EDITING INFLUENCES WITHIN OUR SHORT FILM

By Georgia Neal

What We Based Our Short Film On

We decided to base our short film on another short film called “love is all you need”. We decided to base our editing and narrative on this short film, as we liked the effect the film gave off to us as an audience. Also, we felt there was a very powerful message behind the film, which we also wanted to create through our short film. We wanted people to remember it in many ways. However, we only took some parts of the film for our inspiration, as we didn’t want to copy it completely, and we wanted our film to have a plot twist through out, to follow the typical conventions of a short film.

Editing Influences Opening shot One of our main editing influences in our short film was based on the opening shot of ‘love is all you need’ the film straight away starts with a low angled close up shot of the character, cutting into the storyline straight away. We wanted the same effect with our film, so the opening shot was a low angled shot of Charlotte opening her wardrobe. We liked the fact ‘love is all you need’ didn’t drag out the storyline, and straight away went into the storyline, this was another editing technique we wanted to include in our short film, so we did the same.

Editing Influences

Fading Out ShotsAnother editing technique that we liked in the film ‘love is all you need’ was the fading out shots, in between every scene. We found them very effective, through out the short film, and almost gave a flashback effect to the film. However, we didn’t use them as frequently through out our short film, as our film didn’t need the effect of flashbacks. Although, we did use a fading out shot at the end of our short film, just after the audience meet Olivia, as we felt it was really effective, and let the audience almost imagine what was going to happen next in the film, leaving a bit of mystery for them.

Editing Influences Story Point Of View Another editing technique we decided to use in our film, was telling the story from the point of view from a young/teenage girl. We found this effective within ‘love is all you need’ as it makes the audience connect more emotionally with the main character, as they are younger. Also, we thought it would be effective in our short film, as our target audience would be able to connect with the character more if they were similar ages to them, which in this case they would be. This is portrayed through the film, by close ups of other characters in the film, with the main character in the back ground looking over at them, sort of hiding away. As well as close ups of the main character, showing to the audience her real emotions and facial expressions.

Editing Influences Emotional attachment

Another editing technique that gave us influence, was the difference use of shots to show the loneliness of the main character. In ‘love Is all you need’ there are many mid shots and wide shots, showing the main character, sat on her own on a swing and on her bike, with not many friends or support around her, especially from her two mums. We found this especially effective as it makes the audience feel sorry for the main character, and understand the storyline from the character point of view, as well as having a stronger emotional attachment with the character, and almost feeling like you are in the same situation as them and are feeling the same emotions. An example of this editing influence in our film, would be when Charlotte is sat on her own in her room, enclosed in a space on her own. The loneliness of the character is portrayed through wide shots and mid shots, showing there is no one else around her, and she always seems to be on her own.

Editing Influences Betrayed by Children

In the short film ‘love is all you need’ the young girl, likes a little boy, but it is looked down on by her mums, as they are in a gay relationship and don’t agree with women and men being together, so the daughter secretly meets up with the boy. We found this editing technique of secret meetings effective, as it makes the audience almost feel special that they are seeing everything that is happening in the storyline, they are almost on lookers over the daughters love life. This is the same in our short film, as the daughter, charlotte meets up with Olivia, which her mother doesn’t really agree with as it isn't a boy, and she assumes it is. But charlotte meets up with olivia behind her mothers back, just like ‘ love is all you need’. This is an effective editing technique, as the audience can especially see the storyline from the both the daughters point of view, which we were trying to achieve within our short film.

Relationship With Relationship With ParentsAnother editing technique that influenced our short film from the film ‘love is all you need’ is the relationship between the main character in the film and her mums. We found this effective, as we thought the audience especially could relate to the main character, and would make them more interested in the film if they can relate to this. Also, it is easier to portray the hidden message within our short film, and the story that we wanted to put across to our audience, using this editing technique. However, we used it in a slightly different way in our film, instead of the mother and daughter not getting on, like in ‘love is all you need’ we portrayed it so that they do get on, but the mother has no idea that her daughter is gay, and is very pushy for her to go out with a boy, which stereotypically any mother would want in society, This relationship is portrayed through the use of wide and mid shots of the mothers with their daughter, and the facial expressions of the daughter not looking to happy, aswell as a low angled shot of one of the mothers looking down on the daughter with no respect.