Research on Short Films about Disability

My Life With Learning Disabilities- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiqDq0fimXk

Andrew tells the story of a day in his life as a student with a learning disability.

Focuses on the one boy who has disabilities and struggles at school and gets bullied because of them, the film shows him going about his everyday life and how his disability affects him.

The film includes a voiceover which gives the audience an insight into what the boy is thinking and how he feels about what’s going on in his life.

Shot in black and white, so that the colour does not distract, makes you focus more on what the boy is saying.

The music is slow and quite quiet; it reflects the tone of the film. The pace of the music speeds up and becomes more dramatic as Andrew is picked on by a bully and then slows down again when events are calmer.

Face of an Angel-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfP6Gbhla4M

A documentary that follows Felix, a three-year-old toddler with Cerebral Palsy.

As the audience we watch Felix partake in hobbies and enjoying everyday activities.

Cerebral Palsy is difficult to live with however this documentary shows that Felix can still do things that make him happy. We are

given an insight into the way the family cope with his disability, their emotions and what they value doing together.

This documentary takes a different approach to showing children with disabilities, as it shows Felix as the happy, content child he is, without showing or ignoring the limitations of his impairment.

There is a voiceover of Felix’s mum which features in the opening of the film she explains how they try to spend lots of time with Felix as they don’t know how long they have with him and then she goes onto explain about the disease. The voiceover then acts as a sound bridge to the next scene which shows her sitting in her lounge and she continues to talk about life with Felix.

This film shows the positive and negatives of the disability and how the family try to carry on a normal life whilst dealing with Felix’s impairment.

The film begins with a simple title, which consists of a white font, this works well as it introduces the film to the audience but does not distract from what is being shown. The credits at the end of the film slowly fade in, as the music fades out, this ending works well as it makes the ending final.

The music in the film is quite happy and upbeat which matches the general, positive tone of the film.

'AMANG' deaf community documentary P1of 4-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhX1nCLSb3k

This film is the first of a four part documentary about a community of deaf people in the island of Bohol, Philippines.

The film opens with an explanation from the founder of the organisation about how deaf children in Bohol are treated.

Different children with deafness are introduced in the film, this shows that though we may not realise it many people have disabilities.

The scene in which the children go to school, shows the coming together of people that are alike and shows us that people with disabilities are necessarily always singled out but brought together to help each other.

The film shows how special organisations are important in helping deaf children to cope with their impairment.

The music in this film is suitable as it seems to go with where the film is set. The titles reflect what is going to be shown in the documentary, as the images

are of the area and one of the deaf children shown in the film. The title of ‘amang’ stands out as the font is white and a large size, this relates to the film as the organisation and its work is the main focus of the film. The title under that says ‘beyond silence’ goes well with the images as the font is a similar colour, the size of the title is smaller as it not as important as ‘amang’ but still needs to introduce the idea of the film to the audience.

Ideas taken from research- To make sure we focus the film on the main girl who becomes deaf

and show how after her accident, she decides to seek help to be able to communicate with people easier through the use of sign language and show how it’s a way to help her cope with her impairment for the rest of her life.

To make sure we not only show the girls point of view but her friends and the people around her as well, as the disability will also affect their lives.

Use shots to show things from different characters point of view. Make titles plain and simple so they do not distract from whats being

shown? To make any music used, fit in with the location. For example the

music in the bar.