Short film: MEMORIES

Why I chose this video?

I chose this video because I think for only being 2 minutes long, it gives off such a powerful vibe that you want to keep watching. Its very moving and cleverly put together.

Textual Analysis

The location of this film is in a normal street. It seems to be a cold wintery day as the character is wrapped up in a coat. The guy is dressed normally, trousers and coat, he looks like a normal man. During the film there are props in the form of undeveloped picture reels. Although the video is in colour, it is very drained so it is near enough black and white. The colours are very miserable and makes the film feel cold and depressed. 

The establishing shot of this film is of the main character at the zebra crossing. He is walking alone with his hands in his pockets, he seems very shut off to the rest of the world. 

During the film there is many different shots. There are low angle shots looking on the floor when the man picks the picture reels up from the ground. There are also zoom in's, when the camera focuses in on a point, for example in the film, the camera zooms in on the characters eyes. There are many other single shots of different things as the film goes on, for example of the guys house, and the nature around the house where the picture reels lie, and inside the home there are different shots.

The editing is very seamless in this video, there are no sharp cuts, it has all been put together smoothly. There are many dissolves in this film as the guy has flashbacks when looking at the picture reels. The editing has been cleverly done to show this pastime of thought through the fading in and out. 

The picture below shows the fade which represents the flashback.

There is also something called a dissolve in this film. This is when, the editor has blended a mix of images, over each other to imply the day has passed. This happens about a minute into the film when the guy has found more and more picture reels. 

The only sound in this film is the sounds of the music and the diegetic sounds of the natural background e.g. cars, wind, walking. There is no dialogue in this move which makes it more interesting to watch because you sort of make up your own dialogue in your head as you watch. 

Genre

This film is a fiction film, it has been written by the director who made this film up. My interpretation of this film is that it is about a man who has nothing but memories in his mind of certain things and they come back to him when he looks through old photos but then the memory disappears again. It could be due to an illness the character has.

Audience

This film was made by students however it is such a captivating story line that the audience for this film could be any age. It is not solely aimed at students. I think those of an elder generation, or even those who know of someone experiencing what the character experiences, would like this film. It is quite a popular film. 

It has 176,212 hits on you tube.

This film was also nominated and won the 'winner of best fiction award at the altered images student post production festival in London 2010'. 

Context

This film was made in 2010, and was written, directed and edited by a student from Buckingham university, who goes by the name of Radoslaw Sienski. 

Short film: SIGNS

Why i chose this film?

I didn't know where to start looking for short films, so I went on youtube and hoped for the best. This was the first film I clicked on. After watching it I thought, this would be a good film to analyse.

Textual Analysis

The location of this short film is set in america. The setting seems like it is a busy place, however the main character isn't part of that busy hype. Throughout this film, he is more of a nobody rather than a busy body. It is a real life location, it is set in 2 main settings, one being the guys apartment, the other being his workplace, however there are snippets of other settings e.g. on the tube to work, and in a park on a bench. The guy wears the same grey suit everyday, which shows his life is very repetitive. The lighting is pretty dim all throughout the film.

The establishing shot of the film is of the guy in the bed. It is an aerial shot, meaning it is shot from above. It shows the guy in bed by himself spaced out as he just opens his eyes. Straight away we are given the inclination that this is the main character. During the film, the main guy meets a lady, who works in the next building, just below his office. He can see her through his window when he looks down and she see's him when she looks up. This is shown through the camera angles used. There are high angles and low angles to represent the distance between them both. 

I suppose the props they use in this short film is the pieces of paper that both characters use to write on as they communicate with each other through the windows. The paper plays an important role in this short film, as it is how the message is shown.

The first few shots are seamless, as they switch from watching him get out of bed, to getting ready, eating breakfast, and then on the way to work. They all follow one another in a clean order. There are no fades or slow motion pieces in the film.

This film has been very clever with sound, as the only sounds that are used is the background music that has been edited in, and the sounds of everyday life and other characters. The two main characters, the guy and the girl, do not have any dialogue however they have the biggest parts to play. The director has thought of another way for them to convey their message which is through writing on paper. I thought this was very clever and it made the film more interesting to see what they would say to each other without the use of words. Also, the background music has been edited to play along with the sequence of the film. For example at the start of the film, the music is very slow and boring and suggests that the guy is also very boring. However, as the film progresses and his life gets interesting, he meets the girl, the music starts to pick up and get happier.

Genre

I think the genre of this film is love. It is a short film about communication and being able to find love when you least expect it if you just follow the 'signs'. 

Audience

Through doing some research on this film I came across a Facebook page for this short film. It seems that this film is widely known and enjoyed by many, even those of a different origin. As there is no dialogue, there isn't much of a need to understand English I suppose, just watching the film through you can understand the concept.

Also this film has 105, 157 likes just on Facebook which shows its popularity. On you tube it has over 7 million hits.

Below is some of the reviews and ratings that audience have given this film after watching it.

Context

This film was released in March of 2008. The studio used was 'radical.media and publics mojo productions'. It has been described as a sweet film about communication and finding love when you least expect it. It stars actor Nick Russell and actress Kestie Morsaai.

This film was directed by Patrick Hughes who also helped with the screenplay alongside Karl Fleet & Nick Worthington. Patrick Hughes also has his own feature film out, his first, called 'red hill'. It was produced by Victoria Conners-Bell.

Final Proposal

The final proposal for our documentary has been slightly altered after considering the feedback from the demographic research and also further research about our previous topic found that arranged marriages weren't completely bad but in some cases they were promoted by the individuals, which encourages us to alter out topic to a more controversial subject which was 'forced marriages'.
Our final idea is based around the concept of 'forced marriages', we will aim to create an investigative documentary.
Forced marriage is a topic that is widely known amongst the UK, if not the world. But yet, it remains 'hidden' within society and although it is a topic that springs a lot of interest, there aren't many who would take the time to investigate the lengths of which it can go to. The question we pose is why?
This documentary will aim to look at the concept of forced marriages, digging deep to find the effect it has on the individual and wider society. We will aim to construct a non-bias documentary on this topic interviewing professionals with in depth societal views and individuals that have been involved in forced marriages themselves.
During the documentary the audience will gain an insight into how forced marriages are undertaken from a reconstruction. We'll aim to capture the communication undertaken between the families involved and also the journey to the airport for the victim of such a tragedy, aiming to finally show the victim seek help from the many officials who can help to stop this crime.
To gain a wider understanding of the matter we will also use constructed Vox pops and un-constructed Vox pops to see what society thinks of the concept.
By the end of this documentary the audience will be well informed of the concept from the range of techniques we are aiming to implement, ensuring we follow the documentary codes and conventions set out by the industry.

storyboard

Storyboards are an essential tool when producing a media product, whether it is a film, documentary, music video or any other media texts, as storyboards enable the producers to visualise their product, it also enables the producers to see what actions they need to take to achieve their product (locations, camera movements and angle etc). However it is to be noted, storyboards don’t have to be followed by the letter, as to improve their product, the production team may see it necessary to change some aspects or add some aspects to the storyboard.


Initial story board idea..



Final story board idea

The Script

Opening titles:

Forced marriages occur when either or both participants have been pressured into entering matrimony, without giving their free consent.

It's not the same as an arranged marriage, which may have been set up by a relative or friend, but has been willingly agreed to by the couple.

Over the past few years, force marriages haven’t gained much publicity, but yet the topic is widely known by many societies, yet have you heard anyone “openly” talking about the topic.

The answer to that is a, simple no. During the course of this documentary we will be investigating the concept of force marriages and the hidden impact it has on society and you as an individual.

We’ll look at law being passed through the House of Lords in an effort to stop such marriages taking place, but do the same laws apply when the marriages take place outside the EU?

The government has taken initiatives to ensure that victims of such crimes are able to seek help from the British embassies that are within the countries abroad.

Advertisements and online videos, funded by the foreign common wealth office’s forced marriage unit, have been created in the bid that British citizens are aware of the help available to them if they ever become victims.

Currently the foreign and commonwealth office has made proposals to provide a prevention service, thus not requiring a British nationals being “rescued” from a forced marriage abroad. But are these criminals finding their way around the law by undertaking their forced marriage within the UK?

Interview (Bal Gill):

What cultures or societies are more likely to put their children through a forced marriage?

No parent would want to put their child through intentional pain, so what benefit do the parents feel a forced marriage has?

What is the international community doing to prevent such marriages taking place, and in your professional capacity, do you feel these prevention  measures are actually going to work in the long term?

Do you personally feel that these type of marriages should continue as it’s part of the culture of the participants or do you feel that such marriages have horrific impacts on the individual and their children and why?

Thank you for your time Mr Gill.

Vox pots

Hello can we ask you a few questions?

What is your understanding of arranged marriages, and forced marriages?

Do you feel that the two topics are underestimated or over estimated in regards to the impact on the individual and society and why?

Here are a few statistics for you to think about.

Nearly 40% of the cases dealt with by the FMU concerned people under the age of 18.

Women and girls were the victims in 85% of the total cases.

The UK's Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) received 1063 reports of possible forced marriages between January and August 2009 – an increase of 25% on the same period in 2008.

Why do they happen?

People force others into marriage due to a range of factors such as preserving wealth and family reputation.

"Parents may have made a promise when the child was young and they feel they can't let the other family down," says Sue, from Central Manchester Women's Aid.

"The victim's parents may call their children selfish and they are told they are bringing shame on the honour of the family."

Many victims are subject to emotional blackmail and physical threats. A number of them may be forced to marry a member of their extended family, for example, a cousin.

The UK's Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) has outlined the following reasons why people coerce others into matrimony:

To control unwanted behaviour and sexuality, and prevent ‘unsuitable’ relationships, i.e. with people outside their ethnic, cultural, caste or religious group

To protect perceived cultural or religious ideals

Family ‘honour’ or long-standing family commitments

Peer group or family pressure

To ensure land, property and wealth remain in the family

To strengthen family links

To assist claims for residence and citizenship

To provide a carer for a disabled family member / reduce the ‘stigma’ of disability

You may be asking why do people actually travel abroad, knowing they are going to be forced into a marriage.

Some young people, especially of South Asian background, are tricked into visiting their family's country of origin for a holiday, only to find that there are plans to get them married there.

They may be isolated, have no access to money, telephones or their passports, and their movement will be restricted.

The local British embassy will get involved if the victim - or someone they know - informs them or the UK's Forced Marriage Unit about their situation.

Making the contact may involve some risk for the victim hence under-reporting is fairly common.

Therefore visitors are recommended to leave details of their passport, flights and overseas residence with a trusted friend in the UK and contact the Foreign Office before they travel.

Even though they are abroad, victims still have the right to legal protection as the people forcing them into marriage may be in breach of the law in the UK and other countries.

One of the main impacts on the victim is isolation, which is considered a mental health problem which can lead to many other mental health problems and physical health issues.

 People who are being forced into marriage face many problems.

Privately, they may feel frightened, lonely and withdraw into themselves.

This can lead onto mental and physical health problems including depression, eating disorders and self-harm.

They may develop poor attendance and performance at their workplace or educational institution.

Although both men and women are affected, the latter especially encounter many difficulties after the forced marriage occurs.

They are often apart from their family and can suffer domestic abuse at the hands of their husband or in-laws.

Those who have lived in an unconsented union for a long time may find it difficult to leave, especially if they have children.

They may experience financial problems, lack of family support and stigma in their community.

The victim may also worry about the consequences for their in-laws and their own family if they walk out on a forced marriage and report it to an authority.

Laws and helplines have been set up in the UK to help people in these situations.

We are fortunate in the sense that the British government has acknowledged this time of “crime” and have implemented a forced marriage act that stops this from happening or intends such things for happening.

Laws to prevent forced marriages and provide a way out for those already in an unwanted union were introduced in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in November 2008.

Anyone - including a victim, friend or local authority - can ask a court to implement a Forced Marriage Protection Order (FMPO).

This can stop a person being married against their will and prevent them from being taken abroad.

The FMPOs can also demand that perpetrators stop any intimidation, reveal the victim's location and hand over passports otherwise they could face imprisonment.

A person convicted of coercing somebody to marry could be jailed for up to two years.

However the laws do not ban forced marriages and so, it is not a criminal act in itself.

Forced Marriage Protection Order (FMPO)

Within a year of the introduction of the Forced Marriage Act, 86 FMPOs had been issued - the initial estimate by the Ministry of Justice was about 50.

The first was implemented over the high-profile case of Dr Humayra Abedin who feared being forced into marriage and was held captive in Bangladesh by her parents.

Her friends in the UK notified the British authorities after which the High Court ordered her return to the UK.

The High Court in Bangladesh, where the consent of both parties to a marriage is legally required, also ruled she must be freed. Dr Abedin decided not to press charges against her parents.

Her UK lawyer, Anne-Marie Hutchinson, said, "I would hope that many other young victims, or potential victims, would feel confident enough now to come forward and feel confident in the fact that courts will act and authorities overseas will act on their human rights and implement them."

Target Audience

Those who participated in my questionnaire were of both genders and ranged from the ages 16-35+. This tells me that documentaries are not specifically made for a certain type of person. You can be of either sex and any age to enjoy a documentary. Therefore, my documentary is aimed at anyone interested in the topic I have chosen which is 'Forced marriage'.

When I posed the question 'what makes a documentary interesting?', I wanted to find out what the audience enjoy watching. Out of those who participated in my survey, more than 5 replied that the topic of the documentary was what they found most interesting. So as my last question I asked if 'they would be intrigued to watch a documentary on arranged/forced marriages?'. To this many replied that they would be interested because it is a known topic but not talked about. Some also said that it is a matter close to their hearts therefore they would enjoy watching something on it.

For this documentary myself and my group have been thinking about the codes and conventions of documentaries. We came to realise that music and reconstructions are very common when making a documentary but we asked ourselves, although it is a common attribute to documentaries, do the audience actually enjoy them? So in my survey, I asked if background music was preferred to no music and if reconstructions were a vital part to a 'good' documentary. In reply to the music, some participants replied that music was enjoyable if it fitted with the scene of the documentary, because they felt that it would enforce what the documentary was on about. Also some said that music was good because it filled the minor gaps of silence some documentaries may have. However, one participant said that music was distracting from the seriousness of a documentary. In reply to the reconstruction being a vital part of a good documentary, some participants said it was vital because it helps the audience to gain a better understanding of the content of the programme. However, some participants said they weren't vital for a good documentary however they were useful if used in the right context and accurate.

Therefore, I now know that when I am making my own documentary, I am only going to use music that flows with the content of the scene and also only use reconstructions that are accurate and don't exaggerate the topic because then it is not a realistic view of the topic.

Doing this online survey was useful because it provided me with good research information to make my own documentary and was quick and easy to do and didnt take up alot of time.

Audience Research

The questionnaire below is the survey that I made on surveymonkey.com. I uploaded this survey onto my facebook page where I asked people to take the time to answer the survey. I did the survey online rather than in person because it was less time consuming, and it was interesting to use a different way of gathering research information. To use a media source, to find out about media, was very intriguing.

The survey


1.Your name

2.Your age

3.Out of the following what do you enjoy watching the most? Please explain why.
Music videos/Documentaries/Short films.

4.What do you think makes a documentary interesting to watch?

5.Do you prefer documentaries to have background music? Yes/No
 If so, please explain why.

6.Do you think 'reconstructions' are a vital part of a good documentary? Yes/No
 Please explain why you have chosen you answer.

7.Would you be intrigued to watch a documentary on 'arranged marriages'? Yes/No

Please explain why.

This is what the survey looked like online.

The Pitch

Our idea is based around the concept of arranged marriages; we will aim to create an investigative documentary.

Forced marriage is a topic that is widely known amongst the UK, if not the world. But yet it remains ‘hidden’ within society and although it is a topic that springs a lot of interest, there aren’t many who would take the time to investigate it, the question we pose is why?

This documentary will aim to look at the concept of forced marriages; digging deep to find the impact it has on the individual and wider society. We will aim to construct a non-bias documentary on this topic interviewing professionals with societal matters and individuals that have been involved in forced marriages themselves.

During the documentary the audience will gain an insight into how a forced marriage is undertaken from a reconstruction. Characters will pose as members of two families who will organise the marriage of their daughter and son. The marriage will take place within a traditional setting, such as a Gurdwara, but this hasn’t been confirmed.

To gain a wider understanding of the matter we will also use unconstructed Vox pops and constructed Vox pops to gain an insight into what society thinks of the concept.

 By the end of this documentary the audience will be well informed of the concept, from the range of techniques we are aiming to implement, ensuring we follow the documentary conventions set out by the industry.

OK Go - Here It Goes Again

Why I chose this video?
I chose this video because I think the actual concept of the video when described to a person, can sound quite monotonous and not very appealing to watch, however when you actually watch the video you come to realise how interesting it really is and how exciting it is to watch. Therefore I thought it would be a good video to analyse.

Textual Analysis
This video is set in what looks like a studio/indoor open space. It is a plain setting, with a plain background. The only props in this video is the 4 treadmills that the 4 band members do a dance routine on. They are all wearing peppy clothes, the way they normally would dress as a 4 piece in everyday life. They haven't dressed up for the video, or made the video a big show like other artists may do so. The lighting in this video is bright, everything is clear, which suggests a happy mood. It is a fast paced, interesting routine although the concept is boring, the finished video keeps the audience hooked because it is so different. Also in terms of camera angles, there is only one. This is unusual for any kind of video especially a up tempo music video. The camera does not move from start to finish. The establishing shot is the only shot in the whole video. There are no pans/zooms/fades etc. It seems as if the camera has been placed on a tripod and just left to record the video in one shot as there also no visible cuts. This means there has been NO editing involved in this video as it has been filmed in one long piece. The sound reflects the actions of the movement, i.e. at the start when the music is quiet there is no movement however when the music starts, the dance routine kicks in. Also when the music goes fast paced, the actions also speed up.

Genre

I would sum OK Go up as a rock band but not traditional heavy bass rock. More of an alternative, pop rock sound. However, their music is appreciated by many different audiences, not just the rock fan base. I am not a huge rock fan, however, I think OK Go are refreshing as they give the rock genre a new feel.

Audience

BBC Music believes the audience for OK Go are teenagers that go to college and party all day/night. However personally, I think OK Go are for all ages and all people. They show through their versatile quirky videos, that they are not signposted to just one audience, they have many different qualities to them as a band that they appeal to all types of people.

Form

I think this video is a 'performance' video. Although it isn't a very typical 'in your face' performance video, it still shows the band performing a dance routine on gym equipment, showcasing their musical talent.

Context

The video was directed by 'Trish Sie' and the band themselves. It took 17 attempts to film the complete video in one single take. It was also choreographed by 'Trish Sie'. Time magazine awarded this video in its 'Top 30 All Time Best' for music videos. It also won a grammy award for the best short form music video in 2007 and a youtube award in 2006 for being the most creative video.

Jay-Z ft Swiss Beatz - Onto the next one

Why I chose this video?

I chose this video to analyse and write about because I think Jay-Z is one of the many very influential artists we have. Although in their own right, every artist has their own influences on the world, I think Jay-Z is one level above the rest. He manages to influence people with his life,  his background, his music, however, he still manages to keep his privacy and a track on his life. This cant be said for a lot of other artists who brag or talk about every aspect of their lives in order to keep a fan base. Also, this video is very different to many others. It has no structure, its made up of different scenarios and images and illusions. Its edgy, and some may say even a little scary, so I thought it would be an interesting video to use.

Textual Analysis

This video was filmed in a studio with different scenarios on each set, collectively put together to make this video. There is no narrative story behind this video. It is very abstract. The scenarios are all very different, each setting has a different prop ranging from bottles of milk to cars. Other props include dice, basketballs, and birds. Noticeably the props are all black and white, as is the video. The white could suggest the purity behind jay-z's music as he writes about his own life, nothing is false. The black could suggest the controversy behind this video as some critics may say it exhibits his devil worshipping side. The people in this video are all dressed extravagantly, a step away from everyday clothing.

The establishing shot is of 2 lights, that are unlit. However, as soon as they turn on, the camera suddenly cuts to show jay-z. This indicates his power within music and the video.

The camera tends to show each prop close up and then zooming out. This shows the prop in a different angle to what you think it might be, and then what it actually is when shown fully. I think they did this to add a little mystery to the video. They have used low angles when showing the dancers. As if we are looking up at them, like they have power over us while we watch.

The editing for this video is very clean. There are sharp cuts from one image to the next, however it doesn't alarm you, after the first few seconds of watching the video, you almost expect to see an image change every other second to the fast paced beat. This is known as 'superimpose'. A blended mix of different images. Also, they have edited some lyrics onto a black background within the video.

Genre

Jay-Z's music is named as hip-hop. This is a fast paced hip hop song. It has a different feel to most rap songs, as it has more of a rhythm and beat to it. This song has over 21 million hits on youtube, showing that it has a huge fan base, even with the new beats.

Audience

Stereotypically some would say the audience to this song would be black males. However I disagree. I think Jay-Z has a wider fan base than most would think. The fact that Jay-Z performed at glastonbury 2010, shows his versatility to perform for any audience. Also the fact that this song has a different sound to most hip hop songs, shows that he can attract different people to his music.

Form

This video I think is abstract, but well thought out. Its not just images put together with no meaning. I believe it has a meaning to jay-Z and he has carefully selected the props to match his song. There is some element of a performance, with the dancers and also jay-z himself in the video however it is mostly abstract.

Context

This video was directed by 'Sam Brown'. He has also directed videos for james blunt and the foo fighters. When Brown made this video, he was hit by a load of questions about whether the video was backed by illuminati. To put it in simple terms, illuminati is a global elite who have a bond of seeking the powers of their mind. When asked if the video had anything to do with this, Brown replied 'There is imagery in this video that is drawn from all over the place. None of it is owned by any one culture or belief system. You can connect anything if you try hard enough, and make it mean anything you want it to'.