Still Frame Analysis
Love Hate (romantic drama)
The use of the two shot allows us to see a medium close-up of the male and female protagonist being cosy with each other, in which their body language suggests they are in love. However, this contrasts with their dark, mainly black, clothing that has negative connotations of power, evilness, and mystery. The use of the colour black could suggest that their love is destructive and evil, therefore linking to the title ‘Love Hate.’ Additionally, the word ‘mystery’ relates to the female protagonist who is initially presented as a dark mysterious twisted character who just pops up out of the blue and invades the male protagonist’s life. Yet the use of the orange/red playground equipment’s framework portrays their youthful burning love and has positive connotations of desire and sexual passion. Along with this, the holes within the playground equipment’s framework could further show the hollowness within their love, demonstrating the deep faults within their relationship – the female protagonist, who represents hate, is nothing but trouble. Furthermore, the natural lighting emphasises the freshness of their love.
The blurred background behind the pair paints the picture of a distorted love story, in which the colour green could relate to greed as the female protagonist wants the male protagonist all to herself, so he can be filled with hate just like her and leave his loving past behind.
The shallow depth of field leaves the gun controller as the key focal point for the audience. First impressions of this image depict the religious spiritual realm of evil and suffering called Hell, which is a place full of fire and hate. Here, the two blurred red figures of the male and female protagonist portray the stereotypical appearances of the devil or those in Hell. On the other hand, it's as if they are pointing the gun right at us, which allows the audience to build a fearful connection with the two and creates tension. The gun could represent them shooting down anyone who comes in between their “love”; they are partners in crime. Moreover, the gun is in the male protagonist’s hands, which suggests that he is the dominant one in the relationship. However, this is ironic as he is initially seen as the weaker partner controlled by the female protagonist. Also, the use of the red low-key lighting alongside the black background makes for a harsh yet powerful image. It encompasses the key elements of danger and love, again indicating their destructive relationship.
This image instantly displays the male protagonist as having a nervous breakdown. The two props, a bottle full of alcohol and a cigarette, suggest that he is using these as a coping mechanism or to escape the world full of hate that he is not accustomed to. The use of a glass bottle depicts his fragile heart that is on the verge of breaking due to it being so cold; his heart is full of hate. Also, the shadow behind the bottle of alcohol represents the shadow of death that hangs over him due to all the hate he feels inside him and the deadly drink he is clinging onto. His facial expressions display the signs of someone on a drug/alcohol addiction as he eyes look tired and drained of all life.The high-key lighting provided by the candle illuminates the fact that the male protagonist is sitting in a bath while drinking and smoking, which is an unusual and dangerous thing to do. This demonstrates his deranged behaviour as it is a juxtaposition to the sane man he once was, before he met the female. Furthermore, the bubbles in the bath appear very airy and light, which is how he must feel because he is intoxicated with nicotine and alcohol.
This powerful image is the last thing the audience see. It shows a close-up of the male protagonist putting his hands on the female protagonist’s stomach, suggesting the arrival of their baby. The fact that the two are having a baby is effective because this child will contain both love and hate (hate from the mum and love from the dad). This could relate to the commonly known ying and yang symbol where there is a perfect balance of good and evil. The female protagonist is pictured wearing a black dress, which contrasts with the couple’s pale white hands, as although black connotes danger and evilness, white connotes peace and purity. The endless pieces of paper in the background corresponds to the many pages of their “love story” that they have left, which is now also going to be shared with a child.
How does ‘Love Hate’ differ from a feature-length film?
The main difference between ‘Love Hate’ and a feature-length film is that short films are 10mins and under, while feature-length films are generally 100mins.
The main locations include: a bridge in central London near the London Eye, a park, two houses and Kentish Town West train station. The use of these basic and public filming locations demonstrate the film’s low budget, along with the small cast. The two main characters Ben Whishaw and Hayley Atwell are both British actors, meaning they will only be of recognition or of appeal to England. This differs to a feature-length film because they have large budgets in order to afford a large cast and a wide range of locations. Feature-length films also involve professional equipment, which allows for a glossy HD finish, instead of the grainy effect ‘Love Hate’ has.
Along with this, feature-length films are usually vertical integrated, allowing for it to be widely distributed and therefore having a mass audience. On the other hand the UK Film Council, BBC Films and Film London distributed ‘Love Hate’. These are smaller institutions, which explains the smaller budget and it being not as well known as a feature-length film; short films such as ‘Love Hate’ are rarely screened.
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(The UK Film Council’s distribution and exhibition department worked to make non-mainstream films - mainly short films - more widely available to audiences. The company was however abolished in 2010)
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Film London and BBC Films offer support and funding for short films
These small institutions are no match for feature-length films who produced or distributed by Time Warner, Village Roadshow Pictures, and 20th Century Fox etc.
Childhood (documentary)
The close-up on the young girl’s face allows us to see her serious and focused facial expressions from a side profile. This shot displays her as being in deep thought as she struggles to cope with finding herself, while also having to balance out the other daily troubles of a teenager e.g. exams, social life, college applications etc. This side profile makes for a powerful image because of the fact that she is able to hide her struggles behind such an emotionless face, portraying her as a strong female. These negative observations contrast however with the shallow focus of the colour green in the background. This is because green has connotations of growth, material wealth and relates to being down to earth, demonstrating that in the back of her mind she has hope for her bright future, despite the everyday setbacks. The element of material wealth could also relate to her dream career of being on stage, doing what she loves (mainly singing). This idea of material wealth and fame is what hangs in the back of most young people’s minds nowadays due to the influence of the ‘American Dream.’
The insert shot of a book that reads ‘How to succeed in Hollywood (without losing your soul)’ makes an impact on the short film because it’s a very serious subject for such a young person. The use of the word ‘soul’ on the chosen prop stands out the most, as the definition is ‘a spiritual part of a human’; in which religious people believe it is what makes you special. The fact that the young girl is worried about losing her soul suggests she’s scared of losing her identity as she tries to make her dream of performing on stage come true. Fame in places such as Hollywood means complete stardom, in which many celebs get caught up in the fame because of the money; a dangerous route that the girl is clearly worried about. The big bold lettering also makes the Hollywood lifestyle seem even more fabulous and exciting, yet this contrasts with the black font as black has bad connotations such as danger, evil and grief; this could relate to why she’s having second thoughts about pursuing her dream. In addition to this, the fact that the words ‘without losing your soul’ are in brackets and are of a lighter colour of font suggests that it’s less significant or comes as an after thought when thinking about success.
The high angle to look down on the child who appears to be drawing, links to the young girl reminiscing on her childhood, hence the title. The use of the teddy bear in the shot emphasizes the child’s innocence, while the various crayons convey her bright artistic and creative future yet to come. The fact that the crayons are scattered on the floor reinforces the carefree life you have as a child; the young girl misses this part of her life because when you’re a child you have no worries. Along with this, the grey shadows on the ground with the light seeping through from the windows represents the shinning hope in the midst of the girl’s daily struggles that started from when she was young and naïve.
The close up shot of a psalm in the Bible portrays the young girl’s reliance on her religion to get her through the struggles she faces everyday. ‘A Psalm of Fearless Trust in God’ further demonstrates this religious dependence as through God, the young girl finds security and fearlessness that helps her deal with all the bumps on the road to her dream of fame. Furthermore, the first line reads ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation’ which illustrates her belief that God lights her path to success. The fact that the psalm is highlighted indicates the importance of the words to her, as maybe this is what keeps her going. The colour yellows also draws attention to the words and conveys the warm, joy the young girl feels when she reads psalms like this.
This last image displays a child putting on a pearl necklace while wearing a fancy dress. The use of the colour white for both props symbolises the goodness and purity of the child, as if she’s an angelic figure. Also, the use of the child dressing up in pearls demonstrates the idealisation of every girl wanting to be showered with expensive jewellery like a princess. This could link to the reason behind the young girl’s dreams of being rich and famous for her talent.
By Ashley Fontaine
Last Man on Earth
In this still frame an establishing shot is used to show how empty the streets are, emphasising how alone the man is or feels. The very high angle of the shot is almost from a birds eye view to also incorporate the closed shops he is walking next to. The road behind him as he walks towards the camera is empty which is remenicent of how he feels about his own life now, empty and worthless. The wide shot used, helps the viewer get a greater understanding of whats around the character. We see a lack of any action or human interaction, which makes the character consider ending his life as there is nothing for him to live for.
In this shot, the edges of the screen are blurred out, leaving focus on the bottle of a lethal substance in the middle of the shot, showing the importance of the decision he has to make. The character has blocked out external distractions for a moment and begins reflecting on his life and his inevatably bleak future without the companionship or help of his friends and family who are presumed dead. The bottle of liquor on the right hand side of the shot is placed out of centre to show that it is used by the character to take the edge off the depressing reality of what's outside. There is light coming into the space from outside which shows that there is hope (His friends/family aren't dead). The drink seems to be preventing him from seeing the potential of things not being as bad as he thinks.
Here a close-up is used to make obvious his strong emotion. The closeness of the shot allows the viewer to read his expression which shows a reflective and negative trail of thought. This shows the state he has been put in after being left in the world alone which one could expect to have a negative effect on someone's mental state. As humans, we need interaction with others such as family, friends so if that has been taken away from you, you may feel a sense of emptiness which is an emotion that is very clear on this man's face. It looks as though he is spent and has no more energy left both mentally and physically. His hair is slightly wet to show that he has been sweating and therefore working very hard to stay alive. The wet hair couold also mean that it has been raining outside which can infer that he hasn't had any good luck. Raining could be an omen for something bad that is about to happen.
In this still image, you can see the phone being called in the foreground and the lethal pills in the background. This lets the audience infer that there is a connection between the two. After he committed suicide after believing he was the only one on earth, he recieves a call from who we can assume is a friend or family as the number is saved meaning he is not the only man on earth and there was no reason for him to kill himself. This is intended to make the audience feel the gutting feeling that he probably feels. This is assisted by the POV shot used to help us sympothise with the character who is going to die for no reason.
By Tamuka Walker
Various Documentary Short Films:
Joanna
A devastating cancer diagnosis prompts Joanna, the mother of a small boy, to write about what she hopes to be able to accomplish in the time she has left.
The long shot allows the audience to see the rural setting, while the muddy tracks and mise-en-scene of the wellington boots further show that this place isn’t a built-up area. Additionally, the colour green is dominant within this scene and ‘green’ has connotations of growth and nature, again conveying the pastoral setting.
The slouched body language here emphasizes the sombre and joyless feelings the person is feeling, while the mise-en-scene of their grey clothing further represents their mood as grey is generally associated with loss or depression.
The use of shallow focus indicates that this is the key character in the short film – Joanna, showing her significance as the film is all about her life. On the other hand, the positioning of the character could imply that this isn’t the main character as they are off centre; possibly a secondary character, someone close to the protagonist.
The low key lighting in the scene could suggest that the person is walking in the evening, in which most people have walks at night to clear their minds from any troubles they have. Alternatively, the dull, grey atmosphere may be an indication of how the person feels – sadness, loneliness, troubled etc. This use of pathetic fallacy is effective as the dark clouding in the scene corresponds to the person’s emotions, allowing the audience to understand exactly how they feel without the use of any dialogue.
The Ghostvillage Project
Six graffiti artists transform an abandoned 1970s village on the west coast of Scotland into a giant art installation.
The artistic painting of a young woman could represent 'mother nature', who guards and protects the village. Additionally, the use of the colour 'red' is effective, as it's generally associated with passion and exudes a strong and powerful masculine energy, which graffiti artists clearly have. The dark opening from the doorway conveys the mysterious abandoned village that it used to be; 'black' connotes fear of the unknown, in which the pitch black opening looks like a black hole that stares into the past of the village. In contrast, the high key lighting draws attention to the sturdy, brick building, which symbolises the strong bond the graffiti artists have because they all want to transform the derelict village into an art installation for the whole community on the west coast of Scotland.
Letters From An Anonymous Addict
A short documentary that sheds light upon the lives of young drug addicts in Bangladesh.
The words 'An Anonymous Addict', suggest that the young drug addict doesn't want his personal story to define him or that he is too scared to come forward because his dad many find out. This demonstrates the sensitivity of topics such as this because it appears the person is taking drugs to forget all his troubles. The use of the white font helps the text to stand out and illustrates those innocent young children who have been dragged into the world of drugs, since the 'white' connotes purity. The letter reads that the person took heroine - a Class A drug, which could be because he can't cope with the realisation that his mother has passed away. Along with this, the use of the shallow focus displays the slum setting in the background. This portrays Bangladesh as a less economically developed country (LEDC), which could be a reason as to why there are so many young drug addicts; there's nothing to do to keep them occupied and living in a slum is demotivating.
Offline Dating
BAFTA nominated short film director Adam Abrahams questions the status quo of online dating by challenging his newly single friend Tom to find his next date - OFFLINE.
The use of the two shot and high key lighitng draws attention to the recreational location. A park is generally used for family outings, or in this case a friendly man flirting with a woman in order to achieve a date. The vast amount of greenery in the backgrounf represents possible growth of this couple's relationship in the future, as 'green' connotes nature, growth and freshness. In addition, the body language of the woman shows she's uninterested in what the man is telling her because she's simply carrying on with what she's doing - reading a newspaper. This implis that she would rather not talk or listen to what he has to say since she is preoccupied with her own life. Despite the close proximity of both people on the bench, the woman's apathetic facial expressions display the pair's distant relationship. The man's awkward body language indictaes that he's shy and finds this offline dating experience uncomfortable , even though he's desperately trying to make conversation.
By Ashley Fontaine
'A Man Who Delivers'
In this still frame, a text message is shown to give the audience a personalised experience making it seem as though one was in the drug dealer's shoes. This is effective in changing the perspective of the audience as drug dealers are often seen in a negative way. The documentary is an insight into how hard it can be for people with this lifestyle and the text messages that apear on screen help us see that. Mise-en-scene in this shot includes antique-like ornaments that may remind audience members of their own home. This could be to humanise the character featured in order to separate him from his job.
A shot of the car's side mirror is a metaphore for him having to look over his shoulder. His line of work is shown to be unpredictable and potentially dangerous which is revealed by this telling shot. Another inference that could be made about this shot is that his would could provoke a paranoid nature.
In this still frame, a close up of a baby is shown. The face of the baby's sleep occupies half of the shot whilst the other half is cast in darkness. One can infer this to symbolise two sides to every story, in this context; the reason behind his proffesion (To feed his family) which is represented by the baby's innate innocence. This is compared to the dark or 'empty' half of the picture which is being an outlaw of society (a dark and mysterious figure).
In many scenes, the 'live' time is shown across the shot in such a manner as we follow him through his day. The numbers show on the screen in the nature of a countdown which could represent the amount of time he has left before his actions catch up with him. In the short film, no mention of police is made until right at the end where we are left in suspence as blue lights flash across the scene. The audience will feel sympathy to the man after being put in his shoes as texts still appear on the screen. His 'Girlfriend' lets us know that something is out of the ordinary, giving the film a dramatic ending, giving audiences a view of the drama of his life.
The simplistic style of this still frame where the majority of the screen is occupied by darkness which serves as an omen, indicating something bad has happened or will happen.
By Tamuka Walker
These still frames helped us to understand what to analyse the key parts of what make up a short film; the documentary frames were particularly helpful.