Short film analysis of the film Maybe

1. JordonClifton1
Short film analysis: Maybe, 2011
Black backgroundtodirectthe audience tothe fontonscreen.
White fontdominant’sthe shot,showingthe audience who
producedthe filmforthe firstcreditsandthe title inthe second.
Both the creditsfade inand outshownby the editingtechniques
used.Nosoundfor the firstcredit,howeverbackgroundmusicof
the coffee shopandmovedcupsand saucersare heard.This
musicisheard whenthe title ‘Maybe’fadesin.Whichthenleads
to anotherfade outand in,to the settingandstart of the film.
Ambientbackgroundsoundisheardinthispanningshotof the
coffee shop.We thensee the manthroughthe glass counter
aftera few secondsof panning.Thisshotpresentsthe setting
and locationof the beginningof the film.Establishingthe genre
and the characters of the filmfromthe start. Whenthe man is
firstseenthe upbeatmusicisfadedin,creatinga sense of light
heartedanticipationandalsohintingtowardsthe startof the
story.High keylightingisusedtoreflectthe moodandcreate an
image of what the storyline andfilmwill be like.Propsof
cookies,glasscounterandtablesshowingit’sacafé/coffee shop.
Mediumclose upof manreadinga bookshowingthe tophalf of
himand whathe isdoing.Thisshotalsoallowsthe audience to
see the womanwalkinguponhisleft,andhisreactionto seeing
her.Man iswearingcasual clotheswhile the womaniswalking
witha bike.Showingherformof transport,andwearingsmart
brightclothesindicatingthe seasoninthe film.A louderdiegetic
soundof the womanrestingherbike againstthe windowis
emphasized.Overthe topof the same backgroundmusicthat’s
now slightlyfasterinbeat.A long cut isusedto showthe man.
Lots of straightcuts and shotreverse shotsare used,alternating
betweenthe manandwoman.Thishighlightsthemlookingat
each otherandpotentiallylikingeachother.Midshotsare used
of boththe man and woman,illustratingwhatthe womanlooks
like andhow she reacts to the man lookingather.Aswell ashow
the man reacts to the womanknowingshe’slookingathim.
Mise-en-scene showsthe backof the counterconveyingthatthe
womanworksinthe shop,as well asthe costume of the apron
she isputtingon. Diegeticsoundof woman’sfootstepsoverthe
backgroundmusic,showingshe maybe didn’tnotice the man.
Close upshotof the man writingonthe napkinhelpingthe
audience tosee whathe’swriting,sotheycanread itallowing
themto understandthe narrative.Aswell asfromhispointof
view asit can be seenas an almostoverthe shouldershot.
Diegeticsoundof mantakingout a napkinfromthe holder,
clickingthe penandwritingonit connotingrealism.Asreal life
soundsare heard evenoverthe backgroundmusic.Propof the
napkinshowingthe startof the conversationbetweenthe two
characters,and the beginningof the storyline.

2. JordonClifton2
A longshotis usedtoshow the restof the coffee shop,finallynot
focusingasdominantlyonthe manand woman.Thisshotdoes
howevershow the twomaincharacterswell,andthemlookingat
each otherhighlightinghow theylike eachother.Mise-en-scene of
tablesandchairs andcoffee cupsillustrateswhere the filmisset.
Thisshot ispreviouslyfollowedbymid-shotsandclose upsbeing
combinedbystraightcut editing.Thisalsoeffectivelycreates
continuityeditingandaneasyflow tothe narrative andtwo
characters.
Close upshotis usedof the womanshowingherappearance,and
representingherdesirabilitytothe male character.Itconveysthe
reactionshe has to the man’snote on the napkin,allowingthe
audience tosee whethershe likeshimback.The same musicis
playeduntil we completelysee the napkin.Thiscreatesthe effect
that the audience are seeingthe messageatthe same time as the
woman,andare feelingwhatshe is.The sloweddownandquieter
musiccoulddemonstrate the romance behindthe message.
An overthe shouldershotof the womanreadingthe firstclue is
used.The same sloweddownmusicisheard,andthe words
‘Maybe…’are clearlyshowninthisshot.The camera shotand low
angle allowsthe viewerstoreadthe clue,andunderstandwhere she
has to go nextordo. The repetitioninthe musicpatternrepresents
that whenthe womanfindsaclue,she isthengettingcloserto
meetingthe managain.Mise-en-sceneof woman’sbikeshowing
how she gets around,andhintingtowardshercharacter or the
countrytheyare in.
A low angledclose upisthenshownwhichpansup the woman’s
bodyand up to herface.Therefore highlightinghow the womanis
ridingherbike tothe clue the mangave her.While the audience can
see the locationandherreactionto the clues.Diegeticsoundof the
bike travellingonthe concrete,andthe synchronoussoundof a dog
barking.Portrayingthatthe woman’sridingthroughaneighborhood
or a small town.
Selectedshotof the womanwalkingintothe bookshop,andthen
lookingatthe man. Thisshowshershiftinfocusand what she isnow
lookingat.The mise-en-scene of shelvesandbooksemphasizesthat
she has beensenttoa bookshop.Synchronousanddiegeticsoundof
the bell ringingwhenshe opensthe shopdoor,andzipsopenher
purse withthe clue.Editingisusedasstraightcuts are usedbetween
the womanand the shopwiththe man.The positionof the man on
one side of the deskand the womanon the other.Connoteshow
theyhave differentlevelsof authorityinthe shop.
A close upshot of the man givingthe womanthe propof the book
portrayswhat the clue has ledto,and whather nextclue will be.
Diegeticsoundof the paperpackagingcrinkling,asthe characters
handle andexchange itisheardoverthe same backgroundmusic.
Thisshot isthencut to a mediumclose upof the womansmiling,
demonstratingherhappyexpressionatfindingthe clue.

3. JordonClifton3 There’sa straightcut fromthe bookshoptothe chocolate shop,
creatingthe effectof continuityediting.While effectivelycutting
the woman’snextjourneytothe new clue out.Meaningthe
audience are lesslikelyto lose interestinthe film’snarrative.With
the mise-en-scene of the word‘chocolate’clearlyconveysthatthe
nextshopsellschocolates.Meaningthere isaclearunderstanding
of the clues,whichneedstobe done,asthere isno dialogue inthe
film.Thisshotalsomatchesthe businesscardof the woman’sclue,
highlightingshe hasgone tothe correct place.
Mid shotshowingthe womanwaitingforhernextclue andlooking
at the manbehindher.The shoteffectivelyshowsthe manholding
the newspaperthroughthe glasswindow inthe chocolate shop.
Connotingthatthe man may be the woman’saimor goal at the
endof solvingthe clues.Withthe propof the newspaper
representshow the manisshownto quite obviouslyhidehisface.
Meaningthe womanbelievesitis the manshe is lookingfor,
therefore the viewer’s starttobelieve this.Andwantthe woman
to go overto the see if it ishimor not.
The mid shotshowsthe woman’sreactiontowhat’sinthe bag,
and believingit’sthe endof the clues. Althoughnocamerashots
are usedto indicate what’sinthe bag,creatingcuriositytothe
audience,astheycan’tsee whatthe nextclue is. The background
musicthenbuildsintempoasthe womanwalksoverto the man,
creatinganticipationandtensionastowhether it’shim. However
the nextmidshotshowsan oldman, and the musicsuddenlystops
highlightingthe woman’sshockandsurprise.The musicchangesto
slow,sadviolinmusicreflectinghermoodanddisappointment.
Mid shotis usedwithcameramovementto the lefttrackingthe
womanwhile she walks.Howevercameramovementstopswhen
the mime isseen,andthe womanwalksoutof the shot andthen
back intoit.This highlightsherdisappointmentandthensurprise
as she realizesthe mime isaclue.A longcut isusedintermsof
editingshowinghow the mime isasignificantpartinthe narrative,
and the reactionof the womanto him.The man iswearingall
white andstandingona box verystill showinghe isa mime.He is
alsoholdingthe propof a coffee cup anda bell,illustratinghe is
part of the clue as theyrelate tocoffee.We alsoheara diegetic
soundof the mime ringingthe bell overthe topof the ambient
soundand quietsadmusic.Thisconveysitssignificance forthe
womanand how it catchesherattention,aswell asthe audiences.
The mise-en-sceneof the shopandstreetsindicatesit’sahigh
streetandthat’s where the filmisset.
As the womanstarts to walkbackthe original upbeatmusicstarts
to fade in,showinghersurprise andgrowinghappinessasshe
realizesthisisanotherclue. The low angledshotshowsthe mime’s
pointof view ashe ishigherthanher.Lettingthe audience see the
mime’sbell andsee if he will ringit.The shotisalsoan overthe
shouldershotwiththe focusonthe woman,showingherreaction
to the bell.The propof the bell illustratesif she hasgotthe clue
right,and createsa sharedunderstandingforthe audienceasthey
can still follow the narrative withoutdialogue.

4. JordonClifton4 Diegeticsoundof womanopeningthe paperbagandputtinga
chocolate coininthe hat.Thenanotherdiegeticsoundof her
tippingthe whole bagin,overthe topof the growing upbeat
backgroundmusic.Thiscreatesanticipationforthe audience asto
whetherwhat’sshe’sdone isright,while pickingupthe moodof
the filmagain. The close upallowsusto see whatis inthe hat and
whatthe otherclue wasas we couldn’tsee itbefore.The propsof
moneyemphasizeshow the mime isbusking,andthe clue of the
chocolate coinsnow make sense tothe viewer’s.Straightcutsare
usedbetweenthe midshotsof the womanandmime andthe hat.
The mise-en-sceneof the treesandthe outdoorshighlightshow
she isridingthrougha neighborhood,andisridingbackthe way
she came.In the previousshotwe brieflyseethe clue butit’sonly
shownonce she getsto her location. Illustratingitssignificance as
it’sthe last clue,meaningthe audience doesn’tsee ityet.Creating
anticipationandintriguingthe audiencetokeepwatchingtosee
the end.The happy musicisdominantlyusedthroughoutmirroring
hermood,and maybe hintingtowardsthe endof story.The
camera movesbackwardsfollowingthe womanridingherbike.
There isa straightcut fromthe previousshottothis postcard,
whichisthenmoveddownwardstoa mid-shotof the same shop.
Thiseffectivelyconveyshow the place onthe postcardisin front
of the woman,showingshe hasgotto her location.The propof
the postcard showshow itwas a clue,and the brightpink
colouringmakesthe shoplookwelcoming.Althoughthe colour
pinkcouldconnote romance andlove linkingwiththe genre. This
longcut demonstrateshow the clue hasledherto the same coffee
shopfrom the beginning.Shownbythe mise-en-scene of the
postcardand the building.Showingitskeypartinthe film,andthe
dominantsettingforthe film.The same upbeatmusicisheardin
the backgroundhoweverislouder.Leadingtoa crescendoorfinal
part of the film. Alsobyshowingthe same coffeeshopasshe was
inin the beginning,portraysthatthisisherlastclue and the endof
the filmisnear.
Long overthe shouldershotshowingthe maninthe coffee shopand
iswaitingforher.Althoughwiththisshot we can see the woman
enterthe shopand herreactionas well.The propsof the coffee cups
and the positionof the man,showshow we has sat inthe same
place as before andiswaitingtohave coffee withher. The same
musicisplayedthroughout.
A mid-shotisusedshowingthe twocharactersfinallybacktogether,
and thembothsmilingshowingtheyare happytobe together.The
proximityof the charactersshowstheirinterestineachother.The
camera shotalsoshowsthe man’sshynesstowardsthe woman,and
the woman’shappyexpressionasshe looksatthe man. Diegetic
soundof bell ringingwhenshe entersthe shop,whichisrepetition
frombefore.The upbeatmusicbuildsupandthensuddenlystops
while the shotfadesintodarkness.

5. JordonClifton5
Genre
The genre of this short film is comedy as the music is upbeat and happy, while the scenes and clues can be seen as
humorous as they are creative. As well as romance as the two characters like each other, and the narrative is the
man istryingto winoverthe woman.Thisshort filmthereforefeaturestwodifferentgenresasthere are conventions
of the romance and comedy genre. The similarities across the short films are that women are attractive in their
appearance andare desirable to the men. They also have to be won over by the man as they are seen to be hard to
impress. The similarities across the short films for men are they are attracted to the pretty and feminine women.
Theytherefore feel theyhave towinthemover,andneedtohave a girlfriendintheir lives.Theyalsofall forthe main
womaninthe film,showing that they may fall in love easily. The genre of ‘Maybe’ is aimed at adults as they would
understand the narrative and the comedy of it. They could also appreciate how the story is put together and the
clevercluesthatare shown.Alsoasthe characters are representedasadultstheycouldrelate to the situation or the
characters. Adults would also find it more interesting as they may enjoy or watch films similar to this short film.
Narrative
The narrative of the orderof the shortfilmcomponentsisthatthe man likesthe womanwhoworks in the shop. And
he triesto ask herout for coffee,butshe saystobe more creative.Sohe then leaves clues for her that lead her back
to the coffee shoptohim.Thisclearlyshowsthe logicof the narrative as the filmhas a beginning, middle and end to
the storyline. Meaning there is an order in terms of the storyline and the growing relationship between the
characters.Specificnarrative techniques have been used as there is a linear narrative that’s been established. This
theory put forward by Todorov demonstrates that the film doesn’t stop until the problem is solved. Which is
emphasized in this short film as the storyline continues throughout until there is a definite end. Although the
characters aren’tparticularly usedtoestablishheroesandvillains although the man or woman could be seen as the
hero.Asthe manhas set outto complete hisquesttowinthe girl over,or alternativelythe womantofinishthe quest
and get to the man as her reward.
Representation
What isbeingrepresentedinthe short film is the man being in love with the stereotypically attractive woman. The
man isshownto be quite shybut likesthe girl,so decides to ask her to go to coffee with him. This is shown through
the actions of the man in the camera shots used, and the mise-en-scene of napkin and the clues. The woman is
represented as the stereotypically attractive and feminine female, who is desired by the man throughout. This is
shownthroughthe use of close upsand midshotsof the manlookingather desirably.Howevershe isrepresentedas
being slightly quirky and different due to her bike that she is shown with throughout the film. As well as her
appearance as she wears bright and summery clothes, that is very stereotypically girly. The purpose of these
representationsare tosetup the narrative andcreate the stereotypical ideaof romance of the man chasing after the
woman. Although this representation is illustrated in this film, the man leaves clues for the woman to find. Which
meansthe womanhas to do all the work of solving the clues and getting back to the man. Therefore breaking away
fromthe dominantideology of the mangoingafterthe woman. This is represented by the characters and the actors
inthe film,astheyportraywhat the twocharacters are meant to do. As well as the producers as they have come up
withthe narrative andthe characters.Meaningtheychoose thiscarefullytocreate a particular meaning and idea for
the audience to establish while they watch the short film. It therefore allows viewers to see the stereotypes and
conventions of the genre and allows them to decide if they enjoy the film or not.
Ideology
The messages being perpetuated about the genre is that the man is trying to get the woman throughout the film
throughthe use of clues.He then as it is stereotypically shown gets the girl through his creative thinking and clues.
The messagesbeingshownthroughthe genre isthatyoucouldpotentiallywin over an attractive girl that you like. If
you are creative and different in the way you try to win her over. Therefore the girl would then automatically be
interestedinyouandyouwouldgettogo out withher. The dominantideologyisthatthe womanwill be won over if
youdo somethingcreative andnewtothe ‘norm’.Alsothe dominantideologyisthat the woman has to be won over
by the man,and that the man has to ask herout insteadof the otherwayaround. The filmconveysthe ideology that
the menhave to be the firstpersontomake a move whenaskingsomeoneout.Therefore it is very rare and unlikely
in short films that the women ask out the men.

6. JordonClifton6
Theorists/Theories
In termsof theoristsandtheoriesthe shortfilm‘maybe’ links in with Vladimir Propp’s narrative theory. As the man
can be seenasthe hero,whohas a missiontoundertake in return for a reward (the girl). Within Propp’s theory it is
traditionallythe man,whichinthisshortfilmitismeetingthistheorywell.Furthermore the woman character can be
seen as the heroine, as she is the hero’s reward for succeeding in his quest. Traditionally this character is a female
and isthe princess,whichisconveyedinthe film. Althoughincontrastthe femalecharactercouldalsobe interpreted
as the hero,as she is one of the main characters in the film. And while she is trying to find the clues in the film she
could be seen to be completing a mission/quest, with the man as her reward. The other characters such as the
bookshop owner, the man at the chocolate shop and the mime can all be seen to be the mentors. As they give the
heroimportantinformation,guidance andequipmenttohelpherfinish herquest.Thesecharacterslike showninthe
filmaren’tcapable of finishingthe questthemselves so decide to help the hero. The short film I have chosen fits in
well withPropp’snarrative theoryaseachcharacter has a particular purpose in the narrative. Furthermore, another
theory my chosen film links with is Todorov’s narrative theory focusing on the plot of the film. The equilibrium is
when the man is shown in the coffee shop reading a book, while the disruption is when the woman enters and he
noticesher.The crisis is when she tells him to ‘be more creative’ when he asks her out for a coffee. The resolution
can be seentobe whenthe woman is looking and solving the clues. And the new equilibrium is when the man and
woman meet up again and she has solved all the clues. The film fits in well with this narrative theory as it loosely
followsthe five stages.Highlightinghowthe narrative/plot has been clearly thought out by the producers, and they
have decided how to structure it to make it an effective interesting film.