LO1 - H A L L U C I N A T I O N Short Film

H A L L U C I N A T I O N - Short Film

Camera Work

The camera work at 0:03 is a shallow depth of field before turning into a deeper depth of field, putting the object fully in focus. Considering this film is only 2:55 they have tried to make it look as professional as possible, and showcasing the skill of things going in to this production also by this intro of panning with things going in and out of focus does show to the viewer that this film is technically good but also well thought out. Also at 2:10 there is a close up of one of the unnamed characters face, this makes the audience see the emotion that is distress in the characters face. This is an easy way to transport emotion into the audience who are viewing this.

Mise-en-scene

The mise-en-scene of H A L L U C I N A T I O N short film denotes pills and medication which are attached to the main character within this. This instantly creates the message that this film is about mental illness the audience the audience will also pick up on the fact that the narrative for this is about mental  illness due to the fact that a lot of it is set in a waiting room for a doctors. The audience also get to see that the main character go through a tough time, to create an ideological response from the audience that is education and empathy. The mise-en-scene immediately connotes to the audience that the film will involve characters who have a mental illness and are part of the same story, with one o them being a vision that is haunting the other. The use of the doctors waiting room as the location uses ideology to show to the audience that the short film is based around characters are ill in some  way, but the character development within this film shows that the character you think is real, is intact not really there. The message that you can get from this is when you are mentally ill, the illness is very real and should be taken seriously. The audience throughout this entire film believe that the real version is the blonde haired girl, but we feel like we have a greater understanding of mental illness when we find out it is the brunette. The film trailer uses a concentrated amount of low-key and natural lighting in order to make the audience feel more on edge when watching this short film. It also adds to the short film looking more realistic, which creates verisimilitude. The producer of H A L L U C I N A T I O N wants us to understand how distressing mental illness can be and how it is very important and shouldn't be dismissed just because it isn't a physical problem this is the preferred reading (Stuart Hall 1980). I would also say that a preferred reading of this film for this film involves how important it is for us to support each other as humans due to the fact that the girl seems alone throughout the film which probably would make things worse.  The title of the film confirms that the film might not be everything that it seems to be on a surface level. 

Content and Meaning

The Mise en Scene within this has been encoded (everything has been purposefully placed) in a way that is meant to help create the preferred reading (Stuart Hall 1980). The preferred reading of this film can be interpreted as many different things. But I think the main thing this short film is trying to connote that mental help is something that society might have to look at harder. The way that the girl seems troubled and hears voices does show how troublesome that her mental illness actually is. It also seems to have a message of hope within it because the pills help to reveal what is real, and what isn't. So matter how bleak things may seem this film shows that there is always hope.

Narrative

The narrative for this short film is in chronological order and is about a woman who has a mental illness and is struggling to work out what is real. There is another character we see who we are led to believe that there is a girl that is merely a hallucination following her. The film has several key milestones within it including. The girl getting her pills, the girl seeing her hallucination and the girl struggling to consume the pills, before we realise that she is the hallucination, or possibly the mental illness has fully consumed her.

Script

The script for H A L L U C I N A T I O N has no continuity errors and follows a very carefully written narrative with a slight plot twist at the end which is rather impressive considering the short run time of 2:55 seconds. The script is well written, where i imagine they would have to write about how the pill scenes will require narration, which has been executed in such a way that is rather effective and some viewers may find rather intense as it instantly draws the viewer into the story world due to how unavoidable this part is. 

Editing

The editing within this is rather tacky at times as prime example of this is at 2:12 where the girl slowly fades out to reveal she is the hallucination. This is rather badly done, but I am not sure on an alternative possibly making her fade at all angles resulting in her imploding at the centre rather than a basic swipe towards her traveling up her body. There are a fair amounts of cuts within this to help sequence the events together in a way that seems/ feels rather seamless, this makes it easier for the audience to immerse themselves within this short film.

Production Values

The production values within this film are to a fairly decent standard throughout the entire film. There aren't any continuity errors and the sound is to a fairly high standard with the voice echoing, taking full advantage of the use of stereo speakers as the voice transfers between each earphone. There are quite a few . There are no parts within the film that are flawed from the aspect of creating the film without any errors.