13) Evaluation

Demir Kama is based around a love story between two people and comparing it with the beauty of nature, highlighting how both things come naturally. I chose to film in a non-linear sequence to represent memories and experiences of the love story, including encounters with friends along the way. This in a way does not conform to a conventional short film - although the plot is in linear order as it describes the middle and end of a relationship, the memories are puzzled and appears as a dream sequence. I partly took inspiration from A Place Like This, which is a short film by Tall story films, regarding the shots I have chosen in my short film. I took lots of wide, panning shots to really grab the beauty of landscapes and nature, very similarly to A place like this. Additionally, I took close up shots of objects and parts of nature that I really wanted the audience to focus on. I took the footage as if the audience are viewing the memories and learning about their relationship and the memories they create together. This is like the short film Echo in the respect that the audience has to take in the whole setting and the characters in order to understand the storyline. My short film represents young love and the power of nature and how beautiful it is. The genre can be considered as a romantic film with hints of friendship. This is similar to Tight Jeans by Destiny Ekharaga, which focuses on a social group of boys and their friendship. In relation to my short film, similar shots are used to present the conversations between the main character, for example the over the shoulder shot and the wide panning shot to show movement from the main characters. I like to think that the short film I have created has meaning and is much deeper than what shows on the surface - this is unlike The Fly by Jack Doolan. The fly is a comedy, and is a witty short film with no extended further meaning; once the film is done, it’s done. However, I want the audience of my short film to relate to my short film, not just laugh at it like the audience of The Fly would. The audio helps carry the meaning of my short film through also; the script I have chosen correctly shows the love and devotion that the main character has for her boyfriend and how well she recalls the memories that they have together. The character expression and movement throughout my short film is important as the two main characters have to be portrayed as relaxed and comfortable around each other to strengthen the fact that they are in love. In the scenes where the two main characters are present, I wanted the body language to represent happiness by being relaxed and informal – this can be seen to represent how comfortable they are around each other. I wanted to show a main contrast in between the body language showed before the boyfriend dies and after the boyfriend dies, so in the graveyard scene movement is much slower and represents nostalgia and sadness rather than happiness. Expression is especially important in the close up shots of the characters as this is when the most attention is drawn to their emotions and what they represent. This is why I chose Olivia Waters and Lewis Cowdry to be my two main characters as I knew that they are close friends and can act completely natural around each other which is exactly the effect I was aiming for ultimately throughout my short film. This is similar to the relationship between the friends in the short film Slap in one if the opening scenes, where they are obviously completely relaxed around each other. This will also help the audience relate to the film more as they can imagine themselves with the people that they’re close to and empathise with the main character who then feels grief when her boyfriend dies. This is exaggerated through the audio, which is from the main characters point of view, and the content of the shots taken. Setting is also important in creating meaning in my short film – my short film is dependant on the setting to show where the main characters create their memories. This is similar to The Ellington Kid in the way that the setting during the flashback helps explain the story that is being told; it aids the storyline and context. It can also be related to Arrival in the respect that the setting in this short is very neutral and calm, so extra focus can really be heard in the monologue the woman gives. This aids the storyline in the same way, through careful use of the correct settings. The target audience I have primarily chosen is other A Level students as it could aid their studies in the future, however this short could be ideal for younger directors trying to make their way into the film industry needing lots of minor ideas to combine into one big production. The small amount of audio is something which helps the storyline – the monologue, voiced by Olivia, is the only part of audio throughout the whole short film and I decided to keep it this way as the audio is the most important part to tell the story. Although the plot can be insinuated by the shots, particularly at the end, the fact that the majority of the short is filmed in a dream sequence calls that audio is necessary to complete the story and allow the audience to understand and relate with the characters better. I liked the use of the gradient throughout my short at particular moments, for example when it is implied that Lewis has died and then fades into the graveyard. It is different to a standard cut and shot effect but should not be overused as it would most likely ruin the effect I desired. Exquisite hair and make up effects weren't needed, as I wanted to focus more on the natural beauty of love. Similarly, costumes were not important in this respect, as this has no relevant meaning - I wanted to create as neutral of a tone as possible in this way. In contrast to this however, in terms of editing I did heighten the contrast and brightness of each frame to make each shot more aesthetically pleasing; with some shots I also tampered with vibrancy and the colour balance chart to reach the ideal I wanted to achieve according to the mood of each scene. Overall I am happy with the work I have produced however if I had another chance at this, I would perhaps investigate further into more locations and settings to create more spectacle throughout the film. Although the narrative resolution is important in this short, I wanted to combine this with good imagery and aesthetically pleasing shots to create the ultimate comparison of love and nature. I also would have included more footage of the two minor characters, who play their part in the short film regarding friendship and how that comes naturally as a true relationship does.