Eliza Wood

  SLAP Where is the beginning, middle, end? What events segment them, what changes in dramatic terms? - Beginning: up until Archie is beaten up, End: begins at the party  - Once Archie accepts Connor there is a sense of relief but the film in fact becomes more dramatic and intense after this  What is this film about? What are the themes and messages? - masculinity, duality, acceptance, self-expression  What are the visual motifs?  - The use of the mirror/Connor's reflection symbolizes  his duality and internal conflict concerning his identity  The setting is important. Why? Consider: geographically, culturally, aesthetically.  - There is a working class, Northern setting  - The buildings are very drab and grey which contrasts with Connor's glamourous outfits and make-up - Social realism is enhanced by a recognizable setting  - There is also a large contrast between the setting of Connor's bedroom and the boxing gym as they seem to e...

  ECHO How does this compare to the other short films we have studied? - It is relatively long for short film  - There is no clear resolution  - There are no attempts to sway the audience in terms of their relationship with Caroline  What are the themes of this short film? - honesty, acceptance, grief, family  What is your response to the main character? How does this change? - The initial response to Caroline is pity as she appears to have lost a family member - However, this then changes once we learn that she has been making it up - This changes again once it becomes clear that she has in fact experienced a tragedy and is coping with it in an unorthodox way  How is the film structured - what knowledge do we have and when? How does this affect our viewing experience? - Structured around the phone calls with each call revealing a new detail to the audience  Is there a distinct beginning-middle-end? - Distinct segments which are signposted by each phon...

  OPERATOR Operator - what is the significance of the title? - The operator is defined by her job within the confines of the film- as a viewer, we barely know anything about her because it is crucial  to her job that she remains unaffected  Why is it important to the success of the film that we get an insight into other calls at the start? - It reinforces the idea that this is just a snapshot of her life and that there are hundreds of people out there just like her  Consider the use of cinematography - how many kinds of shots are there? - The camera remains at eye level with the operator and only switches to close-up when the operator begins to speak about personal details with the caller  Consider the ending - is closed or open? Is it satisfactory? How do we feel as a viewer?  - The ending is open as we see the operator pick up the next call - There is a very strong sense that the call we have just witnessed was completely unremarkable as she deals with hu...

THE FLY When and where is this set - how and when is this established? - the film has a 70s/80s aesthetic that is created by the costume but it is not necessarily  clear what time period the film is set in  - The location of the film is established as East London by the accents and by the surrounding buildings When is the beginning, middle and end? - beginning: up until the fly is introduced, middle: up until the man punches the mirror, end: onwards from the punching of the mirror  Eyeline is particularly important - why? How is it established and maintained? - Many of the shots are POV shots of the driver which situates the viewer with him  - The camera angle also gets progressively higher as the tension rises  We are invited to compare and contrast the drama inside and outside the bank. How? What is the effect? - The viewer is not permitted to see the action in the bank but can hear screams, shouting etc. which provides some information  Identify how soun...

  The Arrival 'The Arrival' is a short film which centers on a young woman named Anna as she waits in a café for the father of her unborn child. The narrative follows Anna's internal monologue as she agonizes about her future with or without this child. The overall colour palette of the film is muted and de-saturated with the café being mostly red and brown and Anna's cream jumper. Anna's make-up is limited and her hair is in a practical style to create the feeling of her being just an everyday person.  The film opens with an obscured long shot of Anna through the dirty window in the café door. The door is then opened and the camera inches closer and closer in a single shot as the film progresses and her thoughts unravel. The lighting is harsh and bright against the more shadowy areas of the room which creates a contrast which mirrors Anna's internal conflict. The mise-en-scene plays a large role symbolically as the clock on the back wall reminds Anna of her lif...

  Over 'Over' is a short film that tells the story of a man from Angola who falls from a plane into a neighborhood in North London. The story is told with reverse chronology so that it starts with flowers being laid and blood being hosed from the street and ends with the death itself. The film is almost entirely silent which creates a haunting atmosphere and makes the film much more real and documentary-esque. The silence of the film allows for a jump-scare when the body falls from the sky which creates a much more affecting moment. Nearly every shot is a static wide shot which forces the viewer to watch the scene from a distance with minimal understanding of the situation. Exceptions to this include the close ups of the flowers and dramatic close ups of various evidence bags from the death which provide clues to the audience as to the nature of the situation. Slow editing accompanies these distant shots making use of infrequent edits to add to the painfully still style. Lighti...

  Tight Jeans 'Tight Jeans' is a short film set in Lewisham, which focuses on a group of three young men whose conversation about tight jeans spirals into a conversation about race, women and culture. The script of this film introduces the viewer to the individual personalities of each boy. On the far left in red there is Joseph, he is impatient and the one who sparks the conversation with his absurd wonderings about why black men don't wear tight jeans. He is also presented as the slightly dim member of the group as he mixes up emo and emu whilst Theo (far right) explains that emo is a sub-culture like punk. In the middle there is Marcus who acts as if he is clever but ends up spewing nonsense about the causes of slavery being related to the size of black men's penises. Finally, on the far right there is Theo who appears to be the leader of the group and probably the most intelligent. Theo seems to call the shots when Joseph wants to leave and appears as more of an old...