When I first watched this short film it left a huge impact on me, and for shock value it definitely succeeded! It's a 9 minute short film directed by Brian Percival, and in 2001 won a Bafta Award for Best Short Film, along with many others. The film opens with a silhouette, against a sky-line of clouds on a field of a girl singing and dancing to the Britney Spears song, 'Stronger'. It then abruptly cuts to a close-up of the girl talking with a strong Manchester accent to the camera. She is walking along a canal with a backdrop of Manchester's Industrial landscape, talking non-stop about stardom, and mixing statements with random quotes from her parents, and talking about her life. We learn about her relationship with her dad, frustration with her mum and her desires to be a famous singer, in the band that she created with her friends, which is pretty typical for a 13 year old girl to talk about.
Her monologue is interrupted quite often with a range of shots of her with her family and dad, on a bench singing, watching her dad play football and on the back of the bus singing Britney songs with her friends. As the girl remains walking along the canal, the girl's stories become more underlain by an uncomfortable feeling that her experiences don't match her flippant retelling of her everyday life, and we get gradual hints that about her family troubles, poverty and domestic violence. It eventually leads to her light hearted story telling, turning into a shocking scene that reveals her throwing a plastic bag into the canal, stating that she has become "good at hiding things." The shocking reality of this film really hits the audience hard at how these experiences are so brutal and realistic. The Director has managed to create a Short Film which has moved thousands of people, even 10 years after releasing it. You can tell there's been a lot of detail put in, with coming up with the best back-drops, choosing the costumes, her strong accent and the connection with the lyrics she's singing from the Britney Spears song, 'Stronger' and even though we get an understanding of her broken home and sad life, you could never prepare yourself for the ending.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p00fwg9h (Click to play 'Playground')
Playground: This is a thriller which is 9 minutes long, based on a man who picks up a hitchhiker, wh happens to be a young girl. As the awkrawdness builds in the car we find out more about the man's past and what his intenetion really are. Directed by Mark Kuczewski, he manages to create a chilling story, which leaves you on the edge of your seat, guessing what's going to happen, and just when you think it's all over, a huge twist occurs, giving it a shock factor and a sense of comedy. The editing of the short film was also done really well, as they managed to create the right setting and mood which fitted the genre. The lighting and the angles, especially when it cuts back to the main character talking about his past childhood, really give a sense of horror and lack of ease, as the shadow casts over his body, and the angle of his face makes him look very dominant. I truly believe that Mark Kuczewski has managed to create a sucesfull and chilling horror, which grabs your attetion and draws you into the film.
The Black Hole: (Directed by Philip Sansom and Olly Williams)
Black Hole is also a very successful short film which won First Prize Winner in the Virgin Media Short Film competition in 2008. It's about a sleep deprived office worker and then greed gets the better of him. This short film immediately draws your attention in as we see a close up of the characters face looking very gaunt, and sleepy. The camera shots are very fast paced and the lighting is rather dim and bland, which is typical for an office. When we get the first shot of the 'Black Hole' it's very bold and takes up the whole screen, making it obvious to us that it will be a main focus. The angles of the film change rapidly, from above to down below in the bin, again making us focus on the worker. The film is kept very sharp and quick, making it engaging and not become boring. The humorous ending is a really good finish for the short film, as it's unexpected and also displays a message of greed. I think the fast-paced shots and range of angles used makes this short film very worth-while watching, and with the great storyline, makes it very unique and one to remember.
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