2. Sound
• In "The Ball", both diegetic and non-diegetic sound is used. In many cases, both
types of sound are used together to create an effect, to add a certain emotion to
the scene, be it sadness or humour.
• The diegetic sounds that are used, like voices, ambient sounds and the sound of
the ball hitting the wall all make the short more realistic, adding a layer of
realism as the sounds in the short mimick the real world.
• Non-diegetic soundtracks are also used, again to create a certain effect. For
example, when the two children are playing around and Jack is making the girl
laugh, a light and happy soundtrack plays in the background. The music used is
slightly scary, but this is to only add to the false fear that the girl has.
• Also, the same soundtrack is used later on in the short, when the girl is being
pushed by other children, yet with added sounds which connote tension. Yet,
when Jack scares the children away, the music returns to being the same as it
was in the previous scene, with happy music playing connoting the humour in
the scene. This same soundtrack is used many times in the short, showing that in
many ways, the soundtracks help audiences to recognise the short film, since it is
very unique.
• In terms of the dialouge used in this short film, there is very little that is actually
said, only a few questions or the odd word. I think that this allows for more of a
mood to be set with the soundtrack. Also, because Jack is deaf, little dialouge is
used to emphasise the fact that he cannot hear, yet in this short film, dialouge is
not needed to create an effect, because the acting and the soundtrack do that
alone.
3. Camera Work
• In terms of the camera work in the short, many different types of shot are used to
give the film an interesting variety. Also, in many cases, the camera itself can appear
quite unsteady and shaky, almost adding a sense of realism to the scene.
• Also, a variety of different shots are used throughout the short to convey different
effects. For example, various point of view shots are used to display to the audience
Jack's perspective on events. Likewise, cut in and cut away shots are used with the
ball in the short as this football is the main object in the film, and many actions
revolve around said football. Tracking shots and panning shots in this short film is
perhaps the most important and common, since the main emphasis in this film is the
football, tracking and panning shots are used to firstly track the ball, and to also track
characters movements, to present the actions to the audience.
4. Editing
• Many editing tecniques were used in this short film to give it a unique edge or to display
a specific message.
• Firstly, focus pulls are very common in this short film, to direct the viewers attention to a
specific action in the film, for example, when the bullies approach the girl dressed in red.
Also, the effect of throwing focus is also used, to give the shot a different look, not
usually seen in most popular full length films.
• Also, eye-line-matches are very common and almost vital in the short film, to show the
audience what a character is observing. For example, when Jack scares away the bullies,
there is an eye-line-match from the girl on the ground to Jack scaring the bullies away.
This is to show the audience that the girl appreciates what he is doing for her.
• Also, the pace of editing is important in this short film. it is relied on to either make
scenes have a comical side, or a serious one. For example, during the scene towards the
end when the girl finds out of Jack's hearing disability, the pace of editing is slowed to
allow for a moment of seriousness. At other times, when the children are playing
together through the windows or when Jack is chasing away the bullies, the editing pace
increases.
