Short Film Coursework - Research

MOMENTOS - NUNO ROCHA - SHORT FILM - ANALYSIS

A homeless man sleeps in front of an empty store when suddenly a vehicle stops and two men start to carry cases inside. Meanwhile the man tries to understand what is going on.

Marianna Gould

This shot of a white van suggests that there is some significance to this vehicle, thus the focus on it within this shot indicates that it has something to do with the following shots and also highlights its possible importance in whatever is to come happen. The lights from the van shine forwards, this could be symbolic of a light on the end of a tunnel and likewise the beginning of a new path. Moreover, the light coming from the head lights of the van contrasts largely with the dull surroundings, therefore as an audience your focus is instantly drawn to this. In this shot we can’t see very clearly the figures within the van, this could imply that they are either not main characters and likewise not very important in terms of what they actually do within this short film.

This wide shot shows the homeless man laying still on the floor, the basic body language and tiring costume enforces his simple, restless and challenging life. Additionally, no possessions of his are visible within this shot again implying that he has very little. It is within this shot where a green tinge of light begins to appear from here onwards, because very little is known at this point of the short film, nothing is suspected about the green light, the audience could think it is a street light. However, once the film goes on, the green light holds an important role on connotative levels. At this point the music is still considerably calm suggesting the normality of this mans life simply involving that of being homeless and sleeping on the streets. Here a light, similar to that of the headlights from the van in the previous shot is situated in the top left corner, down the path from this man, this links with the initial impression given from the vans headlight about having a light at the end of the tunnel and something to look forward to.

The silhouette from the two men behind the window show them lent over helping pick something up to put on display. So from this it could infer the concept that the protagonist is soon to have someone/people come together and help him build his life back up — lift him up for this dark place he is, physically and mentally. Additionally, the homeless males bewilderment towards what they are doing, could indicate that it is not common for them or anyone to be around where he is.

This shot brings the idea that this man isn't used to company and hence having these two homeless people come join him in watching what is on the TV in front of them, comes as a surprise and he is not sure what to do. Thus, the tilted angle of his head shows him looking at the man on his left, unsure on what to say to him, inferring his confusion and possible discomfort in them both sitting either side of him. Moreover in this shot the only diegetic sound being projected is from the laughter of the two new homeless men, this focus on their laughter could suggest the dislike by the original protagonist and again further highlights his discomfort. Shots that surround this one show the man male figure with a bewildered and almost angry facial expression indicating his wanting for them to leave him alone. The little change in his expression up to this point emphasises the idea that he is not used to having other people around him as for so long he has been alone.

Simple graphological approach to the film title - MOMENTOS. The capitalisation and non serif font used indicates the understandable plot of the oncoming short film and also connotes the boldness of whatever is to be seen. Additionally, the ‘moment’ segment within the title could infer the importance of specific moments/times within someones life, further suggesting the plot to be associated with something to do with special moments. The plain back background denotes the plain and simple reality of homelessness, inferring that it is not easy to live a life with merely nothing, hence this blankness could signify the fact that homeless people basically have nothing and have no belongings or things to cling on to, however likewise, the plain black background could also connote that of a blank slate and the idea that something new is to come and a fresh start it to come in capable reach.

Short Film Coursework - Research

Marianna Gould

This shot shows the man presumably for the first time seeing himself for a long time. Therefore his bewildered and almost confused facial expression as if surprised to see what he looks likes after so long. The green light has continued to be used within all of the following shots, and within this one specifically it highlights the protagonists bitterness towards his whole situation, and the idea that he is disappointed with his mistakes and choices in his life. The multiple television screens visible in this shot could be symbolic of the several mistakes this man has made in his life and the idea that he needs to start facing what he has done and begin building back up his life.

The tone and expression of this shot juxtaposes all of the other shots in terms of portraying happiness rather than sadness and discomfort. Therefore, this sudden change of imagery as well as slight change in a more up beat tone of music playing alongside this shot, lets the audience know the climax of this short film is soon to come and that this is also very important to the male figure. Due to the change in mood, the audience become intrigued and want to further understand how this man could have gone from such a happy and comfortable state to having a homeless and sad life.

This shot is key from the directors point of view as this is shot one shot throughout the short film that shows the protagonist portray an alternative expression rather than a disheartened one, here instead he is smiling, denoting the fact that he is reminiscing in these memories and the idea that seeing these images and video recordings makes him happy. Once again the green light is prominent within the shot, here even more so in comparison to other previous and future shots. In this shot the green light takes on a circle shape — as if the sun. This could again imply the idea that there is a light at the end of the road, and that something good is soon to happen. Additionally, the close distance between the protagonists face and this circular light infers that there is someone possibly watching over him — this idea becomes apparent in the following shots when we see his wife and daughter arrive.

This shot shows the wife and daughter with apprehensive facial expressions, this could be due to the idea that they haven’t seen their husband/father in a very long time and likewise haven’t seem him in such a sad state. The costume the daughter is wearing on the left is checkered — like the fathers checkered blanket, this hence symbolises their relationship as a family, so even though they have been distanced and have been away from each other for a presumably very long time, there is still that subtle connection between the two.

This wide/long shot is symbolic of the family finally finding each other and coming together, hence the green light emerging from behind them poses as a back drop, but this time signifying their love for each other and how much they care for one another. The back drop continues to include televisions with the various different memories screening on them. With this it highlights the happiness that this family once felt and the good place they were in, additionally, enforcing the hopeful future to come. Here the music ends on a high note influencing the impression that this family will try to start again. The juxtaposition of the contrasting surroundings and foreground — the dirty, graffiti filled street and then the love of family emphasises further the challenges this family has gone through.

Short Film Coursework - Research

MICRO ANALYSIS

SOUND

What kind of music is used?

There is small piece of instrumental music played at the beginning of the film. This is quiet, so that the audience can still hear the ambient sound from the surroundings (e.g. traffic, pedestrians). The music stops for a substantial amount throughout the short film and then a different light song is played once the man is seeing all of his own memories right in front of him. Here, this music is contrapuntal and fits with the idea of this man reminiscing in his memories of his family. Quickly after this there is a change in music once the van shows up once again to leave this mans family waiting. This final piece of music is enlightening and has this heroic sense to it, with a build up emotions to match the build up in pace of the music. The climax of this song is reached once the family are stood hand in hand together ready to move on.

What is the effect of the music?

The music used makes the audience feel further sympathy for this family and it builds this emotional attachment between the audience and the characters.

How diegetic and non-diegetic are sounds used?

The only diegetic sound used within the short film is that of the ambient sound used in the background. This is used to add a sense of realism to the situation and thus add some contextual noise.

What is the tone of the piece and does it change?

Each piece of music have their own tone and feeling to them to accompany the shots being shown. The music has no smooth transition into one another, instead they are cut off quickly to begin the next song. This is symbolic of the concept that life can suddenly be broken and change within the blink of an eye — the change of a song.

How are sound and visual techniques used to convey meaning?

The initial instrumental music used at the starts fits with the dark visual aspects that are used within the short film. The two combined together give this saddened impression, preparing audiences for a relatively thought provoking performance.

EDITING

What type of edits is included in the short film?

• Straight cuts - Straight cut transitions have been used in order to implement a sense of naturalism within this piece, thus its simple shift to another shot makes its look professional and appealing to the audience.

What type of editing?

Continuity editing is used throughout this short film. The purpose of continuity editing is to smooth over the inherent discontinuity of the editing process and to establish a logical coherence between shots. This is a style of editing that requires the director to try to make the film reality as much like the audience's reality as possible. This means the film is trying to recreate what the world around us is and trying to make it easier on the audience to comprehend and understand the action happening on screen. Continuity editing has been used to enable a naturalistic depiction. This allows a seamless piece of initial footage. Straight cuts have been used to allow a professional, clean cut look. The use of straight cuts allows for an easy watch that is aesthetically pleasing and

Marianna Gould

Short Film Coursework - Research

thus fluent through the shots. The whole of this short film only includes straight cut transitions when going through the different shots. This is in aid of not complicating the film and also keeping viewers interested.

CAMERA USE

How are different shots used within the short film?

The Director has used a wide variety of shots like; mid shots, close up shots and over the shoulder shots, in order to project the journey of this mans feelings over a matter of minutes.

• Close up shots – These are used to focus in on the subject of each different shot. As an audience, in being closer to the subjects face and thus having a clear vivid image of their facial expressions, we consequently end up feeling more sympathetic towards them. Additionally, feeling as if involved within the film and as if known to the character, this personal attachment is development and thus makes audiences feel empathy with the characters on screen. In this case close up shots have been used exactly for the reasoning above - to clearly show and emphasise a characters facial expressions and emotions. And this is done several times within this short film to allow the audience to see the protagonist. One close up shot that is important within this short film is the one showing this man smiling for the first time whilst reminiscing in these memories of his previous life presented in front of him. Here, as an audience we feel sympathy for him and feel happy that he can now smile again, from this we also gather that something wonderful for this man is about to happen; for which we find out in the upcoming shots.

• Mid shot – These are used to clearly show the subjects facial expressions in the context of their body language. In this case mid shots have been used to do exactly this; highlight the subject’s different facial expression and body language. In seeing the characters body language and expressions it says a lot about both their personality and the current situation they are in. The mid shots in this short film are to show the audience the lifestyle of this man. Its made clear that he is homeless through the use of mid shots enabling us to see these dull surroundings of an evening on a rather dark and abandoned city street. Already, as an audience we feel sympathy for this man without even knowing his background story. This is because of ideas associated with being homeless — not having somewhere to live, having no food or money, nothing of your own, which initially is one of the worst things that could happen to someone , loosing absolutely everything, so therefore we can understand his struggle and circumstances relatively quickly in this short film.

• Wide shot – These are used to give the audience a broader view of the surroundings and hence showing body language of characters in more detail. In this short film, wide shots are used when the protagonist is confused and doesn't understand what is going on. Firstly, when these two men appear suddenly by the shop window he is sleeping by, secondly when two other homeless men come and join him and secondly when he sees himself in these television screens. Throughout all of these wide shots this man is bewildered and almost uncomfortable in some cases because he doesn't know what is going on. Therefore, because the wide shots are used almost as a precaution and warning to the audience that the character is oblivious to whats happening and isn't very keen on it, we as an audience are able to tell every time there is a wide shot what the protagonist might be feeling. This is a clever idea and gives the short film a systematic and interesting structure.

• Long shot – These are used to typically show the entire object or human figure and are usually intended to place it in some relation to its surroundings. The only long shot included within the short film is the shot at the very end, showing the family finally together. The long shot could signify the idea that this family have come a long way and had a tough journey along the way but finally they have come together and start new.

Marianna Gould

Short Film Coursework - Research

How are different angles used?

It is only on the final shot of the short film where is a different angle is used — high angle shot. This high angle shot is used to show the family together at last. Usually high angle shots are used to depict someone of lesser power and status as you are looking down on them, however in this case the Director how used this high angle shot to symbolise the idea that things are looking up for them, and that finally this family have something to look forward to in life and that things will be different.

How is camera movement used in the short film?

There is minimal camera movement within the actual short film, this is because the straight cuts are heavily relied on to show the different shots, rather than camera movement.

MISE-EN-SCENE

How is high key lighting or low key lighting used?

Throughout the short film, a mixture of high key and low key lighting is used. However, something more significantly used is the constant input of a green lighting that is incorporated within every shot. The colour green is commonly associated with that of growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility, whilst having a strong emotional correspondence with safety. Once watching the short film from start to finish it becomes prominent that the colour green represents ideas like so — the green included within each shot connotes the fact this homeless mans life is looking up, that there is a chance for him to start fresh and additionally grow with what he has learnt from his mistakes. Moreover, the green shown throughout indicates the consequential safety he will finally adhere to now that he has his family with him.

How is colour and tone used to create the generic effect?

There is little colour used within this short film . The only colours used are considerably dark and connote the initial feelings at the inception of this short film, rather down, unhappy and disheartening feelings. Throughout the entire short film, most background colours include that of greys and blacks, this is to show that there is still this disheartening sense lurking around the life of this man. However, within the first few shorts we see this green tinge of light begin to appear in every shot following. So like explained before the green included within each shot connotes the fact this homeless mans life is looking up, that there is a chance for him to start fresh and additionally grow with what he has learnt from his mistakes.

How have clothing, props, mis-en-scene and sets been used?

The protagonist is wearing run-down , dirty clothes, because of his state of life; homeless. So with such costume and the right setting it is obvious to the audience this mans lifestyle.

What are the dominant images and their relevance to the themes of the text?

One of the most dominant images within this text is the mid shot near to the start showing the lead character lying on the floor next to the shop window. Although this is a very simple shot, it is very important for the overall moral of this short film. The fact that this man once was healthy, comfortable and had a loving family and working job and had suddenly fallen homeless with nothing to call his, stresses that in reality anyone can end up unfortunate in life, and the idea that we must start trying to do something about how these less fortunate people are living. Hence a shot like this, compared to the end shot of the family all together creates such a juxtaposition in emotions and really highlights the difference of having family and no family.

Marianna Gould