Research on short films

1. Research on short films
I Don’tCare – Drama – CarolinaGiammetta
The close up shotshowsa womanfeelingherbabybump,the
weddingringsuggeststhatthe babyisgoingto come intoa
lovingfamily.The slow non-diegeticmusiccreatesapeaceful
and relaxingfeeling,thisimpliestothe audiencethatthe
womenisindeepthought.The angle of the camera allowsthe
audience toview the surroundingsof the woman,itallowsfora
reflectionwhichshowsthe restof the room, of whatisimplied
as the bedroomdue to the propsusedparticularly the use of
the bed.The reflectioninthe mirrorshowsthe doorbeing
closedoverthissuggeststhatthe womanwantsto be alone and
couldbe hidingsomethingfromherpartner.Notalot of
informationaboutthe womanisgivenawayatthe beginning
whichleadstothe audience questioningaboutherbackground,
thisencouragesthe audience tocontinue watching.
The camera thencuts to a low angel shotof the woman’shand
slowingreachingdowntowardsabooklaidouton the bed.The
handmovingslowingconnotesthatthe womenisnervousand
anxious,itsautomaticallyimpliedthatthe womenisreadingup
abouther babyto ensure thatit’shealthyandshe’sdoing
everythingright,thisinfersthatthe womencaresandis
protective overherbaby.The non-diegeticmusiccontinueswith
charms playing,it’sthe typical musictohelpababy sleep,the
non-diegeticcreatesanemotionalscene.
A longshotis usedtoset the scene,fromthe shotit shows that
they’re ina convenience store.The pregnantwomanseesthe
Downsyndrome girl andsuddenlywonderswhatif herkidhas
Downsyndrome,thisimpressionisgiventothe audience
throughthe use of herfacial expressionaswhenshe turnsto
see the girl she quicklylooksawayandlooksindeepthought.
The diegeticsoundof the motherspeakinginformsthe audience
that she’sadvertisingforagarden forthe summeras she cannot
care for herchildrenandthe garden.
Duringthisscene inthe family’skitchen,the shotreverse shotis
usedbetweenOllieandJacques (Downsyndromegirl),thisshot
iseffective because itshowsaclose upof Ollie whichallowsthe
audience tosee herfacial expression.Thisclose upshotshows
Ollie constantlylookingovertoJacques,thisimpliesthatOllie
has onlytakenonthe gardenerjobtofindmore aboutJacques
whichcreatesthe impressionthatherbabyhasbeendiagnosed
withDownsyndrome oris at a riskof havingit.The use of dull
and boringcolours(brownsandblues) createsadimand
miserable mood.Ollieisintroducedtothe three children,the
use of herspeechindicatesfurtherthatshe’sfascinatedby
Jacques,thisisshownbyOllie onlyreplying‘Hello’toJacques.

2. A longshotis usedbecause it allowsthe audience tosee
JacqueswalkingawayfromOllie,itallowsustosee Ollie’sbody
language.AsJacqueswalksaway,Ollieimmediatelystops
gardeningthisconnotes thatshe’stakingnotesof Jacques’
everymove andiswary of her everymoment. The use of
dialogue betweenJacquesandOllieindicatesthatOllie isn’t
sure how to respond and act aroundJacques,thissupportsthe
stereotype of how kidswithDownsyndrome are treated
differently.Thisisshownby Ollie notrespondingtoJacques,
whichleadstoher walkingoff.Diegeticsoundof the wind
createsa relaxingmoodbecause itnatural andemphasis
Jacqueswalkingaway.
A mediumclose upsshotshowstwopicturesina frame,the
shotallowsthe audience toread‘IDon’t Care…thatsometimes
youdon’tmake sense!’Thisisthe firsttime duringthe filmthat
the title of the film‘IDon’t Care’has beenmentionedand
relatestothe film.The title ‘IDon’tCare’connotesthatthe
motherdoesn’tcare that herdaughter,JacqueshasDown
syndrome,she still lovesherjustasmuch.It givesthe message
that youshouldn’tcare and doesn’tmatterif yourchildhasa
disease.The producerCarolinaGiammettawantedto“make a
filmthatmay helpchange new parent’sperspective”.
The angle of the camera isthenreflectedwhichshowsatwo
character shotfocusingonthe twomaincharacters. The
mediumclose upallowsthe audience tosee Ollienearlysmiling,
thisisthe firsttime we have seenherbe happyand‘normal’
aroundJack, thisshowsthat she’sslowlywarmingtoherand
isn’tas worriedandscaredabout herchildbeingdiagnosedwith
downsyndrome.Assoonas Ollie deignstosmile,non-diegetic
slow pacedpianomusicbeginsthisiseffective because it
emphasiseshersmile andsymbolisesachange forthe bestand
it suggeststhatHollyisnow thinking‘IDon’tcare’.
Thislongshot showstwocharacters (the motherandfatherof
the unbornchild),thisshotallowsthe audiencetosee the
characters posture.The womanisgrippinghercardiganthis
impliesthat’sshe’snervousandscared,possiblyof herbaby
beingdiagnosedwithDownsyndrome.She’sslowingwalking
towardsherpartner,thisinfersshe wantshimto comforther,
thissupportsthe stereotype of how menare strongerthan
womenandthat womenare more emotional.The low key
lightningsetsadull anddimmood,thisemphasisesthe
emotionsof boththe womenandmen.The low keylighting
allowsforthe mainsource of lighttocome throughthe window,
thislighthighlightsthe male figure andtherefore makeshimthe
mainfocusduringthe shot. Veryslow non-diegeticmusicof a
pianoplays,the musiccreatesan emotional mood,thissupports
the genre of the filmasa conventionof a dramais that the story
line istomove the audience emotionally.

3. A longshotis usedtoshow Ollie runninginside afterhearing
Jacquesscreamingandshouting,Ollie immediatelystopsher
gardeningandrunsinside,thisshowsthat Ollie hasdevelopeda
bondwithJacquesanddoescare. Duringthisscene the lighting
israther naturalist,tobeginwithitthismatchesthe signas
everythingisrunningsmoothly.However,whenthe moodof the
scene changesandbecomesmore seriousanddramaticas
Jacquesstartsscreaming,the lightingstaysthe same.Itwould
be expectedthatthe lightingwoulddimtoemphasisJacques’
scream, howeveritdoesn’t.
As the scene progressesand OlliecaresforJacques,flashbacks
occur to at the beginningof the filmwhere Olliewasreadingthe
bookon herbed.It constantlyflashesbetweenthe imagesfrom
the bookto the correspondingpartsof Jacques.Thisiseffective
because itbringsthe storytogetherandrevealstothe audience
that Ollie must’vebeentoldthatherbabyhasa chance of being
diagnosedwithDownsyndrome.The non-diegeticmusicof
chimescreatesa smoothandrelaxedmood,thisiseffective
because Downsyndrome isagentle situation.The gentlenessof
scene is alsoshownthroughthe use of Ollie’ssoftand
reassuringdialogue“it’sok”.
A close upshot isusedto show how feelingemotional after
havinga conservationto Jacques’motheraboutJacques being
diagnosedwithDownsyndrome.The diegeticsoundsof the
wildlife inthe gardenparticularlythe pigeonscreatessoothing
atmosphere.Due toOllie beingpositionedinfrontof what
seemstobe a row of bushesandtreesshe standsout because
of herlightcolouredclothingismore vibrantthanthe green
trees,this iseffective becauseitmakesOlliethe focal pointand
the audience automatically focusesonher. Asthe conversation
finishesthe camerapansaroundwhichallowsthe audience to
see Ollie’sbodylanguage andhow she isfiddlingwith
somethinginherhands,thisimpliesthatshe’stryingtohide
away hertears.
The screenthenfadesintoa mediumshotof Jacqueslistening
to Ollie’sbaby,the fadingof one scene toanother showsa
change in time andhas movedona few months,thisisalso
shownbythe size of Ollie’sbabybumpbeingnoticeablylarger.
The use of the brightcoloursin thisscene, particularlythe green
leaves,Ollie’sreddressandJack’sbabyblue hoodie createsa
jollyatmosphere.The non-diegeticmusicof pianoplayingone
keyat a time slowingemphasisesthe happinessinthe scene.
The shot allowsthe audience tosee Jacques’smilingface,this
showsthat Ollie andJacques have grownabondovertime and
that Ollie doesn’tcare thatJacques has Downsyndrome,
whereasatthe beginningof the filmshe wasseenasnervous
aroundher.

4. Amy – Drama – JacobChase
One shothas fadedintoanother,thisshowsthatthere’sa
connectionbetweenthe twoshots.Itsfadingfroma shot of a
photoframe to a highangle shotof a garden. The non-diegetic
voiceoverof Ollieexplains whatthe photoframe isas she reads
the quotation“I docare… that you doyour bestand enjoylife”.
Thisscene linksbackto the title of the film‘IDon’tCare’ as the
voiceoverof Ollieexplainsthatshe doesn’tcare thather babyas
Downsyndrome,all she doescare aboutis that they’re happy.
There isalso non-diegeticmusicplaying,thismusicisslow
playingandsmoothandgentle,thisiseffective because itbrings
the filmtoan endandsuitsthe scene as it’sa seriousbutgentle
topic.It thenfadesintoa highangle shotof Jacquesplayingin
hergarden withherfriendsandOllie cuddlinguptoher partner
and holdingherbaybump.Thisisan effective shotbecauseit’s
the last shotand the highangle allowsthe audience tosee a
large numberof the characters beinghappy,thiscreatesawarm
feelingforthe audience because it implies thatDownsyndrome
children live ahappyandsociable life withall the otherchildren.
The filmstarts withthe camerapositionedbehindthe male
character; thisallowsthe audience tosee the environmentand
setting.The shotshowsa male character runningdownaroad;
the housessuggestthatit’sa neighbourhood.Hisblue top
impliesit’s acausal runrather than a part of a training
programme.The diegeticsoundof hisheavyfastbreathing
emphasiseshisrunningandmakesthe scene more realistic.The
lightinginthe scene isnaturalistic,thisimpliesthatit’sjustpart
of hisroutine andisa ‘normal’day.
As the scene continues the cameragetsclosertothe character
as he slowsdown. Asthe camera zoomsinthe diegeticsoundof
himbreathingslowsdown.The womanacrossthe road starts to
come intofocus thissuggeststhatthe male character has
stoppedbecause of her;at thispointthe audience have noidea
whoshe is,thisis effectivebecauseitkeepsthe audience
intriguedtotheirrelationshipof one another.The ambient
soundcontinues tomake the scene more realistic.The over the
shouldershotallowsthe audience tosee the surroundings,it
shows that the road isquietandsuggeststhatis a rural
neighbourhood,thisimpliesthatthe male charactermustknow
the female characterbecause it’sunlikelythatthe ina quite
area that theywon’tbe familiarwitheachother.

5. A shot reverse shotisusedbetweenthe female andmale
characters,by usingthisshotit suggestthatthere issome sort
of connection/relationshipbetweenthem.Asthe woman
approacheshimwith“Hi”,the camerareversesbackto him
whichallowsthe audience tosee hisreactionandthe factthat
he doesn’treplysuggestthathisinshock.Thisclose up inthe
shotreverse shotallowsthataudience tosee hisfacial
expression,hiseyebrowsare downwhichimpliesthathe’s
confused,thissuggesttothe audience thattheyknew one
anotherand instantlyimpliesthattheywere acouple. He
eventuallyrepliestoherwith“whatare youdoingin my
neighbourhood”,thisinstantlyinformsthe audience thatthey
usedto be friends.The use of ‘myneighbourhood’suggestthat
he doesn’twantherto be here,he’sshockedtosee herand
whetherthisisina goodor badway isn’trevealedtothe
audience yetwhichkeepsthemintriguedtofindoutmore about
theirhistory.
Thislongshot allowsthe audience tosee the charactersbody
language whichrevealstheirmood.Thisshotshowsthe male
character playingwithhisheadphonesinhishands,this
connotesthathe’snervous.The use of dialogue alsoshowshis
nervesashe keepsaskingquestionssuchaswhere doyou live
and what’sinyour bag,this infersthathe couldbe hiding
somethingashe wantto keepthe conversationrolling.
However,afteranawkwardsilence whenbothcharacters
lookingaroundaimlessly,he suddenlyasks“doyouwantany
helpcarryingyourbags home?”thisimpliesthathe wantsto
findoutmore about her.
Thismediumtwoshotshowsthe twocharacters walkingalong
an oldtrain track, the fact that it’san oldtraintrack matchesthe
fact that they’re talkingabouttheirchildhood.The shotallows
the audience tosee bothcharacters laughingwhichisthe first
time inthe filmthe audience have seenthemhappy.Duringthis
scene it’sthe firsttime the audience getsome information
abouttheirpast as he says “afterall the shitwentdown
betweenus”,thissuggestthattheywere couple andbuthad
brokenupbecause of an argument.The surroundingsinthe
scene at ratherplainand dull,thisiseffective because itmakes
the two charactersthe focuspointandthe audience focuson
them. It’salsothe firstpointin the filmthatthe title ‘Amy’has
beensuggestedthatthe female charactermustbe Amyasshe’s
the onlyfemale inthe film.
As Amyleavesthe track,the camera zoomsinon hisface which
allowsthe audience the see asmile onhisface,thisimpliesthat
he mightstill have feelingsforher.Asshe isleavingthe track
and he followsbehinditsymbolisesthatthey’re leavingtheir
past behindandstartingona new track. There is nonon-
diegeticmusic,there isonlyambientsound anddialogue,thisis
effectivebecause there’snomusictodistractthe audience, and
it allowsthemtostayfocusedonthe two characters.

6. As the filmcontinues, the finalscene isinAmy’shouse where
the characters are talkingabouttheirpast.Amyjokesaroundby
pretendingthatshe’sthree monthspregnant,the shotreverse
shotis usedto allow the audience tosee both,butmainlythe
male characters,facial expression.Thisclose upallowsthe
audience tosee hiseyebrowsraisedwhichimpliesthathe’s
shocked,he immediatelyaskswhothe fatheris,howeverAmy
can’t continue withthe prankwithoutlaughing.The camera
reversesbacktothe male characterwhere youcan see he is
angry withAmyforlying,thissuggeststothe audience thathe
still caresaboutAmy,and that he may have nevergotoverher
and still hasfeelingstowardsher.Thisimpressiongiventothe
audience isalsosupportedbyhisdialogueof “Idon’tenjoy
picturingyouwithsomeone else”.
ThismediumshotshowsAmykickingthe male characterout,
afterhe revealedthathe had beenfollowinghermore afew
months.Thisshotshowstwodifferenttypesof lightingwhichis
veryeffective,inthe house isalow keylightingwhere Amyis
leftfeelingmiserable aftershe hasbeenmessedaroundwith,.
Whereasonthe outside where the male characteris,there isa
more naturalisticlightingwhichisahighkeylightingwhich
reflectshismoodashe feelshe hasaccomplishmenthisplanto
make Amyfeelinglike how he feltwhenhe was‘the otherman’.
As the male characterwalksaway,non-diegeticmusicbegins
thisemphasiseshimleavingandbecause thisisthe firstbitof
non-diegeticmusicitshowsachange inthe story.
It thencuts to the male character running,thisiseffective
because the firstscene washimrunningawayfromthe camera
and towardsher.Whereasnow,inthe lastscene,he isrunning
towardsthe camera and awayfrom her.Thisalsosymbolises a
change.The non-diegeticisstill playingwhichisata fastpace
and ina highkey,thismatchesthe smile onhisface and
suggeststhathe is happyof whathe has accomplishedashe
wantedtomake Amy feel likehow he felt.
A mediumside-onshotisused,the roomandstuff inthe
backgroundisout of focus,thisis effective becauseitmakesthe
twocharacters the focal pointandmakesthe audience focuson
them.Thisshotallowsthe audience tosee thatbothcharacters
are starringdeeplyintoone another’seye,whichshows that
there isa connection,the shotalsoallowsusto see the
characters slightlytilting,implyingthatthey’re leaninginfora
kiss.The male character slowlyreacheshishandoutthe Amy’s
hair to pull hercloser,thisshowsthathe’stakingcontrol, this
supportsthe stereotype of menbeingmore powerfuland
‘wearingthe trousersinthe relationship’.Astheyleaninforthe
kiss,the musicthe soundof sirensspedupand get louder,this
emphasisthe kiss.The factthat the sirengetslouderconnotes
that the kissisdangerousandwon’tledto a good/happyending
for them.