Analysis of About a Girl

About a Girl’ Analysis – 2001
Geoff Boyle - Cinematographer
Writer - Julie Rutteford
Budget - £33,000
9 Minutes long

About a girl vs. About a Boy, warm feeling, innocence vs. guilt, SF vs. mainstream
Messages about content via title sequence, message within technology
First shot, silhouette, scenery, youth culture, fandom, superiority or shot, on hill – Escapism, assertive song, reflects personality? Clouds.
Pathetic Fallacy, where the weather imitates the mood of the action
Britney – Pure innocent Christian – grew up too fast / Girl – not pure, not innocent, secrets – grew up too fast (Identifying with character, singing/dancing
Huge contrast/juxtaposition, character, walls, urban area, trapped in surroundings, gates, isolates, situation, status, secrets, earnings, not hiding being her face, still a child, becoming of age.
Verbal Diarrhoea – strong accent.
Lower class, not close to her family, only talks to herself
Gritty housing estate, playground, dogs, siren, atmosphere setting scene
Swearing at her dad, problems, realises what’s going on
Camera moving erratically, in and out, reflects inner turmoil, unpredictable, personality
“I’m not a kid!” – Trying to show she’s growing up, pregnant, static shot! Dad shows no interest in daughter – unemployed.
She wants to be included with her dad, but wishes he thought about what she wanted.
Has maternal comments – pity – bless
“I’ve had enough!” – Shot panning away, full colours, grey de-saturated. “Stronger than yesterday.”
Wants’ to be famous – girls together smells perfume. Leader authoritative personality. Smart
Got a lot to say, she’s assertive, cheeky, ambitious
Escapism, Stereophonics, Madonna, pop culture. Dream World.
More sinister air to it, strawberry sauce, blood, references her vulnerability. More stationary shots.
What’s in the bag? Becoming darker. Foretelling what happens
Talking stops her thinking.
Kills baby, dismisses it, sings to hide it, wants’ a 99 flake. Hard hitting issues. Mum doesn’t pay attention.
Baby in bag, nobody notices. Bag is like her, disposable, throw it away. Gives birth to the baby. Bag floats towards the grate, trapped.
Symbolic of people in society being so dismissive and not conceiving issues that are hard in society.

Codes and conventions of short films/mainstream films.

Experimental, Micro shorts – under 5 minutes
Low budget, less financial pressure
Small cast
Niche audience – not mainstream
Tell stories
Young, aspiring directors make short films – experience, portfolio, style calling-cards represent style of cinematography, style, genre, script etc
Amateur
Realistic, grainy look and feel, have underlying message
See them at film festivals, art galleries, YouTube, TV - (Channel 4) prelude to feature

Short Film
Feature Length / Mainstream
Under 50 minutes
Over 50 minutes
More visually captivating
Clean cut, edited to a mainstream standard
Low budget, less actors
High budget, big cast, props, scenery etc
Used to display capability or creative style, script etc
Usually already established capability by progressing o feature length
Short production length
Long production length
People are less knowledgeable of them, small marketing – niche audience
Mass audience / mainstream

Feature Length / Mainstream
Over 50 minutes
Clean cut, edited to a mainstream standard
High budget, big cast, props, scenery etc
Usually already established capability by progressing o feature length
Long production length
Mass audience / mainstream

Catherine des Forges: - “Spare economic narratives, interesting storytelling, well structures work, which draws in the audience quickly.”

Gareth Evans: - “Short films are long films that finish earlier.” “A good idea, succinctly Told, less is more.”

Requirements of short films

· They have to have aesthetic complexity- for example, the look and feel must not be conventional and be quite complex.
· Plurality of content- intricate detail must be included and the film makers are not interested in continuity.
· Short films generally break all conventions of mainstream cinema; there is alot of breaking the 4th wall and manipulation of time and space.
· The exhibition of these short films are perfect for internet distribution such as Youtube, Myspace, Vimeo etc to gain other people opinions on them and for viral promotion.

What are short films?

What are short films?
· A short film is defined by its length NOT it’s genre.
· There are no set codes and conventions, ONLY length.
· Short films are created through innovation and creative and artistic license.
· Cinema started with short film in 1895. Workers leaving the factory- Sortie de l’Usine- made by the Lumiére Brothers, Journey to the Moon- which was the first sci-fi and the Wizard of Oz which was the first colour film.
· Short films have no precise criteria or characteristics
· Documentaries can be considered as short films. Also black and white films, animations, colour films, fictional and dramas are all other things that short films can have.
· All established genres can be portrayed in a film.
· Short film ISN’T part of mainstream cinema. Short films have been proven to influence mainstream cinema and Hollywood and are generally shown at film festivals or underground cinemas.