Research- Short Film Textual Analysis

Title: Beyond Words
Director: Armand De Saint-Salvy
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJlVNxBbrU8&feature=channel

Micro

Ø  Camera angle, movement and positionAt the start of the short film the camera is positioned looking at the main characters body, the camera then goes up into a medium close up of the main character before quickly cutting to a medium shot of the main characters back looking in a mirror so we see her reflection. I think it has been positioned there as a way of introducing her, we find out what kind of person she is straight away. She does sign language to herself meaning that she’s deaf. A lot of the shots are from behind the main character such as medium shots, close ups and over the shoulder shots. This could be done so that we see everything from her prospective. Camera movements are very slow and calm matching with the scene and giving the signal that an event is building up although nothing has yet happened. A narrow depth of field is often used blurring out the background putting all our focus onto the main character.

Ø  FramingThe rule of thirds has been followed and is used quite a lot as the main character is placed slightly to the right in most shots, this means that we can see the location and what is going on around the character.

Ø  Editing and special effectsEditing has been used to make clean cuts between different sections, it works with the sound as when the editing cuts to a new scene the sound changes with it. Not When a man attacks a women towards the end of the short film the editing makes a dramatic change as there are quick cuts between each shot creating fear.

Ø  Mise en sceneIt is set within some sort of gym and then leads into a car park. The location of the gym is where the film starts, when it is carried through to the car park it creates atmosphere as its dark and no-one is around. It is also a very typical place for people to get crept up on in stereotypical films. Props and costumes aren’t used obviously in the short film, all we are told is that it is set in the modern day by what the characters are wearing and what the surroundings look like. The lighting is quite dark throughout the short film; none of it is bright and colourful. By having the whole of the film quite dark it gives it a serious feeling, like a message is trying to be put across.

Ø  SoundThe film starts with non-diegetic sound of a sort of humming/buzz but like it is supposed to be seen as diegetic. As there are cuts in the editing and there is a quick flash of black the sound changes to diegetic sound, which is just people talking and the noises we would be hearing if we where there. This symbolises what the blind man in the film can hear, in contrast to the woman being able to see but not hear therefore there is no sound in these parts. It is then more obvious that we are supposed to be hearing what the main character who is deaf can hear and then cut to the actual sound happening around her which is what the blind man can hear, this is very effective and is what the whole film is about and revolves around. There is no voiceover or narrator so we can’t get inside the main characters head, we just have to get a feeling of what they feel. There is a very small amount of music, when the main character women gets attacked by a man and there is a section of very fast cuts, this is built up by the changing of silence which the women hears and the actual noise outside. Music is added to the noise outside making it more dramatic and scary, as we hear music which is then quickly cut to silence which also creates tension. There is a little amount of dialogue where the main character talks to the man who is blind, the only dialogue in the six minute short film is when these two characters talk, this is because they both have disorders which affect them in different ways but this doesn’t stop them communicating together which is the plot of the film, and when they are together we can hear the surrounding noise and see what they see therefore thier two abilities have come together.

Ø  ScriptThe script explains the whole of the short film to us and the meaning of it. It affects how the audience interprets the film as it is all explained at the end with the small amount of script between the blind man and the deaf women. I think they have chosen not to put any script till the end of the film so that we know how it must feel for the woman who hears nothing going on around her but still finds a way of communicating with people and living life like everyone else, and so we know how it feels for the blind man who can see nothing but still hear everything going on around him.

Ø  Titles/Institutional ReferenceThe font type of the title is very simple, it is white which could symbolise innocence and exactly what the main characters are like. The title stays on for just five seconds but the blue background stays there for around 12 seconds which is quite a long time for just a plain blue screen. I think this is to give a dramatic and dark start to the film.

Macro

Ø  NarrativeThe narrative is told from the female main characters perspective, as many of the shots are from behind her so that we see what she sees and the sound matches what it is she would be hearing. But it can also be said that it is shown from the blind man’s perspective as there are sections where the screen is blacked out and we see nothing but we can hear everything that he can hear. This makes the audience understand what it is these characters are feeling and relate themselves with them.

Ø  Representation(s)The short film is set in the present and we can tell this by looking at the costumes and the surroundings throughout. The micro elements such as the framing of the main characters and how innocently they are portrayed by the use of sound and what we see represents what deaf and blind peoples life’s are like. All the small factors build up the characters as individuals so we know what they are like. There are no stereotypes in the short film as the two main characters (the deaf women and the blind man) are shown as individuals and this is what the short film is about. The short film follows Todorov’s theory as everything is as it should be at the beginning (equilibrium), this is then disrupted by a man trying to rob the women (disequilibrium), a man then helps the woman and brings her to safety (new equilibrium). The twist on the short film is how the women is blind and the man who rescues her is deaf. The audience are asked to identify with the characters mainly through use of sound as it is this element which helps us understand the woman as when the sound cuts off and we don’t understand what’s going on this is what she is facing.

Ø  Audience
There is no particular target audience with this short film as it is to try and make anyone understand others around them. The film is constructed to appeal to everyone as we are put in the shoes of the main characters and can easily relate to them through this short film. The audience will respond in a very sensitive way as unless they are deaf themselves it can be hard to relate yourself to a lifestyle you don’t have.

Ø  Themes/MessagesIn my opinion the theme of the film is communication between people. It is trying to teach us about different lifestyles and individuals, it also makes a point about how

some people can’t communicate in the same way as others e.g. the woman had to see the person’s lips who’s talking to her before she can understand.

What I will take from this short film:

I have learnt from the construction of this short film that sound plays a huge part in a short film and how it can affect how we view a character in a film. I also like the ideas behind this short film as it has been thought out very well with the use of how people communicate with one another.