In what ways does your media product use, develop, or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Narrative
I took on the role as the writer of the film and executed Tsvetan Todorov’s narrative theory. Working in the medium of a short film meant that the narrative structure had to be manipulated so that we could tell the story efficiently in a much shorter space of time than a traditional Hollywood film which is what Todorov based his theory on. As a result, we essentially cut out the first stage – the initial equilibrium. The audience never see the protagonist in a happy relationship with his wife. The film starts at the heart of the disruption which was the issue of the protagonist having a clean cut lifestyle which does not merge well with his changing wife.
I also manipulated structure with the use of a flashback in the film. The flashback was something first executed by D.W. Griffith in his film Intolerance. Here it was used in order to show the audience the passing of generations up until the present time. In Frame, The audience initially sense a problem at the beginning of the film but a flashback is used to explain what happened prior to the current situation in order to widen the audience’s understanding and bring it into perspective on the film. This is used very frequently in the American sit-com, How I Met Your Mother with a ‘How did we get here?’ style of plotline as well as the Korean film, Peppermint Candy where the film is used to show the audience the events that have led up to the protagonist contemplating suicide in the opening of the film.
Camera
We used a range of camera techniques in the film all for different purposes in order to enhance certain scenes of our film. An overhead shot is used at one point in order to link the previous shot of a blue-print with the situation of the impending reveal that the protagonist’s wife wants to have a child – something she agreed not to ever wanting before marrying the protagonist. Not only does this overhead shot blur the line between the characters actual architectural blueprints and his personal life but also works to present the overshadowing of the protagonist’s character over the relationship. The zoom into the montage scene is reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick’s iconic maze shot in The Shining.
Editing
We feature a montage sequence in order to present an argument between the protagonist and his wife. This is a conventional way of showing the audience that a fight has taken place but without creating an entire scene covering it. With time being a overlooking factor in the medium of a short film, this technique was able to show the audience what they need to know in order to progress the story without taking too much time. This was inspired by an argument montage sequence that I watched in Wong Fu Productions’ Strangers, again.
The length of the takes grow increasingly longer up until the final scene where takes cuts are increasingly infrequent. This was done in order to slow down the pace of the film completely in order to represent a change in the characters mind-set. He ends up relaxed and lets himself go. Although our ending is ambiguous in regards to how he will follow through with the situation with his wife, it is clear that he is growing out of his controlled and always-efficient take on life.
Sound
A voice-over technique is used in the film over a monologue by the character who helps to spark a change in the protagonist. The audio from the conversation in the dining room scene continues as it cuts back to the protagonist’s journey through the architecture in the City of London. This highlights the on-going metaphor in the film of architecture representing the fixed plans of the character. The monologue picks up on this relation between the protagonist’s life as an architect and his life as a human being in love.
Mise-en-scene
The second scene of the film begins with a fixed camera position which frames our protagonist in the background and two different cups of hot beverages in the foreground – shot with a deep focus. The shot is intentionally composed like this in order to create symbolism in the story as a less direct way of introducing the dilemma faced by the character. The beverage on the right is green tea – an eastern drink representing clarity, health, and a clear sense of being. This is the side of a free-flowing nature that the protagonist could take where he stops structuring his life and lets everything run naturally. The beverage on the right is a straight coffee. Coffee represents a fast-paced city life and constant business. This is the current persona of our protagonist – someone always aware and in control.
Frame 