Reasons for Title of Short Film

We thought that 'Voices' would be relevant due to it being the name of the song which sings about hearing voices. This is further extended with the taxi driver, who is a psychopath, hears a voice when she believes that there is someone else in the taxi (who really isn't there) telling her to kill people and put them in her closet.

Title of Short Film

Me and my team mate decided to call our short film; 'Voices'

Reasons for Logline of Short Film

We came up with that idea for the logline as we liked the idea of the person on which the taxi driver believes exists, lives in the closet. Likewise we liked the idea of the previous victims, thus skeletons in the closet as well which the person in the closet approves of. Before also, we thought the idea of skeletons in the closet on which we believe would be excellent for our logline.

In extension the audience could relate to it as it can also be seen as a metaphor. That people can have some nasty qualities about them.

Logline of Short Film

Me and my team mate agreed on the logline; 'Some people have more in than just skeletons in their closets'

Synopsis of Short Film

We first meet Hannah who is a virtuosic girl living in Kildare, Ireland with a group of lively, friendly Irish people of various ages. As she spends her last day in Ireland before she returns to England we get an insight of how exciting her life is in Ireland, we witness her goodbyes to her close friends and the final music concert by their band 'Seven Days' before she leaves. She eventually gets on the plane back to England and calls over a taxi once she leaves the airport.

We now meet the mysterious taxi driver, Tizzy, who is mentally disturbed. Hannah gets in the back seat of the car and informs the driver that she wants to go to Milton Keynes to see her family. As they drive along they attempt conversations and we start to find out more about both characters lives and personalities. Hannah starts singing 'Voices' by 'Seven Days' and when the driver questions her about it she tells the driver about the band. The driver then talks about someone called Jemini, who is supposedly sat next to Hannah in the back of the car. Jemini, we realise, is a person who the driver hears talking to her in her head and they tell the driver what to do.

As the day progresses and begins to grow dark the driver starts arguing with the person in her head, who is now instructing the driver to not let Hannah live. The driver says that Hannah is a friend but the person inside her head manages to change her mind. Hannah can only hear the driver talking and is freaked out. The driver pulls up in a remote area and apologises to Hannah and explains that she has to kill her. Hannah jumps out of the car and starts to flee, with the driver running after her. The driver eventually catches up to her and kills her. We then see the driver at her house dragging Hannah's body up the stairs and she then stores the body in a cupboard on which Jemini approves.

Overall Analysis

What I have found out overall from the four short films in the thriller/horror genre are;

The Iconography is usually relevant to death or disaster in some shape of form, for instance the keychains represent the amount of people the man killed in Playground, and the car keys represent loss in Stranded.

The Mise en Scene mainly is a combination of key props that have some hidden meaning, usually death and dark lighting. The dark lighting is typical in a thriller/horror movie to create a more dark and frightful atmosphere towards the audience.

The Narrative usually shows the protagonist or others going through ordinary life yet later on, disaster strikes such as death.

Across the short films the Sound is usually non diegetic, mainly a dark basic beat to create tension at the beginning and then closure. Through out the short film there is occasional diegetic sounds which are the sound effects, for instance closing doors, running etc.

The Camera shots and editing are usually basic which include still mid shots and cuts.

The Message is not really obvious to the short films due to them falling into the the thriller/horror bracket, it is used more for the purpose of entertainment than teaching. But if there is it usually relates to being careful.

Response to Analysis of Short Films; Four

Iconography shows that most films tend to start on a typical day.


Mise-en-scene, most dramas start on a seemingly normal day before the major event occurs so this short film conforms to the drama genre.


The narrative conforms to the idea that thrillers first start the day as normal but as things go on things become unusual, me and my team mate, decide to conform rather than subvert to this therefore creating the illusion of reality.


Sound, diegetically the casual chatting, key tapping on the laptop, and such suggests a normal day (at first) which conforms to the start of dramas. The sound of the train and cars in the background shows that the drama is set in a town, which is generally where dramas are set, therefore the short film conforms to the drama genre. When the man calls out frantically to the woman it signifies the major event which all dramas must have and it ups the tension as the viewers try to understand what is going on.


The camera has many examples of shot-reverse-shot to show conversations happening are a very common feature in the drama genre as in most dramas a lot of conversation must occur in order for the characters to find out all the details of the significant event that has happened and also to establish the relationships between the characters for the viewer. The close ups of the characters' facial expressions is key in the drama genre as it helps viewers understand relationships between the characters and also it shows their reactions to the significant events.


It is likely that the message is don't leave things to late.

Analysis of Short Films; Four

Missed 


Iconography:
- Coffee connotes early morning, typical work day

Iconography conclusion = most films tend to start on a typical day

Mise-en-scene:
- Men in suits on laptops/phones suggest daily life / work
- Coffees and the cafe suggest daily life

Narrative:
- Two men from same work in cafe, one man tells the other that a woman from their work has died and then he begins to feel guilty as he never got to know her, then he sees her walking past and calls her into the cafe and they chat but by the end you find out that she really is dead/ he is imagining her there

Sound:
- Diegetic includes the train going past thus promoting in a normal day, casual chat, man frantically calling out for woman as she walks past, cars driving past in background, cafe sounds in the background e.g. mugs clinking, man chatting to woman explaining his guilt for not getting to know her, keys tapping on laptop keyboard, waitress in high-heels walking over
-Non diegetic includes dark-like mysterious music, sad music starts playing once man finds out woman has died
slow, sad-like music playing

Camera: 
- Establishing shot outside cafe, cut to close up/mid shot of man on laptop at table (side shots), cut to mid shot of man on phone walking in through door, quick cut to man at table (man on phone walks slightly into side of screen), quick cuts to man going to order drink
- Man turns round then eye line match to man sitting at laptop
- Cuts between man at counter and man at laptop eye line matches, mid shots
- Fades to black, then fades in to front view mid shot of man sitting at same desk on laptop (new day?)
- As man looks out window camera cuts to the outside of the window looking in at man, mid shot, cuts back to inside cafe - As man jumps up and slams on window to get woman's attention
- Camera stays in position as man runs out of cafe and chats to woman by the window
- Cut to mid shot from inside cafe looking out window to man and woman talking
- Cut back to behind table/laptop as man points towards it
- Cut to mid/far shot of man and woman sitting at desk as they talk about how it was rumoured she was dead
- Gradual pan around the people sitting at the table, mid/far shot
cut to close up of woman's face as she talks to man, shot reverse shot as they continue to talk to each other (close ups of both people)
- Shot reverse shot ends on close up of man, then cuts to far shot of him sitting at table alone (woman was never there)
- Cut to mid shot of man sitting at laptop at table looking down at his hands before continuing his work
waitress walks into shot to take man's mug
- Shot reverse shot between waitress and man as she tells him to just ask if he wants something
- As man turns his hed the camera cuts from his back to his front
- Cut to far shot as man continues working on his laptop
- Fades to black

Message: 
- Don't leave things too late

Response to Analysis of Short Films; Three

Iconography mainly represents death and danger which are typical parts in a thriller on which we we try and recreate in ours.



Mise-en-scene settings for the short film are all areas that would typically generate suspense (deserted, dark places) which is key for a thriller film. The casual clothes worn by the teenagers suggest that it was a typical day before the strange events happened and that is a key scenario in thriller films - unexpected events. The dark lighting generates suspense and fear, especially when the teenagers walk into the darkest/blacked out areas - this shows the teenagers walking into the unknown and therefore this causes suspense. The photos and newspaper articles that explain why the club is haunted let the viewers in on key information that the majority of the characters in the film do not know, this helps the viewers to understand more and keeps them in fear and suspense as to whether the characters will find out this information, this is sometimes an aspect of a thriller film. At the end of the film the last teen alive is eventually killed and this is symbolised by all the lights turning off one by one as she tries to escape, the darkness catches up to her and eventually consumes her, the aspect of everybody dieing is sometimes a feature in thriller films e.g. the Final Destination series.


Sounds in a typical thriller films include the characters' worried conversations which helps to add to the tense atmosphere that the film is trying to generate. People screaming for help is also very common in thriller films. Sounds coming from unknown sources and general loud sounds such as the doors banging, in quiet scenes helps to generate the tense atmosphere the film is trying to create. The mobile phone being featured suggests that (ignoring the extraordinary events) it is a typical day in common society - in thriller films they generally begin with the day being relatively normal for the main characters before the strange events occur, therefore the mobile helps to conform to the guidelines of thriller films. Deep breaths help to create a strong tension which is key for thrillers as they aim to keep the viewers on the edge of their seats. Non-diagetically the dark and screaming-like music is a common feature in this particular genre of film and is effective to keep the viewers tense and aware that strange events are occurring.


Narrative at first is the norm which is occurring according to the teenagers lifestyle except after a while everything changes for the worst and becomes a dark atmosphere to intrigue viewers to watch the short film.


Camera, such as the quick cuts used in the film make the atmosphere more tense as they happen during major events such as a person being killed, and it suggests the fast-pacedness of these events. The close ups help to show the characters' terrified expressions, which is a common feature in horror/thriller films. The shots of CCTV footage as well as the shots looking down on the teens gives the feel that they are being watched which adds to the tension and mystery commonly felt in thriller films. Eye-line shots used can generate a tension for the viewers as they are intrigued to find out what the characters can see whilst at the same time they are hoping that the characters find some significant details to explain why the strange events are occuring. Furthermore when the camera tilts down at the stairs (in the opposite direction of where the characters have gone) it generates fear and tension as it gives the feel that there is someone following the characters/ coming after them and as the characters have moved in the other direction they are unaware of this.

Analysis of Short Films; Three

Hysteria



Iconography
- Blood connotes death
- Fire connotes danger
- Flashing lights possibly connoting warning or danger
- The teenagers disappearing into the black connotes their deaths

Mise-en-scene: 
- Opening scene is quiet/deserted alleyway 
- Teenagers wearing casual clothes such as tracksuits and hoodies
- Nightclub poster with picture of person in flames 
- Dark quiet street at night 
- Deserted nightclub 
- Flashing lights 
- Dark lighting in rooms/at doors/at top of stairs - teens walking into the unknown 
- Photos and newspaper articles on wall of injured person which explains the previous events at the nightclub/ the reason why it is haunted
- Lights switching off as remaining teen runs upstairs (darkness consuming her)

Narrative: 
- Group of teens intrigued by poster of free-entry nightclub 
- Nightclub on deserted street at night, nightclub at first not open 
- In nightclub which is empty 
- Strange things start to happen - dj boy in pain, beer drinking boy coughing up blood, etc
- Teenagers killed off 1 by 1 as they try to escape 
- Viewers find out about tragedy in club before involving arson and person dying (fire and pic on poster foreshadows)
- Another poster for the nightclub is put up in a new area by the mystery person (presumably the DJ who was in the club the night of the arson attack)

Sound:
- Diegetic sounds include the fire crackling, crackling sound from unused dj desk club, music getting louder, sound starts crackling, teenagers worried voices and screaming for help, echoing knock of door and doors banging, mobile phone tone, sounds from unknown sources e.g. doors being opened/closed in distance, boy asking 'is that you?' which is a typical thriller, deep breathing, crackling sound (like of bones/flesh), teenagers walking up stairs and shuffling along corridor and teenage boys arguing as one wants to leave.
- Non diegetic includes the dark music and the screaming-like music

Camera: 
- Extreme close up of unknown b&w face 
- Shot looking down on teens (being watched) 
- Security camera shots (being watched) 
- Close up behind boy putting vinyl on desk 
- Close up of boy taking beer out of fridge 
- Shot filmed behind crowd to film boy djing
- Close up of dj in pain 
- Tilted mid/long shot boy spitting out blood (after drinking beer)
- Close up of blood in sink
- Match on action shot of boy coughing blood into sink 
- Quick cuts between dj boy and blood in sink 
- Cutaway shot of blood on wall 
- Quick cuts to faceless hooded figure, then to dead person on the floor and back to faceless person 
- Quick cut far shot of dj boy in pain 
- Cut to cctv clips (being watched) 
- Low shot of teens running down corridor 
- Far shot of boy sitting against wall on floor 
- Match on action boy walking up to door and then trying to open it 
- Close up of boy trying to open door 
- Extreme close up of hand reaching out, cut to extreme close up of an eye, quick cut to close up of boy's face with blood on, quick cut to extreme close up of blood running from his ear, quicker cuts to shots of the boy being killed 
- Close up of hand covered in blood 
- More cuts to cctv footage (being watched) 
- Cut to shot looking down on teens as they walk up stairs 
- Mid shots of boys arguing about leaving/exploring (not shot reverse shot though, 1 camera pan movement) 
- Camera tilt up as boys walk up stairs into darkness, then tilts down (as if expecting someone to be coming up the stairs after the boys) 
- Cut to close up of blood running down wall 
- Quick cut to hand reaching out of darkness, quick cut to bloodied hand grabbing boys foot on the stairs, quick cut to hands holding boys face, cut to black 
- Cut to shot looking down set of stairs to boy laying dead 
- Track girl walking along corridor, pans across to pics on wall (follows girl's eye direction) 
- Cut to close up of pics of injured person. fade to paper burning (shows text/quotes from newspaper articles)
- High angle show looking down on girl climbing stairs (as if being watched), fades to black, fades to tunnel entrance far out shot of person appearing at entrance, cut to extreme close up of person's head, looks up extreme - Close up of eyes 
- Cut to pale hand sticking poster up on tunnel wall

Response to Analysis of Short Films; Two

The Iconography connotes mainly freedom in the film such as the items car keys and mobile phone. The items are significant as they are shown in close up shots occasionally and the mobile phone is frequently seen due to the woman constantly trying to call someone through out the film. They are also significant as they get lost and don't receive any signal which is a sub plot line in the film.

The Mise-en-scene has a range of props such as the phone, keys, van and cigarette (lighter). The items in the iconography are the only significant ones in the film. The lighting is dark due to it being night outside. Only a few shots are taken indoors which has a good quality of light, this is because in a typical thriller they use mainly dark scenes to create a more dark atmosphere. The settings are between outside, either outside the house, in the woodland or on the road. The variation emphasises the desperation the woman is in due to her keep moving on the attempt to save her child. A few times the setting is in the house to show what happened to the child. The weather is damp, evident with the puddles on the road on which the woman loses her keys in. The rain can connote sadness due to the situation occurring (child in danger). We don't plan to record on certain weather conditions as it may be difficult to carry on through the idea. The woman and men wear different clothing. For instance, the woman is in bloody clothes thus emphasising the darkness in the film and due to her clothes being pyjamas, also promoting vulnerability. The men are wearing yellow helmets and jackets while another has a wooly hat and scarf making him stand out from the others.

The Narrative key features would mainly be the woman running through her estate, woodland, road and such showing her desperation because it is the main part of the plot line - her running to get signal to try save her child. Throughout all her running, problems arise such as her falling over, losing her keys and such. Another key feature would be the men conversing around and in the van, going through their lifestyle routine oblivious to those around them. This is significant as the woman needed help to the point she actually saw the van and started shouting at them, which she was ignored. The audience would expect for everything to go wrong to the woman and that despite her best efforts, she would be to late. This is in fact what eventually does happen in the film.

The Sound is mainly diegetic such as the woman heavily breathing, the wet beat of her running on the mud (ground) and the woman searching the puddle. This emphasises the desperation occurring and makes it more realistic. Other diegetic sounds include the banging the men do, such as the tools. Non-diegetic sounds include the humming tune which changes to a more eerie sound, this creates tension and darkness for the audience to try to intrigue them into watching the film. Others include the voice describing what happened to the child and the sad tune at the end highlighting that the woman was to late.

The Camera contains more simple editing and transitions like a typical thriller. These include cuts such as the woman, to the car and back. Others are close up shots to show importance and significance such as the blood on the stairs, high angle of the woman trying to get her keys out of the puddle emphasising her being weak for her responsibility on saving her child.

The Message is either always be careful as negative problems could happen any time or and not everything goes to plan. It is possible that both are a message, just one may apply more to a certain audience (those not careful for example).

Analysis of Short Films; Two

Stranded

Iconography

- The car keys connote freedom which is lost when the woman drops them into a puddle
- The mobile phone also connotes freedom

Mise-en-scene

- Props include; keys, phone, cigarettes (lighter), van

- Lighting is mainly dark due to it being night and the woman/men are outside except the few scenes of the footage in the house

- Setting is outside, either outside the house, in a woodland area or on the road

- Weather is damp evident with the puddles and the mud

- The woman wears blooded pyjamas and cardigan
- Men wearing yellow helmets and bright safety jackets, one of them has a wooly hat and scarf instead

Narrative

- Key features would mainly be the woman running through her estate, woodland, road etc which shows her desperation and the men talking beside and in the van showing them going through their every day lifestyle, oblivious to others around them

- The audience would expect everything that could go wrong for the woman, goes wrong and that the child (daughter) does not survive 

Sound

- Diegetic sounds include the woman heavily breathing, wet beat of her running on mud, sound of the woman searching in the puddle, car engine, banging of tools when the man throws them into the van and the banging of the man pushing the van door

- Non-diegetic sounds include the humming tune which changes to a more eerie sound, banging of tools in the distance from the woman, showing the stairs and a distant voice from the past recalling what happened, ambulance siren and the sad tune near the end when the woman discovers her child is dead

Camera

- Pan around the house 

- Cut from long shot of the house to a mid shot of the woman (then to the car and back)
- High angle of the puddle showing the woman putting her hands in trying to get the keys
- Mid shot of the woman searching for the keys
- Long (low) shot of her bending down towards the puddle
- High angle of the phone promoting importance
- Mid-long shot of the van
- Tracking the man walking to the van
- Close up (focuses) on blood on the stairs
- Cuts between the van (showing the man and the rear end of the van) then the woman running/falling
- Low angle of the van
- Tilt shot of the men conversing
- High angle of the men working
- Cuts between the man conversing beside the van
- Mid-long shot of the woman in the house which tracks down when she falls on to her knees
- Close up of man looking down (in uniform)
- Blurry image which is tilted showing the girl falling
- Long shot of van driving of which the camera then tilts downwards and to the side to somewhere else

Message

- If there was a message it would be likely that it would be, always be careful and that not everything goes to plan

Response to Analysis of Short Films; One

The Iconography is mainly the bracelets and the key rings which represent the murderers victims and have significant importance in the film due to them being shown a few times with close up shots. Me and my team member liked the idea of our murderer having a collection but would like to enhance the idea of her being a psychopath so we came with the idea (inspired by the film) that she will put all her victims in her closet.

The Mise-en-scene is quite diverse in the film with various props used which have their own significance. For instance the car is used throughout the film and is the reason on which the man and woman meet (hitchhiking), also the shovel is the murder weapon meaning it is significant, the bracelets and key rings represent the victims and the cigarettes are also significant due to them making the man angry thus attempt to kill the woman. The film has also inspired us to use a car for our film but for a different purpose than for hitchhiking. The lighting is mainly dark thus making it seem to have a further darker atmosphere like a typical thriller. The setting follows the man such him directly talking to the camera various points through out the film about himself and his life, most of the setting include the car such as digging beside the car, picking the girl up and talking in the car. The weather is mainly clear in till the man starts digging which then it starts to rain, this could then represent death, sadness and possibly connote a dark atmosphere. We wont plan this due to it being difficult to be available to record when we require certain weather conditions. Both characters wear different clothes, the man is relatively smart while the woman promotes vulnerability with her not having much clothing. For both of these, you would not expect them to be murderers.

The Narrative has some key features such as both characters conversing in the car thus promoting every day life on which we will include in our film. Another key feature would be the actual attempted murders which are a high light for a thriller due to it being a common characteristic. Yet again, with us deciding to produce a (drama) thriller, we will include this. In this film there is a twist due to the man being the one murdered instead of the woman which is expected with her representation of her vulnerability such as her admitting she has no family.

The Sound is mainly diegetic, mostly just sound effects such as the slamming of doors, sound of the shovel hitting the earth and the characters conversing. There are some non-diegetic sounds such as the buzzing hum and the children singing which create a more eerie atmosphere, typical of a thriller.

The Camera is mainly basic like a typical thriller. For instance there are plenty of cuts between the characters and key objects such as the car. There are plenty of angles such as high angles which would then make the woman seem more vulnerable and low angles such as the woman filling up the the hole which represents power.

The Message in the film could be either do not hitchhike due to there being plenty of dangerous qualities or what goes around, such as the man murdering, comes around, with him being murdered. It is possible that the film has both of them as a message.

Analysis of Short Films; One

Playground



Iconography
- Woman collects key rings; memento for her killings
- Man collects bracelets; yet again a memento for his killings
- Woman puts on her bracelet; success on murdering and surviving the attempted murder

Mise-en-scene
- Props include; car, shovel, cigarettes, key rings, bracelets
- Lighting is mainly dark to create a dark atmosphere, some lights are used to show the characters profiles (headlights beam on to the man showing the hole he dug - significant due to him being a highlight in the scene occurring and making him seem more vulnerable as he is easily seen)
- Setting is in the focus of the man (dark background, see only half of his face) while he is explaining his life such as his mother, others include beside the road when the woman gets in the car and when the man is digging/getting murdered, another is when they are both in the car talking
- Weather is clear, dry - wet when the man is digging (raining) which creates a more dark atmosphere for the murders
- The man wears glasses most of the time, wears a coat, shirt and jumper, all normal clothing in todays society
- The woman wears a coat and boots

Narrative
- Key features would mainly be the woman and man conversing and then the attempted murder (and the actual murder). Usually main focuses in thrillers
- The audience would expect the woman to be the one murdered (especially as she is the one considered weak - says her age, admits she has no family) but theres a twist, the man is the one getting murdered

Sound
- Diegetic sounds include the man talking to the camera, him talking to the woman and vice versa, the cars engine/doors, using the shovel for digging/filling and killing
- Non-diegetic sounds include the buzzing hum, beating and people (children) singing which gets louder

Camera
- Cuts between the two characters talking and when the man is talking to the camera (shows face then mouth), cuts are the most common feature in camera
- Crab between the rear headlights and the woman getting in the car and the hill towards the car
- Low angle of car (showing headlights, it moving towards the camera) and the man digging which changes when the woman is filling up the hole - represents power
- High angle of woman getting cigarettes - showing her vulnerability
- Close ups of the characters profiles and key objects such as the shovel
- Mid shot of the man digging - showing the hole
- Fade after the murder to the man talking about luck
- Tilting when the woman walks away from the hole

Message
- It is difficult to understand but the message that the short film tries to portray is do not hitchhike due to there being dangers and what goes around, comes around - the man murders but then he gets murdered as well

Potential Problems with Short Film Ideas

- Due to expense only my team member can go to Ireland meaning I cannot help her with the filming
- She has had issues on when she is able to go to Ireland - due to the unsigned band 'Seven Days' not being available some days
- The continuity between the usage of two cameras to represent different views may be difficult to create
- There are only two members of our team therefore for our filming we would need others to help us
- The car only has three doors so we have to improvise the character getting in and out
- Some scenes have mirrors so we have to be careful not to show the camera
- We do not know the location where the gig will be held
- Have to find a countryside road where not many people drive on for the shots inside the car (just in case we have to stop, driver slow and such)
- Photos of dead people on the cupboard door in different positions - work of art

Reasons for Short Film Ideas

My team member (Hannah) wanted to include Ireland and her unsigned band 'Seven Days' in our short film. While I, wanted to create a short film with a dark atmosphere. For a while we could not think of an idea which could link our ideas together but eventually came with the idea of her moving from Ireland to England.

Also, my team member came up with the idea of using a camera as the characters point of view, which I liked and tried to include it into our short film production with the idea of one camera able to see the person which the psychopath believes exists, and the other (the point of view) which doesn't.

Short Film Ideas

- Drama - thriller atmosphere
- Sun sets when girl is dead - represents her life
- Girl moving away from Ireland to England to see family
- Talk about band which are family
- Taxi driver is a psychopath, talks random things, believes that there is a person at the back alongside the girl
- The girl feels uncomfortable and wants to go
- Psychopath kills the girl because she believes the other person is keep telling her to
- Use two cameras - one of which the girl uses to show her point of view, while the other is not personal
- Drags body up the stairs and puts her in the closet which have other bodies
- 'Skeletons in the closet'
- Use music from band 'Seven Days' (song 'Voices' which sings about voices which someone believes they can hear which is perfect for our short film because thats what it is about). The band is also unsigned meaning there are no copyright issues, in fact they have told us we can use it
- The girl starts singing 'Voices' on which the driver questions about
- The person in the back keeps telling the driver to kill the girl despite the driver believing that she is a friend
- Driver chases the girl
- Driver relaxes on her bed after the murder is approved
- Person lives in the cupboard