Short film analysis 2

Short Film Analysis 2: Losers By Future Shorts

By Sunraj Bolina

Losers - Future Shorts

The short film is a emotional drama film , there are many messages embedded in the short film. The film shows different types of teenagers going through various phases. The short film lays emphasis on one of todays main problem in schools – bullying.

The short film shows students being bullied face to face and through cyber bullying. However at the end of the film the bullies are challenged as the film shows someone on Facebook commenting ‘don’t be a bully. LOSER.’

This shows that the bullies victims are not the actual losers however the bullies are in fact the losers. This sends out a message to members of the audience who may face these dilemmas and issues, the message is that you should never stop what you want to do no matter what/who gets in the way. Also that by standing up to bullies and sticking together you can put a end to bullying.

The Opening Scene

The first frame we see is a comment box on Facebook. Someone types Losers. This corresponds to the title of the short film and straight away the audience can tell that the atmosphere seems to be sad and emotional due to the powerful significance of the word – ‘LOSERS’.

There is the sound effects of buttons on a keyboard being pressed (typing) as the word loser appears. This sound could be diegetic or non –diegetic however this allows the equilibrium to flow as the audience know that someone is typing the word.

The screen then goes black and we hear the sound of a click followed by music, the music seems to be either clapping or tapping. The beat/music is engaging and makes the audience really interested in the short film due to the mellow rhythm it holds.

We then see a series of shots showing different teenagers going through various phases. One thing that the shots all symbolise is the isolation the characters have from other people. The bullying victims tend to be lonely, thus conforming to the idea that victims do not speak out because they do not have anyone to tell, or maybe do not trust anyone as they think that there issues may become more severe.

The victims are portrayed as defenceless, weak and lonely through the use of character spacing, costume and props. The boy in the yellow shorts is struggling to lift the weighs which shows his weakness. Through the use of cinematography there seems to be a lot of room next to the characters. In the first screen shot – image you can see two girls together eating their food in contrast to the boy in the centre having his food alone. The fast paced editing, fast transition of shots (hard cuts) allow the audience to see the different victims and how they have their own way of dealing with things e.g. trying to be different by studying, exercising and comfort eating etc. This shows the effects of bullying as each victim wants to change who they are just to fit in and not be bullied.

Non – diegetic music is being played at this point because this is the stage where the narrative and storyline begins to develop. The music takes time to emerge with the scenes as it starts off slow and quiet then builds up to a faster tempo where the sound of guitars being played is introduced.

We see people failing as they try to accomplish certain tasks. This yet again shows why the victims are associated with the word ‘losers’ as they continuously lose, however it takes many mistakes and attempts to try and accomplish something to finally win. This is the message the directors tries to portray as he shows how the characters develop from being lonely and failing doing things to start to become brave and confident individuals.

We then see the more popular students. The second screen shot shows the ‘jocks’ as they celebrate in a aggressive abnormal way by barging into each other and chanting. Here we see the difference between the victims and the bullies. The bullies are in a crowd and tend to make noise whereas the victims are alone and quiet.

The cinematographer uses close ups and medium shots to show the victims. In the background the bullies shout abusive words at the victims such as ‘slut’, ‘idiot’ and ‘loser’. The medium shots and close ups allow the audience to see how these abusive words directly affect the victims as they look upset and some even cry. This makes the audience feel sorry for the victims and we begin to sympathise with them. From here we know that the short film is an (emotional) drama.

The tempo of the film begins to build, the shots change faster along with the diegetic sound of the abusive words being said towards the victims. The music also build up, this increases the suspense and tension. As the tempo builds the audience begin to feel as if they are one of the victims, as the characters are looking directly in the frame which makes the audience feel more connected to the storyline. The tempo slows down as the abusive words stop. There is a close up of a young girl who looks extremely upset as a result of the abusive names she faces. As members of the audience we feel close (connected) to the characters as we feel as though we are also the victims by watching that specific sequence.

There is a series of loud noises that occur after the name calling. This shows the bullies in action. The bullies are shown making life at school hard for the victims as they punch lockers and knock the victims’ books out of their hands etc. The editor and cinematographer focuses on the bullies, the victims and the affect this all has on different people. The background is blurred so only the important things are in focus, tis brings the viewers attention close to the bullying in a hope to make more people aware of it and to put a stop to it.

The editor keeps the same music playing however he adds non - diegetic sound of the bullies and other students laughing at the victims. There is also diegetic sound of the actions involved in the bullying stage such as the lockers banging and a bully flicking the victim’s ear. The use of diegetic sound makes the short film seem more realistic, this will then increase the awareness of this situation – bullying.

There is a close up of someone typing, along with this there is diegetic sound of the buttons on the keyboard being pressed (typing) . One of the bullies types ‘hahaha SOO gay’. This is offensive and abusive, this is also cyber bullying – one of the methods bullies use to still bully innocent children outside of school. The different shots shown of the victims still being harassed and bullied makes the audience feel angry but yet hopeless as they cannot do anything.

All the sound and music stops as the frame changes to show a close up of a young female victim crying. We assume that she is crying due to the severe pain, embarrassment and upset she has been through because of the bullies. The diegetic sound of the girl crying makes the audience feel sorry for her. The choice to remove any other sound (background sound) works very well because the sound of only the girl crying is very significant to the film and makes the short film more emotional as the audience looks at the effects of bullying.

The screen blacks out and then we are presented with a close up shot showing Facebook. The clapping/tapping sound occurs again. Someone types ‘don’t be a bully. LOSER. An enigma is created because we do not know who is typing this. It could be one of the victims sticking up for themselves and other victims, or it could be a bully who wants to change his/her ways. Or possibly it could be neither a bully or victim but a person sticking up for the victims as they have witnessed what is going on.

At this stage the viewers will feel a little relived because the bullies have been confronted and this may stop the bullies. The audience also feel happy because something is being done about the bullying. They o longer have to see the victims suffering and being upset as this comment could change the bullies ways. The person also calls the bullies, ‘loser’. This shows that the victims are not the losers which is what the bullies refer them to, in fact it is the bullies who are the losers because of their selfish, inconsiderate and mean actions.

SummaryBy making the audience feel sorry for the victims this increases the awareness of bullying and makes the bullies themselves want to stop and change however more importantly it teaches the victims to stand up for their rights and face the bullying and to put a stop to the bullies. The short film also encourages other people who may not be involved to step in and help the victims by sticking up for them and not siding with the bullies.

The Director casts a variety of good actors who are able to play their roles excellently to a high standard, which ultimately makes the short film more emotional and gives off a greater affect to the audience. When watching the film I felt as though I was in the short film myself because I was paying so much attention to detail, this was done through the use of creative shots and using a lot of close ups which allowed viewers to see how the bullying directly affects the victims. The cinematographer used medium shots to show the victims and also establish the scene – school. I think that this was very good because the one shot was used for a variety of different reasons – and to show different things.

I think mise – en – scene was used very well in the short film more specifically the use of props and costume. These indicated who the bullies and victims are in the film. The victims are shown in more formal and neat clothing, the props included things such as exercise equipment, books and food etc. Whereas the bullies were shown to be trendy and a bit more effortless with their dress sense and thoughts about school as the majority were not shown studying or carrying books.

The Editor uses a lot of hard cuts and fast paced editing which I think works really well for the film at times where it is used. The choice of music is really engaging and makes the audience pay attention to what is happening. The diegetic sound makes the audience connect with the characters and feel as though they are involved with the storyline.