NEA evaluation

1. Evaluation Martha Hay 4055 Alleyn’s School 10802
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For a short film to be eligible for the OSCARs it has to have ‘a running time of
40 minutes or less, including all credits’. This time limit can change for
different film festivals, and most exam boards only accept a film five minutes
or less. ‘Short films are not inferior, just different. I think the short gives a
freedom to filmmakers. What's appealing is that you don't have as much
responsibility for storytelling and plot. They can be more like a portrait, or a
poem’ - Jane Campion. Short films are not just a feature film condensed into a
smaller time frame; they have a specific structure that focuses on conveying a
story with succinct scope’, They have a specific structure to them that focuses
on getting to the true core of a character, theme, and concept. This time is not
a constraint but rather provides an opportunity for the writer and filmmaker
with an outlet for creative expression, an opportunity for learning and the
chance to be discovered. This is clear from the expanse of the Sundance Film
Festival entries, last year with 8,740 short films submitted, more than
double the number of feature-length films that were submitted. Mike
Plante, short film programmer of Sundance says, “It’s cheaper to make a
short film. You can take bigger risks; it’s less money and time.” This makes it
more accessible to students like me. With a tight plan and with the help of
some peers, I was able to make an entertaining film with no budget. I relied on
good weather and natural lighting, to achieve the natural and warm aesthetic,
rather than lighting rigs, and additional equipment to get the same effect. (See
Fig.1)
A boy ambushes his friend at home and demands that she listen to his
unusual morning experience. He tells the girl and the audience the story about
how he was approached and robbed in a supermarket by a woman, ultimately
ending in a punch line, showing that the story was just a long-winded joke.
This is similar to Dan Sully’s ‘The Ellington Kid’, where two boys sit in a kebab
shop in London, discussing how a rumour that also ends on a punch line. This
film compared to mine has similar narrative, and ultimate twists. My film’s title
‘Unexpected Item’ was originally called ‘Unexpected Item In The Bagging
Fig.1 Examples of how the natural sunlight was used in my film, creating a
natural and warmer aesthetic for less money.

2. Evaluation Martha Hay 4055 Alleyn’s School 10802
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Area’. I shortened the title to make it shorter and less complicated. The title
gives the audience a small indication of the content of the story. It is a
reference to the supermarket themes, whilst also hinting that there is an
unexpected element in the film. This title is similar to the title ‘Tight Jeans’,
this short title gives the audience a hint as to what the film is about, but
doesn’t give away the whole plot.
Film genres are various forms of identifiable types, categories, classifications
or groups of films; Steve Neale defined it as ‘systems of orientations,
expectations and conventions that circulate between industry, text and
subject’. ‘Unexpected Item’ can be classified as a light comedy thriller through
these classifications. The genre and tone of this film is similar to the comedic
‘Tight Jeans’ and ‘The Ellington Kid’ from the list of short films. They share
similarities through the protagonists; all the films have a witty and charismatic
stock character that directs the narrative. (See Fig.2)
The semantic factors contribute to the categorising of genre. For example, the
indoor sitting room shots have much warmer lighting and colour grading,
similar to the lighting in a comedy. The brighter colours resonate with the
audience, reinforcing and reminding them of the lighter and comedic themes.
The flashback shots in the supermarket are much colder, giving an eerier tone
to it. These cold colours given by the supermarket’s harsh LEDs are what you
would expect in a thriller. It was my intention to show the shift in tone as the
story progresses, through the cold and warmer colours. (See Fig.3)
Vladimir Propp said that “functions of character serve as stable, constant
elements in a tale, independent of how and by whom they are fulfilled.” My
film conforms and plays with this idea. ‘The Boy’ in my film carries the
Fig.2 Protagonists from the three films: Nathan from The Ellington Kid, The
Boy from UI, and Joseph from Tight Jeans.
Fig.3 Examples of how the colours tones shift with the timescale in my film, from
warm to cold. These colours set the lighter/darker tones for that specific scene.

3. Evaluation Martha Hay 4055 Alleyn’s School 10802
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narrative, he is the storyteller, and the film acts as a medium for telling the
audience his story. However, he is also an unreliable narrator, meaning his
credibility is seriously compromised. This is only revealed to the audience in
the last five seconds of the film; discrediting the story he had the audience
believing. As an unreliable narrator he does not serve as a ‘stable, constant
element in the tale’. By Propp’s ‘spheres of action’, ‘The Boy’ could be thought
of as ‘the hero’, as he is on a quest for digestives, and has to overcome ‘The
Woman’ (the villain). My film is set in two times, a time earlier in the day
where ‘The Boy’ is at the supermarket, and about half an hour later in ‘The
Girl’s’ house. As ‘The Boy’ has flashbacks the film jumps between these two
times and settings, meaning my film is non-chronological. This does not
conform easily with Todorov or Syd Field’s three part structure, as the film
begins with the inciting incident of ‘The Boy’ running down the street, and it
then ends with disequilibrium, the disruption of the twist ending. This narrative
structure is similar to that of ‘The Ellington Kid’, and Lewis Arnold’s ‘Echo’,
where information is only revealed to the audience further on in the narrative,
creating a sequence of enigmas.
Following on from the how the film is split into two settings, my use of editing
cinematography, and sound are different in each. The shots in the house
conform to the rules of continuity editing. I established spatial and temporal
relationships using the 180-degree rule, and positioned the audience with the
characters in the room. (See Fig.3) By putting the audience in the action it
means that the twist affects them more. They are put in the same situation as
‘The Girl’ being told the story.
However, during the flashbacks of ‘The Boy’ being followed in supermarket,
the editing begins to challenge the concept of continuity editing. The
sequences consist of multiple jump cuts around the supermarket, and a lack
of temporal boundaries, in a montage style. This was to create humour, and to
show how much he is being followed. I repeat this montage style of quick cuts
multiple times throughout my film, similar to Edgar Wright’s style of editing,
and how he uses it to create ‘visual comedy’. In contrast to the continuity
editing in the house, the characters in the supermarket break the fourth wall.
(See Fig.4) This change in editing styles when crosscutting between the
different settings reinforces the strange and non-sensical atmosphere of the
supermarket.
I used Roland Barthes’s theory – The Enigma Code. I avoided the truth to ‘to
keep the audience guessing, arresting the enigma, until the final scenes when
Fig.3 Continuity Editing: Shot reverse shot between ‘The Boy and Girl’

4. Evaluation Martha Hay 4055 Alleyn’s School 10802
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all is revealed and all loose ends are tied off and closure is achieved’. For my
punch line to land with the audience, I needed to hold information from them. I
was in control, and wanted to tease the audience to keep them interested. My
punch line “like I’m pulling yours” is similar to the punch line of The Ellington
Kid which was “why do you think I’m only eating the chips?” The purpose of
my punch line was to leave my audience feeling cheated, and it worked. My
audience were hooked onto the story, and found it funny when it was revealed
to be a joke.
I was uncertain how my film would be received in the screening; whether or
not the final punch line would register with that audience, or if they understood
the plot, or found the film entertaining and funny. However, my audience
laughed at the right moments and felt fooled after the punch-line. My audience
enjoyed the unexpectedness of the ending, and how they were so easily led
along my film. Overall I succeeded in creating a dynamic comedy/ thriller short
film. I managed to elicit the right emotions and responses from my audience,
and captivate them throughout.
Word Count: 1365.
Fig.4 The Boy, The Woman, and The Cashier breaking the fourth wall
disrupting the concept of continuity editing.