Monday 17 January 2011

Analysis of Short film - Flung

This short film directed by Fiona Walton, has an objective narrative structure, we see the lives of two very different characters; a tormented young boy and an alientated old man from the perspective of each character. The film has an open ending; like many short films as there is just not enough time to sum the whole story up to an end, an open ending can also work effectivly by leaving the viewer open to interpretation. The short film is set in a gritty urban part of Wales (presumably where the director is from), this setting along with the editing of the film- the greyish dull hue that has been layered over the filming work to create the style of a social realist film. The camera work is kinetic and it is filmed on an open set, this is because the director would not have a big budget to work with, yet these factors works in favour of the theme as it makes the film look realistic. The old mans appearance is bedraggled and unclean leading us to believe he is part of the underclass in society who is homeless with little left to survive on. The young boy appears to be from a working class background, on his journey back from school he seems angry, yet he calms down in his attempt to gain a reaction from the old man. When all fails and the old man- neglected from society carrys on moving, the young boy tries his best to take his anger out on the man asking him what he's doing and playing with his belongings. Social realism is a British genre, it looks at challenging issues in current society and projects them into a film. This film looks at neglection, the homeless, youth problems and vandelism, which are all problems of British society. Their is no score or sound effects used in the film, to make it as realistic as possible the only sound is diegetic. The titles utilised in the film are at both the beginning and the end on black backgrounds in white writing, however the title of the film is not seperate from the film. It is painted onto a wall in the setting to create the theme of the film. `Flung` is graffitied on a wall this fits in with the issue of vandelism in British society and makes the film seem realistic. The young boy asks the man if he was `Flung` out, this film has an emotional side to it as sympathy passes from one character to another, with the young boy becoming increasingly cruel towards the old man; however it is understandable as the neglected boy is craving attention. I liked this film as it was very basic in its storyline yet it has many hidden messages on the downfall of British society- fitting in with the themes of social realism. The visual effects Fiona Walton created set the scene well along with the titles and narrative structure.











The purpose of the film was to gain attention from bigger film directors, Fiona Walton's film was funded by DigiCult short film scheme with financial backing from Scottish Screen and the UK Film Council. This funding aimed to encourage experimentation and innovation within the digital medium. `Flung` went on to be shown at various festivals and screenings such as; Gulf Fim Festival 2009 and Toronto Film Festival 2008. Fiona Walton won Best Director at the 2008 BAFTA New Talent Scotland.





http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p00c9pmx

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