Initial Research: Non Genre Specific Analysis 1

"The Crush" 2010 Short Film Analysis:

The Crush is an Irish live action short film. The film's runtime is approximately 15 minutes. It was written and directed by first-timer Michael Creagh, and produced by Damon Quinn. The film was shot during Easter 2009 in Skerries, north Dublin. Creagh cast his eight-year-old son Oran in the lead role of the story. The story sees an eight-year-old schoolboy (played by Oran Creagh) fall in love with his teacher, Miss Purdy. One day he gives her a toy ring to show his affection. But heartbreak abounds when he bumps into Miss Purdy and her boyfriend having just bought a very real engagement ring. Devastated and spurned, Ardal challenges Miss Purdy’s fiancé to a duel – to the death!

- "The Crush" short film.

Through this analysis of "The Crush", I will be analysing different aspects of what all films should generally have, for example, camera shot, angle and movement will be a title for my analysis. This is so i can look at camera angles and therefore show how these certain shots, angles and movements are effective within the film, and therefore gain research into using it in my film.

Camera angles/shots

Camera angles and shots can be important within a film as they can show power between people and and relationships to the audience.

In this shot at 0:22 it shows the boy who has 'the crush' on the teacher in the film. This shot is an important part of the introduction to the film as it shows the main boy looking over at the teacher that he has a crush on. For the audience they instantly get a idea of the situation and therefore is a key shot in the film.

The next shot at 0:26 just after the boy admiring the teacher, is a shot of the teacher itself. This shot has a light filter on it creating a angelic effect to the audience, signifying she is the pinnacle character that the boy has the crush on. As well as a filter, the words on the board behind her that she has written shows words that can be associated with the situation in the film and may project whats about to come in the rest of the film, for example "Reveal" can mean that the boy is going to reveal his love for her.

At 0:59, the short film introduces its first title screen, this mid-shot of the boy in the same position in admiring the teacher, as the same as the shot at 0:22, showing his love and how the boy isn't listening to the teaching, just deeply in love with the teacher herself.

At 1:12, there is a close up shot of a ring that the boy is obtaining in his school pencil case. This close up shot shows great effect, as it gives the ideas that the ring is for the teacher, and projects in the future that eventually he will present her with a marriage proposal. As its a close up, it adds more effect because its the only object in the shot that the audience look at.

At 1:17, the boy at the end of class walks up to the front of class where the teacher is and proposes to her. This camera shot has significance as its at an angle where you can't see whats behind his back. This can give the audience suspense and ultimately gain more sympathy for the boy and he has really thought about how to impress the teacher.

At 1:38, after the boy walked up to the front of class, this close-up shot of the ring being put on her own finger by the teacher, shows a lot of significance, as because of the close up shot, the importance of the act of putting the ring on the finger adds more happiness for the young school boy, Ardan and for the audience watching the short film.

2:41 is a shot of when the boy has gotten home, and introduces his family. This creates a better picture to the audience as the medium shot of the family dinner time creates a sense that you are with the family and feel the feelings of the parents in sympathy for the young boy, as he asks his Mum "What is the age youngest that you get married mum?". From this, because the parents don't know what is happening and the audience do, makes the audience feel more involved with the film, and is a technique that I will use in my film.

At 3:03 - 3:20, shows the boy, Ardan, in his room near bed time, this was established through the medium-shot of Ardan in his room, reminiscing over the days events. Just after is an over the shoulder shot of Arden writing in his diary. The over shoulder shot really adds a POV feel to it. As you feel like you are Arden writing in this life changing even of "marry Miss Purdy". 

The next day, a series of screenshots of when Ardan sees that Miss Purdy has been engaged for real. Shown in the first screenshot of a close-up shot of Ardan with his first impression of when he sees the new ring on her finger. This close up shot really adds a lot of effect as it intensify his feelings, and shows the real disgust he obtained on his face in this shot. This is a technique I will use in my short film, as I find that the close-up shots of facial expressions intensify the feelings within the film, and portrays them to be stronger.

Later on in the film, shows Ardan back in his room. This close up shot is of his foot that is crushing the piece of paper that had the day that we married Miss Purdy. I think that within my short film, I will include a lot of close up shots, as this creates the most effect because it draws the audience into the object or the person. For example, the close up of Ardens foot crushing the paper creates sadness and sympathy, because his love has married someone else.

Later that night within the film, the first shot of his dads job gets introduced, this medium shot of the gun connotes with the idea of death. Which therefore, from previous events creates this idea of Arden is going to kill the husband of Miss Purdy.

Further on, another distinctive shot was shown. This was the second image of the three, a close-up shot of the boy, creating heavy emotion as he is contemplating on using a gun or obtaining the gun his Dad was using in the first image.

The first image follows to the second as it shows him looking at the gun, then the boy looking at the the location of where the gun is kept. The second and third image match, however the third image is a medium shot.  I will include this in our movie where the same shot but with different perspective can double the emotion portrayed to the audience, with this technique, I can portray the emotions of our characters with a bigger trajectory of emotions to increase tension in the audience.

The two shots in this scene provide a lot of emotion to the audience. The first is an over the shoulder shot of the boy at the window of the husbands car. This shot showing the intensions of Arden clearly, and is an effective way of showing power to the husband in the car. The second shot showing a near POV (Point of view) shot of the husband looking at the boy who is staring at the man. POV shots are effective, as in this instance, you feel as an audience that Arden is looking a you, and this technique we can use in the film with the prank call stalker, we we were to do initial idea 1.

At 9:20, a close up shot of the boy collecting his Dads gun from inside his bag for the duel, connates with the audience that something bad is going to happen in the future. The close up shot also provides more effect, as it is the only object the audience can see.

These two matching shots at 11:33-35, really provide effectiveness within this duel sequence. As it is a duel, the close up of the eyes incorporates the aspects of a Western film. These two shots show real emotion, including the first of the two, where the husband shows a lot of fear towards the boy after finding out its a real gun. However the second shot shows no sympathy in the eyes of Arden, we could only find this out if it was a close up shot.

This long shot of the Arden and the teacher walking off in the distance for the title screen, add nicely to how the story ends and for my film, a ending title screen which finishes the story nicely, should be included within our film this year.

Editing

In this short film, editing played a big part in providing a successful way of portraying feelings and relationships throughout.

Lots of matching shots between characters were shown, providing information about feelings and relationships between people and objects.

These two shots match nicely, as the editing between Arden and the teacher match eyes. This is effective because in the first shot is Arden gazing in love, and the shot then cuts to the teacher straight away in the position of Arden's eyes, providing information to the audience of the current relationship.

These two shots also match up, one shot of the boy looking up up at the cupboard close up, this close up provides a stronger effect in intention and emotion because he was looking up at the gun. The second image on the right is a mid shot of the boy staring at the gun, providing more information to the audience of where he is staring at.

Sound

Sound was used effectively in this film, through back ground music and sound effects to make a stronger effect on the short film.

However, the most effective use of sound is when the camera was gazed upon the teacher, in the background is calming and relaxing music, this non-diegetic sound provided a sense of exoticness and perfection towards the teacher, symbolising how Arden was staring at her and connoting how Arden was feeling about her at the time.

Discussion

Through my research into this short film and analysis of the short film, I have gained valuable techniques I can use in my future film this year. One technique I have gained is the use of close-up shots. Close ups shots have real emphasis on the emotion a character is showing or the importance of an object, and I shall use this in the future. As well as this, Mise En Scene is a key within our film that we are going to make. The costumes of the film are key, so therefore we will have to produce the perfect projection of fear through the use of costume, and will be further discussed through my mood board.

- Close up shot of Arden