2. Introduction
For my A2 level pre-production i wanted to get insight into the conventions of comedy short films,
specifically how they portray and tackle heavier subjects such as child homosexuality. This was supposed to
give us more of an idea of how to play out the comedic aspect of our film so that it would fit into the comedy
short film feel, whilst also upkeeping a serious undertone.
I chose the film “Gay Baby” as i felt that it fit well with the topic and idea that we were tackling in our own
film. The film is a comedy and portrays the topic in a more lighthearted and comedic way while still
managing to portray their message of acceptance and open mindedness.
Besides critically focusing on depiction of homosexuality i have deconstructed key elements of the film
which will potentially incorporate within our own short film. The main focus of textual and technical analysis
were language, visual and spoken, costumes, location and set design, camera movements and post-
production.
3. GAY BABY
What if you found out your unborn son is gay? An
expectant couple learns their unborn son is gay. Can a
young gay store clerk change the father's reaction from
disappointment to excitement?
Kevin Patrick
Kelly
Larry Sullivan
Beth Shea
4. Film Synopsis
The film entails a straight couple going to the doctor to find out the gender of their unborn
baby. To the parents’ surprise the doctor announce them that the baby will be a gay boy. As
the couple decides to go shopping for their son a store employee helps them pick out items for
their son. In the process the father in overwhelmed and struggles to accept his son’s sexualit
as he dosen’t believe that he will be able to bond with a gay son.
The film then continues with a montage of the store employee-who is also portrayed as
homosexual- and the dad as they partake in both typical “manly” activities, such as building
and grilling and “gay” activities, such as dancing, brunch and facemasks.
The film concludes with the father accepting that his child won’t be a “ball player” (referring to
baseball) when the store clerk surprises him by exposing that he is a baseball player. This
leads to the father buying a baseball glove and accepting the fact that his son will be gay and
that he could still be a baseball player.
5. Camerawork and Editing
The film is a comedy so the camerawork and editing conveys a lighthearted feel. The main
focus of the film is the conversation between the future parents and the employee, this is
shown by many shot-reverse-shot scenes with cole ups.
The close ups and shots give the
conversational a personal and
realistic feel to the conversation,
along with allowing for a realistic
feel to the situation.
These scenes also allow for a slight
dramatic feel to the film, as
dramatic films are known for using
closeups for added dramatic effect.
6. Camerawork and Editing
One of the most significant
features of the short film
with the montage of the
employee and the father.
The montage uses short
scenes to convey the
passage of time and the
beginning of the dads
understanding of
stereotypical male
homosexual culture. The
use of a montage for such
a simple event along with
the upbeat music and the
simple cutting of scenes
creates a comedic element
7. The Parents
The mother doesn't play a big role in the movie.
She simply supports the father in his decision to
try and get used to the idea of having a gay
son.
She is very open about the idea and is
portrayed as such in the beginning of the film
with her first reaction to being told about her
son being gay. The mother is simply portrayed
as an accepting caregiver which is quite
stereotypical for women.
Her costume was simple and feminine. It helped
create the image that she is just an average
woman and that what she is experiencing is
something that could happen to any average
woman.
8. The Employee
The father plays a big role in the film as he needs to get
more comfortable with the idea of a gay son. He plays
the stereotypical heterosexual ‘macho’ male role and he
is uncomfortable with homosexuality.
Furthermore, the father is concerned with things like
sports and not being able to “do gay activities” with his
son. However, by the end of the film the father grows
and has a change of heart about the baby’s sexualitty
and what his relationship with his son would be like
The father is dressed in typical heterosexual white male
with a polo short and basic jeans. The costume shows
lack of inspiration and prioritizing practicality and comfort
over fashion. The costume further extenuates his
character and personality of a basic heterosexual
“macho” male.
9. The Employee
The employee portrays the stereotypical homosexual
male while at the same time being the reason for the
father’s change of heart.
The employee helps out the parents along with
allowing for the parents to understand that
stereotypes aren’t always the truth ad that there are
gay men who are still into sports.
The employee’s costume is a gray polo shirt and tight
pants, accessorized with bracelets and a name tag
along with having his hair swept to the side, making it
looked clearly styled. This costume clearly shows that
he has put effort and thought into his outfit, this is
typically associated with homosexual male as caring
about the way you look is associated with homosexual
males. The slightly feminine mannerisms and outfit
clearly portray the stereotypical “gay” male
10. Mise en Scene
The main actions of the film take place in the baby store
which is portrayed as simple, bright and ordinary. The
store along with the actors and their costumes are very
mundane and therefore creating a sense of realism and
relatability. This helps the viewer see this as a situation
that can happen to the average person.
11. The Message
The main purpose of this film was to create a real view on a hypothetical situation. The film
focuses on the message and the story rather than the delivery of it. The film has two main
messages that it sends across:
1. The acceptance of gay children by gay parents, this is done by creating the image of a
parent struggling to deal with their child being gay and also portraying him getting
more and more used to the idea of a homosexual son
2. The disruption of gay stereotypes, this part is portrayed by the store clerk who follows
the stereotypical homosexual male archetype, thi creates a precise image for the
audience only to break it by exposing the fact that the employee is a baseball player,
this shows him breaking the stereotype while comforting the father that he should not
believe the stereotypes about the LGBT community
