Textual analysis of three short films

Just Say HiJoannes Nightmare

Homey

Just Say Hi

The film starts off with a wide shot of a bustop and 2 people - a woman and a man both sitting and the surrounding completely empty. A medium close up is then used on both characters which from the shots only shows the facial expressions of both characters. 

The change of outfits, which consists of casual clotting, connotes that it is a different/new day. 

The only props used is a tissue and a box of tissues. The only dialogue and diegetic audio heard in the film is the music, the woman sneezing,

the man banging his head on the wall of the bus top and the characters first verbal interaction, where the woman says, "hi".

This film is a feel good comedy romance. With the lack of dialogue it is more interesting to focus on the actions of the two characters. It is suitable for ages of all type as it's easy to

watch and understandable as it is partially dialogue free.  

Joannes Nightmare

In the first opening scene of the film diegetic music is played which is typically used in horror films, connoting that something bad is about to happen.

The scene is set in a dark background which is perfect for creating a sense of fear. From context it looks like the film is shot in a bedroom as the female character is lying down.

There are many shots of the female expressing different facial expressions and emotions. For example, in the scenes where she is dressed in robe she shows no emotions and in a deprived state. In the scenes where she is wearing a striped red and black top she looks

as if she is possessed. There is an over-the-shoulder shot where we cannot see the person or ‘thing’ she is

facing. This is an effecting use of the camera shot to install a sense of curiosity in the audience as we cannot see who the person is.

The film uses the typical convention of a horror film where the victim is usually a girl.

Homey

The first thing that is seen at the start of the film is a windmill. This misleads the story of the film as it doesn’t give a clear indication of where the story might be set or if it links to anything.

The first character seen is a young boy and everything is moving in slow motion. This connotes that whatever will happen next or is coming up is serious.

There is an over-the-shoulder shot from the boy’s perspective where you can see all the other children including a lot of close up showing the expressions on the kids faces which looks as if they’re ready to fight.

In the film there are buntings hanging which connotes it is set in the UK. In various medium close ups of the boy he looks like a victim until he starts running (in slow motion), which is

when triumphant-like music is playing.There is one extreme wide shot of the playground where the boy and is running all alone. This may connote that

he feels free from the gang of children that are trying to get him.At the end of the film the boy reaches the other side and the way the film represents him winning is as if it was a

victory. The boy and the other children were all playing bulldog which for young children is a fun game to play. However, the use of slow motion, non-diegetic music and various camera shots made it ironic as kids take games like this

seriously.