Satire / Dark Comedy Genre Research
Below I will research various other shot films that evolve around this genre and highlight the aspects of the film which I think made it successful. I will look at these films in terms of: Cinematography, Sound Design, Editing and Mise - En - Scene.
1. Long Distance Information: https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2016/12/28/long-distance-information/
The film met the desired genre very well. It was successful in giving "Dark Comedy" as a genre and used various codes seen in other films of this genre. The comedic side of the film was that the son was on the phone to the "Wrong Dad" after a lengthy phone call on Christmas day. The story line was perfect and ended in a ominous cliff hanger - a trait seen in many other dark comedic films.
I enjoyed the use of closeups throughout the film. The camera shots displayed enigma codes of anger and frustration while reverting back to normality shortly after. The framing was perfect and only displayed what was essential for the scene.
In the scene shown above, the camera is still while there is a full scale argument going on in the background. The dialogue is muffled and conveys a sense of unbeknown to the audience. The scene was made effective by the character not reacting to the aggressiveness of the argument.
The use of smoking as a prop added to the sense of rebellion by the father character. The mise - en - scene attribute contributes to the story line well.
2. Cherokee: https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2017/01/18/cherokee/
Cherokee was a film about a single mother who cannot pay rent to the frail old stubborn man who owns the land. The women has a small child aged 9 who injures a housebreaker that entered the woman's home. The woman falsely accused the landlord of being in the house and while she is speaking to him, the child fins the housebreaker in her room.
The dark comedy title was achieved through the dialogue in which the 9 year old girl speaks. She often uses swear words and aggressive language while remaining calm and collected. Aggressive dialogue / swearing is an aspect which I think would be successful in production.
The long two shot in the film helped to derive a tense atmosphere in this short. The shot displayed one character waiting silently and still while the other character walked on screen. I liked the shot as it established both of the main characters in one frame as well as setting the scene for the short film.
Below I will research various other shot films that evolve around this genre and highlight the aspects of the film which I think made it successful. I will look at these films in terms of: Cinematography, Sound Design, Editing and Mise - En - Scene.
1. Long Distance Information: https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2016/12/28/long-distance-information/
The film met the desired genre very well. It was successful in giving "Dark Comedy" as a genre and used various codes seen in other films of this genre. The comedic side of the film was that the son was on the phone to the "Wrong Dad" after a lengthy phone call on Christmas day. The story line was perfect and ended in a ominous cliff hanger - a trait seen in many other dark comedic films.
I enjoyed the use of closeups throughout the film. The camera shots displayed enigma codes of anger and frustration while reverting back to normality shortly after. The framing was perfect and only displayed what was essential for the scene.
In the scene shown above, the camera is still while there is a full scale argument going on in the background. The dialogue is muffled and conveys a sense of unbeknown to the audience. The scene was made effective by the character not reacting to the aggressiveness of the argument.
The use of smoking as a prop added to the sense of rebellion by the father character. The mise - en - scene attribute contributes to the story line well.
2. Cherokee: https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2017/01/18/cherokee/
Cherokee was a film about a single mother who cannot pay rent to the frail old stubborn man who owns the land. The women has a small child aged 9 who injures a housebreaker that entered the woman's home. The woman falsely accused the landlord of being in the house and while she is speaking to him, the child fins the housebreaker in her room.
The dark comedy title was achieved through the dialogue in which the 9 year old girl speaks. She often uses swear words and aggressive language while remaining calm and collected. Aggressive dialogue / swearing is an aspect which I think would be successful in production.
The long two shot in the film helped to derive a tense atmosphere in this short. The shot displayed one character waiting silently and still while the other character walked on screen. I liked the shot as it established both of the main characters in one frame as well as setting the scene for the short film.
3. We ate the children last: https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2015/05/14/ate-children-last/
The first thing I noticed about this film was the use of mentally derived characters. The role of this character played well in causing a disequilibrium in the film and ensuring that the plot is unpredictable. (An aspect that works well with satire film). The actor plays it well by long stares and emotionless composure. The use of characters in this state juxtaposed with the orchestral and melodic soundtrack creates a sense of mystery to the film also. It helps build suspense for the audience and leaves viewers on the edge of their seat.
A funny factor is brought to life in this film through the use of a comedic screenplay. The main character eats a bunch of flowers which is clearly out of the ordinary and the fact that the other doctor takes them off him provokes child like attributes to the character.
The title sequence of the film is intriguing and relevant to the them of the Dark comedy genre. The light coloured text placed on the dark background emits danger and doom. The texture of the text is tattered and further reiterates a sense of battle and danger: 2 attributes displayed in the film.
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