Night Night Nancy: Textual Analysis

I watched 'Night Night Nancy' in order to get ideas and inspiration for my horror and thriller film ideas.

Empty: Textual Analysis

'Empty' is a short film about a young girl who is in recovery for anorexia nervosa. I decided to watch and analysis this film as it is one of the few that has the aim of raising awareness on both eating disorders and form in which they can come in. The film establishes its genre and theme through the use of each of the micro-elements. Additionally, the film uses the traditional codes and conventions for a short film.

The film is presented to the audience as a realistic drama - almost a documentary, due to the real life dialogue and phrases used by the film. Throughout the film, Keira is shown to be struggling with a nasty 'friend', who is later revealed to be an physical embodiment of her anorexia. Ana tells Keira that she 'looks like shit' and that she 'doesn't have an eating disorder', and that she is 'the only one that's stood by' Keira throughout her journey. These phrases are clear examples of the types of thoughts that a person with an eating disorder may experience, especially when relapsing. This creates realism for those in the audience who have had an experience similar to this in the past, in addition to making the film relatable and impacting for an audience who may have suffered from either eating disorders or any of kind of mental illness. Keira's use of dialogue during her therapy session has a similar effect in creating a realistic and dramatic atmosphere through her uses of the words 'in control' an 'disgusting', which is common vocabulary for those struggling with an eating disorder.

The use of non-diegetic and synchronous sound combined with the use of a voice over to demonstrate the thoughts Keira is fighting when facing her eating disorder allows the audience to understand the kind of things running through her head that makes 'just eating' incredibly difficult. This contributes to the sense of realism created by the use of dialogue, and emphasises the struggle people with mental illnesses go through when trying to perform the simplest task. 

Throughout the film, continuous editing is used to present the reality within the film for the protagonist and for some members of the audience. This keeps the audience focused on the narrative, and exaggerates the realness of the situation in addition to sticking to the linear narrative created by the film and its storyline.

Shot-reverse-shot is also used frequently throughout the film to enhance the audiences understanding on each of the characters and the emotions they are feeling during the narrative. This exaggerates that the film is a drama - with the primary focus of the narrative being on the way each of the characters feel, and how the situations they are put in effects them. The utilisation of shot-reverse-shot also allows the audience to connect with the characters on a much stronger level despite the limited amount of screen time each of the characters get. Keira gets the most screen time, supporting that she should be the primary focus of the audience should be on Keira, as she is facing a difficult and emotional time, and she may see things differently to those in the audience who have not experienced a mental illness.

The drama is also represented through the use of mise en scene, such as the costumes that both Ana and Keira are wearing. Their costumes deeply contrast one another, creating a representation of binary opposites in regards to light vs. dark. Keira has blonde hair and is wearing very pale, light clothing - representing that she is very pure and innocent in comparison to Ana, who wears black matched with red lipstick and a red top, representing that she is dangerous with bad intentions. The black that Ana is wearing also represents the depression that Keira faces from allowing Ana to influence her and take over her life. The red of her lipstick and top has connotations of danger - which could represent the danger that Keira faces of being hospitalised or even dying due to her illness. This pushes the idea that the drama of the film is caused by Ana, who is pushing Keira to do something that is very dangerous and can really effect her physical health in addition to her mental health.

The realism of the film is also represented through the use of props, in particular, the breakfast bar that Keira carries around with her. The bar represents the start of Keira's real recovery, something she has been putting off/avoiding due to her anorexia's strength and power over her. However, at the end of the film, where Keira ignores what the 'voices' in her head are saying and she eats the bar, this represents her new start and her strength in fighting against her eating disorder. This represents the theme of the story too, by making it clear that no matter how strong and persistent a mental illness may seem, you can beat it and go against it with nothing happening to you; this is created with the aim to inspire those with a mental health condition to fight against it for a 'normal life'.

The utilisation of camera angles and movements helps to demonstrate how emotional and vulnerable Keira is during the period of time in the film. Close ups are frequently used throughout the film to represent the emotions that Keira is feeling, and how weak she is - both physically and mentally. In the terms of her mental weakness, this is represented through the ease in which she conforms to anything that Ana says, and her low mood. Her physical weakness is portrayed by her thinness and delicacy. Keira's appearance conforms to the dominant ideology of those with anorexia - that they are young, very slim, white females - the film does not entertain the possibility that some males, or someone of a healthier weight could be suffering with the same illness, and instead focuses on the traditional stereotype that everyone is aware of and knows.

Through the film, the theme and message that is put across is one with the aim of raising awareness of mental illness, and informing those struggling that they are not alone, and should not be ashamed or embarrassed about their illness. This is presented through the dialogue of the therapist, in addition to the message at the end of the film, that serves the purpose of comforting and assuring those diagnosed. This conforms to the conventions of a short film and the idea that they are created with the intention of presenting some sort of message or theme across to the audience. The use of only three characters further conforms to these codes and conventions, by allowing the audience to focus on one character throughout the film and develop an attachment to her - making them care much more about her story and the emotional trauma that she is going through.

Idea One: Horror Recce

I completed a recce for the location in which I would film the Horror film.

The Girls Bedroom

This is where the girl would either be filming or watching a YouTube video. In this scene, she will be sat in one of the black chairs, where there is plenty of room to get close up shots in addition to long and medium shots. This room suits the horror genre due to the red wall which has connotations of blood and danger, but also due to the girly decorations that could ensure this room is presented as a teenage girls.

The Stairways

The railings on the upper staircase can be used to present the idea that the girl is trapped within her own house, in addition to presenting an opportunity to show a shadow downstairs or on the ground floor. The only problem with these staircases is that they let a lot of natural light in, meaning that I would have to film at night when it is dark and risk a poorer quality, or change the setting of my film entirely. 

The Lounge

This is where the boy would be playing on the xbox with headphones in. Again, this conforms to the genre of horror due to the red cushions and rug, and also symbolises a family home due to the photographs that are positioned around the room. Behind the black blind is a window that I could use to show someone watching the boy to create an atmosphere of fear.

The Dining Room

This is where the person would be standing to watch the boy. There is also a mirror on this wall which could be useful in creating a jumpscare for the audience by positioning a face so that the protagonists do not notice it, but the audience do.

The Conservatory

The final room is the conservatory that has plenty of windows and also glass doors to show people outside of the house, to develop the atmosphere and intensity of the film.

BFFC Visit

In order to prepare ourselves for the creation of our short film, we visited the BBFC to gain an insight on the way in which they classify films, and the factors that effect the final decision for the films age classification. The first thing that we learnt was that the BBFC do not just classify films, but als

their trailers and advertisements that are shown before the film itself to ensure that everything shown in the cinema is suitable for the audience that is watching.

The BBFC's Classification Guidelines follows public consultation in addition to other research, expert advice and their own experience. The Guidelines also take into account the changes in what is deemed 'acceptable' by society, the changes in public taste and any changes that may occur in the law. The guidelines are also reviewed frequently. The BBFC's principle guiding aims are: to protect children and vulnerable adults from potentially harmful or otherwise unsuitable media content and to empower consumers to make informed viewing decisions. The BBFC do this by providing age classifications and BBFCinsights - or publishing advice - for films and videos. That being said, they do aim to ensure films reach the widest audience available for the theme and content of the film.

However, the BBFC refuse to classify any material that conflicts with any criminal laws in the UK, or films that have been created through the commission of a criminal offence.

The BBFC take into account three 'general classification considerations' that may affect the final classification of the text. Context, they believe, is 'central to the question of acceptability of film and video content'. Through the use of context, they consider how an issue is portrayed and the situation it is portrayed in, by taking into account the setting of the work, the manner of presentation and the intention of the film and the issue. The classification of the film also takes into account the theme of the work, but will depend on the treatment of the film, and the tone and impact of the work. The tonal considerations include the extent to which a work presents a view of the world and the impact of the work on the potential audience.

The BBFC also consider eight 'specific classification guidelines': Discrimination, Drugs, Imitable Behaviour, Language, Nudity, Sex, Threat and Violence. In regards to Discrimination, they consider the strength of the impact of discriminative works, and the content of its use will also be taken into account. The Classification will take into account the promotion or glamorisation of drugs, and any detailed potrayal of criminal techniques and potentially dangerous behaviour that any audience may copy is taken into consideration with regards to Imitable Behaviour - any works that actively promote illegal behaviour may be cut or refused a classification. The BBFC believe it is impossible to write a checklist for the words than can and cannot be included in certain classification of films, as it is very difficult to determine who may be offended by the use of explicit language. The advice for the language content of a film is therefore general guidance on the views expressed in public consultation exercises. Nudity without sexual content can be seen - but not frequently - in U rated films, whilst films with strong detail in context or the use of sexual content will gain a much higher rating. The BBFC believe that the normalisation overtly sexual acts is a concern in small catergories, but the system allows stronger potrayls of sexual behaviour as the catergories rise. Classification decisions on threat will take into account the frequency, length and detail of scenes in addition to the impact of the music and sound, and the outcome of the threat. They also take into consideration the degree and nature of violence in a work. Inclusion of sadistic or sexual violence could risk the film facing cuts or a refusal to classify - content that makes these acts appear acceptable or reinforces the suggestion that victims enjoy sexual violence may be refused a classification.

Below are the classifications and the content that is deemed acceptable across each classification:

My Short Film: Brainstorming Idea's

After watching and researching short films, I have come up with three of my own ideas for the short film I will be making. These ideas are all very different, and all have a maximum of two or three characters to enable the audience to get a better understanding of each of them.

Idea One: Horror

The first idea I had was to make a horror/thriller film. In this idea, a brother and sister are left at home alone at nighttime, where the sister then starts to hear sounds in the house. The siblings then realize there is an intruder in the house, and try to sneak out unnoticed, whilst trying to avoid the intruders who have weapons. I thought that a twist for this film could be that one of the siblings wakes up at the end, believing that the narrative was all a dream, before finding out that he/she has been taken by the intruders, who are shown to be standing over her.

Whilst I like this idea, and would like to pursue it, I feel that the narrative will take much longer than five minutes to set up and develop. This is because an equilibrium would take a few minutes to establish and then it would need to be disrupted. Additionally, I am not sure of how the audience will view or connect with the siblings as there is such a small space of time to create an understanding and connection between the audience and the characters.

Films to watch for inspiration: Don't Breathe, The Curve, The Moonlight Man

Idea Two: Mental Illness

My second idea is a documentary-style drama based around a young girl with an eating disorder. In the film, I felt that the main protagonist could face challenges throughout her day in the form of weight, food and body image - and that my film could demonstrate the effect that these three factors have on someone with this illness. Following these challenges, the girl goes to a therapy discussion, where her therapist reveals to her what her family think of her illness and the effect it is having on her. From this, the girl realises that she does not want to live like this anymore, and challenges her thoughts by eating something her mum offered at the start of the film, that she declared was a 'fear food'.

I am hoping that this idea raises awareness of both mental illnesses and eating disorders, and the effect that they have on both the individual and the family as a whole. Furthermore, I hope this film reveals to those unaffected the amount that mental illnesses take over a persons life on a daily basis through the frequent body checks and restrictions the girl faces throughout the one day.

Films to watch for inspiration: To The Bone, Empty

Idea Three: Stalker

My final idea is to create a film that is portrayed to the audience as a romance and drama, by having a young girl looking at photographs of her and a boy who were clearly a couple. At first this seems innocent, until the audience see the photos she has up around her room of the boy, that appear to be candid. The girl is then shown to be checking his social media, clicking on his friends that are tagged in posts. She then checks the time before heading to a cafe, where she 'bumps' into the boy as he starts his shift, before watching him getting picked up by another girl. The antagonist then follows the couple home, and heads into the house with a knife in her hand. Throughout the film there will also be a voice over that starts off with innocent 'I miss you's', and 'I want you back', before getting darker and more suspicious throughout the narrative.

Whilst I really like the idea, I have the same suspicion as with my first idea - that the audience will be unable to connect with the characters in the short duration of the film, and that twist will not be as shocking as I am hoping it will be. However, I really like the open narrative of the films ending as I think that this makes the film more interesting.

Audience Theory

We have looked at audience theories to get an understanding of why an audience may want to watch a short film and the different ways in which they may receive the film and its message. I looked at Stuart Hall's encoding and decoding theory in an attempt to understand the ways in which the audience may read the message from the film. I then looked at Blumer and Katz theory of uses and gratifications, and applied both theories to two separate short films.

Stuart Hall - Encoding and Decoding

Hall's theory is based upon the idea that all media texts are encoded with a message from the institution relating to the social, economic and political society it is being presented to. The audience then interpret the text in 3 different ways:

Dominant Reading - the audience read the text as the institution intended.

Negotiated Reading - the audience may agree with some parts of the text, but disagree with others. 

Oppositional Reading - the audience find themselves in conflict with the text and disagree with its message.

I watched a short film called "Middle Passage", in which this theory can be applied to.

The film features a dominant reading that immigrants are moving from country to country, with their families divided in an attempt to get a better life in a country not destroyed by wars. This interpretation also suggests that we - who are much better off than the immigrants - should play a much more active role in helping these people and giving them a better and more fulfilling life.

The negotiated reading may be that the acts of the immigrants go against our law, and whilst they only trying to create a better life for themselves, it comes at the cost of some peoples lives. Whilst people with this interpretation may believe the we should offer immigrants more help, their actions are illegal.

The oppositional reading would be that the immigrants should stay away from our country and go back to their own as they are taking our jobs and making our lives much harder. This reflects the idea of moral panic and is also represented in some mainstream newspapers.

Blumer and Katz - Uses and Gratifications Theory

Blumer and Katz have theorised that the audience themselves are active and use media texts, not that media texts use an audience. In addition to this, the audience may interact with media texts in an attempt to seek please, hence meaning that they choose to watch short films for their content. The audience may seek one of the following in a media text:

- Escapism

- Diversion

- Information

- Information

- Cultural Experience

- Comparing

- Sexual Stimulation

I watched a short film, "Globosome" and tried to identify the different components that may result in one of these features.

The three components I identified in this film were Escapism, Diversion and Entertainment. This film features solely animated, fictional beings and therefore cannot really be used as a comparison or a cultural experience, but can be used as an escape or diversion from the real world that the audience are seeking an escape from.

My short film will be informative and comparing - as those who have not suffered from mental illness' will be educated on the way on which they effect the individual and those around them. Furthermore, it will offer the audience the chance to compare their own life to that of someone who may be mentally ill.

Inspire: Textual Analysis

The short film, Inspire, portrays different representation theories throughout using the four micro elements: sound, mise en scene, camera angles and movements and editing.

The dominant ideology is presented visually throughout the film. Through the images and shots shown in the film, very negative stereotypical views are shown, such as the Muslim man being a threat or danger. However, this is contrasted by the voice over, in which the man directly addresses the audience in explaining how our traditional views on groups in society are not always right, and we may be inspired or impressed by the attitude and actions of someone we least expect. The voice over conforms to Gramsci's theory of Hegemony, in which he states that dominant ideology is represented the most and that because of its full representation, the dominant ideology is what people are more likely to believe. The utilisation of direct address in the voice over makes the audience feel as though they are guilty for the mis-representation of these minority groups, as we choose to believe the dominant ideology within our society.

Tessa Perkins theory that 'stereotypes are assumptions we make based on groups of people' is represented through the mise en scene in the film when the lady is on her laptop, looking at news articles with photographs of Muslim men, suggesting that they are a threat to our society. This conforms to Penkin's theory as it demonstrates how mainstream media can change our persecption of some groups in society, and how those persecptions may send us - as a population - into 'Moral Panic'. Moral Panic is Stan Cohen's theory that society and cultures are likely to experience moral panic if a group of individuals are defined as a threat to mainstream society. Therefore, in Inspire, when the woman sees the Muslim man at the train station, her first assumption is to see the man as a threat and that he will not give her any assistance due to the stories she has seen of his particular culture in the news. However, through the kindness demonstrated by the Muslim man, the film presents to its audience that sometimes mainstream media can mis-represent particular social groups, and therefore we should not always listen to what they present to be true. Dominant Ideology is also represented through the mise en scene of the film, as each of the characters are wearing traditional and stereotypical costumes for someone of their culture and ethnicity, which immediately conforms to the idea that people are what we stereotype them to be.

bell hook's theory that 'skin colour is a code' is represented through the utilisation of editing throughout the short film. The editing makes each story appear very seperating and contrasting - giving the characters their own individual story, however, the stories link through the mise en scene. The pace of the editing illustrates that the characters lives are very fast and chaotic, and may be very uneasy due to the mis-representation of their social group in society. This interpretation is possible as each of the characters are presented as being misunderstood and misjudged through each of the micro elements.

The homeless woman in the film appears to be objectified by the man who sits down next to him, hinting at John Berger's theory that 'men look and women appear'. This impression is demonstrated through the use of camera angles and movement, by clearly switching into a deep focus when the man sits down and showing him checking the woman out in a very sexual manner. This conforms to Berger's theory as it clearly demonstrates how men see women as a sexual object, and not a significant part of a film's narrative. The film also contrasts this theory, as none of the women in the film are zoomed in on or looked at by the camera in a sexual or desirous way, and they are not show to be very revealing clothes either, and have a key part in the film's narrative.

The overall message of the film is to consider the way in which you catergorise people and the effect that mis-representation can have upon particular groups in society. The film makes us reflect upon our own experiences with stereotyping and representation, as expressed by Giddens. Giddens' theory states that media texts give us the ability and motivation to rethink and reflect upon our own self narrative in relation to others. The film really emphasises that an individual may be a countertype of what you assume, and may change your opinion of that group as a whole; it makes the audience rethink and consider the way people are represented and mis-represented in the media.

Gauntlett's theory that 'media is a resource in which individuals use to think through their sense of self and modes of expression' also plays a role in the film. This is predominatly shown in the scene with the lady and the Muslim man in the station, as both we and the woman make a preassumption of the man and his intentions, but we all find ourselves suprised by his kindness. This puts pressure on the audience, attempting to make them feel guilty for any judgements they have made of others before even speaking to that person, with the hope that the audience will change their ways and stop doing this in order to prevent any negative stereotypes. This helps to create an identity for the film, and encourages the audience to take away the perceptions they believe is negative and to not listen to the dominant ideology as it is not always correct.

Introduction to Representation Theories

Dominant Ideology - the views and values that are projected and held by mainstream society.

Gramsci's Theory Hegemony - dominant ideology is represented the most and that because of its full representation, this ideology is what the public are more likely to believe. 

Stan Cohen's theory of Moral Panic - society and cultures are likely to to experience moral panic if a group or individuals are defined as a threat to mainstream society.

Tessa Perkins theory of Stereotypes - 'stereotypes are assumptions we make based on groups of people' - therefore we do not take into account that an individual within this group may oppose this stereotype.

bell hook's 'skin colour is code' - White females are viewed as desirable and fit better into the Western Ideology of women, whilst black women are objectified and sexualised, representing the colonialist view of these women.

John Berger 'Men look and Women appear' - Women appear in media texts solely for the objectification and pleasure of men and the male audience.

Gidden's Theory - mediated experiences make us reflect on upon and rethink our own self-narrative in relation to others. Therefore, watching films make us reconsider our actions and the way in which we live ours lives on a day-to-day basis.

Gauntlett's Theory - the media is a 'resource in which individuals use to think through their sense of self and modes of expression'. Similar to Gidden, watching or reading a media text can make us realise the effect of our actions and views, and make us rethink the way in which we consider certain factors and the way we present these views.

'A Social Life' Short Film - Theory of Identity

'A Social Life' Short Film - analysing the message

'A Social Life' is a short film directed by Kerith Lemon, examining the publics obsession and preoccupation with Social Media - and the addiction this creates. Throughout the film, the protagonist - Meredith - can be seen positioning objects so they look photogenic and taking photographs of her activities that portray her in a very positive and healthy life.

In the film, Lemon clearly analysises the way in which we use socail media and the way our posts can be taken out of context or misinterpretated, leading some to believe that we are lying to our followers in an attempt to get more recognition or to create an unrealistic illusion of ourselves. Throughout, the film touches on the proposition of social media envy and depression, in which some people rely on certain interactions with their post to validate their self-worth and others opinions on them. Additionally, the film presents the view that we spend too much of our time on social media, with our days becoming preoccupied with browsing and posting photos or comments on these sites - making our personal and face-to-face social life almost non-existant.

David Guantlett Identity Theory

The film reflects Gauntlett's - a British sociologist - identity theory that through the use of the media, we are the audience and the producer, and therefore we can create our own identity and influence others. Hence, he describes the media as a 'tool box' where some good utensiles may be found and some useless ones. Gauntlett also suggests that 'in thinking about their own identity...in relation to those of media figures', a person will make assumptions and judgements on the way that their live their own life, despite potentially seeing a very small fraction of this figures life. Consequently, those figures that are deemed to be 'role models' influence the lives of their followers by acting as a 'navigation post' in regards to their lifestyle.

This can have severe consequences on one's mental health as portrayed in Lemons film, where she attempts to enlighten us with the damage that social media can play in creating unreasonable envy and depression upon seeing someone with a 'better' life than you through their social media posts. However, the truth is that the person has potentially posed a photo or picked a certain 'good' part of their life to post, meaning that we as an audience do not see the negative of their lives. This, therefore, gives the audience a very strong message on the negative impact that social media addiction can have in modern society, but damaging our mental health and our personal social life, by making us so preoccupied with another's life that we forget about our own.