short film

One of the media productions i can produce as part of my media coursework is a short film. Short films last around 10minutes in length and can be in any genre and follow many different formats and conventions in the same way as a feature length film.
The short film i have chosen to analyse is called ‘this is the life’ by director and writer Craig Devine. Craig was a student at my college and is now an established director who we can follow on the Internet. I am led to believe that much of his inspiration comes from ‘this is England’s’ Shane Meadows and this is evident in much of his work with his choice of music and montages.


Following the conventions of short film the titles appear at the start of the production, the film opens with hand held shots of a family at breakfast. This feels like a fly on the wall style of filming and helps create social realism. From this we assume that the film is a drama as this is a typical convention of the genre.There are close ups of the mother in order to display her emotions, in this case she is shown to be stressed (is this the affects of the early morning rush or does it suggest something more about the plot?) There is then use of sound bridging where the sound from the previous scene is carried into the next one.
Later we see the use of long shots in a montage, it shows a passing of time and puts emphasis on the close bond between brother and sister.The mise en scene also plays an important role in the production. it creates a depth to the story. For example there is mess and rubbish in the front garden of the families house. We know from this that they are from a working class background and living on a council estate. The next shot shows a series of close up shot reverse shots between the father and son. this shows contrasting emotions between dean and his father. It is clear that the focus of this film Will be on the relationship between Dean and his father. At the beginning their relationship s hostile and rocky.However the closing shots of the father and on boxing show a bond which has been made. Dean is announced as the winner, not only in the ring but now in life because he has achieved the affection of his father.