Filmography

I have watched some films recently based on their relevance to our film. I have particularly looked at comedies, or films in which the two main characters are female and male, or in any way similar to the characters in our film. I have tried to watch films which aren't big budget Hollywood types, as our short film is unlikely to be similar to these. Instead I have opted for films with more individualized and slightly unconventional story lines/styles of delivery, in order to inspire more original ideas for our film.

Sunshine Cleaning

This film is about a single mum who cleans for a living, and struggles with money. She finds a gap in the market for cleaning up places in which people have died or committed suicide. At first she is very reluctant to do the job, but gradually starts to feel good about it, as she is able to help and talk to people. 

I watched this film and was particularly inspired by the style of humour within it. It is funny yet subtle, and the characters decisions and actions aren't cliched. The style of filming is candid with a lot of hand held shots.

The lighting and cinematography is realistic; not over or under saturated, and is quite dull and earthy in colour. It connotes a small town feel: like the colours used in a Western. A lot of the film seems quite dark, and the main source of lighting seems to be natural light or from light sources within the scene (even if that wasn't necessarily the case) This can be seen in the film stills above. This type of realism is something that I wish to replicate in our film.

The musical score includes quirky, bittersweet indie guitar based songs which are often intertwined as diegetic/non-diegetic, thus bringing the audience into the characters' world. This is a feature which I feel would work well in our film and I hope to factor it in, to give it an earnest and charming appeal.

Once

Once is an Irish film about a man and woman who meet, when the woman approaches the man whilst he is busking on the streets of Dublin. They are both from very modest backgrounds: and they find they both have an affinity for music. I was particularly inspired by this film because the woman is really how I imagined the female in our film to be; quite plain and visually unassuming but very persistent in nature, straightforward and chatty, and most importantly she is the driving force of their relationship, as is the female character in our film. The dialogue is very realistic as a lot of it was improvised so things such as people talking over one another, and reacting to what the other said, adds to the realism. This film is the reason I am keen for the actors in our film to improvise.

Again, the shots in this film are handheld and it has a sort of documentary visual style. The camera isn't of the highest quality and a lot of the street filming is done from a distance, as if they were being filmed by a random by passer, or a friend making a documentary; thus adding to the realistic elements of the film.

Unlike Sunshine Cleaning, it appears as if there were no post-production or cinematography to change the hue/saturation of the footage. Again this emphasizes the reality in this film and is something which we may well like to consider when filming our final film.


Happy go lucky

Happy Go Lucky is a British film about a highly optimistic woman from North London. She puts a positive spin on everything and she often comes into contact with people who don't seem to understand her enthusiasm for life. I liked this film as the main character gave me ideas for the woman in our film. I wanted her to be slightly ditsy, over the top and a bit goofy; which is exactly what the female character in this film is like.

The cinematography in this is again quite neutral and realistic, but the colours that surround the woman (i.e. her wardrobe/house) are vivid and colourful. I like the little idioms that the female character says in her dialogue and hope to include similar ones in the script. I do however feel like the dialogue in a lot of the scenes is somewhat forced between the characters and I wan't to avoid that in our film.


The Intouchables

This is a subtitled french film about a wealthy quadriplegic man who finds an unlikely companion in a young urban man, whom he hires to be his carer. It is based on a true story, and the characterization is superb. I chose this film because of the relationship dynamic between the two men. Neither is too keen on the other to begin with but as they spend more time with one another they begin to form a bond. The younger urban man is arrogant and uncaring; similar to the male in our film, so I paid close attention to how he acted and reacted to things in his dialogue.