HW 1b - Reflections On Your Film Still (BLK)

1. My film still's genre is teen school drama. This is signified by the age of the character in the shot and the slightly old fashioned school look to the banister on the staircase. The distracted/ pensive, lost in thought expression on the character's face is conventional of this genre when everything starts to go wrong for the main character after a period of happiness. The lack of other characters in the shot creates this feeling of loneliness, especially as it is set in a school which should be busy, and is used in many films in the genre to replicate and emphasise feelings that the audience can relate to.
2. When taking the shot, I wanted to ensure that the school setting came across which is why I used the staircase. I also wanted the lighting to look as natural as possible and so chose a staircase where there was a large window to light the shot. Although the character doesn't look happy and perhaps low key lighting would have fit the mood better, from watching teen school dramas, I have noticed that they tend to use high key lighting throughout the majority of the film, giving everything a more glossy, idealised look. In terms of framing, I chose a low angle shot, not just because it works well on the stairs, but also because it, coupled with the fact that Ayisha is alone in the still, emphasises her importance. It also draws the eye up to her facial expression, which is a key part of the still, even with it being a MLS. This was important because the audience needs to see the space around her to get a feel of her being alone but also have to be able to see the distracted, sombre facial expression. Even though it is a low angle shot on a winding staircase, where perhaps a tilt could be used, I kept the still straight as I felt that it would keep the audience more removed from the situation and therefore emphasise the loneliness of the character and make the audience feel helpless about her situation.
3. I intended the audience to read the still as obviously in the teen school drama genre. I was attempting to communicate that the character is at the disruption/secondary disruption stage of the classic narrative pattern and is therefore feeling down and taking time to think about the situation and her options of what to do.
4. The things that are successful in my still include: the lighting, framing, character portrayal and how they work together to connote the genre.
5. In hindsight, I would try changing costume - having the character in school uniform as this would help connote the genre more strongly (although this would mainly work for a British setting as most American schools do not have a uniform) - and taking the still further round on the stairs so that the railing didn't come in front of the side of the character's head.