About a Girl
Screen Shot 7
This is one of the final shots in which Ashley has thrown a plastic bag into the river and a dead baby has floated out. This is the scene in which the audience understands what Ashley has actually been talking about this whole time and why she was walking to the canal. I chose this shot because it is the most important shot of the whole movie as at that moment everything mistakes. Similarly, when Amelia breaks down crying on the floor, the audience understands why she wakes up with make-up smeared across her face. This shot proves to be the 'twist' of the story. a convention most short films have in order to shock the audience. It is the same in Cubs, when the audience realizes the gangs are modern day fox hunters and in Home when you find a man is harbouring a sick donkey in his house. This may be a convention Toast is lacking, as the ending isn't truly shocking. If I was to make another short film, I would create a stronger twist which hits home for the audience. The underlying story here is that of the problem in Britain of teenage pregnancy, therefore for British audiences, the idea is understandable and makes them think about a serious problem they may not have considered before. In Toast, the idea is that of teenage stress at school, this is an idea people don't often consider as they just see the final results (grades) and assume a child must have worked hard. The fear, panic, desperation and unhappiness is never seen.
But, this isn't important because the scene is about her actions and not her appearance. This shot is important because it is showing the audience how all the other students at school are finding time to relax and enjoy each others company when Amelia cannot. In this scene we can also hear the voice over of a boy, assumingly Amelia's boyfriend. This is a common convention of short films which allow either the protagonists thoughts to be heard, or another point of view.
Screen Shot 6
Screen Shot 1:
I chose this shot firstly because it is the opening of the film. I think this image is effective because the lighting takes away any of the detail from the girls features. Which tells me the audience that her appearance isn’t what matters. Thus making the audience concentrate on her singing and dancing. This relates to a scene in my film in which two boys are playing with a football. It relates to my film as the setting is quite similar,
it was because of About a Girl that we filmed this scene. In a commentary of About A Girl it was said by the director that the scene was almost incidental, of course it itself was filmed specifically as planned, however the director didn’t plan for the weather to be this way. Though after filming they felt it worked well. I liked this because it was incidental, unconscious creativity which led to inspire us. I believe that creativity is a big part of short films as there is a limited amount of time to produce a narrative with a strong storyline. And it is the small details that have made this short film a BAFTA award winner. This has shown me the importance of the opening scene also. From the first shot we see, we know the protagonist is a girl, this is something a majority of shorts share. All shorts will have a central protagonist to follow. It is the same with Cubs, Home, Gasman and Toast. Though other characters may be in the film, the initial storyline will follow one person. This may be due to the short space of time in which to create a character and bring across their personality. There is simply no time to pull the audience in to more than one persons life.
Screen Shot 2
hard because of her father? Explaining this could have added more depth to Amelia’s character. However, with filming, casting and planning constraints we were unable to fill this void. Perhaps in retrospect it was something I should have given more thought to. Secondly, by looking at this screen shot you can see that Ashley’s father is neglecting her and she is trying to reach out to him. We never see Amelia try to reach out to everyone, as if she believes she is all alone. It may have added to Amelia’s despair if we felt she was being denied what she needed as Ashley is. This was something that I hadn’t considered, but now I understand how it may have improved Toast.
Screen shot 4
Screen Shot 5 I chose this shot firstly because it is the opening of the film. I think this image is effective because the lighting takes away any of the detail from the girls features. Which tells me the audience that her appearance isn’t what matters. Thus making the audience concentrate on her singing and dancing. This relates to a scene in my film in which two boys are playing with a football. It relates to my film as the setting is quite similar,
it was because of About a Girl that we filmed this scene. In a commentary of About A Girl it was said by the director that the scene was almost incidental, of course it itself was filmed specifically as planned, however the director didn’t plan for the weather to be this way. Though after filming they felt it worked well. I liked this because it was incidental, unconscious creativity which led to inspire us. I believe that creativity is a big part of short films as there is a limited amount of time to produce a narrative with a strong storyline. And it is the small details that have made this short film a BAFTA award winner. This has shown me the importance of the opening scene also. From the first shot we see, we know the protagonist is a girl, this is something a majority of shorts share. All shorts will have a central protagonist to follow. It is the same with Cubs, Home, Gasman and Toast. Though other characters may be in the film, the initial storyline will follow one person. This may be due to the short space of time in which to create a character and bring across their personality. There is simply no time to pull the audience in to more than one persons life. Screen Shot 2
Next I chose this shot for the reason that it depicts the relationship between the girl and her mother. Once seeing the end of About a Girl it is clear why this scene is important, it reveals how her mother knows not of what is going on in her daughters life. This is relevant to my film as there is a very similar shot, where though the mother is giving her full attention to her daughter - like Ashley in About a Girl, 
Amelia is deceiving her mother. If you were to watch About a Girl without sound, just from this image you can see how the relationship is between mother and daughter. This is a convention of short film as within short films, characters and their relationships with one another have to be come across well, or the audience will not understand. Hopefully, by using the inspiration from this shot, the audience will be able to understand the relationship between Amelia and Hilary easily.
Amelia is deceiving her mother. If you were to watch About a Girl without sound, just from this image you can see how the relationship is between mother and daughter. This is a convention of short film as within short films, characters and their relationships with one another have to be come across well, or the audience will not understand. Hopefully, by using the inspiration from this shot, the audience will be able to understand the relationship between Amelia and Hilary easily. Screen shot 3
Unlike screen shot 1 and 2, I chose this shot because I felt that it two things that are missing from my short film. Firstly, was the relationship between daughter and father. It is never explained in Toast why Amelia has no father. This is a question the audience may ask. Perhaps Amelia works 
hard because of her father? Explaining this could have added more depth to Amelia’s character. However, with filming, casting and planning constraints we were unable to fill this void. Perhaps in retrospect it was something I should have given more thought to. Secondly, by looking at this screen shot you can see that Ashley’s father is neglecting her and she is trying to reach out to him. We never see Amelia try to reach out to everyone, as if she believes she is all alone. It may have added to Amelia’s despair if we felt she was being denied what she needed as Ashley is. This was something that I hadn’t considered, but now I understand how it may have improved Toast. Screen shot 4
In screen shot 4, Ashley looks directly into the camera is if talking to it like another character. Making it almost the style of a documentary. I am using this screen shot to explain the different style in which short films can be filmed. There may be an invisible line in which the camera is 
there to watch a story unfold, or the camera may be an actual character. There is only two shots (the opening and ending) in Toast in which she looks at the camera however, throughout this does not happen again. Making it clear that the camera is invisible to watch the story unfold.
there to watch a story unfold, or the camera may be an actual character. There is only two shots (the opening and ending) in Toast in which she looks at the camera however, throughout this does not happen again. Making it clear that the camera is invisible to watch the story unfold. I chose this shot as for me it was the moment where I had the most sympathy for the protagonist Ashley. She has been left alone outside a pub waiting for her dad. 
It shows the neglect that her parents so reguarly must treat her with. Although Amelia feels no neglect in Toast, she is still all alone with no-one to talk to. Furthermore, you get a sense of Ashleys working class life. You can clearly see her outfit and the typical example of unhealthy eating. This is a subtle comment on northern life of working class children hanging around the streets.
It shows the neglect that her parents so reguarly must treat her with. Although Amelia feels no neglect in Toast, she is still all alone with no-one to talk to. Furthermore, you get a sense of Ashleys working class life. You can clearly see her outfit and the typical example of unhealthy eating. This is a subtle comment on northern life of working class children hanging around the streets. Screen Shot 6
In this shot Ashley is on the bus with her friends. They are excitedly singing as they believe they will one day have a successful girl band. This reveals the innocence of childhood, which Toast lacks. 
There isn't a point where Amelia is actually enjoying herself with friends. Where as, with Ashley the audience can interpret that her life isn't all bad because she has friends. This gives About a Girl a bit of an uplift which Toast lacks, this tends to make Toast a bit depressing for the audience. I like this scene especially because having a scene on a bus adds authenticity, making the film more realistic and interesting by breaking up the scenes with flashbacks. In Toast it is a continuos sequence which can be considered quite simple.
There isn't a point where Amelia is actually enjoying herself with friends. Where as, with Ashley the audience can interpret that her life isn't all bad because she has friends. This gives About a Girl a bit of an uplift which Toast lacks, this tends to make Toast a bit depressing for the audience. I like this scene especially because having a scene on a bus adds authenticity, making the film more realistic and interesting by breaking up the scenes with flashbacks. In Toast it is a continuos sequence which can be considered quite simple. Screen Shot 7
This shot depicts a young boy swearing in the dirction of Ashley after she comments on them not being able to catch any fish. Firstly, I chose this image because I thought it was a comment on 
northern life of young boys fishing and being abusive towards girls adding to the sympathy you feel towards Ashleys life. Secondly, I chose this image as you can compare the young boys hostility towards Ashley to the hostility Amelia feels when she is being pushed and shoved in the school hallways. The typical overcast and dreary weather also adds to reflect Ashleys feelings and the general feel for the film. When filming Toast, filming in Winter and Autumn helped us to do the same thing. You can also see here that a variety of shots are used throughout the film. In stead of just keeping the camera on Ashley through the whole film as a medium close up, they have also included long shots. This is something we were careful to do in my film in aid of creativity.
northern life of young boys fishing and being abusive towards girls adding to the sympathy you feel towards Ashleys life. Secondly, I chose this image as you can compare the young boys hostility towards Ashley to the hostility Amelia feels when she is being pushed and shoved in the school hallways. The typical overcast and dreary weather also adds to reflect Ashleys feelings and the general feel for the film. When filming Toast, filming in Winter and Autumn helped us to do the same thing. You can also see here that a variety of shots are used throughout the film. In stead of just keeping the camera on Ashley through the whole film as a medium close up, they have also included long shots. This is something we were careful to do in my film in aid of creativity. Screen Shot 8
This is one of the final shots in which Ashley has thrown a plastic bag into the river and a dead baby has floated out. This is the scene in which the audience understands what Ashley has actually been talking about this whole time and why she was walking to the canal. I chose this shot because it is the most important shot of the whole movie as at that moment everything mistakes. Similarly, when Amelia breaks down crying on the floor, the audience understands why she wakes up with make-up smeared across her face. This shot proves to be the 'twist' of the story. a convention most short films have in order to shock the audience. It is the same in Cubs, when the audience realizes the gangs are modern day fox hunters and in Home when you find a man is harbouring a sick donkey in his house. This may be a convention Toast is lacking, as the ending isn't truly shocking. If I was to make another short film, I would create a stronger twist which hits home for the audience. The underlying story here is that of the problem in Britain of teenage pregnancy, therefore for British audiences, the idea is understandable and makes them think about a serious problem they may not have considered before. In Toast, the idea is that of teenage stress at school, this is an idea people don't often consider as they just see the final results (grades) and assume a child must have worked hard. The fear, panic, desperation and unhappiness is never seen. Toast
Screen Shot 1
I chose this image first as it opens up the film. It leads the audience to ask why does she appear as though she has been crying? Or perhaps has she been out the night before and stumbled back into bed and simply rubbed all her make up over her face. From this shot you can see how Amelia wakes up immediatley, most teenagers would roll over and go back to sleep however, Amelia appears to be suddenly awake. This is because in every aspect of Amelias life she is driven to suceed. This may seem as
>though a minor aspect, but I feel it important as these are the minor
characteristics that help the audience understand Amelia as a person. If she was to wake up and smile the scene would have a completely different effect. Therefore, I feel as though this shot came along well in telling the audience the story doesn't begin happily. On the technical side, this image is perfect as it is a close up of Amelias face; the audience can see who the main character is and her expression is clear and understandable. This works well with conventions of short film as the harsh close up without editing adds to the realism. It may differ to About A Girl and other short films however, in the way Amelia stares directly into the camera. Usually the camera is either invisible (Cubs) or the camera is a person (About a girl). If the camera is invisible it is watching a story unfold. In About a Girl the main character is talking to the camera about her life. The camera in my film is invisible, watching the story unfold. Although when Amelia looks directly into the camera it feels to the audience like she is looking at them. This then brings the audience into the film, making them feel closer to Amelia.
Screen Shot 2
This image was chosen because it is the moment when Amelia looks at herself momentarily confused at her appearence however, if you keep watching realisation hits and her face is disregarded. Technically speaking I like this shot because of the angle, its an over the shoulder shot in which we can see her in the mirror.
I like the idea of Amelia looking at her reflection, as we can see Amelias reaction as to the state she has gotten herself into. In this image we can also see clearly what she is wearing. The pink love heart pajamas connote a childlike innocence which doesn't reflect Amelia's personality at all. This signifies a time when Amelia was a more cheerful and playful person.
I chose this image first as it opens up the film. It leads the audience to ask why does she appear as though she has been crying? Or perhaps has she been out the night before and stumbled back into bed and simply rubbed all her make up over her face. From this shot you can see how Amelia wakes up immediatley, most teenagers would roll over and go back to sleep however, Amelia appears to be suddenly awake. This is because in every aspect of Amelias life she is driven to suceed. This may seem as
>though a minor aspect, but I feel it important as these are the minor
characteristics that help the audience understand Amelia as a person. If she was to wake up and smile the scene would have a completely different effect. Therefore, I feel as though this shot came along well in telling the audience the story doesn't begin happily. On the technical side, this image is perfect as it is a close up of Amelias face; the audience can see who the main character is and her expression is clear and understandable. This works well with conventions of short film as the harsh close up without editing adds to the realism. It may differ to About A Girl and other short films however, in the way Amelia stares directly into the camera. Usually the camera is either invisible (Cubs) or the camera is a person (About a girl). If the camera is invisible it is watching a story unfold. In About a Girl the main character is talking to the camera about her life. The camera in my film is invisible, watching the story unfold. Although when Amelia looks directly into the camera it feels to the audience like she is looking at them. This then brings the audience into the film, making them feel closer to Amelia.Screen Shot 2
This image was chosen because it is the moment when Amelia looks at herself momentarily confused at her appearence however, if you keep watching realisation hits and her face is disregarded. Technically speaking I like this shot because of the angle, its an over the shoulder shot in which we can see her in the mirror.
I like the idea of Amelia looking at her reflection, as we can see Amelias reaction as to the state she has gotten herself into. In this image we can also see clearly what she is wearing. The pink love heart pajamas connote a childlike innocence which doesn't reflect Amelia's personality at all. This signifies a time when Amelia was a more cheerful and playful person. Screen Shot 3
This shot was chosen as the audience can understand the relationship between Amelia and her mother. Hilary (her mother) is reaching across the table looking directly at
Amelia smiling warmly. Whereas Amelia will not even look at her mother so focused on her schoolwork and getting away. In this scene we can see that Amelia's mother is immaculate, from the very clean kitchen to her physical presence. This contrasts with Amelia greatly which shows the difference between mother and daughter.
This shot was chosen as the audience can understand the relationship between Amelia and her mother. Hilary (her mother) is reaching across the table looking directly at
Amelia smiling warmly. Whereas Amelia will not even look at her mother so focused on her schoolwork and getting away. In this scene we can see that Amelia's mother is immaculate, from the very clean kitchen to her physical presence. This contrasts with Amelia greatly which shows the difference between mother and daughter. Screen Shot 4
In this shot we see two boys playing football. This reminds of of two things from About a Girl; Firstly, is the opening scene in which Ashley's physical features can't be seen because of the weather.
But, this isn't important because the scene is about her actions and not her appearance. This shot is important because it is showing the audience how all the other students at school are finding time to relax and enjoy each others company when Amelia cannot. In this scene we can also hear the voice over of a boy, assumingly Amelia's boyfriend. This is a common convention of short films which allow either the protagonists thoughts to be heard, or another point of view. Screen Shot 5
This image is Amelia slamming her door shut. I thought this was pertinent as it shows how Amelia is shutting out the world. It's as though once she gets into her bedroom no-one else can get to her. Each time she is in her bedroom she is alone. I wanted the audience to feel as though Amelia's bedroom is her safe haven, in which she can behave in any way. Her mother never goes in there, so Amelia can act freely. This is something teenagers can relate to as every teen feels as though their bedroom is their own personal space. This is important later on as Amelia begins to break down. From a technical point of view filming this scene was quite complex.
Fitting the camera man, camera equipment, lighting and the boom operator all in the narrow staircase was next to impossible. Therefore lighting was limited to the ceiling light. Sound was placed low down at the bottom of the stairs and the camera was free to film the scene perfectly. The fact that the camera is at a low angle shows how distant the door is - how distant Amelia is from everyone else.
This image is Amelia slamming her door shut. I thought this was pertinent as it shows how Amelia is shutting out the world. It's as though once she gets into her bedroom no-one else can get to her. Each time she is in her bedroom she is alone. I wanted the audience to feel as though Amelia's bedroom is her safe haven, in which she can behave in any way. Her mother never goes in there, so Amelia can act freely. This is something teenagers can relate to as every teen feels as though their bedroom is their own personal space. This is important later on as Amelia begins to break down. From a technical point of view filming this scene was quite complex.
Fitting the camera man, camera equipment, lighting and the boom operator all in the narrow staircase was next to impossible. Therefore lighting was limited to the ceiling light. Sound was placed low down at the bottom of the stairs and the camera was free to film the scene perfectly. The fact that the camera is at a low angle shows how distant the door is - how distant Amelia is from everyone else.Screen Shot 6
I chose this shot because it reveals the relationship between Amelia and her friends. She is rejecting their invitations to go to the cinema. This is important because it is showing the audience that Amelia must
have once been relatively sociable otherwise her class mates wouldn't have invited her. It follows conventions of a short film as in the few seconds that this scene takes place in the audience gets an idea of what her life used to be like.
have once been relatively sociable otherwise her class mates wouldn't have invited her. It follows conventions of a short film as in the few seconds that this scene takes place in the audience gets an idea of what her life used to be like. Screen Shot 7
This shot depicts a newspaper article Amelia is reading about teen exam stress leading to suicide. This was used because we wanted our audience to feel as though Amelia was feeling desperate and considering hurting herself. However, by not committing suicide we were going away from the 
generic idea of depressed teens all kill themselves. As we wanted to keep our story as original as possible. This may be going away from conventions of a short film as usually the end of short films intend to shock the audience. By misleading the audience and not giving in to a stereotypical storyline we are choosing to be original.
generic idea of depressed teens all kill themselves. As we wanted to keep our story as original as possible. This may be going away from conventions of a short film as usually the end of short films intend to shock the audience. By misleading the audience and not giving in to a stereotypical storyline we are choosing to be original. Screen Shot 8
In this image we can both see the blade Amelia is holding and her phone. By having a sharp dangerous object in the shot the audience will suspect Amelia may hurt herself in some way.
The importance of the shot is to display how agitated Amelia gets by the constant vibrating sounds of her phone. As the scene creates tension it actually fits in with a convention of most films, as it puts the audience 'on the edge of their seat' so to speak.
The importance of the shot is to display how agitated Amelia gets by the constant vibrating sounds of her phone. As the scene creates tension it actually fits in with a convention of most films, as it puts the audience 'on the edge of their seat' so to speak.Screen Shot 9
This is the shot where Amelia collapses to the floor after violently throwing her phone. I chose this shot because it is the climax of the film. The moment when Amelia finally shows how she is really feeling inside. Alike when Ashley throws the baby in the river in about a girl and a donkey is revealed in a man's room in the short film Home, the audience finally understands the full story. Why Amelia woke up that day with make up smeared across her face and why she keeps her emotions in while she is at school.
The emotion in this scene is intended to get sympathy from the viewer. The high angle shot of Amelia is similar to the high angled shot at the end of About a Girl, it allows the audience to pass judgement on the character. Although where you may judge Ashley in About a Girl for her foolish mistake, it is sympathy you feel for Amelia.
The emotion in this scene is intended to get sympathy from the viewer. The high angle shot of Amelia is similar to the high angled shot at the end of About a Girl, it allows the audience to pass judgement on the character. Although where you may judge Ashley in About a Girl for her foolish mistake, it is sympathy you feel for Amelia. 
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