Short film research; Coming of Age

http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p00pb7wj

This hard hitting drama shows a young boy struggle with his new responsibilities in a brutal post-apocalyptic future.


Mise-en-scene;

The mise-en-scene is what we expect to be the area that the young boy lived in before the apocalypse happened which looks like the countryside and farmland. He is obviously lonely with his only company being his sister who looks ill. They are both not looked after which shows on his clothes and because he is covered in mud. The settings are really strong shots and all of the areas fit really well in the atmosphere and feel to the short film, they are large landscapes that are empty showing is loneliness. Using the setting of the woods when he is running away from the men creates a lot of tension because it is crowded and confined so it doesn't look like he will get away.

Character;

A young boy who has been left alone to look after a girl who seems like his sister who is ill after a huge problem happened, he is only just coping and looks very rough and unhealthy.

Sound;
The sound is quite but begins to get tense and rushed when bad things are happening, such as when the men come in to their camp and kill their friend and steal all of their belongings. There is no real sound of voices and if there is at all they sound blurred, the main sounds that have been emphasised are shocked noises and the sound of running footsteps when the boy is being chased. Simple sounds in this short film really makes a difference and creates tension because if there is a small noise it means someone else is there. The music at the end fits in well as it has some blurs in it which sounds the same as how the characters speech was blurred. 

Plot;
The plot is very hard hitting to the audience and i personally think it works really well showing a glimpse of what people would think an apocalypse would be like, using a young boy and girl makes the audience engage more as they feel for them being left alone fending for themselves. The audience feels sorry for the characters as there is a risk of death for them around every corner, the boy has to steal to get food and medicine for the girl but is risking his life doing so. When the boy reaches the house we expect that he is safe but seeing the men who where chasing him appear shows otherwise. The fact that he kills one of the men and the other man has a chance to kill the boy but doesn't is a big twist in the plot. 

Camera shots and angles;
There is a variation of shots and angles that work well in this short film, the quick flashes of what is happening at the beginning looks really good because it creates a tension and shows the horrible circumstances they are living in and that young children have to see death. When the boy is running away from the men the shots and angles look like they are from a handheld camera of someone chasing him so it feels as though we as an audience are to. Also when he is running the camera is sometimes on his face which shows his scared expression. 

Editing;
The editing works well to create tension, when the boy is walking off somewhere to find resources the shots are much longer to let the audience think of where he is going. When he is running away the shots are short and quick which create a tension of what is going to happen.