Trainspotting- analysis

Right at the opening, we are instantly dropped into he action with the main characters running from the police which sums up their characters as troublemakers and the rebellious type.  The first line of the film is 'choose life' showing you shouldn't waste your life and go live your life to the fullest. The music really fits into this scene as it's very fast paced. We get a freeze frame of our main character Renton, and we get a POV shot of the driver with Renton laughing at him. In the opening scene, the main characters are having a football match when we are introduced to them. We get freeze frames of the characters individually with their names appearing on the screen which uses very fast editing when doing this. Sick boy is arguing with them, Begbie is acting aggressively and violently towards the other players and even looks happy doing it which sums up his character nicely. When the character of Tommy is introduced, he is trapped in the corner, with none of his friends helping him showing his friends aren't going to look out for him for the whole movie and Spud is the outcast with him letting the ball past him and getting yelled at for being stupid. Renton gets a ball to his face, as he falls it quickly cuts to him falling back at his house.

Back at the house, the room is seen to be quite miserable and depressing with a close-up shot of Renton lying on the hard floorboards with no carpet on it. The wallpaper is seen to be ripping off and all grimy. However, there are seen to be some beauty and not all is bad as a nice artwork is shown on the walls. This contrasts with a huge hole in the wall right next to it showing although their house is a mess, their life isn't all bad and we shouldn't feel sympathy for them at all. There is light shining into the room from the windows showing their lifestyle isn't all that bad. When we see Renton back at his parents house where they're all sitting at the table, their house feels more miserable than the house in the other scene. Their table is crammed right into the corner of the living room, with the members very close together which makes it feel very claustrophobic. The wallpaper, although not peeling off like the other room, is very bland and no bright colours that make it stand out. There isn't even any light poking into the room with no windows being seen at all as the parents shadows are against the wall. The only bright room in they house is the kitchen. Even Renton has his back turned to the camera in the shadows with no light getting to him at all. The parents are also looking down looking miserable and disappointed.  There doesn't need to be an explanation as to why Renton despises it there as we can see it for ourselves. When Begbie says he won't take Heroin, yet he is seen smoking and drinking beer making him a hypocrite. 

I think this film was popular in the 1990s because the characters are a similar age to the target demographic which is late teens. It is relatable at times like when they say people are judging of drug addicts but what people don't understand is these characters take drugs for the thrill of it and it's really easy to become an addict and hard to come of it. 

In the overdose scene, when Renton falls into the carpet is a realistic scene as regardless of whether you've done heroin or not, you can at least relate to the feeling of sinking into the floor. We get a side view shot of Renton falling as he slowly falls into the carpet but when he is given the naloxone, he slowly comes back out. Renton is then taken into a cab and to the hospital shows the friendship and care that the dealer put n for him. This could also be because he wouldn't want a body lying on his floor as I wouldn't be good for business. Lou Reads 'Perfect Day' is played making this scene more haunting. In fact, Ewan McGregor read books about Heroin to prepare for this role and went to organisations with people recovering from heroin addictions. The Renton's parents are locking the doors, it shows Renton is notable and so ill he can't leave his room at all. He then starts to get restless legs and kick his coves around as the walls of his room start to move and seem like they're closing in on him showing his deteriorating state of mind. Renton hallucinates Begbie under the covers and then the baby on the ceiling showing how painful and frighting it is when you're recovering from a heroin overdose. A game show is then being played in the background with questions being asked about heroin showing Renton can't escape it. We then see Spud sitting on his door frame with chains round his ankle as Spud is in prison and he was the friend Renton cared about most and was the only good friend to him.

The song 'Lust for Life' introduces Iggy Pop. This is played over the monologue of Renton. There were multiple jump cuts during Spud's interview to create comedic effect. Renton narrates throughout the film, his foul mouth helps contract the exhaustion of Generation X. The film is represented through the eyes of Generation X.

Captain Fantastic and No Country For Old men analysis

How far do your chosen films demonstrate the importance of visual and soundtrack cues in influencing spectator response? Refer in detail to at least one sequence from each film 

A key scene from Captain Fantastic is the funeral scene. A binary opposite is created in this scene with a Christian burial vs alternate burial. The mothers funeral set in the church has Ben and his family walking in late and acting like they own the place. There is a bright light used behind them in this scene which contrasts with the dark and sad environment of the funeral. The bright light behind these characters may symbolise they were sent from God to save the mother from being buried in the graveyard and give her the funeral she actually wanted. In the funeral scene, Ben and his family are wearing bright, hippy clothes which contrasts with the dark suits that people are traditionally supposed to wear to any funeral. This shows they're separate from society and have their own beliefs and a different take on life from the others. Due to them wearing a different style of clothing, Jack's children stat to laugh at them which shows they weren't brought up in the correct way and Ben's children are well behaved and sensible which shows although Ben isn't living the traditional American suburban family life, he still brought them up in the right way. The allegiance with Ben is fair as we symphasise with him as these people are burins his wife even though it's not what she wanted. As they drag him out of the funeral, we feel sorry for him as he wasn't doing anything wrong but was only doing what he thought was right. The contrast is saying that traditional funerals are wrong as Ben comments 'she doesn't want to be stuck inside a rotting coffin' which adds a comedic effect to the film which is why they take her body and gives her the funeral she wanted. His children are the only ones to laugh when Ben makes that remark showing they are outcasts from society and don't know how to act the correct way in public. Ben's alternate funeral for her involves singing the song 'sweet child o mine' which is much more emotional than having it take place in the traditional funeral as it's personal to them and are giving her a good send off. They then go the airport and drop her ashes in a public toilet like she requested. This seems very strange to the audience as it's not what people request. At the end scene of 'Captain Fantastic', the family are nw living on a farm. There is still a lot of greenery around the house which links to the start when they are living in the wilderness. Although, he hasn't changed his lifestyle completely as they are still isolated from the rest of society and do not live right in the suburbs. Ben now looks like a normal American citizen which contrasts with him at the start with a full beard and muddy clothes. The tyres are also missing on the caravan which shows they're not going anywhere. When they're al siting down around the table, There is a close-up shot of each child with there homework or books. This shows the children are now at school which is what Jack wanted.

An ideological issue explored is Religion in 'Captain Fantastic' like Ben's ex-wife originally being a Christian but changing her religion to Buddhism when she married Ben. When Ben says they don't make fun of anyone, his daughter reminds him they make fun of Christians although both Leslie and Bo have a love for Bach which is supported by Christians. A social issue raised I this film would be child abuse as when they're rock climbing, one of the kids slipped and broke his wrist.

A key scene from 'No Country For Old Men' is the introductions of Chigurh and Moss at the start. When Chigurh is introduced, his back is turned to the camera the whole time and when he's in the back seat of the police car, his face is still hidden in the shadows which makes the tone of the film seem like a Horror. This contrasts with Moss's introduction where we get a close-up shot of his face and shot-reverse-shots between the desert and Moss's face. Moss blend in with the western environment with the use of brown clothing making him fit right in to the Wild West. This is different to Chigurhs clothing making him stand out. However, there are noticeable similarities between the two for instance, both Moss and Chigurh trying to kill something. Moss with the deer and Chigurh with the innocent bystander. They both say the words 'Hold Still' when they're about to kill. When the officer takes Chigurh to the police station, there is the use of a two-shot angle where Chigurh is hidden among the shadows while the officer is at the front to show dominance. This adds to the general tone of the film feeling like a Horror. When Chigurh strangles the officer, we do finally get our first close-up shot of Chigurh with a crazy, possessed look on his face while he's murdering the officer. This gives the audience's first impression that he's a lunatic and will be a huge threat to our protagonist. We see Chigurh again, cleaning up his wounds in the sink but the camera is purposely placed looking down in an Ariel shot. The camera is angled this way so we don't get a clear shot of Chigurhs face as if the camera is positioned behind him so we only see his back, we'll see his reflection in the mirror. 

The film subverts and challenges the conventions of a traditional western film by the hero of the story, Moss, being killed by the Mexican villains before we reach the climax which prevents a showdown and direct confrontation taking place between Moss and Chigurh, good and evil which is expected. Instead the showdown between Moss and Chigurh takes place halfway through the film and is inconclusive. Although the western landscape is familiar to us. Another way in which is subverts the traditional western genre is by having the villain the story- Anton Chigurh feel out of place in a western but he seems like he belongs to the horror genre scubas like when he's put into the back of the police car, hit face is hidden in the shadows which makes the overall tone of the film seem like a horror. At the police station, when he's hidden among the shadows while the officer is at the front to show dominance. When Chigurh strangles the officer, we do finally get our close-up shot of Chigurh with a crazy, possessed look on his face. The audience now aligns with Bell who we now expect to be the hero of the story who will confront Chigurh. However, when he returns to the hotel room but there is no showdown between the two but instead he sits down, confused and defeated. This creates a feeling of unease and suspense (another convention of the horror genre) as Chigurh is just a few feet away from him. The final scene has Bell talking to his wife about a dream he had with a man and a boy, on horseback, venturing into darkness. This symbolises Bell's despair at the darkness of modern crime and provokes the audience to debate their own interpretations. 

Evaluative analysis

My short film 'Switch Off' centres around an inventor who is being chased by an unknown figure in a dead forest. We are instantly dropped into the action with Terry running from the strange figure in the woods. The film is a horror, sci/fi and thriller with the dead forest adding to the sci/fi element. This is because before the events of my film, there could off been a nuclear war going on which resulted in the forest becoming devastated and dead. There is certainly a horror element especially towards the end when the android tears some skin off Terry's shoulder to reveal a switch proving he too is an android. I will use fake blood when this happens and fake skin. Right at the end of the short film, there is a reveal that there is a whole army of androids instead of just three with them all looking alike. There is then a mysterious hand shown to be burnt that grabs the lever to release all these androids. The mystery of who the hand belongs to is open for interpretation as it could be Stevie as he was supposedly killed by the Androids laser or it could be that he's in-fact a traitor and was working for these androids all along.

One of the short films I took inspiration from is the 2006 film 'High Maintenance' directed by Phillip Van. I used a twist ending similarly to the one from the film where we find out one of the characters is an android. There will also be hints along the way like the clunking of metal. I included a twist ending in my short film very similar to the one in 'High Maintenance' with a switch on the necks to show the film's antagonist is an android. There are several close up shots in 'High Maintenance' of mouths while the characters are eating. This is to hint at them being androids with the clunking metal noises of the fork. In my short film, there will also be a close up shot of Terry's mouth when he speaks a short line of dialogue to hint he may not be human. An effect will be added, perhaps by slowing the dialogue he speaks or by not quite having the dialogue match the way his mouth is moving. For my reveal of the switch on Terry's neck I will have it buried underneath the skin so the Android has to tear some skin away to reveal it. This is to avoid any questions in the viewer wondering why Terry does not suspect he may be an android.

Terry is our main protagonist as he's the one who is creating these killing machines and the one having to try and escape from them during the course of the film. It is Stevie who is shown to have the hero role as he saves Terry from being killed by the android pursuing him and comes along when Terry is most in danger and in need of help. Stevie takes him away to a hideout in the woods to escape the android. The android is the antagonist here as its only desire is to kill anything different from itself. 

David Lynch's 1970 short film 'The Grandmother' also inspires my short film with the use of colours. The bright red lips of the boy from 'The Grandmother' against the dark background makes it stand out and makes you focus on this character more. This idea will be transferred to my short film as there are three androids in total and they have to wear different coloured hoodies [one is yellow, one is red and the other one is purple] to distinguish them from each other. This will contrast very well with the dark forest and the eerie background. The reason I'm making these androids wear hoodies is to not conform to the usual design of an android. Instead, these androids look more human and trendy. It could also take place in the future with these androids having a more futuristic look. At the start of the chase scene, strange, spooky noises will be played over the sequence in the same way disturbing and sinister sounds are heard at the start of 'The Grandmother' when the boy is coming up through the roots underground. 

The 2011 short film 'Pitch Black Heist' directed by John Maclean is another influence on my short film 'Switch Off'. It involves a group of bank robbers planning a heist. The complete heist is done in darkness and a lot of the atmosphere in 'Switch Off' is created by shooting the film at dusk, at night and at dawn: when Terry and Stevie are planning to escape the android it is set at night, in the woods and this adds to the unease they feel as the android could be hiding in the dark in the trees or undergrowth. 'Switch Off' has a twist ending in that the protagonist of the film ends up being used as part of a setup. This is also true of my short film, in that Terry is unaware that he is an android and is the created, not the creator. We may even suspect that he has been led to the woods thinking he is escaping when really he is running to his own death. The character of Stevie is also ambiguous as there is a chance he may be part of the conspiracy. There is a hand flicking a switch to release the androids at the end of my short film, and this could belong to Terry, Stevie or another android as it is burnt from what could be the use of a weapon. The twist endings in my film 'Switch Off' can be left open to interpretation. 

I want to leave the twist endings uncertain in my film as it makes a bigger impact on the viewer. One major twist in 'Switch Off' is that Terry is an android. This is not ambiguous and is a fact as we see the switch buried under his skin being revealed. Another twist comes after the first android is destroyed and another follows. There is a third android as well and so the idea of an army shown in the film's final scene is hinted at by these initial plot establishing scenes. Having a more ambiguous ending allows the viewer to make up their own minds abut also leaves the ending open to be made into a feature length movie which is often the purpose of short films. The idea that the android or androids in my short film keep coming back despite being destroyed is similar to the character of Jason Vorhees in the Friday the 13th movies which also has a woodland setting and has also been of some inspiration to 'Switch Off'.

A binary opposite in 'Switch Off' is Humans vs Machines. It could also be Humanity vs Technology as shown in the sequence where Terry is shown to be an android: here technology is revealed to exist within organic human flesh and blood. This reveal is the major twist of the movie but also the central shock sequence that takes the mystery and sci-fi themes into horror. This technique was also used by Robert Rodriguez in the 1996 movie 'From Dusk Till Dawn' where a crime thriller turns into a vampire horror movie halfway through. 

A cinematic influence on the ending of my short film was the ending to 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' when the character of Leatherface is dancing and waving his chainsaw about with the sun reflecting off the surface of the chainsaw. This links to my film with the androids walking out of the bunker collectively as an army and the sun is reflecting off their armour. This contests with the rest of the film, within the dark forest. The twist at the end of my film with Terry being revealed to be an android and was actually created by these androids is similar to the tv series and film Westworld and the Terminator films. For the effect of the laser beam striking Stevie, I could use a torch in the Androids sleeve to give the illusion there are laser weapons as part of the Androids design with sound effects from my phone being played over it.

The location of my short film will be set in a woodland area in Westerham. There is a cave with a locked gate by the entrance. I will show Terry and Stevie running into this 'underground bunker' to escape the Android following pursuit. The cave will be used again, at the end when we see the army of android caged in, waking up from their long rest which could of been years since there has been no one to reactivate them... until now. The hand will release the switch an we'll see the army marching out of the cave. I will use a side view shot when they begin to march as I can't show the gate coming up. Since there's a whole army of androids all in one place instead of just three, it will become harder to get more actors to play these minor roles so I could just hire friends to play them. The sound of traffic and background noise will confirm that it is set on Earth in a public place and not on an alien planet where none of the characters are human. This is an advantage as if I decide to extend the film, the androids could bump into dog walkers or members of the public.

If this film was made feature-length, I could have flashback scenes in Terry's laboratory where he first designed these androids. As well as Stevie researching Terry's past work in a flashback scene as he already knows about his previous creations. It could also have the androids marching Into town and smashing shop windowsAn example of a short film that was developed into a feature length is the horror movie 'Lights Out': the short film version directed by David Sandberg was made in 2013 and the feature length released in 2016.