The short film uses a romantic drama genre with two main characters who never physically meet, leaving the conclusion open to interpretation. Various film techniques like natural lighting, camera angles, and stop-frame animation were used to tell the story and appeal to young audiences. Technology elements like iPods and mobile phones were incorporated to make the setting seem modern. The film aims to challenge gender roles and appeal to both modern and art house audiences.

1. EV A LUATION

2. GENRE AND CONVENTION Our short film uses a generic narrative for a Romantic Drama as the audience is introduced to a troubled main protagonist whose problems cease when he finds a companion. However a quirky enigma is created as the two characters never physically meet, setting up an atmospheric climax, the conclusion of which is left to the audience’s own interpretation. This apeture ending effect creates a significant element of mystery that will ‘get people talking’ so to say. As we believe the best, most entertaining films are those which generate discussions of interest long after the final credits have rolled. Our film can be described as using an experimental narrative as it doesn’t fit with conventional narrative codes such as that of Todorov. The ambiguous nature means it would fit well as an Art House film to appeal to the typical middleclass 30+ audience of specialised films, however it was our aim to introduce a younger audience to specialised films and we feel we have achieved this through the films promotion, simplistic arty narrative and use of teenage actors.

3. M I S E E N S C E N E We feel the lighting is successful in giving the film a more organic feel as we have relied completely on natural light reflecting upon the relationship of the characters as more authentic and pure. We filmed on a gloomy day to signify the dreary tone in the scene when the boy discovers the tide is in, this shifts significantly at the end when the prominent light of the sun returns to highlight the climatic final meeting between our protagonists – a symbol of hope. The music is also cohesive to the changing tones – with soft slow melodies to illustrate the solitary mood of Boy whilst upbeat acoustic rhythms compliment the free spirited nature of Girl and the optimism as the story progresses.

4. CINEMATOGR AP HY We used a range of camera angles to build up a more visually interesting narrative , including impressive establishing shots of the seaside scenery, close ups to illustrate the emotions of the characters as well as low angles in the sequences when they draw in the sand. We edited the shots carefully with cross dissolves to ensure smooth fluid transitions as well as a fading out effect to symbolise the passing of time. We also used two sequences of stop-frame animation to move the narrative along in a unique and artistic way, which we feel, will appeal to our audience of young people, as it is a familiar technique with film students and aspiring directors.

5. C H A R A C T E R S We have followed the generic conventions of short films by only using two main protagonists so the narrative is focused and cohesive in it’s small space of time. We have challenged the character functions of Propp by reversing the gender roles, it could be said that Girl plays the role of the hero as she saves boy from his sullen Lifestyle – this will appeal to modern audiences.

6. TIME AND TECHNOLOGY We incorporated the element of digital technology in simplistic yet effective instances through the use of an i-pod and close-up of a mobile phone, small details which establish the modern-day setting and importance of technology to the teenage protagonists which adds realism. The theme of time is also central to our narrative as the characters had to be ‘in the right place at the right time’ to be aware of each other and communicate. The timing of the tide coming in at the ending of the film is also significant to this theme as it suggests things don’t always last – time will always run out.

7. TIME AND TECHNOLOGY We used a lot of modern techniques and knowledge to create our film. We filmed it on a Canon HD Vixia camera which allowed us to capture the scenery we wanted in the best quality we could. We blogged about our film and used it as the place where all of our coursework is collected and stored using blogger and you can also find all of our ancillary tasks there. We used an apple mac to create and edit our film and things such as the titles were made using Final Cut Pro. Using all of these technologies certainly improved my final product and will hopefully help my film be ultimately successful.

8. ANCILL A RY TASKS

9. My film poster could be effectively presented at film festivals such as the Edinburgh festival , in large form around the event as well as flyers that could be handed out to festival-goers. This will ensure we are capturing the correct audience of urban, professional middleclass people passionate about films. The main focus of my poster is the content of the film rather than any stars as it is not mainstream, highlighting an ambiguous tagline much in the manner of Spike Jonzes poster for his short ‘I’m Here ’. Likewise the theme is very artistic to appeal to the middleclass art house audience whilst including all the traditional film production titles at the bottom of the poster to look more mainstream appealing . It is also successful for an audience interested in specialized film as it’s not gender biased: despite being a romantic drama the poster isn’t conventional , setting up an intriguing artistic image that will appeal to all.

11. My double page spread magazine article would suitably fit The Guardian , reaching out to a higher A,B,C1 audience which read the newspaper The Guardian. I think it is appropriate to target an audience of A,B,C1 as they are the most likely audience for an independent short film, these people are referred to as “film buffs” . It is also appropriate for me to target an older audience as I feel that they will connect with the young characters and settings as well as the younger audience. The older audience will hopefully have a nostalgic connection to the film that the younger audience would not but the younger audience should also connect emotionally to the film. I also choose to use music as a big advertising tool for the film which will be appropriate to my younger audience and should attract them and the readers of the guardian alike. I think using the time and technology themes should attract the younger audience as they are most likely to be receptive to social networking and video and photo pages that users can interact with and become part of the world of the film and this creates a further awareness around the audience.

12. I think that my posters and advertisements work well to market my film to my target audience. I think that my posters simplicity will aid with the marketing of my product and this has gone on to help other films that are made by independent companies. When you look at independent films like Submarine and paranormal activity you can see how viral marketing can have an enormous effect. Viral marketing and online petitions helped get paranormal activity to get to the top of the box office and is the most profitable film ever made in terms of gross budget to gross spending. I hope using such marketing techniques can help my film be successful as well and I think the marketing allows us to get an audience online without spending a lot of money on traditional advertisements such as TV and posters everywhere.