George's Short Films

1) Connection:

http://www.virginmediashorts.co.uk/film/5416/connection

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Virgin Media Films

Film maker: markmc
Synopsis: Nobody has the right to look down on somebody else. 'Connection' deals with how homeless people have been pushed to the edges of society. Just because they are homeless does not mean that they still don't want to be a part of society. Why somebody is homeless is not the question but how we treat them or fail to on a daily basis. We all need human contact on some level. It is a human condition.
Genre: Drama
Running time: 2.19

The film opens with text; ‘Zoology Films’ and the title ‘Connection’. A close up of the zip on a sleeping bag then fades up from the black. The camera then pans up to a close up on the mans face. He’s cold and tired. These first few seconds show how the film is going to represent social status and representations of the homeless. There is then a fade into a mid shot of the homeless man. Because he is sitting on the floor, the shot shows all of his body but only the legs of the people walking past. Nobody stops, they walk past and don’t even glance at him. The his represents his social class. A man then drops a coin and turns to pick it up. The camera haphazardly zooms in on the homeless man as he looks up.  A man and a woman both reach down for the coin. The worm’s eye view shows both the hands reaching down and bumping each other. There are then several shot reverse shot’s as the man and woman talk about who’s going to pick up the coin. There is then a wide mid shot as both the man and woman bend down to pick up the coin. They crash heads and stand up straight again to show the homeless man sitting between them smiling. This is a representation of the homeless mans attitude toward his life.

2) GOTH:

http://www.virginmediashorts.co.uk/film/5310/goth#.UkK6gJJJMuc

 

Virgin Media Films

Film maker: mjscott
Synopsis: Persecution of subculture is at an all time high, the Goth's are on the run but where do they go?Genre: Thriller

Running time: 2.20

This film entirely revolves around the topic of representation, and how a specific subculture is represented. I tis about how ‘Goths’ are represented in popular culture. The film shows a news report telling people to ‘stay vigilant’ and look out for any signs of trouble. It also shows the living conditions of the people being discriminated against. Goths are then rounded up and boxed up. Goths are represented as lower class citizens; none have stable living conditions and all are being persecuted against. This is by far my favourite short film I’ve looked at. The editing and the camera shots make it really interesting to watch.

3) When I’m Sixty Four:

http://www.virginmediashorts.co.uk/film/5234/when-i-m-sixty-four#.UkLQspJJMuc

Virgin Media Films

Film maker: matjohns
Synopsis: 'When I'm Sixty-Four' is a short film about finding allies in unexpected places. Two outsiders, an old man and a young boy, come together and show their peers that a generational gap cannot hinder friendship.Genre: Drama, Comedy

Running time: 2.20

In this film it shows representation and judgments of a person. In the beginning teenagers are represented at cruel and rude, old people are represented at incapable of helping themselves and making judgements about children. As the film goes on judgments and a persons view is changed. The old man, Trevor, accepts the help of the boy, Sean. This makes Trevor change his view of children. He shows the teens that he is still cool. Old people and kids are represented in a non-traditional way in this film and I think that is what makes it enjoyable to watch.

4) Ambition

http://www.virginmediashorts.co.uk/film/4871/ambition#.UkLWbpJJMud

Virgin Media Films
Film maker: christopherlewiscook
Synopsis: Six year old Thomas has an ambition, an ambition to save up his pennies to buy himself a toy from his favourite toy shop. Once his piggy bank is full, Thomas is confronted with a dilemma and has a big decision to make.Genre: FamilyRunning time: 2.18

Throughout the entire film we see this little boy getting bits of money from family like the uncle who looks like The Trickster from Barney Live and working and doing chores to earn pocket money. The boy then puts all the money into a piggy bank, all to save up for this little stuffed dinosaur. The mise en scene shows that the boy loves toys with the Ben 10 character on his desk and the amount of work he does to ensure he has enough to get this toy. When he has finally saved up enough however, he chooses to give it to a charity instead of buying what he wants. I think this is a very accurate but not a common representation of small children. Kids are far more likely to give to a charity than an adult is. Children who have grown up with parents or carers who tell them to be kind to others are very caring and do give their pocket money to charities or buskers or the homeless.