This short film titled MISHKA tells the story of a teenage girl who discovers she is pregnant. It aims to raise awareness about the harmful reality of teen pregnancy. Directed by Cleo Tellier, the film was published on YouTube in 2018. It uses a documentary-like style with long takes and minimal dialogue to portray the isolation and stigma surrounding teen pregnancy. The dysfunctional relationship between Mishka and her father is revealed throughout the film, with implications that she was exploited. The film targets teenage and pre-teen girls to educate them about the issues and avoid facing similar problems to Mishka.

1. MISHKA: Short Film Case Study
The short film I have decided to study is an American thriller I found on the social
media platform, Youtube. MISHKA is a film focussed around a young teen who finds
out she is pregnant and takes on the task of aborting the child as a way of grasping
onto her childhood. It is unclear as to who the father may be, although many
speculate she may have been exploited by her own father, as their questionable
relationship is revealed throughout the story. Directed and written by Cleo Tellier,
MISHKA was published on April the 22nd 2018 and is clearly a project intended to
influence and help viewers rather than gain a profit. This short film was produced to
give a message on the harmful reality of teen pregnancy worldwide and through the
portrayal of the distressing truth, awareness can be raised and those going through
the issue will feel less alone and be directed towards help.
The audience is clearly meant to be mainly young girls who could be threatened by
the issues the video portrays, through targeting them they will hopefully be able to
avoid the same problems that the main protagonist encounters. A background
audience that could also be aided by the short film would be parents and adults who
could share it with those they wish to protect and become more conscious of the
society around them and those suffering under their noses. In terms of the NRS
scale I believe any class with access to the internet are targetable, which would
mean from grades D to A, as they would be able to watch the video. In my opinion
this would be the only defining factor in terms of class, due to the issue of teen
pregnancy being valid to any class or status of people.
Moreover, the young audience will be
attracted to the relatability of the first scene
where the young girl, Mishka, is with her
friends in her bedroom where they are
shown to be lying on her bed painting nails
and reading magazines. This setting will be
recognisable to the majority of not all of the
teenage girls watching, as well as the
parents who may have seen their teenagers do similar things. However there is a
second layer to this scene as it shows immediately how Mishka is separate from the
other girls as she appears to be on a completely different wavelength when they try
to talk to her and this may be relatable to those who are struggling with problems like
Mishka. That feeling of complete isolation is clear to all who watch and anyone who
has experienced it will understand that the subject of teen pregnancy is one that is
surrounded by stigma and shame, not a subject that can be shared easily with
friends. Similarly, as the film continues, the dysfunctional relationship between the
girl and her father is shown as she steals money
from him and goes to buy a pregnancy test alone.
This may also be largely relatable for the young
teenage audience as it can be said that most
teenagers go through separated and silent
relationships with their parents during times of
difficulty and rebellion in their ’coming of age’ period.

2. Moreover, from what I can see MISHKA has been mainly produced with a digital
camera using both handheld and fixed techniques. I think this may be because of
limitations such as the budget of the product as the film has been self-published on
Youtube making it seem, to me, like a considerably small-scaled project. However,
this form of camera-work works exceptionally well to portray the plot and storyline
clearly to its viewers, this being the main motive for the entire production, therefor
leading me to the conclusion that any added complexity to the filming may distract
and divert the audience from the crucial message being communicated.
Likewise, the stripped back, modest style of the film further compliments this theory.
Throughout MISHKA a distinctly restrained tone is continuous in each scene, shot
and line of speech seemingly to portray the idea that these issues such as high
numbers of teen pregnancy are hidden under the norms of society and everyday life.
The feeling of restraint and simplicity is rendered through long shot lengths and
stationary camera work, with any movement being controlled with, I assume, tripods
and a Steadicam to prolong the focus on
emotion. Furthermore, a Slow-motion
technique is also used in a shot of Mishka
walking through a corridor at school. Here,
the extended drag of the shot is almost
painful to watch as she is waiting to find
out if she is pregnant and clearly suffering
within her own mind, and alone.
The genre of this short film is somewhat unidentifiable, yet I would consider it to be
reminiscent of a thriller with documentary qualities due to the strongly educational
purpose. The chilling onscreen message at the end (“I killed our baby”) codes
successfully as a thriller convention
as it leaves the audience feeling
extremely uncomfortable and
shocked at the final plot twist. On
top of this, the tension created with
the long shot lengths and limited
dialogue creates a tone of
compression and discomfort for the
viewers, this also being typical of
the thriller genre. An example of this
is the 40 second shot of the Mishka’s father driving her to school. This shot is
stationary and the camera is sat on the dashboard of the car portraying the two
characters not speaking or interacting with each other for the whole car ride. This
tense atmosphere is hindered only slightly by
the noise of the car, yet other than that there is
no sound or imagery to break the silence,
showing the audience the dysfunctionality of
the relationship they are watching unfold (they
are yet to find out the inhumanely extended
nature of this relationship).

3. In terms of mis-en-scene the shots are kept minimal with simple colours and textures
like white, beige and greenery in outside scenes. The house is not focussed on in
detail and it appears to be a typical modern
suburban house with no eccentric décor or
colours. The lighting is always bright and almost
clinical, the harsh glare exposing all emotion and
interaction within the household, creating an
opportunity for the audience to examine the eerie
behaviour between the two.
The cinematography is deliberate controlled to emphasise the hidden secrets within
the short film, for example one of the first shots of the photo of Mishka and her father
on the wall being carried out in a slow zoom from a low angle. The decided linger of
the camera on the photograph teamed with the
low angle diverts the audience to question that
relationship and why Mishka is staring at the
photo for such a prolonged time. It also indicates
to them the missing presence of a motherly
figure to Mishka and this will lead to the question
of why that is and how the young girl is affected
by it.
Moving on, the sound is also used implicitly to put more attention on the visible
aspects of the film. The fact that Mishka only speaks 8 minutes into the film gives
emphasis on sound as an indication of a different emotion, or escape from the
silence within her house. The obvious lack of
sound via speech between her and her father
creates tension and mystery for the audience
and in comparison, the conversation she has
with the boy her own age will evoke happiness
within the viewers who are used to seeing her
in a quiet and numb state of existence.
However, despite the change in sound through the continuation of the film, the
editing style is kept pretty much constant. The editor of MISHKA has an obvious
talent for appreciating the phrase “less is more” within their work, as the film uses a
continuous style of lengthy extended shots to build tension and lock the audience’s
attention to the screen. Though the audience may not like this due to the heightened
feelings of desperation and discomfort it provides, they are undoubtedly captivated
by the drag to the next shot. It
also allows them to look more
deeply into the messages being
portrayed, for example the final
shot as it lingers on the screen.
As the camera zooms out from
the young girl cuddling her father
in bed the audience is being
given time to realise the final part

4. of the plot before the text confirms it and when their questions are confirmed the
picture remains so the audience can finally see the depth of Mishka’s life. This time
gives the audience opportunity to piece together all the clues given throughout the
film and bask in the shock of what the father has done to his child.
The sound, as I have touched on, is a key aspect of the structure of this film as it
helps to slowly reveal the true narrative. The slow release will keep the audience’s
attention entrapped until the very end, giving them opportunity to speculate and raise
questions on what they think is really going on. Moreover this structure compliments
the genre well as it keeps the audience on edge in typical thriller style.
In terms of frequency this short film is seemingly a stand-alone episode so as to
deliver the message in a direct, ‘short and sweet’ sense. Within the 18 minutes of its
length, MISHKA manages to portray all aspects of the young girl’s life including
friends, family and a love interest which are three key things teens will revolve
around as they grow up. This will come across as relatable for viewers and will be
easily digested in the way that any more complex aspects could drag the story from
its crucial purpose: raising awareness of teen pregnancy. These decisions will have
been made early on in the production process through the script, treatment and
filming to make sure that the original motive for the whole product was not lost. On
top of this the director will have had to keep a watchful eye on the content of the film
throughout the production process due to where it would be finally published;
YouTube. The guidelines for video content are considerably strict and watertight
when it comes to posting sensitive material online and this film will have needed to
pass the test whilst dealing with as complex of a topic as teen pregnancy, moreover
child exploitation.