Thursday 28 August 2014
Narrative Analysis
Applying narrative theory to my short film has allowed me to explore ways to effectively tell the story I want to tell using the medium of film, as well as looking at which ways it is conventional.
Friday 22 August 2014
Work that I admire
Having mentioned a small number of short films I've enjoyed in an earlier post, here I'm going to talk about some different ones that I have watched since, and discuss the influences that have appeared in my script and may come across during shooting.
While it boils down to a very simple love story between two robots, presentation is key here. The script is touching, polarising but ultimately conventional and plays many similar tropes straight which in a postmodern world can be appreciated.
Jonze presents a robot, Sheldon (played by Andrew Garfield in his natural english accent) who is lonely and unfulfilled with his life as a second class citizen. World building is quick and efficient with Jonze introducing the prejudice and lack of care for robots in the opening scene as Sheldon sees a robot broken in half in a car accident lying in the road getting no attention.
The love story here is effective with a sweet and moving relationship presented between Sheldon and Francesca. Sheldon's life and happiness is improved, with Francesca bringing joy into his life - encapsulated in a single moment where Sheldon returns home to find numerous paper-mache Mice constructed. She is bring art into his life!
The polarising aspect occurs in the climax where after Francesca, after being increasingly irreponsible and self-destructive has most of her body destroyed. Sheldon then gives his entire body for her, leaving just a head. While this seems to be intended to be sweet and uplifting, I just found Sheldon a bit pitiable.
That being said, for a short running time, Spike Jonze's result of combining love with a bit of science-fiction for such a short running time serves as a masterclass of introducing elements and dealing with changes in characters.
My short film, Brew, tells the story of someone realising that they're not happy and is offered a chance to change that. While the running length is likely to be a sixth of the length of I'm Here, having seen this film has shown me some storytelling options as well as giving me a huge influence in regards to cinematography.
I'm Here - 2010 (dir. Spike Jonze)
While it boils down to a very simple love story between two robots, presentation is key here. The script is touching, polarising but ultimately conventional and plays many similar tropes straight which in a postmodern world can be appreciated.
Jonze presents a robot, Sheldon (played by Andrew Garfield in his natural english accent) who is lonely and unfulfilled with his life as a second class citizen. World building is quick and efficient with Jonze introducing the prejudice and lack of care for robots in the opening scene as Sheldon sees a robot broken in half in a car accident lying in the road getting no attention.
The love story here is effective with a sweet and moving relationship presented between Sheldon and Francesca. Sheldon's life and happiness is improved, with Francesca bringing joy into his life - encapsulated in a single moment where Sheldon returns home to find numerous paper-mache Mice constructed. She is bring art into his life!
The polarising aspect occurs in the climax where after Francesca, after being increasingly irreponsible and self-destructive has most of her body destroyed. Sheldon then gives his entire body for her, leaving just a head. While this seems to be intended to be sweet and uplifting, I just found Sheldon a bit pitiable.
That being said, for a short running time, Spike Jonze's result of combining love with a bit of science-fiction for such a short running time serves as a masterclass of introducing elements and dealing with changes in characters.
My short film, Brew, tells the story of someone realising that they're not happy and is offered a chance to change that. While the running length is likely to be a sixth of the length of I'm Here, having seen this film has shown me some storytelling options as well as giving me a huge influence in regards to cinematography.
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