NEA evaluation

1. Evaluation Callum Close 4027 Alleyn’sSchool10802
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Short films are often defined by their duration. The Oscars state that a short film must have
‘a running time of 40 minutes or less’, this length varies with different film festivals. Short
films can also be recognised based on their content, Jane Campion says ‘shorts give a
freedom to film-makers. What's appealing is that you don't have as much responsibility for
storytelling and plot. They can be more like a portrait, or a poem.’ This suggest to me that in
a short, the film maker must not be concerned with telling the whole story, instead they
should focus on what would be regarded as one scene in a larger story. For example, in ‘The
Fly’ the spectator is not shown the preparation to the heist, or even what happens
afterwards. Instead we are only shown the drivers perspective as the heist is taking place.
The spectator is thrown into a situation with very little context. Similarly, in my film we do
not need to know the female character’s intentions or back story when she is introduced.
The spectator is simply shown the daily routine of an obsessive character and the aftermath
when this routine is disrupted.
My short film is a psychological thriller that follows a male character as he carries out a
meticulously structured daily routine until a woman comes to his door and his day is sent
into a downward spiral. This sets the audience expectation up for the male character to act
out and seek revenge on the other character, however it is revealed later that it is in fact
Sam who is the one who attacks the man.

2. Evaluation Callum Close 4027 Alleyn’sSchool10802
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As Steve Neale stated in Genre (1991), genres should be seen as ‘systems of orientations,
expectations and conventions that circulate between industry, text and subject’. The main
character of my short fits the typical character type from a traditional ‘psychological thriller’,
this is achieved by an emphasis put on developing his patterns of behaviour and revealing
his obsessive and pathological nature. For the majority of the film the character conforms to
this conventional stock character that is expected in this genre, however the twist at the
end reveals that he is not the troubled character and in fact it is the other character could
be considered unstable and more complex. Labelling my film a ‘psychological thriller’ leads
the spectator to expect a serious nature to the short that explores the stability of the mental
health of the main character. It also suggests there will be no light-hearted twist at the end
of the film. This differs from the expectations when watching a film like The Ellington Kid
which is ‘dark comedy’ where one can expect humour at the end of the film. However, the
ending of ‘Neighbour’ has the score fade out as the screen turns pitch black as the
basement door closes. This allows for the spectator to realise the true weight of what has
just happened and leads them to imagine what happens next.
My film follows a chronological order however, incorporates a montage style of editing to
show a passing of time and develop the characters repetitive routine. The narrative is unlike
that of any of the ones from the set list however is similar to ‘Clapping for the wrong
reasons’, especially the ‘internet version’, written by Donald Glover and directed by Hiro
Murai. Both this film and my film use montage style editing to show a passage of time
spanning over a number of days. In my film I have used this technique to try to create a
sense of repetition that makes it clear the routine is a continuous event. I also used
continuity editing to keep the idea of a linear narrative. ‘Clapping for the wrong reasons’
also makes use of a number of audio motifs such as the basketball bouncing on the stairs
and the telephone ring. This is effective in creating a sense of repetition and in my film, I

3. Evaluation Callum Close 4027 Alleyn’sSchool10802
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used a similar technique with the slicing of the bread and the low and subtle bass note
whenever the characters enter the basement. Another sound I use throughout the film is
the repetitive two chord electric piano. This sound is associated with the character of Sam
however it also has a repetitive nature which reinforces the repetitive nature of the film. In
a number of edits, I use sound bridges that help blend shots together Both characters are
dressed in typical civilian clothing, this was a deliberate choice to make the characters as
normal as possible. This puts more of a focus on their behaviour as well as drawing a link to
between the balance between normality and insanity.
As Jane Campion said, ‘shorts give a freedom to film-makers… They can be more like a
portrait, or a poem.’ Which allows short film makers to be more experimental with film
conventions and narrative structure. My film does conform to the three acts of Todorov’s
classic structure. An equilibrium is established with the main character’s routine. This is
followed by the inciting incident when we see Sam for the first time, which is also the
disruption to the equilibrium. Then the recognition to the disruption is shown through the
performance of the daily routine clearly going wrong as well as through the use of
cinematography by using more experimental camera shots like the slight fish eye POV shot
through the door. After the recognition there isn’t much attempt to repair the disruption
and we never really returns to a new equilibrium.
My film makes use of a number of enigmas throughout the 5-minute short. For example,
every time the main character enters the basement the camera doesn’t follow him in. This
leads the spectator to question what is in the basement and makes them want to keep
watching in the hopes of discovering what it is that he does in there each day. Other
enigmas that the audience are led to question are; why does he stick to the same routine
every day? As well as, when the female character first appears on screen, who is she and

4. Evaluation Callum Close 4027 Alleyn’sSchool10802
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what is she going to do to disrupt the routine and with it the equilibrium?
Similarly to the short film ‘Echo’, my film never explicitly explains the intentions of the
characters. In Echo we follow a 17-year-old girl who receives a phone call delivering some
tragic news. When the call happens the second time the audience is led to question her
actions and intentions. Although these are never explicitly explained, the information we
have been given shapes our response and the audience must interpret the events
themselves. This is similar to my short where it is never explained why the character of Sam
interrupts the routine of the other character, however the spectator is shown Sam leaving
the basement with the same package that is seen earlier in the film. This leads the audience
to form their own idea of what is in the package or basement. The package acts as a
McGuffin throughout the film, propelling the narrative forward, and although it is never
directly referenced by either character, it is clear at the end of the film that the package is
what she was after all along.
After a small screening of my short I asked for their feedback. When I asked the audience
what they thought was in the package or basement, some people described that they
imagined a blood splattered table or meat hooks hanging from the ceiling, they also thought
it could have either been body parts or drugs in the package. This is also what I envisioned
when writing the short film. They also said It was better that I didn’t show this on screen
and left it up to their imaginations. Audience members also agreed that I was clear from the
montage editing that the character at the beginning was OCD and reminded them of
characters from American Psycho and The Accountant. Other things that the audience
commented on were; it was clear the character was spiralling out of control from the slight
changes in the routine, and the montage editing added to the repeated routine gave a clear

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sense of a passing of time. When I asked about the twist, some people expected it as soon
as Sam was introduced, some people realised when Sam stopped the other character from
undoing the chain, however most people realised when Sam opened and stood at the top of
the basement.
My film explores the patterns of behaviour of an obsessive OCD character through the use
of repetition and montage editing. My film also plays with audience expectation around
representation of the ‘serial killer’ character. The ending is left purposefully open to allow
the spectator to make their own mind up as to what happens next. Similar to a number of
the short films on the set list like ‘Echo’ and ‘The Fly’, time is suggested to continue and the
film leaves the spectator wanting more.
Word count: 1499.