Short Film Treatment: Friends

Boy is talking to his friend and his friend is telling the boy how he is scared for his life. *bang bang*

Boy wakes up to the sound of a door knock. It is early in the morning and the sun hasn't even risen yet. He lies staring up at the ceiling for a few moments more. Seconds pass to minutes and he needs to decide whether or not he should answer the door.

He wonders if he is gone. No. The knocking continues.

He gets up and brushes his teeth and gets dressed. He takes out his wallet and looks at the contents inside and he takes out a picture and a folded piece of paper. He stares blankly at the papers and he looks up to the ceiling, trying to keep his tears suppressed. He walks downstairs. As he opens the refrigerator for food he remembers the times he's shared with a lost friend.

The sun is shining bright and he remembers the memories of him and his friend very happy and the times that they shared, laughing their youth away. They are best friends and would do anything for each other. He reminisces the activities that they used to participate in including playing basketball, playing games and even talking about the girl next door.

One day, it is raining and the young boy is at home finishing up on homework. *ring ring* he gets a phone call from his friend. They talk briefly and the boy’s face immediately becomes dark and serious. His friend is walking quickly down with the silhouette of a man behind him. The friend is shot twice in the back and the boy is breathless.

*knock knock* Boy is back in the present. He takes out the picture once again and this time, he smiles and feels relieved of his sorrows. He finally build up the courage open the door.

You ready?
"Yeah . . . I'm ready.”

Run Lola Run Presentation Critique

My group, which consisted of Xeryus, Tres and myself, was in charge of evaluating the "Camera" section of Run Lola Run. We presented our slides based on sections. I took the sections regarding composition and framing. I took multiple examples of shots in the film that I thought showed Tom Tykwer's stylistic approach to the film. There were many shots that emphasized distance and I discussed how these shots are important to reveal especially in this type of action movie. I discussed composure as it includes the use of lines, background, placement of objects along the rule of thirds, and other aspects such as lead room and headroom. What I should have focused more on was how it  affected Tykwer's work as a whole. When it came to the section of framing, I didn't use as much film language as I would have wanted to because of my lack of understanding with the topic. I thought I did have some good points, though such as how a shot can tell a story, but once again, I needed to synthesize these examples with the rest of the film.

I thought some strengths of my presentation included slide design and the comfort I had with my slides. By having little text in my slide, it allowed me to not depend on pre-written idea, but instead elaborate as I progressed. This actually had me come up with additional analysis as I progressed through slides. I got out some ideas that I had not previously thought of. I made sure my group had time to rehearse our presentation so that we wouldn't feel nervous going up not having gone over the slideshow so because of this, I was able to familiarize myself a little more before.

Areas that need improvement, which are also addressed above include the need to synthesize the film as a whole. This can help reveal the director's intent and their styles. I need to improve on understanding why the director does certain things the way they do like how sometimes, Tom Tykwer decides not to follow the rule of thirds and he does not always have certain aspects the way we expect. An example would be the unique sound design. By improving my understanding of director's intent, I believe that I can enjoy films in ways I haven't been able to before. By doing so, I can improve on my own film knowledge through the evaluation of established film directors.