analysis of a short film.

1. LO1 (P1):Understandexistingaudio-visual mediaproductsandhow theyare created.
MeltDown – Adventure (Shortof the Week)
‘A surreal narrativestory abouta body-lessboy who doesn’twantto go outside,among otherwacky
charactersin a world where peoplemelt fromstress.’
A) Purpose and audience:
Director – AmyJ. Xu
Producer – Pratt University
Country – America
I thinkthe directormade thisfilmtoshow what people mightbe goingthroughandthattheycan’t
cope withthe stressfrom everydaylife,howevershe showsthisinamore surreal and abstract way
where the characters literallymeltfromstress.Ithinkthatshe is puttingthismessage outsothat
people understandmore aboutmental healthandtherefore couldhave made the filmfor
educational purposes.
I thinkthat the audience watchingthe filmwouldbe aged
between13and 17 because the filmfocusesonthe mental
healthof a youngboy,and 10% of school childrenhave a
diagnosable mentalillness. Therefore, Ithinkshe made itto
aimit at teenagerssothat theybecome more aware of mental healthandcan helpothers
understandit.Inmy opinion,Ithinkthatthere isn’tacertaingenderthat itis aimedatbecause the
message canapply to anyone.
In ‘Youngand Rubicam’s4C model’,Ithinkthatthe filmisaimedat the mainstreamsectionof
people because theyare the largestgroupandtherefore the directorwouldwanttotargetthemto
gether message acrossto more people. Forthe mainstreamaudience,theirneedinlife isfor
securityandI thinkthat people thatwatchthisare lookingforsecurityandhelpwiththeirstress.
On the NRS – Social DemographicScale,Ithinkthatit isaimedat the social grade ‘E’ because thisis
the lowestlevelandpeople inthissocial grade are normallyteenagersoryoungadultsthatare still
ineducationor witha lowpaidjob.Because the director hasmade thisto helppeople understand
whatpeople gothroughfromstress,itis mostlikelytobe aimedatteenagersandyoungadultsthat
wouldstill be ineducation.
I thinkthat thisappealstothe audience because ittellspeople
aboutstressand anxietybutina visual way.The fact that it
doesn’thave anydialogue andactors,the visualsneedtobe eye
catchingfor the audience tobe enticedintowatchingit. An
example forthe storyline appealingtothe audience wouldbe a
scene where one of the charactersgets stressedfromcustomers
at hiswork andhe starts to meltbecause of the stress.
https://www.theguardian.com/mental-health-research-
matters/2017/jan/20/12-statistics-to-get-you-thinking-
about-mental-health-in-young-people

2. LO1 (P1):Understandexistingaudio-visual mediaproductsandhow theyare created.
B) Form, Style and Genre:
Form:
For thisshortfilm,because itisan animation,the directorwouldn’thave usedacamerato film
because there are noreal-life visual aspectstothe film.Tomake the animationtheymayhave
usedanimationsoftware suchas,‘Adobe Flash’or‘Adobe Animate’,oranyotheranimation
software thatisavailable.
The way inwhichthe directorhas exhibitedtheirfilmwouldbe publishingitonthe website
‘Shortof the Week’.Thiswebsitewascreatedin2007 so that filmmakersacrossthe worldcould
make short filmsanduploadthemtothe website sothatthey‘can reacha global audience of
fans’. ‘Everyweek(they) programanhourof the greateststories’onthe website.
Style:
The style of the filmisveryabstractin the waythat it isa verycolourful andsurreal animation.
The directorhas useda lot of contrastingcoloursthat still gotogether.Forexample,theyuseda
mix of warm colours,like orangesandred,butalsouse a lotof cool colours,like bluesand
greens.The charactersare alsodifferentcolours,whichmay
showwhatkindof persontheyare.For example,one of the
maincharacters isred andshe isportrayedas a very
temperamentalandangryperson.Anotherexample would
be the manwho isblue,whichhe isshownasa more fragile
and sensitiveman.Inone scene however,hisface changes
colourto red because he startsto sweatfromstress.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/shor
toftheweek/about/
https://www.shortoftheweek.com/a
bout/

3. LO1 (P1):Understandexistingaudio-visual mediaproductsandhow theyare created.
Genre:
On the ‘Shortof the Week’website’,the filmislistedasan adventure film. Typicallyanadventure
filmconsistsof a longquestwith deathdefyingchase sequences.The producersmake itsothat
there ismore tensiontowardsthe endof the film sothat it posesa questionastowhetherornot
the characters will make it.In‘MeltDown’,there isa sort of questthat the boy goeson,inthat he is
conqueringhisfearof goingoutside andshowinghisjourney togettingthe paintfromthe shopfor
hisboss. Todorov’snarrative theoryin adventure saysthattypicallyatthe startof the film, the hero
isusuallyat home carryingon withtheirdailylife.In‘MeltDown’,itdoesstartoff like thisasto the
fact that the mainboy isat work.Next,typicallythe maincharacter findsoutsomethingthatsets
himon an adventure and anenemystandsinthe way.In the filmwe couldsay thatthe boy’s
adventure ishimgoingtoget the paintfor hisbossand the enemyinhiswayishis anxietyandstress
that istryingto stop himfromgettingthe paint. Anadventure filmalsoconsistsof the main
character tryingto stophisenemyfrom stoppinghimandinthe endtheydo finishtheirquest.In
‘MeltDown’it doesendwiththe boygettingoverhisanxietyandalsohelpingothersgetovertheirs
too.
C) Contentand meaning
At the start of the filmthere isablack screenwithwhite dripsinthe
centre of the screenanda drippingnoise inthe background.The black
screenthenfadestoshow an establishingshotof colourful houseswhere
on one of the houses,the drippingiscomingfrom.Inthisshot,the
directorhas useda lotof cool tonestowardsthe foregroundandcouple
warm tonedcoloursinthe background.Thisshotstill hasthe drippingin
the backgroundas well assome birds.The camera thenstartsto slowly
zoomin onthe house thatis drippingandthe nextshotisthe title. Inthe
title shot,we see thatthe waterdrippingfromthe house flowsdownonto
the windowturningintothe title of the film‘MeltDown’.Tothe rightof
the windowis a youngboysheadthroughthe window whichlooksasif it
isfloatingbecause there isno bodyandthe bottomof the headis alsodripping.Atthispoint,there
isa strange soundinthe backgroundwhichwe couldinferthatit isthe water kindof moving intothe
placementof the lettersfromthe title andthe boysheadmelting.The scene thentransitionstothe
nextbyshowinga close upof a blue paintrollerwhichthenzoomsouttoan overthe shouldershot
of a man paintingawall fromthe angle of the boywatchinghim.The camera pansfrom below to
showthe boysfeetandpans up to hisheadthat revealsthathe has nobodyor hands.The nextshot
isa mediumshotof the man withhimtellingthe boytobringthe paintto him, whilstpointingatthe
paintbucket.The man talkinghere isthe onlypiece of dialoguethatwe hearinthe filmandeven
thisisdone in a muffledvoice.
The nextsequence of shotsshow the boystrugglingtopickup the paintcan
(because he hasno arms or hands) andknockingitover. There isthena low
angle shotof the man gettingangry,toshow that he isthe more powerful
person,withamuffledboathornnoise overthe topwhichisimitatinghim
shouting.Itthentransitionsfromthe manto himpointingtothe rightand a
picture comingupof a shopand the paintbucketwitha dollarsignon it,(him
pointingbeinginthe directionof the shop) andinthe backgroundis a cash
registernoise.Thenthe nextcoupleof shotsshow the boyrefusingandthe mangettingangryand
turningintoa volcanoaboutto eruptwiththe muffledboathornnoise inthe backgroundagain.

4. LO1 (P1):Understandexistingaudio-visual mediaproductsandhow theyare created.
There isthena wide shotof the boybeingflungoutof the frontdoor ontothe streets,now wearing
a coat andscarf, and a close upof the door handle anddoorslamming. The camerapans roundina
pointof viewshotfromthe boy’sangle of him lookingroundthe streetlookingscared.Atthispoint
we can inferthat the boyseemstobe scaredaboutgoingoutside andrevealingthathe hasn’tgota
bodybecause we see thathe has put a coat on to maybe coverit up.
The nextsequence isof a redladythat iswalkingdownthe streetlookingat
herwatch. There isthena highangle and pointof view shotof herself inthe
reflectionof the puddle.Thismakesherseempowerlessaswell.Itthen
showsherbreathingin,asif to getherself together,whichthentakesit
literallyasshe changesherappearance tolookmore confident.
The nextshotgoesback to the boybut he isrunningdownthe streetwith
camera infrontof himfollowinghimbutfroma highangle to still make him
lookweak.There isa fastkindof musicinthe backgroundto imitate him
runningat a fast pace,but alsowiththe typical streetnoisesinthe
backgroundtoo.It thenall comesto a stop whenthe boystopsas he hassteppedinwhatseemsto
be a puddle,whichalsohasasquelchingnoise.There isthenaclose upshot
of hisfootcoveredina blue liquidwhichwe presume iswaterfromapuddle
and a close up shotof the side of the boysheaddrippingmore thanwhatit
was earlier.Itthenshowsabus pullinguptothe pavementanditsdoors
openingwiththe redladyovertakinghimwalkingstraightthroughthe puddle.
The bus doorsare thenseenclosingandthe boythenstarts to run geton the
busbut splashesthe ladyinthe process.There isthenanotherlow angle shot
of the ladylookingatherwetskirt tostill show thatshe ismore powerful thanthe boy. She isthen
seenstormingintothe laundrette andthrowingherskirtinthe washing
machine. Atthispointthere isa distortednoise inthe backgroundwhich
intensifiesthe scene.The nextscenehowever,contraststhe moodwitha
more calmingmusicinthe backgroundandan establishingshotof the shop
withthe bus turningupand the boygettingout.Anotherpanoramaisused
showingthe aislesof the shopwhichare all ina veryintense orange colour.
The nextcouple of shotsshow a blue man that worksat the shop.He isseen
to beingapproachedbya customerthat wantsto replace his hammer.The
hammerisdrippingindicatingthatitisunderstress
and isbroken.The customerisred,like the lady
earlier,whichcouldindicatethathe toois more of
a confidentperson.Unlikethe manworkingwhoisblue and whose
face turns redfrom maybe embarrassment orstressbecause he can’t
finda suitable newhammerforthe man.
The nextsequence of shotsagainshowsthe boyat the shop lookingforthe paint.The distorted
musicthenintensifieswithmore shortshotsof eachof the three
characters instress.The musiccontinuestointensifyuntil the ladybrakes
the washingmachine intryingtohurry itup withwashingherskirt.The
musicthenstarts to intensifyagainasthe ladystormsout of the
laundrette andrealisesthatshe islate forsomething,the audience

5. LO1 (P1):Understandexistingaudio-visual mediaproductsandhow theyare created.
presumingitswork. Herface thenalsobeginsthe meltfromstress.The distortedsoundfadesback
intothe backgroundand getslouderwhenthe ladygetsreallyangryandturnsherself intoacar so
she can try and get towork on time.Itshowsan establishingshotof herdrivingdownthe road
makingseveral carscrash until she is out of frame. The camera thenfocusesonthe man inthe shop
witha pointof viewshotof him lookingroundatall the customersgettingangryat himand a
mediumshotof himthrougheveryone’sbodiesof himmeltingformstressaswell.Again,the
distortedbackgroundnoise andpaniccontinuesuntil aclose upshotof the paintbucketon the shop
floorwhere the boyhas gottenit fromthe top shelf.
Whilstthe musiciscalm,it showsa wide shotof the boywalkingpast
draggingthe paintcan behindhim.He looksroundinshockas to him
seeingthe maninthe shop kneelingonthe floorwithhisface meltingand
all the customersaroundhimlookingathim. The manruns out of the shop
withthe camera followinghim,butendsupwithhimrunningandhitting
hisheadon a signpost.In thisscene the atmosphere outsidehaschanged
and the colourof the skyhas changedto a dark blue andblack shades.This
iscalledpatheticfallacywhenthe weatherreflectsaperson’smood,andinthiscase it isreflecting
howthe man feels. The nextcouple of shotsare of the man hallucinating,however,these shotsare
verycolourful andare of the thingshappeningaroundhimbutmelting,
showingthathisworldisfallingapart.The noise inthe backgroundishard
to figure outbecause itisso distorted,butwe couldinferthatitisa
mixture of all the noise aroundhimjustina more distortedwayto
emphasise thathe ismeltingandsoishishearing. The musicthenstops
and goessilentandthe camerafocusesonthe man hittinghisheadagainst
the floorand an establishingshotof acouple people aroundhimwatching
him.
It goesback to a mediumshotof the boy standinginoutside inthe rain,
still melting.He goestocross the road but getshitby a car that flingshim
and the paintcan in the air and he starts to jumpfromeach movingcar to
getto the otherside of the road. A highangle isthenshownof the boy
that got to the otherside andshowsthe paintfalling,butas it’sabout to
fall intohishands,he getshitby a car, the car beingthe redlady.Atthis
point,the same fastdistortednoise thatwasusedearlierwhenthe lady
was drivingrecklesslycomesbackintothe background.The paintbucketthenfallsontohercar
windowscreencausinghertocrash intoa signpost and the musicthenstopsagain.

6. LO1 (P1):Understandexistingaudio-visual mediaproductsandhow theyare created.
An establishingshotthenshowsthe streetwitheverythingthathashappened,
withcalmsad musicin the background.Itthengoesto a highangle of the red
ladyturningback intoherself whilstlyingface downof the floor,toshow that
she isweaker.She getsupshowingthather face ismeltingandshowsan over
the shouldershotof herlookingatthe manwho isstill hittinghisheadonthe
floor.The boythenwalksintothe same shot andhelpthe man getup fromthe
floor.There isthena close uppointof view shotof the ladylookingather
brokenwatchand she stopsmeltingaftershe has takena deepbreathand
returnedtoher lessconfidentoriginalstate.The manalsotakesa deepbreath
and takeshismeltingheadoff toshowhissmallerreal headthathe issmiling
about.He throwshisheadon the floorwhichturnsintoa blue liquid,because
it hasmeltedsomuchand the walksoff.He boythenrealisesthathe
can use the blue liquidaspaintandso picksit up andputs itin the
emptypaintcan. The creditscome up ina wide shotwiththe boyon
the leftlookinghappyandnolongermelting.
D) Frequencyand production process
Frequency:
The short filmisnotpart of a seriesandisa stand-alone one off shortfilm. Ialsodon’treallysee
where theycouldtake thisstoryline if theydiddecide tomake itintoa series,whetherthey
decide tocarry on the same story but change the characters,or change the storycompletelyand
try and sendouta differentmessagetothe audience.
Production Process:
I thinkthat one of the keyproductionprocessesthat the directorwouldhave usedtomake this
film,wouldbe drawingupastory boardso that whenitcame to editingandmakingthe
animation theywouldknowexactlywhattheywantedandneededwheneditingthe animation
together. Theywouldalsoneedtomake orgathertheirownsoundsbecause the filmdoesn’t
have any dialogue andhasa lotof unique sounds,andtheywouldalsonotwantanycopyright
problemsfromgettingothersoundsthattheyhaven’tmade.