film reviews

i have been reading up on film reviews for the past week in preparation for my coursework and have discovered that much like most print the film magazine is hardly a flourishing industry. that being said they have adapted and many reviews can be read online. below are two film reviews from the website of empire which is a premiere film magazine

http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=136655
http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=136159

some websites such as rottentomatoes do not even have magazines but operate solely virtually, making profit from advertising

posters

although most short films do not have posters i have managed to find a very interesting one

the poster draws you in with its detailed..well..lack of detail. it aptly hints at the plot of the film. the choice of beige as the background colour was a good one as it contrasts with the flesh colour but syncs well with the whiteness of the missing face.

seeds

many feature length films are based on short films. district 9 was based on the short "alive in Joburg" and most film makers start of with short films, often as a sort of calling card to the industry. a good way to get your name out in the industry is to make a short which is successful at festivals.

key points

there are 12 regions in the UK in which you can apply for funding for filming. they support all genres and styles.

make sure to constantly get feedback to improve film. it is important that critisism is given to the film before it is sent off so that it can appeal to an audience rather than it being something self indulgent.

18 month window between completing film and researching festivals. many film festivals have a time limit of anywhere from a year to 18 months

like with large films it is key to organise. organisation is needed for a serious project and schedules must be strictly adhered to

some festivals pertain to certain styles. it is no use sending your action film to a festival that specialises in art house films

strangers

i was looking through the long list of short films on youtube and found this. the film is entitled strangers and felt it was relevant to my own short.

the film does not use dialogue, it does not require it. narrative is shown through facial expression and movement from the actors. for the initial interaction between the protagonists back to back shots are used with closeups on the characters, allowing their smallest change if expression to be seen and understood to its fullest potential

the camera remains stationary for most of the film. besides the shots on the moving train, where the camera is shakings slightly, the camera remains very steady, including the few panning shots it utilises. closeups on the protagonists allows us to concentrate more on their reactions and motives, something especially vital in a film with no dialogue.

it appears to use natural lighting which i personally feel adds to the drama and authentic feel of the film.

it shows a plot we have seen recycled a hundred times over in film. the two protagonists do not trust each other, but ultimately unite against a common foe.

this film creates great misen sen. the jewish protagonist is shown to be jewish through use of a star of david necklace and his hebrew ring tone. likewise we see the arab protagonist as such by the newspaper he is reading being in arabic.

genre

my short film is a drama and follows many of the standard codes and conventions of a drama. the story, while surreal, is not absurdist and likewise the charecter's, while strange, i have tried to make human and relatable.

the film will utilise steady camera movement and natural lighting to give it a mire authentic feel. i used stranger than fiction as a bases for how i wanted my film to turn out. strange, occasionally very strange, but ultimately an interesting piece highlighting the normal human reaction to something that is in essence very abnormal