similarities it is easy to see that moments of tension and action in all the short films I watched were accompanied with quick fast cuts implying to me that they had initially planned that.
I will be able to take all this research and implement it into my own film. I am planning on using todorovs equilibrium theory for the structure of my short film. In terms of the pacing of the short I want it to feel quite slow to connote that horrible feeling of unease someone feels when they are going to go to a funeral. My film will follow many conventions of short film such as a limited location. This will be down to ease of filming allowing easier reshoots and budget. My short film will also not have time to introduce characters therefore following another convention of short films. I will also ensure that my short film contains a twist.
Mise-en-scene
The Mise-en-scene is an essential part of any short film and it covers pretty much everything you can see in a scene. This is backed up by searching for the definition on google.
Google.com. 2020. Mise En Scene Meaning - Google Search. [online] Available at: <https://www.google.com/search?q=mise+en+scene+meaning&rlz=1C5CHFA_enGB894GB894&oq=mise+en+scene+&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l7.3588j1j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8> [Accessed 23 April 2020].
The mise en scene will be based on a middle class family in the UK.
Setting
The first part of Mise-en-scene which I am going to look into is the setting. I believe this will play a huge part in my short as the entire film will be taking place at one house.
I want the house to be detached to connote the separation from the world that everyone feels when they lose someone.
For any exterior shots I did not really need to look far as the shot above is my street and these houses match my vision of what we need.
The interior of the house does not need to be shot in the same location as the exterior meaning I can do all the interior shots elsewhere in more optimal places to shoot as from reading through the article below shooting in houses and small places can often be tricky. It suggests the idea of 'faking it'
The Beat: A Blog by PremiumBeat. 2020. Production Tip: 5 Tricks For Filming In Small Spaces. [online] Available at: <https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/5-tricks-filming-small-spaces/> [Accessed 23 April 2020].
The interior or the house will need to show how the family/people living there are grieving and mourning. In order to understand what symptoms of grief are like, I searched the web for answers and found this article below.
MedicineNet. 2020. Grief Symptoms: Get Facts On The Seven Stages Of Grief. [online] Available at: <https://www.medicinenet.com/loss_grief_and_bereavement/article.htm> [Accessed 23 April 2020].
The article talks about the many many symptoms which you may typically see in a person who is grieving. It mentions depression is a symptom that people can have. When a person is depressed it can lead to them not caring about themselves and their environment as much as they normally would .
Costume
The costume will play a key part in my short. It will almost allow the reader to understand where they are actually going. Because of this, I want to opt with using the very traditional english funeral costume. This will consist of clothes in the black colour. This is very different from my initial ideas in which I really wanted to experiment with the costume. However, after taking some time to read through an article I found on the internet about clothing at a funeral it suggested not being rebellious or experimental as a funeral is a serious and emotional time. This is probably why people wear plain and black clothes rather than anything eccentric.
Funeralwise. 2020. What To Wear To A Funeral: Practical Tips, Advice, Dos And Don'ts. [online] Available at: <https://www.funeralwise.com/etiquette/how-to-dress-for-a-funeral/> [Accessed 26 April 2020].
How funerals and funeral buildups are portrayed in other films and TV programmes.
'After Life'
After life is a strange example to be using to talk about such a serious and not comedic event, however at the same time it is also a very good example. In season two episode six the protagonist played by Ricky Gervais is attending his father’s funeral. We see him get ready for the funeral and we also see him actually attend the funeral.
Though the scene showing the build up on the morning of the actual funeral is quite short, it shows the characters struggles and loneliness which creates emotion - something I want to take note of.
After Life. 2020. [film] Directed by R. Gervais. Netflix.
In the scene above we see the protagonist going out for a dog walk. This dog walk is a chance for him to clear his mind a little bit before he attends the funeral. In his facial expressions it is clear to see his discomfort - this is almost contrasted by the happy nature of a dog.
The next scene to him walking down his stairs, with the dog looking at him. As his legs make way into the frame more you see his is wearing a lot of black - this immediately allows the audience to understand what he is wearing and it is time for the funeral.
Throughout the whole build up, the camera looks towards his face many times. Every time we see his face it is clear to see he is in pain and discomfort but importantly he is always alone and has no one else there other than a dog. A dog is 'a man's best friend' and will always love them. This is showing that but in a kind of ironic way, the dog loves him and gives him comfort but it does not understand the pain he is in.
I really like how despite the shortness of this section of the episode, they have managed to capture the emotion so well and make it really easy for the audience to understand the pain. Throughout we see a mix of long/wide shot's and mid shot's which both serve a purpose. The long shot's contribute to the showing how disconnected he feels from people and the mid shot's show the pain he is in. Having the character feel disconnected is something I want to incorporate into my short so the use of long shots at moments of extreme down will be something I will absolutely think about using.
'Avengers: Endgame'
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtIRAZGDufg> [Accessed 28 April 2020].
While the Marvel universe is not realistic, it does share a lot of similarities with that of the normal world.
From the shot above one of the major things to take is the use of clothing. This once again immediately allows the audience to understand that they are indeed viewing a funeral.
The music is something extremely noticeable in this as it plays an important part in setting the scene, and bringing out emotion most likely due to it's slow and 'grand' nature/feel.
In post, it appears to me that that the levels of green have been brought up slightly to make it pop. This might be with natural association with people seeing the colour of green as a colour of life. In this case - this funeral is trying to create more of a happy/sad emotion rather than straight up sad. It is trying to create a admiration and appreciation for his life. The representation of green might help this.
'Riverdale' Season 4, Episode one
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXJVfTABWoo> [Accessed 29 April 2020].
Riverdale is popular teen mystery drama. At the start of season four an episode was dedicated to the actor who played the character 'Fred Andrews' in the series who unfortunately passed away in real life. In this episode which was dedicated to him, there was a funeral for the character of 'Fred Andrews'.
When I watch the scene, something which has been used in other funeral scenes which we find used again is music. The music is once again helping to set the scene and again is a slower pace piece of music.
Throughout the scene the cinematography is very 'smooth'. All the shots appear to be stabilized and never handheld. This makes it most suited to the situation as a handheld camera would often be shaky and not suited to situation where people are grieving. Shaky shots would normally be found in moments of high tension or action, which is nor a funeral.
The mise-en-scene of this funeral once again involves all of the characters wearing usual 'black' funeral attire. This is one of the first indications we get to the fact we are about to watch the characters funeral. We also see other objects which you would typically see at a funeral such as a hearse.
Music
From watching a variety of short films and looking at how funerals are presented in films above I noticed the use of music as quite a common element. I wanted to look into why music is used so frequently and what the effect of it is in these short films. I believe music if used to create or bring out an emotion in someone and is meant to do this in a 'sneaky' manner to compliment the footage.
Rider University. 2020. Symposium Examines The Role Of Music In Film. [online] Available at: <https://www.rider.edu/news/2014/10/14/symposium-examines-role-music-film> [Accessed 30 April 2020].
Upon reading the article 'Symposium examines the role of music in film' I managed to confirm my suspicion that 'it helps to shape emotional responses'. It also talks about how it can be used to create Rhythm/pace of a scene. The article then goes on to talk about how pieces of music can often become as significant as the film itself. I decided do watch a scene of a film where a piece of 'famous' music was used in a film.
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-VM7_DJlkQ> [Accessed 1 May 2020].
I watched the clip above from the famous 1987 film 'Jaws'. The piece of music found in 'Jaws' is something that so many people know. When I watched the clip from the film, I allowed myself to confirm the statement the article made about music being used to set the pace. As you watch the scene all is calm and then you hear that now iconic sound, and the pace of the scene immediately feels like it is beginning to pick up. As the music progresses it speeds up, naturally allowing the pace to get faster with it, the faster the pace the tension builds up. Alongside the music in this scene setting the pace it is also making the audience fear for the actors - this is an example of it also creating emotion.
I recently got the opportunity to sit in a masterclass 'Denis Villeneuve' and he said that he believes music and sound are 'just as important as the picture, if not more'. Initially when I first heard this I thought he was insane. I thought that obviously the picture is the most important thing, as it is what people pay the most attention to. As I have looked more into it and read posts and articles covering how important people think music and sound is and I am now understanding this. One thing which made me realise this was an adaptation of The Kuleshov effect.
The Kuleshov effect was originally designed to understand how the effects of editing in film. It was a clip of a man with a straight expression and every now and again the clip would cut to a show of something else like a kid playing or a bowl of soup. It allowed Kuleshov to demonstrate how people are lead to feeling the thing which it cut's to has some relevance to what the straight expression guy is looking at. A lot of people think he is directly looking at the object and therefore begin to have an emotion response. People would question why he is looking at the girl. This experiment did not tackle music, so I decided to watch an adapted version of the effect which experimented with adding music.
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtDT83lR_4Q> [Accessed 1 May 2020].
When I watched this clip, it had an effect on me which allowed me to realise the true emotional implications it had. When lighter, uplifting music was played it felt more comedic and funny but as soon as some dark horror music was added it allowed my brain to see the exact same situation in a different light - It felt like the man with the straight expression was some sort of creep, and looking at this girl. This experiment has solidified the theory of how important music is in my brain.
Music to others.
I wanted to see how other people initially think the importance of music is over visual components in film before and and after watching the adapted version of the Kuleshov effect with music.
In order to do this I went to google forms and created a form. You can see this in the screenshots below.
Docs.google.com. 2020. Google Forms – Create And Analyse Surveys, For Free.. [online] Available at: <https://docs.google.com/forms> [Accessed 8 May 2020].
I have not yet sent out the form but am planning to send it out to people I know in the next few days. I will wait roughly one day to get all the results where I can analyse the true effect of music carrying emotion in film.
The complete form which was sent out:
Forms.gle. 2020. [online] Available at: <https://forms.gle/hzSkGErephYF9VmV8> [Accessed 8 May 2020].
The results
As mentioned above, I sent this form out in order to gain a better understanding of how music has an emotional effect on people during film. Over the period of two days I had ten responses from family and friends.
The first question asked them if they believed the music or visuals were more important at driving the emotion in a film. When I went to look at the answers I was surprised to see such a split overall answer
As you can see from looking at the pie chart everyone’s initial answers resulted in a perfect fifty fifty split! I learnt a lot from this. I learnt that there may not be one overall stronger aspect at driving emotions but it is different depending on the person. This was not clear to me before as I was expecting the visual option to be initially higher than the music.
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