David Makalena - Film Studies Coursework

FADE IN INT. HOUSE - HALLWAY - NIGHT The hallway is covered with pictures of a happy couple. The light from the kitchen shines over the frames. The door opens. JACK is a smartly-dressed working man returning home after a gruelling day at his job. He appears visually exhausted, a sunken expression and shrugged body, and slowly hangs his coat on a hanger. Jack walks towards the kitchen - where the light is coming from. He opens the door. LINDSEY is a house wife, casual attire but with a serious stern look on her face. She has been preparing food for dinner and seems disappointed with Jack's appearance. Lindsey  And what time do you call this? Jack  I know. I'm just as upset as you. Lindsey  These potatoEs have been on for way too long now. Jack  I'm sorry. Lindsey  Yeah alright. Jack goes in to kiss Lindsey but she instead turns and walks off toward the table. Lindsey (cont.)  How was work then? Jack...

What I aim to do with this is to create a slick, professional looking short film highlighting the fact that many men are also attacked in acts of domestic violence and that domestic violence does not have to be physical abuse. I intend to colour grade the video to create that professional look and include lots of snappy dialogue with few camera movements to highlight the mental abuse the wife is giving.

I really want to play with the camerawork in this. I'm a big fan of long single takes and so would like to try and implement one into mine. When I think of my setting, a dining table, one particular shot comes to mind: the long take from American Beauty. In it, the camera moves so slowly towards the characters that the audience has to listen into the characters as nothing else interesting is happening on screen. Sam Mendes was incredibly inventive when thinking of this shot as that force listening allows for the dialogue to properly interpreted, something which I would also like to use in my short film. I also want to try and highlight the fractured nature of their relationship. At the start, when the husband returns home and the audience meets them for the first time, I want to show the couple in a canted angle, to visually show their tilted and fractured relationship. I would also like to make as few edits as possible at the start, as nothing has kicked off yet. When the ac...

First Act: Men returns home. We are introduced to the husband and wife and are almost instantly made aware of some tense behaviour between them both. Second Act: The couple sit and eat at the table, conversation is brief and once again tense. The atmosphere is extremely frosty. After an upset, the wife stands up to leave. Third Act: As the husband comments on the potatoes, the wife turns and slaps them from his mouth. She then grabs him by the collar, threatening him but ultimately leaves him.

A man comes from work, he is late and worried. He goes into the kitchen, where his wife has been preparing dinner. She is not happy with him, complaining how she has left the potatoes in for too long because of his lateness. Dinner is served and the two converse in awkward bursts. Ultimately, the wife is 'hurt' so much by the husband's actions that she gets up to leave. The husband comments on how the potatoes are fine to which the wife turns and slaps the fork out of his mouth. The husband apologies but the wife doesn't take it. Ultimately, she grabs him by the shirt, threatening him, until she drops him and leaves the room. This film is highlighting how men are the victim of domestic violence to a degree much bigger than people realise. It also points out how domestic violence is a lot more psychological than physical.

A couple eat dinner but tensions are high.

We got the opportunity to listen a screenwriter, Neil, about the process of generating ideas and then eventually creating a screenplay. Neil questioned my typical thinking methods - bringing up the idea that documentaries also offer an interesting story telling opportunity. However, for my coursework, doing a documentary is not applicable.  In general terms, Neil explained how short films should strive to be something you couldn't or wouldn't necessarily show in a feature length film. They should also include universally known scenarios so that they can connect to lots of people in a short space of time. Adapting short stories also came up, which is an idea I approached across summer break.  However Neil gave some genuine student film maker advice. He insisted that we build a story around resources that we have access to. He also recommended that we film the master shot first, the main shot, so that we have a concrete shot to work around. Neil's t...