The BBC Film Network

http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/

Similar to Coffee Shorts, the BBC film network doesn’t let any average Joe upload his video, it has to be submitted and selected and free of copyright infringement ect. The website hosts short films from all genres from avant garde to animation to comedy, the BBC film network caters for all genres of short subjects. It includes 'how to' sections to help aspiring filmakers and behind the scenes footage of productions. 

Coffee Shorts

http://www.coffeeshorts.co.uk/

Coffee shorts is a British based independent film screening website that believes in showing the most quirky, different short films, documentaries, animations, movie trailers and music videos through the internet. They will only upload the short subjects themselves, which sets them aside from other websites such as Vimeo and YouTube, where anyone and everyone can upload their work onto the site. They believe that, because of this rule, they exhibit some of the best work on their website, and I tend to agree with this. The channel is run by Coffee Shorts, an independent film production company.

Short film and The Internet

Due to the development of Vimeo in 2004 and You Tube in 2005, video hosting has germinated the internet, allowing aspiring directors to exhibit their work for free. The “bite-sizeness” of short subjects makes them idealistic for the internet as people at work, school, on their mobile phones or at home can divulge into a short piece of narrative to escape society for a short period of time.

The internet is also a great platform for directors wanting to reach new audiences. The message can be delivered to different cultures, generating new reactions and understandings of the short. This is far more exiting and intriguing to short film directors as some villages on islands with populations of a few hundred may not have access to the cinema, but most certainly have access to the internet.

Even top Hollywood directors are taking a shine to this new advancement in technology. Spike Jonze - director of “Where the Wild Things Are” recently launched his latest short film “I’m Here” on a purpose built website. This illustrates that even accredited directors believe this platform is the way forward in the short film industry, and more effective as metaphorically forcing cinema-goers to pay to see a film they might not enjoy. The argument is that short films should be about delivering a message, whether it is political are completely and utterly stupid, directors should not demand money from people to view a piece that is directly from their point of view.

The most popular video-hosting platforms are YouTube and Vimeo. Youtube receives over 200,000,000 viewers a day, so the possibility that someone somewhere will find your short film in the midst of all the video is very likely. Consequently, this makes it easier for a amateur director or actor to get noticed, for free. With 16,000 videos uploaded daily Vimeo also proves to be one of the top video hosting sites. Many directors prefer Vimeo as it has less adverts (come on, YouTube is owned by money mad Google now) and the HD videos tend to load quicker (also why us lovely BRIT school students use it).

One video that went viral-crazy in 2006 was “Kiwi!”. Created by an animation student it was simply uploaded to so that the creator could easily share it with family and friends by simply copying and pasting the link. Again, this illustrates how easy it is for directors to get spotted and accredited through the internet. Since then it has nearly 28,000,000 views on YouTube, so here is the link to it now:

Amazon Askville. http://askville.amazon.com/people-visit-site-youtube-day/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=24481260. Last accessed 4th October 2010.

"La Lettre" - Michel Gondry

Produced in 1998, “La Lettre” is a French piece and has English subtitles, following the journey of a young boy named Stéphane who is in love with his best friend, Aurélie. The short subject also explores the worries that the French society had of a war breaking out in the year 2000. The whole piece is black and white denoting an environment of cold-heartedness and empty of love. The boys brother, Jeromé is extremely forceful and has no remorse for his brothers shyness, and mocks him about the fact he has never properly kissed a girl. Three to four minutes into the piece, and we as the audience make an initial judgement that this is a serious piece exploring themes of war and a home empty of emotiveness.

As the young boy develops the photo he slips into a short sleep and starts to dream about Aurélie.  Gondry illustrates to the audience it is the day before the year 2000 and the environment is a party, it all seems very surreal as the shots are in slow motion. The non-diegetic music has certain circus connotations running through it, introducing comedic tones to the piece. Stéphane now has a camera for a head as Aurélie is walking around the party as a negative print. This is extremely funny and the initial judgements about the film are starting to be challenged. Stéphane goes to kiss his love and the camera head hits her and knocks her out cold. The music stops and this breaks the original judgement that this is a serious piece and introduces humorous tones to the film. The silence of the fall highlights it in an understated way and we as the audience are allowed to laugh out loud to this. Gondry depicts Aurélie falling to the floor in slow motion then the Eiffel tower falling and a conventional war siren alarm ringing, the boy then wakes up. The fact the Eiffel tower falls in a very abnormal and comedy-esque manor, conveys that Gondry believed this conspiracy of war in the new year is somewhat silly and should not be taken seriously.

Stéphane goes to visit Aurélie before she goes on her vacation to receive a letter she wrote for him. The narrative is coming to a conclusion and we are attached emotively with the young boy. The non-diegetic music is very lighthearted, and the audience is brought to the height of suspense within the piece as she hands him the letter. Contrary to initial judgements, Aurélie is in love with Jeromé. As the lighthearted music continues we can assume it is not the end of the world for the young boy, as he slowly tears her pictures from his wall with stroppy written all over his face. 

An emotional Stéphane tears Aurélie's pictures from his wall

This is one of my favorite short films to date as it completely breaks the initial judgements made by the audience. Also, the way Gondry turns such bleak, dark, serious elements within the piece to a laugh out loud simple story is very effective, creating a highly memorable piece. 

Michel Gondry

Born on the 8th May 1963 in France, Michel Gondry is a prestigious film, music video and commercial director. Gondry has also been accredited Academy Awards for Screenwriting. Audiences are familiar with his work due to his noticeable visual style and manipulation of mise en scéne. Gondry is extraordinarily infamous for his music videos: “Heard ‘em Say” - Kanye West, “Fell in Love with a Girl” - The White Stripes and “Around the World” performed by Daft Punk (shown below).

Gondry also allowed the film industry to advance massively. He was the director to invent the technique of several cameras taking pictures in the same time around the subject. This technique was used for the first time in a commercial for insurance and in Bjork’s “Army of Me” video. Although the technique became infamous in the film Matrix (1999 - Bullet Time). Also, Gondry was a pioneer for the morphing techniques which he developed through “Je danse le Mia” (shown below).

“Sometimes it’s better to have less money [for budget] and more freedom” - Michel Gondry

“Every great idea is on the verge of being stupid” - Michel Gondry

LA Shorts Film Festival

Founded by Robert Arentz in 1997, the La Shorts Fest is amidst the largest short film festivals in the world. With more than 250 film screenings per annual festival, the festival lasts a week in the prestigious city of Los Angeles, California. The attendance figures reach up to 8,000 festival goers, consisting of cinema attendees, filmakers and entertainment professionals. The short films are screened and finally selected by a jury panel who then democratically vote on the final nominated film selections, Ben Affleck once appeared on the judging panel. Previous venues the festival has been held at include the Los Angeles Film School, ArcLight Hollywood Cinemas and Laemmle Sunset 5 Hollywood. 

The desired award, the “Best of Fest” winner will receive a Panavision donated film camera package, available for up to four weeks of filming, and valued at roughly $60,000. The award categories are:

• Best of Fest
• Best Drama
• Best Animation
• Best Comedy
• Best Foreign Film
• Best Music Video
• Best Experimental
• Best Documentary
• Best Creative Commercial

"The Stairwell" - Shane Meadows

Shane Meadows produced this short film on a mobile phone and was created to promote the Nokia shorts competition in 2005. Meadows exhibits his recognisable style straight away in this short film as he places the credits upon the wall of the location, adding a grittier element. The dark urban non-diegetic music is mixed with diegetic light sounds to keep with the realistic theme. Although the short is just a man and a women running down the stairs to eventually bump into each other, it is made more exiting by Meadows’ use of shots. He uses steadycam on both the protagonists so that we can see their expressions. However, their faces are hidden by hats denoting that they are dark, demurring characters. Low angle close-up shots are used of the hand gripping the rail, and establishing shots are used to illustrate the environment.

These various shots help to build the tension and suspense along with the non-diegetic music. The location is a dark, gritty council estate also helping to convey the types of people the protagonists are. The protagonists finally collide and the music is brought to a halt. The fact that they bump into each other and exaggerate the bump, standing there looking angry, keeps to the stereotypical judgement of someone who lives on a council estate. The short piece is very effective as the suspense is brought to its height and leaves the audience on a cliff-hanger, we don’t know how they solved the situation, and did they argue about whose fault it was? Carry on with where they were going? Call the police? Who knows!

Shane Meadows

Shane Meadows is a self-taught, British film-maker who hails from the Midlands in the UK. He was born in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, UK on 26th December 1972.

Shane Meadows is a self-taught, British film-maker born on the 26th December 1972, who derives from the Midlands, United Kingdom. After years of trying to acquire the skills to succeed as a criminal mastermind, Shane developed a taste for video production. Meadows realised the only way to get his foot around the door of the film industry was through volunteering. The arrangement was that in return for working for Intermedia Film and Video Ltd, he would receive free access to video and editing facilities. Meadows asked family and friends to star in and help out with his productions but, contrary to popular belief, they were extremely hesitant at first due to his estranged past. Continuing to produce and edit short films, Meadow’s family became impressed with his skills and immediately were enthusiastic to get involved and help out. With an ever growing portfolio of short films, Meadows and co became profoundly frustrated that there were no events where they could exhibit their pieces. Therefore, they created their own short film festival called “Six of the Best” and it was held every other month at a local Staffordshire cinema. Instantly, the event grew in popularity and became a renowned, international video festival called “Flip Side”.

“Where’s The Money, Ronnie?” was the first short film to gain acclaim from the film industry. Meadows was then approached by Channel 4 to produce a documentary for their “Battered Britain” series, consequently he produced “King of the Gypsies”. Shane began to teach aspiring film makers with a series of videos called “Shanes World”, developing a recognizable philosophy. Meadows stated, “Stick to what you know, and you won’t go far wrong”.

Conspicuously, Meadows’ critical acclaim did not translate into cash; the box office figures for his feature films were low. However, Meadows then went on to produce “This is England” which undoubtedly put an end to his low box office attendance figures. Meadows tries to return back to his roots in short film whenever he can. Audiences are attracted to Meadows’ raw energy and enthusiasm, sending out the message that anyone can make a film with a little bit of talent, some borrowed equipment and a tenner for a raid on a charity shop.

"Meshes of the Afternoon" - Maya Deren

Textual Analysis
Produced in 1943 by infamous experimental director Maya Deren, Meshes of the Afternoon is a Avan Garde accredited black and white short film, developed to stun the audience of the 1940’s. The first shot depicts the protagonist (Maya Deren herself) picking up a flower, Deren uses the shadows of the woman to confuse the audience to her whereabouts. The key is dropped down the stairs, with non-diegetic music used to accentuate the drop so that the audience take note of important aspects of the brief narrative structure. Deren uses establishing shots of the house, to depict the era and the idiosyncrasy of the situation, including the knife peculiarly falling out the bred, and the telephone off the hook. The protagonist walks up the stairs to discover the banging sound she hears, and finds a wide open window with a record playing the banging sound. Deren carefully frames her shots to confuse the audience about gravity and the whereabouts of the protagonist, the women then goes to sleep. Sacramental esque music is introduced, introducing an eerie tone to the piece. The shot is framed as if the audience is looking down a black hole at a figure, identical to the conventional idea of the grim reaper. This shot proposes a death theme to the piece. The audience is then acquainted with the face of the grim reaper, which is a reflection of its surroundings as it picks up a similar flower to the previous and begins to proceed down the path. The protagonist and her shadow follow the grim reaper, alongside the bizarre, tension building sacramental music.

The whole process is then repeated as she walks up the stairs to find her door unlocked, with a knife placed carefully on the stair. The protagonist then runs up the stairs, as if there is no gravity as she bounces along the stairwell. Deren disobeys the stereotypical “Hollywood” rule of continuity, cutting from shot to shot confusing the audience, completely destroying any form of narrative structure. The editing effects used by Deren are completely beyond their time, layering shots upon each other and using special effects on the grim reapers ‘face’. The knife is then found in the bed, and the eerie non-diegetic music repeats. The protagonist then falls out the window, the camera is used in un-conventional numerous angles to confuse the audience of the centre of gravity, it is difficult to watch as the previous banging sound replays again, speeding up, and we as the audience feel as if something ‘bad’ is going to happen. We are then shown the protagonist asleep on the arm chair as we saw her before, there are now two doubles of one character, we can assume this is her dream. The grim reaper chases down the path with the flower, repeating the process for a third time.

The key then comes out of the protagonist mouth as she opens the door to her home again, following the grim reaper figure up stairs. Deren angles the camera as if the house is moving as the protagonist climbs the stairs. The sacramental music starts again as the reaper places the flower upon her bed and turns to look at her, extraordinarily eerie, and the figure disappears. The grim reaper is shown walking along the path for a fourth time, as the protagonist chases after her, with the double looking on.

The key then turns into the knife. This could be conveyed as the knife is the answer, keys are conventionally used to open doors, open answers, therefore the fact the key repeatedly turns into a knife could be a symbolism of her suicidal thoughts. The three identical protagonists sit around a table and each stare and pick up the key which repeatedly turns into the knife. Non-diegetic music is used to enhance the change from key to knife. The protagonist picks up the key and her hand turns black. As this is a black and white film we could assume her hand is meant to turn red, a representation of the blood, illustrating death. Various shots are shown of her foot walking through various locations with a knife, very experimental and illustrating artistic ideas, also supporting the fact she is still dreaming.

The protagonist wakes up from her dream (supposedly) and finds her supposed husband staring straight at her, walking up the stairs with the same flower. The sacramental music starts again as the tension reaches a point within the piece. The flower turns into a knife, her husband looks at her sternly, she goes to hit him and a mirror breaks, we as the audience assume she is still dreaming at this point. The husband walks into the house for a final time to find the protagonist surrounded by smashed glass and with a slit to her throat, clutching a knife. The symbolism throughout is the only aspect we as the audience can interpret into some form of narrative. The protagonist continuously chases the grim reaper, symbolising that she is chasing death; she is looking for a way out, predominately suicide. The sacramental music conveys traditional African themes when animals are sacrificed for the gods; this also relates so suicide and thoughts about dying. Deren never portrays the protagonist to run away from the reaper; she is trying to find an answer, but the key keeps coming from inside her, as she is the answer to her suicide. During the scene where the three identical women sit around the table, Deren illustrates the conscious of the one woman, exploring her thoughts. Ideas, and symbolic themes could ever only be explored in this Avant Garde way through short film, as if it is not received well by an audience, no money is lost, no harm is done. Also the narrative would not suffice a feature film.

Maya Deren

Born in 1917 Ukraine as Eleanora Derenkowsky, Maya Deren was a director who produced work during the 1940's and 1950's, her work is fundamentally associated with the term "Avant-Garde", which is a cutting edge, experimental way to develop ideas. In addition to her role as a film director, Deren was also a choreographer, writer, photographer, dancer and poet.  There is a recognisable anti-mainstream stance within her films, making her work extraordinarily different and memorable as opposed to other short subjects exhibited throughout that period. Deren promotes the idea of artistic license and creative freedom through her work, believing that the way to experiment with new editing and film techniques is through creating short films.

Deren progressed through the 1940’s to receive various recognitions and awards, her most famous being the Grand Prix Internationale 16mm experimental film award at the Cannes Film Festival for “Meshes of the Afternoon”. Contrary to popular belief, Deren distributed all her own films and promoted them through lectures and screenings in the United States, also writing, directing, editing and starring in her own productions

Being infamous and recognised for her Avant Garde films, Deren heavily criticized the stereotypical Hollywood cinema stating, “I make my pictures for what Hollywood spends on lipstick”. Also believing that Hollywood “has been a major obstacle to the definition and development of motion pictures as a creative fine-art form”, setting her at an extreme distance from mainstream practices.

Maya Deren sadly passed away in 1961 at the age of 44, her work was noted as a key figure in the establishment of a New American Cinema which accentuated personal, Avant Garde, underground film making. The American Film Institute went on to create the Maya Deren Award to accredit independent filmmakers.

Maya Deren. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Deren. Last accessed 4th October 2010.


“The task of cinema or any other art form is not to translate hidden messages of the unconscious soul into art but to experiment with the effects contemporary technical devices have on nerves, minds, or souls.” - Maya Deren

Avant Garde

Avant Garde is an adjective used within the English Language to accredit a piece of work that is progressive, radical and idiocentric with regards to politics, culture, history and art. The term Avant Garde can be used to define a piece of work which opposes the norms and values of modern day society. Although the term is derived from the French Language, it still remains impossible to trace back the origins of this word. The conceptualization of Avant Garde exclusively refers to accredited artists, writers, directors, composers, fashion designers, photographers and theorists whose work does not only hinder mainstream society but often has an outlandish, controversial political tone running throughout the work.

Controversial Avant Garde photograph with a deeply offensive political theme

Wikipedia. (2010). Avant-garde. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avant-garde. Last accessed 4th October 2010.

"Steal Away" - Charles McDougall

Textual Analysis
- Conventional music, 'bling' on finger
- Opening shot of money
- Impression of robber taking place
- Subtle title giveaway on note with "Steal Away" written upon it, linking to the story and context
- Christian cross on wing-mirror
- Point of view shot, makes audience feel part of the story
- Shot of red telephone box, we know were in London, conventional giveaway
- Music switches from non diegetic to diegetic
- Audience is thrown straight into story, first time we see the main character
- Relationship conveyed, he took the heat off her by throwing water on windscreen
- Shot of tattoo on lower back, stereotypically known in slang as a "tramp stamp", rebel
- Focus pull of reaction, intriguing, keeps audience interested
- Shot slowed down to emphasise reaction, post production techniques
- Gun shot emphasised, the audience now know it has importance within the narrative
- Still shot, light at the end of the tunnel, 'exit' sign in shot, symbolic, relating back to christian cross
- Couple kiss, initial judgement of the characters being together is reassured
- Running sequence, music builds suspense, creates tension
- The character Michael returns, energy is immediately changed, keeping audiences interest levels high, challenging initial reactions
- They run to a secret tunnel, lighting then becomes darker, 'grimier', depressing
- Music now stops, audience get a chance to take a breather
- They are both laughing hysterically, get excitement from doing it, doing it for the thrill, childish, immature, didn't know what was in the case
- Red lighting, symbolism of death, blood money - sourced from a 'bad' environment
- Girl is turned on by the theft, aroused
- Girl is extraordinarily naive
- Water - cleansing of sins, christian symbolism is illustrated yet again
- They make out, silence, no music, audience can't relax, waiting for something to happen, tension has not been brought to a climax from the running scene as of yet
- Train pulls up, more quiet than an archetypal train, consequences and sins are creeping in, eerie
- Shot of doorstep to train, who is going to get off? suspense is building
- Challenging initial judgement of train, as when the two characters get on, it is completely full
- Climax has occurred, not what we as the audience expected
- Ironic - there is a man on the train preaching about christianity and sins
- The train could represent purgatory
- Woman offers foot washer man money, they just robbed someone, money symbolism
- Tension created, washing of feet, people acting in strange ways
- Lighting is bright again, maybe this is so all can be seen, including sins
- Drunk people bording bring the train atmosphere back to reality
- Money symbolism emphasised, they foot washer does not want it, people on train represent societies capitalist nature that "money can pay off everything", capitalist actions and attitudes
- Preacher is singing "Steal Away", references back to title, linking the narrative together, illustrating that the title has a purpose, gospel music, Bible symbolism
- Humbleness radiated by preacher, maybe he is a representation of god?
- Accompanied by non-diegetic music
- "Steal Away" starts off as a conventional 'heist' film, audiences initial judgements are proven different, judgements are being challenged yet again
- Makes the short harder to categorise, like most short films
- Referring back to subliminal message of cross on wing-mirror
- Girlfriend is holding Michael back
- Flashing lights on train, passengers did not notice, is this odd?
- Eye contact between Michael and foot washer, exchange smile, forgiveness? Michael now washes his foot, controversial
- Red dye vanishes, miracle? they are now given a chance to escape the crime, given a second chance
- Give money away, want to change lifestyle
- PLOT UNRAVELS, initial judgements challenged once again
- 'Seek Assistance', subtle messages to the narrative is animated through the mise en scene
- Judgement day - Michael is reunited with mum, in what we as the audience could consider some sort of heaven?
- Foot washer is there
- Therefore, Michael is actually deceased, girl is still alive, maybe this is a punishment? Or has she been given a second chance?
- Michael died to give girl a new start, relating back to biblical references, Jesus died for society
- Expectations repeaditly broken and challenged throughout, keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, intrigued to keep watching
- Good, well structured narrative, low production value
- Director conveyed his message within 7 minutes, could of been a feature length two hour film

"About A Girl" - Brian Percival

Textual Analysis
- Shares title similarities to the film "About A Boy"
- Text message on opening, creating assumptions it is about a teenager, as they are stereotypically associated with advances in technology
- Getting dark, isolated field, why is she dancing?
- About A Girl, we want to find out about her, only shown silhouette, builds intrigue, at this point we expect her to be a soft, young girl
- Expectations are broken, she has a bushy accent, hard, harsh exterior
- Seems naive, not well educated, illiterate
- Kitchen sink realism
- Council estate, bickering
- Mother relates to the father as a 'bastard' to the children. Divorced parents, bad relationship.
- Girl is very upbeat and chatty
- We, as the audience understand the reality of her situation through the cutaways
- The audio/narrative alone isn't enough, as she plays down the reality of her circumstances tremendously
- We start to see she is not as innocent and naive as originally perceive her as. "i'm not that innocent. I know i'm not"
- "I'm thirteen, i'm not a child anymore", the audience can see she has been forced to grow up quickly.
- She is smart, she doesn't believe exactly what people tell her, especially her father.
- Our initial reaction to her and judgement of her is completely turned around, the audience can now empathise with her.
- Working class surroundings
- "Bless", she is patronising her father, not as naive as we, the audience, originally believed
- She is neglected, she makes out that she does not care, maybe she has had to put up this 'front'
- On bus with friends, we see her young, fun, sweet inner-being.
- Singing is her dreamworld, her escape, she puts her headphones in and blocks out her troubles
- Contrast in personality from when she is with family, and when she is with friends
- She has a cheeky, clever persona
- She knew the perfume saleswoman was being patronising and played on that, very clever comeback for a thirteen year old girl
- Mother spends all money on cigarettes, not food for her children
- Girl wants to spend all money with father, she shows hostility with her mother, the audience are not told why this is
- She wants to escape her background, singing is seen as the only hope for her
- Her mother buys a scratchcard, showing she wants to escape the situation, background and surroundings just as much as her daughter
- Girl is singing the infamous Britney Spears song "Stronger than yesterday", very relevant to her situation, also showing how she has had to grow up too quickly as opposed to other young girls her age
- No music in this short film, illustrating kitchen sink realism, documentry-like. Also highlighting how real the situation is as non-diegetic music does not exist in real life.
- Contrast in her personality - scenes where she is contemplating and scenes where she is happy, singing and dancing
- Ideas the audience originally assumed about relationships with her parents are confirmed
- From the close-ups of the girl she looks allot older, taller and bigger. From the wide shots we see how small and young she is in comparison to her surroundings, and how serious her situations are for a girl of her age, this is very shocking to the audience.
- "Blood or strawberry sauce", there is violence within the household
- Pathetic Fallacy is used throughout, life is grey, dull, so is the weather, representation of all girls within the community as this girl is not named.
- Mother through dog in cannel, maybe the girl sees this as the only way, it is all she knows
- The girl is a product of her environment
- Light at the end of the river after throwing her baby in the cannel
- Girl is moving on, "Still gonna get a 99 anyway"
- The bag is plastic, it's the girls suffocation, it is then released
- The plastic bag represents the girl, the baby comes out of the bag in the way like she has just given birth to it
- The bag then gets trapped on the fence, she cannot walk away from the situation, it will stay there, and haunt her forever
- The girl has no name, she is insignificant, disposable, just like the plastic bag and the baby

"One Too Many"

This short film was effective due to its ability to convey dry humor, without feeling generic. The short piece was efficient as the two characters are not aware of the third character who is asleep in the toilet cubical. The ending created suspense, but also heightened the humor of the previous conversation. Also, the outtakes at the end of the film contribute to the attributes of a short film. This created a stronger relationship between the audience and the characters, making it easy for the audience to engage in the conversation and remain intrigued.

The point-of-view shots were effective as it includes the audience into the narrative, also helping to illustrate the awkward, tense moments between the characters of 'Fish' and 'Rod'. Although the piece was filmed all in one room, this was ideal as the mise-en-scene was not prominent enough to distract the audiences attention from the strong, engaging narrative. The music highlights the club vibe/aura, therefore helping the audience feel an important, considered role within the situation.

"Pete Sweet" - James Pilkington

I stumbled upon this short film on the BBC Film Network, I was immediately drawn to it through the two main characters Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt (The Mighty Boosh). Directed by James Pilkington in 2000, the film has won various awards including ‘Kodak Short Film Showcase 2002’ and ‘F.A.C.E Award (Film Award for Cinematic Excellence) 2001’.The opening music is stereotypical 1970’s music, depicting the character we are first introduced to Pete Sweet. He rides a MOD scooter and works on a record stall in Camden, all stereotypical of a young man in the 70’s.

First shot we as the audience are shown

The first shot is at an interesting, quirky angle, making the protagonist seem somewhat ‘deranged’. Pete opens his eyes looking straight towards the camera (breaking the fourth wall), he then bops his head to the fast paced disco music still looking straight at the camera, the audience get a sense that he is a bit of a maniacal, interesting, eccentric character. The credits show “Sweet” in a 70‘s type font, illustrating the type of man Pete is and the setting of the film. He introduces himself in a common London accent, as “Pete. Pete Sweet”, this may be referencing “James. James Bond”, conveying he thinks very highly of himself appearance wise, also referencing the fact he the character introduces his hair. The audience are drawn to him, Pete is a likable character, conventional, cool ‘Cockney’ guy. The mid-angled shots depict he is a level-headed man, doesn’t think too highly of himself, or too low of himself, the character believes he is on the same level as everyone else. Pilkington conveys the character as carefree as all he seems to care about are the basics in life, his dogs, his job, his scooter and his “boozer” (which in fact is a very expensive pub).

Pete is proud of his London environment

Pilkington then introduces the audience to his best friend ‘Stitch’, who doesn’t seem as fun as Pete. The narrative voice feels like he is having a conversation with himself, the audience can relate more with the situation. The background music is still the same, keeping the tempo upbeat and fun along with the fast beat to compliment the fast moving narrative. When Pilkington takes us into the disco scene, all characters are dancing stereotypical John Travolta-esque, very 1970’s. The nightclub is plastered in patterned wallpaper identical to a conventional 1970’s bedroom - hideous. Pilkington introduces a humorous tone to the film, by introducing Poppy, the imaginary girl. Pete and Poppy seem to “hit it off” straight away, and begin to make out, which is hilarious, but intensely awkward to watch.

Pete (center) making out with Poppy

The two characters then travel through Camden, performing sexual intercourse anywhere they can find a wall, again, Pilkington plays on the awkwardness of the situation, still playing the music in the background, depicting Pete having intercourse with the air so to speak. The two characters go out for dinner and live together. The music changes to a quieter less frantic 70’s jazz, so that the audiences attention is focused on this bizarre romance as it begins to fizzle out.

Pete strangely making out with his ‘girlfriend’ Poppy

Pilkington primarily uses close-ups and medium shots to establish location and body language, and the close-ups to convey the awkwardness and strangeness of Pete and Poppys relationship. The film then explores their downfall through everyday locations such as the ‘boozer’, the park and the café. The character of Poppy then reveals to Pete that she is, strangely enough, pregnant. Their relationship becomes extraordinarily rocky and dull, along with the accompanying, non-diegetic jazz music. Pilkington then introduces the audience to the character Daisy.

First shot of Daisy shown to the audience

Daisy comes to Pete’s stool and they hit it off straight away. They go for a quiet drink and find out they have a hell of a lot in common. Pilkington picks up the pace of the narrative as the character of Pete continues to see both Daisy and Poppy. Ironically enough “Stitch” sets out to stitch Pete up, as he finally finds out about the affair. The pace in music has become allot faster by this point, as the narrative reaches it’s height of suspense. Pilkington continues to use only medium shots and standard angles to make the short feel more realistic as the concept (the imaginary girlfriend) is far from realism. Therefore the juxtaposition of camera angles and concept makes this short stand out from others and keeps the audience intrigued and feeling part of the narrative due to the breaking of the fourth wall. Daisy finally catches Pete and Poppy having sex, and to everyones amazement, proposes to have a three-way relationship.

From left to right: Poppy, Pete and Daisy

However, Daisy and Poppy start to become a little too close, worrying Pete. The character of Pete remarks, “It’s amazing how understanding women can be”, this makes the character seem extraordinarily naive as all audiences would know, that this is totally not true. Slow cross fades are used throughout to convey time passing and to illustrate the illusionary theme of the concept. The 70‘s jazz music changes back to the slower, previous music when Pete and Poppy were arguing, the audience immediately recognizes the non-diegetic music and associates that piece with a bad time for the protagonist. The music then grinds to a halt as Pete states, “I was gutted”. Pete confronts Stitch and beats him to a pulp, not literally.  Pilkington picks up the music again and shows an out of focus shot, that is slowly brought into focus of Pete and Stitch in bed together. Conclusively, this ending destroys the audiences initial judgements of the characters making it a memorable short film.

Stitch and Pete in bed with a bottle of Jack Daniels, classic

Wikipedia. (2010). Sweet (Film). Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_(film). Last accessed 3rd October 2010.

Websites to watch short films

BBC Film Network
http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/

Coffee Shorts
http://www.coffeeshorts.co.uk/

Atom Films
http://www.atom.com/funny_videos/

Silver
http://www.silverfilms.co.uk/films/shorts

Warp
http://warp.net/films

Sony V1 - Camera Analysis

During this lesson the wondrous technician Ashley, taught 13JPR how to use the camera we have been experimenting with for the past year. Sadly, I was not present as I had university business to attend to in the dark, exiting, cold city that is Leeds, therefore, courtesy of Heidi Mitchell, I have included her annotations of the camera within my blog. Big thanks to Heidi!

However, I was present for Ashley’s workshop on Pull Focus. This was a camera technique I have always wanted to achieve within my work, but never really experimented with it as, honestly, I was too scared. But, thanks to magnificent Ashley we are now all knowledgeable on how to use Pull Focus, here is a step by step guide:

1) Arrange the two subjects you want to bring in and out of focus, one in the foreground, and one in the background.

2) Focus on the subject in the foreground first using the focus ring, make a note of the distance that appears on the screen.

3) Now focus on the subject in the background and make a note of the distance.

4) Now you can pull focus between the two subjects, pulling the focus ring until it hits the distance of the desired object. For example, to focus on the background subject pull the focus ring until it hits 0.6 meters (example of distance), then to pull it back to the foreground subject pull the focus ring until it hits 0.1 meters.

Codes and Conventions of Short Films

Only include one or two main characters - This is initially due to the fact that it is a short piece of film, there is not enough time to explore more than two characters. Dialogue needs to be kept to a minimum to allow the plot to progress. Also, two main characters is usually enough to portray and carry across the message that the short subject is trying to illustrate to the audience.

No longer than 40 minutes - Most short films are no longer than fifteen minutes, although there are some exceptions that last up to 40 minutes and are still considered as short films. This time barrier is somewhat an unwritten rule of short film, as a piece longer than this would need more main characters and a larger budget to explore various locations, therefore not adhering to any of the codes and conventions whatsoever.

Reference everyday situations - This is usually so that the audience can identify with the situation, as the message being illustrated is to move the audience and communicate a response. Short films conveying arguments, buying train tickets, shopping, meeting new people and riding public transport, are more likely to spark a response as a wider audience can connect with these situations.

Include stereotypical everyday Mise en Scene - Again, this is so that the audience can identify with the piece, making it easier for the Director’s message to be communicated. For example, using close-up and medium shots are more realistic, as it is what the eye sees, birds-eye views and extreme wide shots are less realistic due to the fact that it is what the eye cannot see. Therefore, if the location is the supermarket, a train, a pub, or a car park, audiences can identify with these locations as they come across them each and every day of their lives.

Low budget - Short films are primarily experiments, thus the low budget. Short subjects are usually produced to convey a message to a niche audience, or to experiment with camera techniques and editing styles, without loosing allot of money. Also, many short films are created by amateur directors, who have virtually no money at all, and short film is their only way to build up a portfolio to enter the film industry.

Short, simple, fast moving narrative - The film is too short to convey a complex, multi-story narrative. It needs to be fast paced, and deliver information quickly to keep the audience intrigued and the message delivered in sufficient time.

Twists within the narrative - To break and challenge initial expectations makes the short subject more memorable. As the piece is so short, it is important that twists happen within the narrative to challenge initial judgements of situations, so that the audience are shocked and do remember the short piece. Feature films have more time to develop the narrative and find different ways to make their audience remember their film, with short film this is limited due to a low budget.

Lack of special effects - Fundamentally due to a low budget and a small production team, these effects are too beyond short films. Also, rarely do short subjects needs these effects to deliver their purpose or message across to the audience, it is done through camera work and narrative, the original way.

Can be documentaries or music videos - Since the introduction of MTV, music videos have grown insanely within the past 30 years. The song lyrics usually act as the narrative and a short film is developed around it, also doubling as the promotional video for the track. If the above codes and conventions are included in a documentary, this also can be recognized as a short subject.

(One of my personal favourite short films doubling as a music video, directed by Phil Atwell and Dr. Dre. The video depicts the lyrics illustrating an Eminem fan living with his pregnant girlfriend becoming overly obsessed with his idol, leading to his demise)

The History of short film

Short film has revolutionized the film industry. With each new advancement in film there has been a short film that sparked it off. The first ever recorded short film named “La Sortie de’l’usine” was publicly exhibited in 1895, illustrating factory workers leaving the factory after a days work. However, this piece was only short due to technical restrictions, leaving several theorists arguing over whether this really is the first ever short film.

(”La Sortie de’l’usine” - Auguste and Louis Lumiére)

"Short subjects" fast became exceedingly popular amongst audiences, due to the fact that the public could attend the cinema and view three to four films, as opposed to just one. This was heavily important around the early 1900’s, as there were very few forms of entertainment for society to engage with.

The "Hollywood Block" or “Block Booking” set out to ruin the uniqueness of short films in the early 1930’s. Big Hollywood studios (such as Universal, Disney, Paramount) used their power and masses of money to force small production companies to sell their innovative, fresh stories, which they would then turn into big-budget feature films. This was due to the fact that the "Classical Narrative", a 90 minute or more feature film, was more profitable for film exhibitors. Feature films were considered far more befitting than short subjects, they could draw in middle-class audiences who would be willing to pay more for cinema tickets. Thus, funding the development of copious, exuberant “picture palaces” over the next three decades. The supreme court of United States finally declared block booking illegal, however, the damage to short film had already been committed.

Short subjects continued to be previewed within cinemas between live acts and alongside news reels, up to and through the Second World War. Short films continued to take additional roles as government propaganda, showing in cinemas between films giving vital instructions to the community, as this was the safest way to illustrate the rules.

(“Keeping Fit” 1942 - WW2 short film government propaganda)

The invention of Television alarmed short film directors, however TV channels took kindly to airing short subjects, which was wondrous for the short film industry. However, TV programming was at it’s peak with Dramas, quiz shows and news programs, consequently, throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s, the downfall of short subjects was ignited. The juxtaposition of the capability to liberate from society through a stereotypical “Hollywood” feature, and the informative quirky nature of many short films was without a doubt fundamental in their demise. Conventional feature films gave the mid 1900‘s society what they craved - escapism. By the end of the 1960’s, short subjects were primarily absent from Cinema. This was due to the fact that excessive amounts of adverts and trailers were crammed into several showings in just one evening, as many cinemas were struggling massively financially, ousting the shorts to up their earnings through advertisements.

Short films were renovated during the 1980‘s and were now no longer about commercial success, but about illustrating a message and delivering new, intriguing content. The introduction of MTV saw the birth of Music Video, representing an alternate outlet for short film producers. Mise en Scene and style naturally became grittier and darker progressing with social trends, for example the mod and punk subcultures.

(These were the first ever MTV logos, used in the early 1980's)

The 1990’s was an astonishing benchmark for short subjects, often coined “Year Zero”. Filmmaking equipment became allot more affordable to the general public, and was lightweight making it easier to use and film in raw, urban locations. This saw an inflation in independent film making, distinctly within short film, which are less constraining, cheaper and more exiting to produce than feature films. Philip Ilson, director of the London Short Film Festival, declares that “All of a sudden it was cheap and easy to make films. It was the same for screenings. It was the first time when a portable video projector could be set up anywhere with a sheet on the wall to screen stuff on”.

The ability to screen short films easier, led to them becoming increasingly popular within feature film festivals such as Venice and Cannes. This proceeded to the spawn of thousands of short film festivals across the globe finding intriguing, innovative ways to screen short subjects, ranging from secret warehouse parties and gigs to performance collaborations at music festivals.

Primarily, most short films are now hosted on the internet, this is referenced in more detail later in my blog.

(Referenced: “Rebecca Davies - The long history of short films”)

What is a short film?

"Spare economic narratives, interesting storytelling, well structured, work which draws in the audience quickly" - Catherine Des Forges

"Short films are long films that end earlier. A good idea, sufficiently told, less is more" - Gareth Evans


Of course, it is endlessly impossible to define the term, 'short films', due to style, narrative and structure forever changing, with a forever changing society. However, there are many noticeable aspects of a short film (also coined 'short subjects'), that are not developed through feature films. 

MAINSTREAM/FEATURE FILM	SHORT SUBJECT/FILM
Large cast - Usually consisting of hundreds, they can afford to employ as many people as they need.	Short cast - Cannot afford to employ people for every role, therefore most members of the team will take on two roles, for example, the lighting designer may also be the producer.
Complicated storyline - The storyline needs to have underlying twists and turns to keep the audience intrigued and interested to continue watching for, on average, 90 minutes.	Simple storyline - The storyline needs to be simple to keep to the restricted time-limit, budget and relatively small cast.
Famous actors/actresses - The feature film is primarily produced to make a profit, therefore the ‘stars’ of the film are acquired to lure in the targeted audience.	Aspiring, amateur actors/actresses - These actors/actresses usually star in the short for free, in exchange for gaining experience and building up a portfolio.
Big budget - The idea of making a feature film is to make more money, therefore more money needs to be invested into the production process.	Small budget - The initial idea of producing a short film is to experiment on new ideas, techniques and post-production styles, therefore if the film is not a success, there will only be a small loss of money.
Expensive special effects - Some production companies will spend years working on 3D animation and CGI effects.	No special effects - The budget would come nowhere near to covering special effects. Some effects may be added in post production, for example, ghosting, color correction or stop frame animation.
Stereotypical/Conventional plot - Some may say a ‘predictable plot’, as scriptwriters know certain story lines are safe as similar films have been a box office success before. For example the “girl falls in love with boy, boy doesn’t notice, in the end they get together”. This idea has been developed hundreds of times, yet people still want to go to the cinema to see it.	Abstract, philosophical plot - As short subject production companies are not trying to produce a multi-million box office success, they can afford to experiment with quirky, new story lines that could be turned into feature films at a later date.
Exhibited in Cinema - Most feature films are exhibited in a cinema, as they can afford the celluloid film roll for hundreds of cinemas across several countries.	Streamed Online - The small budget would usually not be able to cover exhibiting in the cinema, therefore production companies would stream their shorts online via YouTube, Vimeo or other free hosting websites.
Hollywood - produced for a business/profit - The film has been produced by a mass production company, only looking to make a profit	Produced to illustrate personal story, practice new techniques - Allowed to experiment, express personal opinions and experiences
Professional industry producer	Amateur, aspiring producer
Long production schedule - Usually about 2 years	Short production schedule - Usually about 3 - 4 months
Vast access to equipment	Using old/borrowed equipment
Slow developing narrative - The narrative needs to be the driving force for the film for 90 minutes. The whole film relies on this to keep the audience intrigued and want to purchase at DVD stage.	Fast moving narrative - Needs to carry the short subject, not making it feel like it is dragging along, as the idea of a short is to progress quickly to confuse and puzzle the audience, leaving a longer lasting impression.