1. Evaluation
The definitionof ashort filmvariesdependingonwhoyouask,but itis mostdefined byarunning
lengthnotlongenoughtobe consideredafeature film.Thismeansitcouldrunanythingfrom30
secondstohalf an hour. Shortfilmsare often associatedwithnew,orlessexperiencedfilmmakers
allowingthemtobe boldandexperimental bothinstoryline andtechnique.‘The Slap’,‘Operator’
and ‘The Arrival’are excellentexamplesof this,andhelpedinfluence myownshortfilm, ‘The
Misadventuresof the Teenage Mind’whichtellsthe storyof Lottie,herstruggle withherself andher
eventual rashdecisiontobanishthe ‘friends’she soheavilyrelieson.
Storiesfocusedonacute,internal conflicts reallyfascinateme,suchasConnorsstruggle between
boxinganddrag in‘The Slap’. ‘The Misadventuresof the Teenage Mind’focusesonLottie’sbattle
withinsecurityandfearof rejection,personifiedthrough three keycharacters. Itookinspiration
fromthe internal monologue in‘The Arrival’ butwantedtofocusin specificemotionsthrough
Lottie’s‘friends’. Thisallowedme toblow upmicro expressionsshownin all three shortfilmsand
allowforLottie’sinnermonologue tobe expressedfullyonscreen.
‘The Misadventuresof the Teenage Mind’issotitledto expressthe commonnature of Lottie’s
struggle. Lonelinessandinsecurity are somethinglarge numbersof teenagersface,with1in5 young
people sufferingfrommental healthissues. Ontopof thisit isnormal for youngpeople tofeel alone,
or out of place in school causingthemtoturn to fiction asan outlet.Thisisreflectedinthe
popularityof the internet‘fandom’subculture showninthe shortfilm. The ‘Misadventures’
mentionedinthe title isalsoareference tothis.Lottie,whoreliesonfictionasan emotional crutch,
wouldwantto live anadventure like the onesshe readsabout.The ironyof her‘misadventure’
showshowshe may have beensocaught upin fictional adventuresshe failedtorecognise andsave
herown.While the filmdoesreachan arguably“happyending”inthe longrun,Lottie isclearly
distressedmakingitappearbittersweet,a‘misadventure’.
Mise-en-scene wasparticularlyimportantinLottie’sbedroomasitis herplace to escape.Her
brightlycolouredposters,booksandbedcoversdirectly contrasthermutedclothesand
performance. Thisreflectsthe outletshe hasathome,vsthe life she mustpresentatschool.Thisis
similarto‘The Slap’inwhichConnorsoutletisreflectedinhiscolourful dressandmake-upvshis
greyroom and boxinggym.Iwantedto create a similareffect,withthe mise-en-sceneinthe
bedroomsetcontrastingthe clothes,especiallyLottie’sgreyschool bagandblackcoat that she
wearsinschool. I alsofeltthat‘Operator’and‘The Arrival’use of one setmade the filmmore
personal andintimate.WhileIdidoriginallyplanonincludingmore scenesinside Lottie’sschool,I
eventuallyfeltitwasimportanttocreate a feelingof sanctuaryinthe bedroomforthe audience by
havingitbe where the filmispredominantlyset. The ‘Operator’usesasingle settingtoshow how
the character is safe fromthe eventsof the phone call,makingita haven.Lottie’sroomholdssimilar
valuestoLottie,soI wrote majorityof the filmthere tocreate that same feelingof safety.
2. The cinematographyinmyfilmwasusedto focusinon the characters motivationsandcreate an
extensionof Lottie’spersonal perspective.Iusedmultiple trackingshotstomake the viewerfeel
theywere seeingthe eventsfromheroutlook,allowingthemtoidentifywithher.Thisisalsousedin
‘The Slap’,withtrackingshotsallowingthe audience tosee Conner’spointof view andcreatingalink
betweenhimandthe audience.Inboth myfilmand‘The Slap’itisintegral tocreate thislinkasthey
feature multiple othercharacters.Pointof view style trackingshotssignifythe sympatheticleadin
bothfilmsandseparate themfromthe supportingactors.‘The Misadventuresof the Teenage Mind’
alsoincludesfrequentclose upsandextremeclose upstofocusinon eachcharacter. As Lottie’s
‘friends’motivationsare slowlyrevealedthroughthe film,close upsare usedtohintulteriormotives
to the viewer.Thiswasinspiredbythe cinematographyin‘The Arrival’,aswhile itisone continuous
trackingshot,it slowlygetsclosertothe character as she getscloserto changinghermind.The close
up thisshoteventuallyreacheshelpsrevealthischange of heartandgets intothe charactershead.
The close ups inmy filmalsoachieve this,reflectingthe characterinnerthoughtsevenif theyaren’t
expressedindialogue.
‘Operator’useslotsof quickcuts initsediting,creatingasense onpace and movementwithinthe
filmdespite the narrativetakingplace inone roomwithone womanonthe phone.Thisallowsfora
swiftbuildintension,withcutstodifferentanglesallowingforthe panicto be portrayed.AsI had
setmost of my filminLottie bedroom,Ifeltitwasalsonecessarytoinclude multiple cutstocreate
pace andtension.Thisismostprevalentinmyfinal scene whenLottie beginstodefyher‘friends’.
The scene includesmultipledifferentanglesandquickcutsto show the speedLottie’sbrainis
moving.She isbeginningtounderstandhow badher‘friends’are forher,while havingpressure put
on herto do as she’stold.Iwantedthe same sense of claustrophobiaandpanicthatthe ‘Operator’
gainsthroughits editing,whichiswhyIincludedsomanycuts.‘The Misadventuresof the Teenage
Mind’openswithtrackingshotsof the roombefore showingLottie.Iediteditinthatorder to show
the character by herpossessions,the StarTrekposterandthe booksfor example,before revealing
Lottie herself.Lottie’scharacter,andthe three fictional charactersshe hasas‘friends’are largely
definedbythese possessionsandIwantedthe editingtoreflectthat. ‘The Slap’alsointroduces
Connorby hispossessions,showinghismakeupandhissuggestivepostersbefore showinghisface.
3. Soundin‘The Misadventuresof the Teenage Mind’isimportantasitreflectsthe discomfortLottie
feels.Once her‘friends’have beguntoturnonLottie,the filmstartsa longringingnote tocreate
discomfortforthe audience.Thisalsobuildsthe tensionandreflectsthe change inmood,
highlightingthatthese ‘friends’maynothave Lottie’sbestinterestsatheart.The discomfortfeltby
the viewerallowsthemtorelate toLottie inthatmomentandfeel the panicrisinginthe scene. This
ringingeffectisusedbothinthe ‘Operator’and‘The Slap’to buildtension.Thiseffectcreatesabuild
up and the note cuts outonce the scene hasclimaxed,forexample whenthe phone ispickedback
up inthe ‘Operator’.Iusedthiseffectinmyfinal scene tocreate thisbuildupof tensionandto
highlightthe absence leftbythe ‘friends’,asthe ringingcutsoutas theydo. While Lottie’sbrainis
clearfor the firsttime,she ishyperaware of the silence andthe suddendisappearance of the ringing
reflectsthistothe audience.The musicinmyfilmisusedtodisplayhow overwhelmedLottie feels,
withthe musiccuttingout herfinal screamat the end.This effectisusedatthe endof ‘The Slap’to
showhowoverwhelmedConnorfeelsonce everythinghascome out.
I knewperformance wouldbe massivelykeyinmyshortfilm, asitisheavilydialoguebasedand
includesmultiplecharacters.Myactors were cast withtheirownpersonalitiesinmindandmy
knowledge of theirpreviousexperience.Iwantedtoespeciallyfocusonmicro-expressions,asthese
were integral inconveyingthe narrative in‘The Arrival’asshe reactsto herinternal monologue
rather thandeliveringthe lines.The performancesof Noah,JarethandPepperminthelpedshow
theirdarkerside,byhavingtheirfacial expressionschange dependingonwhetherLottie waslooking
at themor not. Thiswas importantwhenLottie leftforschool,andall three of theirfacesdroppedto
showtheyare onlysmilingforhernotbecause theyare happy. Thisconveystothe audience that
theymay notbe as kindas theyseematthe start of the film.The facial expressionsof myactors
helpedtobuildthe charactersandshowthe true motivesbehindthemthroughoutthe film.
Overall,Iam verypleasedwithmyshortfilmandthe feedbackIhave received.Despite myinitial
fearits modernstorylinewouldn’tgetacrosstoan olderaudience Ihave foundpeople understand
and enjoythe plot.Iportrayedthe individual characterswell,avoidingsimplystatingtheirmotivesin
the dialogue andcreatinga clearlinkbetweencharacterandviewer.If Ihad a chance tofilmthis
againI wouldhave focusedinonindividualcharactersmore,tomore obviouslysperatethe
characteristicsof Lottie’s‘friends’,andmade Lottie’scrushonNatmore explicitratherthaninferred
as I foundthiswassomethingpeoplemissedontheirfirstwatch.
