Examples of how filmakers have interpretted our theme (loss) in their own films - Part 3

The thing I think the filmmaker was aiming most for in his interpretation of loss is the feeling of emptiness, as well as probably trying to stay quite close the way this scene was originally described in the book (quite simply as blank pages with the different months printed at the top).  In my opinion, Kristen Stewart had some real competition to be the star of this scene when up against the great camera and editing work used. The way in which she sits perfectly still – almost comatose, as if in shock – while the camera tracks around her head as nothing about her changes but the seasons do, gives the audience the immediate feeling of empathy, as they can quite clearly see that she is unable to move on, making the camera/editing a bit symbolic in a way. i also like how apt the music is, with its eery toneit perfectly reflects the vibe of the scene.

It would be unrealistic to aim this high for our project because, let’s face it, we do nt have a huge Hollywood budget to do all those camera and editing tricks. However, I do think one thing we could take away from this scene is that the atmosphere created could really make or break it in terms of how the audience reacts.

Examples of how filmakers have interpretted our theme (loss) in their own films - Part 2

I am really inspired by the way in which the filmmaker has interpreted loss in this short film. Rather than going the obvious route by merely showing the sadness of loss in relation to the main character, the filmmaker has chosen to include cut-away shots of random inanimate objects. This makes the audience feel almost as if the character's surroundings have taken on a life of their own and are now a manifestation of the character’s feelings, feeding off of the occupants vibes. This use of both external and internal representations of the emotion really reiterate to the audience just what a significant loss this person has experienced. However, at the same time this has also shown me an example of over-use of these kinds of shots. It starts to feel a bit like you're seeing more shots of furnishings than you are of the actual main character of the plot, so that is something i will take into consideration during our group task. I also really like the repetitive nature of the film, which i guess would kind of reflect the character feeling his life is mundane without that something/someone he no longer has. Most of all (although it isn't something we can really include since our task is an opening scene and so should still have some remaining ambiguity at the end of it), i really loved the penultimate shot of the plug being pulled out and water trickling down the drain, as it is kind of symbolic of letting go and ending/resolving the problem (which both contrasts and compliments the characters attempt at 'letting go' - by overdosing on pills - which while it may be an escape, isn't exactly going to help him get over the loss).

Examples of how filmakers have interpretted our theme (loss) in their own films - Part 1

I really like the surreal quality the filmmaker has used in this film At the end – where you realise she has potentially daydreamed the whole thing, yet the male character approaches her and says ‘I know I had an amazing time, I know you had an amazing time, but neither of us remembers it’ and the woman cries – it’s almost as if she is mourning the loss of what could have been.

Also, I really like how the characters immediately had a link to each other, simply through the use of cohesive styling (in terms of the matching sunglasses). The effect of this, paired with the mundane clothing of the extras in the scene, makes the audience sense an immediate connection between the 2 characters, as if they are both from an endangered alien species.

In terms of what I would take from this short film that I would incorporate into my groups opening scene, I really liked the way in which she was filmed among the crowd, as it managed to still be quite active with the use of camera angles (including mid shots, cut-aways and some close-ups) while still focusing on the main objective of the scene, which was to show how isolated she is, even among a crowd.