1. Films
Shard
United Kingdom 2012
Director: Will Gosling
With Charlie Stalley, Yasmin
West and Jay Warner
Certificate: 15
"When you smoke the herb, it
reveals you to yourself."
Famous words from Bob
Marley, which decades later
Anxious looks: Charlie Stalley
finds truth for the characters of
this social realism short from through the portrayal and Shard ends with a highly tense
new writer-director Will development of character and unnerving atmosphere,
Gosling. throughout the film, and which continues to keep the
engrosses the audience with audience on edge even after it
Charlie (Charlie Stalley) is a shy an intense and increasing has finished. The audience is
and quiet young man. Fond of atmosphere. left shock, able to empathise
his best friend’s sister, Yas with the character. They are
(Yasmin West), he goes along The theme of peer pressure is left with the thought of “what
with her persuasion to smoke cleverly synergised with the could have been”.
cannabis and joins in with the issue of drug/drink driving,
group even though he knows creating a short that a wide If this quality continues in
he will have to drive home audience can relate to. future works of Gosling, he is
later. When best friend Jay (Jay definitely one to keep an eye
Warner) cuts his hand on The film opens with fragments on.
broken glass, Charlie is faced of figures and shallow focus to
with a dilemma; does he drive? conceal identity of characters,
similar to that of the opening CREDITS CAST
Shard encapsulates the social of Lynne Ramsay’s Gasman
(1998). Directed by Charlie
realism genre realistically Will Gosling Charlie Stalley
SYNOPSIS Produced by Yas
Epsom Downs, present day. Seventeen-year-old Charlie sits on the field with five Will Gosling Yasmin West
friends smoking cannabis. His eyes become locked with Yas’, who sits across the
group. She persuades him to join in smoking, which he nervously goes along with
Written by Jay
in an attempt to impress her.
Will Gosling Jay Warner
When Jay leans back to get up, he cuts his hand on broken glass. The group begin
to put pressure on Charlie to drive Jay and Yas to the hospital. He does not want Edited by Perry
to, but, as they walk away, decides to walk with them. Seeing the intense looks Will Gosling Tom Gosling
from Yas, and the slow shuffling from Jay, he makes the decision to drive.
Production Mike
Now on the road, Charlie view remains fixed. Seeing what he thinks is police in an Michael Baker
unmarked vehicle behind him, he stares in his rear view mirror. Yas assures him Companies
that they have not been seen, and asks him to drive faster. With the needle on Wow Films
40, Charlie refuses. Frustrated and anxious, Yas verbally explodes at Charlie. Beacon Media Tom
Feeling slightly humiliated, his attention is now on her. Looking back at the road, Dean Webb
he slams on the brakes. Tires screech. Has he hit something or someone?