Initial Research - Artemis

These are some films I did some research on.

INSiDE

Inside directed by Trevor Sands is a short film about a man with several personalities inside a mental institution who wants to get out. The audience for this film would most likely be adults of both genders because it is a bit dark and therefore would be unsuitable for children.

MISE EN SCENE, CAMERAWORK & EDITING

• The first shot in the film is out of focus so we can't really tell much - it creates a sense of mystery. But as it slowly comes into focus and goes to the second shot where we start to get a sense of what's going on.
• We can see from the background that the location is a room which has padded walls and floor and that the man is wearing some sort of white uniform and no shoes. This does indicate to us that he is in some sort of mental institution. Also because this shot is at a high angle and we are looking down on him we can tell that he is imprisoned in some way. If he was a more powerful character the shot might have perhaps been taken at a low angle. 

• This shot caught my eye because of the composition - it's quite symmetrical with the shadows on the walls and makes for quite an interesting shot. The dark ambience and flashing lights creates this spooky atmosphere which ties in with the setting and plot. 
• In the shot below we can see all the characters, of different ages and wearing different outfits which fits in with the context of him having multiple personality disorder. What does manage to fool us though is the doctor. We don't realise she is one of them because her clothing suggests otherwise. 

• In this film there are quite a lot of medium long shots which enables us to see all of the different personalities and characters but also some close-ups which show us which character is taking over him at a time. It also shows us their expressions clearly and we can see that they match and are the 'same' person. 

SOUND

NON-DIEGETIC SOUND - The music in the background at the beginning is quite dark, slow and eery. This is then paired with the several voices of the different personalities he contains on top. That with the lighting really sets up this sort of creepy and mysterious atmosphere and gives us an indication as to what's going on because now we know a little bit about him. 

DIEGETIC SOUND - In the room where he is speaking to the doctor we can see all of him different personalities conflicting, one of them is saying 'how do I get out of this place?' in an aggressive and forceful tone of voice and another one saying calmly and apologetically 'I am so sorry doctor. I've done horrible things.' We also don't realise the doctor is one of his multiple personalities because her dialogue is what you would expect the doctor to say. 

• What I like about this film is the sense of mystery that is created through the use of dark lighting and also the twist in it. I like how we get tricked into thinking she is just a doctor because she is dressed like one and her dialogue is what you would expect the doctor to say. 
• What I also think we could use for our film is a slow sort of deep non-diegetic sound which helps to build up the tension as our film is going to be a bit mysterious too. 

DRAGONFLY 

A film by Kim Albright. It's about a who sets himself free from his troubles at home by becoming a dragonfly. Because this film is a fantasy film I think it would appeal to both children and adults. It's quite a happy story in a way because the boy finally gets to be free in an animal that he admires.

Click to watch the film 'Dragonfly' 

MISE EN SCENE, CAMERAWORK & EDITING

• From the very first shot which is a long shot, tracking shot we can clearly see the boy running. It gives the audience an indication that he wants to be free or is running away from something or to get somewhere. So from the very beginning we understand a little bit of what this is about. 
• We can also see in this shot his costume is casual jeans, a hoodie, a jacket and some trainers. This is what we could expect considering the setting. It's quite plain and basic, like his clothes. 

• In this extreme close-up of the boys eye we can see the moon in the reflection. This suggests that that's where he wants to be and emphasizes his need for freedom. Because it's an extreme close-up it gives the audience a sense of empathy for the character because we feel his emotion. 

• The composition in this shot is quite interesting and it makes the main character look really small in relation to the whole building. Even though it's a long shot we can see him place his hands on the window and looking out of it showing us his wanting to be somewhere else. 

The editing in this film goes back and forth between him running and then living his everyday life. This creates suspension because we see him running but then slowly it builds up to why he is running and the full picture gets revealed. 

• When his parents enter the house their movements are sped up which emphasizes their drunk and disorderly behavior and indicates to us what type of living situation the boy is in and why he might be unhappy. 

• In the end we see through the use of editing of the boy and the bright light merging that the boy turns into a dragonfly which shows us that he finally got his freedom. 

SOUND

NON-DIEGETIC SOUND - The piece of music in the background builds up the story because its the same tune sort of playing over and over again until he finally turns into a dragonfly. It also creates this sense of fantasy because in a way it's quite upbeat but gentle.

DIEGETIC SOUND - The only bit of dialogue in this film is when the parents enter their home and at first sound quite happy but then start shouting aggressively to one another. This shows us that they are drunk as e can hear they are slurring their words too. 

MIX-TAPE

Mix-tape is a short film directed by Luke Snellin about a boy who makes a mix-tape for the girl he likes. The context adds a bit of humor to the subject of love. I think this film would appeal to 

MISE EN SCENE, CAMERAWORK & EDITING

• I like how in this close-up shot of a cassette case it relates to the title of the film and the overall context and that's where they decided to put the credits.

• When he leaves his house his movement becomes slow motion. This adds a bit of humor because he is only going next door and yet the slow motion editing and music make it dramatic. This medium close-up also enables us to see his stressed out expression and anxiety.

• Even though we don't see the characters together in the same the straight cuts that go back and fourth between the two characters connect them. 
• What also shows us a connection between the 2 characters is a mix of close-ups and medium long shots of them singing along to the same song.

• I like this medium long shot because even though the wall is separating them we can see they are thinking of each other because they are back to back and are smiling. 

SOUND

NON-DIEGETIC SOUND - The soundtrack is the music off the tape which connects the characters because they are both listening to it. I. I like that it's quite an upbeat and sweet song because it's appropriate and relevant to the characters.

SIGN LANGUAGE 

Sign Language is a social realist film about a man called Ben who loves his job which is holding a sign. But today is his last day. 

MISE EN SCENE, CAMERAWORK & EDITING

•  The first couple of shots introduce us to the character and we can see he is in very realistic settings like the bus and street. It is portraying real society and helps the audience relate to the film.
• The main characters costume is what we would expect to see him wearing in the chilly climate of London.
• Close-ups show Ben looking at his fellow workers but when he looks at the woman character he looks slightly longer and this implies that he likes her. The shots going back and forth between the two characters also connects them. 
• I like the shallow depth of field used in some of the shots. It helps us concentrate just on the characters emotion. 

•  The colours in this film reflect that its a social realist film. They aren't very saturated and it's a bit gritty. 

SOUND

• The sound throughout the whole film is Ben's voice telling us a little bit about his life, the other characters etc. This is over-layed on top of a piece of music which gives it quite a calm but quirky feeling to the film. 

I like how the concept of this film is quite simple and the fact that it's a social realist film. Also how we get to know the main character through the use of close-ups and his body language. This is something that I think we will consider quite a lot for our film because in the short time of 5 minutes it's hard to develop a character but it can be done like shown here.