9 Frame Analysis

Drama

Just Me In The House By Myself

- The first scene of the film opening begins with a long shot. It introduces us to the area and the surroundings. The lone character in the middle seems to be the protagonist (Jack Dishel).
- The following scene is a close up with the man in picture (Macaulay Culkin) arriving to pick up the protagonist. The twist is that the man is the driver's husband and he can't drive.

- There are a number of close-up jump cut shots between the protagonist and the driver. The protagonist proposes to swap potions.

-The fourth shot is a full body shot show the two characters swap potions in the car. This part of the film indicates that something is going to happen just by the weird plot.

- The fifth scene of the film show us that the intention of the writer and director was to produce a satire of the movie 'home alone' and the actual's actor life, showing that he remained traumatized by these events; basically he begins to show his ''true'' form.

- The sixth and seventh scene changes everything about the film. It starts off with an armed man going up to the car and demanding that the two characters will get out of the car. Here is when Macaulay Culkin tells calmly to Jack to stay inside. He then goes on and pulls a coat hanger and burns the man who attacked them.

- In the eight scene Macaulay Culkin gets out of the car and ties the 'antagonist' (In this short film, as you will soon see, we don't know who is on the wrong or on the right) and hits him with the gun in the head.
- The last scene is a three-shot with the over the shoulder technique. This is the last part of the short film. Macaulay Culkin, is clearly 'nuts'. Here he shows his traumatized part, by meaning to hurt the man that attacked. I personally think that the way the director Kerry Harris (the director) conveyed the idea of abnormality through a real life and fictional character.

The last 3 minutes

The Last 3 Minutes is a flashback through a dying man's life. The story is portrayed through the crystal that is shown in the beginning and end of the short film. The first shot is a hybrid of a close-up and long shot. The close-up of the mans feet brings you to the main character (the old man). The following shot is an establishing shot of the whole room showing that the man is alone.

The second scene links the viewer to the story. It is a medium shot of the old man having a hearth attack and collapsing. He then manages to pull up the crystal and look through it.

The third scene indicates that he is having flashbacks. It goes to a medium shot of a women which seems to be his girlfriend at that time. She is a conventional blonde girl because she represents herself in a sexy way to him.

The fourth scene is a flashback of him and his girlfriend at the beach. This again is a conventional shot because the beach and a beautiful women represent happiness.

The fifth scene brings him back to a war that he partook in, and what seemed to be a his friend dying on the battlefield. This scene was done in a strong emotional style so the audience can take in the few second that it was shown on the screen that that person was a big part of his life.

The sixth scene shows him putting a ring (soda metal ring) on the girls hand. This scenes seem to be in a chronological fashion. So this means that he survived his war, and that he is a veteran. It is a close-up of the ring.

The seventh and eighth scene are to me the same. They both convey the same meaning of "family". The only difference is that the establishing shot is the only shot out of the flash back which is not from a

his point of view.

The ninth scene bring the crystal glass to what seems to be his babies eye and shows him the crystal glass. He is passing the crystal to his son as a form of good luck. This scene links with the last scene because it brings the viewer back to reality. In the last shot he collapses dead.

What I noticed that almost all the shots were point of view shots showing the perspective of the protagonist as he relived his life in 3 minutes through flashbacks. It bring the audience through an emotional roller coaster because it show the sad and beautiful moments of life. It also indicates that the main character died happy because he got to see all his life again and because he had such a fulfilling life. I can see why the director choose to go with conventional shots; mainly because he tried to convey his idea in a short amount of time that the film was and so the audience can understand.

Thriller

I created a mood board that represented social deprivation. These sensation is led by social media, work stress, family feuds, illnesses (Anemia the example above), depression, medication and the wrong entourage. This was the direction that I wanted to aim towards. I want to create a script/film that follows one or two ideas which symbolizes the true rupture of society with the deprivation in our life. I want to show the societies expectations of getting rid of natural human occurrence.

For the short film that I will be producing, my target audience ages differ (as it can be seen on the graph to the right). 70 % of my intended content is directed towards an older audience, 20% is directed towards the general youth and 10% is toward the elderly audience. The reason for each is explained down below.

The reasoning in choosing my Target Audience

Adulthood and Middle Ages

From the beginning of year 13 I knew that I wanted to do a short film. In the short film my intentions will be to touch a sensitive and complex subject of today's society. My film will portray a rupture in the society and it's visible affects. The vehicle of this portrayal is yet to be determined. In my own experience on any social media platforms, content creators tend to direct their "complex" and "deep thought" productions towards an audience that is well "cultivated". What I mean by this is that the audience have a complete understanding of profound subjects and are willing to direct most of their attention towards that product/content. This is exactly why I would like to aim my content towards a mature audience.

Youth

Never the less, my intentions are not to push out a younger audience, but, better said to guide them through my film and the meaning behind it. I want to impact the youth, and help them understand what is wrong with today's society. I will display drugs in my film and interpret them in my own subjective view (as this will be a very personalized film). Because I will be showing drugs onscreen the film will target the youth and possibly impact a few in understanding how poorly drugs are misused and prescribed. I will want to convey the simple but deadly idea that "the difference between life and death with prescribed medication, is the dosage."

Elderly

When speaking of today's society and how it got here - the present where our economical and social classes have reached poorer and poorer standards worldwide (despite what the mass media will say) and how corruption dictates every word and every action of a nation, we clearly have to look at the past. "What happened?" and "Why are we here?" are the questions I want to add in my film which will be hidden between the scenes or phrases. These questions will be directed towards the elderly audience, not in a passive aggressive form, but rather to raise some questions and to peak an interest. I would like for the elderly audience to give input and share their thoughts of my future film. I want them to see my subjective views and I want spark a reaction.

Specific

Target

Audience

I will be addressing the Romanian public because my film ideas will reflect the reality of this country. Also, the locations will be in Romania, so the people in this country could relate to my content.

Romanians

Lower Class

I will be intending to direct my messages from the film that I'll be creating towards the lower class so they can directly relate to the situation that the film will present. I intend to to achieve this with props and locations similar to the reality of the low income class. The reason for this is that the "base" (lower class citizens) are drastically impacted with the main issues that occur in today's society, but, they are the ones who form it as well. A bit ironic...

Middle Class

The middle class is my main target audience, as they are the ones who are supposedly meant to sustain the society. In most countries of the west civilization they are the majority, and have the ability to direct the economical factors of a country or even a continent. I will be focusing on showing this "target"audience the power they have over the society they live in. And if possible, flicker their imagination to a point on how they can influence their surroundings.

Upper Class

The upper class is the top 1-5% of a society. In my opinion, they are the ones who society looks to sustain (lower and middle class). Also in my opinion, they are the reason for society's rupture and social deprivation mentioned in my mood board. Even though, I do not intend to directly mention the upper class in my film, I will be subtly showing the criteria they set the lower and middle class to follow and the way they categories individuals. I want to address to them in this manner so they can see their impact on a personal level if they choose to put themselves in the situation the film will be portraying. What do I want to get out of this audience? Nothing.

No Audience Questionnaire?

The reason for this is pretty simple. I would like to create a script that is on a very personal level. All the aspects of my future script, and later on the short film, are bits and pieces of my knowledge and understanding of the world. I know the the content will be very subjective, and maybe have little validity in someone's eyes, but this is just a part of being a content creator. Having a full understanding of today's society is a must and because of this people can relate to this subject with ease. Never the less, I am constantly influenced my other film maker such as Casey Neistat or Martin Scorsese who undoubtedly have used all sorts of different techniques in approaching their audience without accompanying them or questioning their content needs (Here I strictly refer to personalized content like "The Vietnam Notebook" - 2013 Casey or "The Big Shave" - 1968 Martin). Take "The Vietnam Notebook" as an example. Here Casey used bricolage and pastiche very often to portray his ideas. He emphasizes the idea of time pass using a Vietnamese traditional instrument along side a map. This idea symbolizes his journey towards Vietnam. In the film he granted homage to the Vietnamese culture. Casey often uses different cultures in his translation of a story, and mixes them with conventional cultures that are “socially acceptable.” Because he uses these factors as a tool to drive his ideas, his media products are original and unconventional towards the dominant, negotiation and oppositional readers, bringing his media products a lot of attention while still being very personalized.

Researching about disorders and illnesses

The first step that I took before writing the story and plot was researching about different types of disorders. I looked at psychological cognitive disorders that are not only affected by one's mind but also by the society. The link between each of these disorders and illnesses are that they all can lead to depression.

Notes/Ideas

These are the notes and ideas written down after weeks of realizing the final story and plot. When I thought of writing the story ideas I was also taking in consideration the transitions in the film.

Story and Biography of main character.

First Version : This was my original idea .

The second Version (the revised version used in film) :

The anger that the main character will portray towards today's society through drugs and his life's story. The vehicle to express this hatred will be the story of Nicolae, who sees reality subjectively from his own two eyes. A man that developed schizophrenia and covered his "tracks"and guilt of murdering his mother by blaming the system. --Side note-- Mr. Robot, the series, inspired me to have this idea and follow through with it by writing it down and revising my thoughts on how I should approach the main character's altered reality. I find the character to be very representative to my views towards society and how media conglomerates own and use mass media enterprises to control the general public, to tell them what they want and discriminate and marginalize toward the people. Elliot Alderson uses his hacking abilities against the only mass media corporation that remained in his society (But because he shows signs of schizophrenia, it is clear that the text will be interpreted from a extremely subjective point of view, making the information invalid; even though the audience can easily relate to what he is connoting) reflects very much around Baudrilliar’s theory of a hyper-reality, where all the media is a simulation of reality. This idea greatly fascinates me, mainly because it shows how society can not distinguish between what is real and what is a fantasy. The reason for this is that the media bonds together what is real with what is fake. In the series, Elliot constantly breaks the forth wall by talking to “you” (the viewer) as if he actually knew you personally, pulling the audience in the his mentally distorted world, making them part of the actual media product. This is achieved by subverting the ‘meta-narratives’ to using ‘disjoint narrative,’ meaning that it always leaves the audience with a question on their mind. All of these ideas made me change my perspectives and view on how I want to approach this film, and ultimately changed it's plot.

THE MAIN CHARACTER NAME BASARAB NICOLAE

Script

Story board

The 2 actors for the film.

Pop Catalin

Ortan Lucian

Pop Catalin in an actor at the Cluj theater. I met him on the bus one day from my way to school, and we exchanged numbers. We talked about a possible collaboration. His attitude, I felt, was perfect for the film, and since he had experience in acting I saw him as the best choice for the main character. When I saw him on the bus, he reminded me of my uncle. Once I saw him, everything in my story clicked together and I knew that he would be the right person (before talking to him). I then approached him. My uncle (on the right) is the person I first inspired to do the short film around. The first script was truly based around him because of his attitude and looks. I also needed a person that looked like his life took a turn for the worse, and basically his is just that. He is very open with his life because he doesn't want people to do the mistakes he did.

Location recce

The first place that I "scouted" was the train station. Here, Basarab Nicolae will make his entrance into the first scene. I chose this place because it brings with it the idea of - time passing - and I want to portray just that with the main character.

Here is a picture of the cemetery where I will be shooting the scenes where the main character contemplates on his mother death.

This is a picture of the street where the taxi cab will come. I chose this street because it was the most approachable one for the type of idea I had and for my budget.

This is an image of the apartment where we will be shooting our film in. Here will be two scenes filmed, at the beginning where the main character will see his apartment for the first time in a very long time, and at the end where he will be watching TV. This location will be the key to help the audience comprehend the time pass in the film, since it is very short and complex.

Here is a picture of the stairs where the main character will face a letter telling him that he will no longer receive his medical pension.

Here is an image of my mother's salon. I will use it for the purpose of portraying a location of a mental hospital because the equipment and the decor have a relaxing and similar realistic (not conventional like in films) look.

Here is a photo of my school where I will be filming the interviews. Because of the constantly changing schedules, I can't take photos of the rooms where I will be filming the interviews; different things might intervene as the rooms might be used for teaching purposes. Here, I will choose on the spot the location based on the circumstances

The main props that will be used in the film

Cigarettes will be used in the film to portray an addiction and a need of calmness. They are a great conventional indicator of addiction. I will be using them alongside his prescribed medication to indicate his urge of staying "normal" like the society wants him to stay, or as his think it wants him to stay.

Lithium is a prescribed medication of Basarab Nicolae. It is used in real life for bipolar disorders and many other ones as well. In his scenario, he will be mixing his drugs with the cigarettes in order for him to remain "normal" as mentioned above. This will prop will indicate to the audience his aggravating mental illness.

The Bag-pack will be a prop used to indicate him coming home from Bucharest. It will be a tool used to instigate the idea of him travelling and carrying all his other belongings (props).

The Newspaper will be used as a prop to connote the idea of him searching/looking for a job interview.

The CV will be used in order to show his background and past work experience to the interviewers. It will be a prop that will show the audience his intentions towards getting a job like "everyone" else.

The Letter From the Romanian GOV is a prop that will be used to show the audience my perspective of the society in it's "finest" form (meaning its meager minded ways). I will use it to connote the idea that whatever he does, the society rejects him. Also, this prop will ultimately trigger his anger.

The Chair will be used as a prop to indicate his frustration over him and the society. He uses it as a tool to release his anger by breaking it/smashing it to the ground. This is ultimately triggered by the letter and the drug shortage.

The Badge is a prop used to show that he is in a mental hospital and that the women talking to him is a psychiatrist. This prop will have different connotations in the film such as - showing that all he will narrate in the film is a fiction of his imagination and that he is schizophrenic.

The Picture of His Mother is the most important prop because it will connote several aspects that will direct the audience and help them understand what the film will be about. The first thing it will connote is that she is the reason that he was gone in Bucharest and the reason he came back. The second aspect is that the picture is a disturbing factor in the main characters life and has a big influence on him; later on the audience can correlate the the idea of him murdering his mother and him thinking otherwise (as he believes her cause of death is unknown).

Budget

Making off the script and newspaper

The letter is similar to reality, and people in Romania with disabilities (mental or physical) have received comparable letters. I wrote this letter using real life examples. The name in the letter is fictional

Here I used different real life ads and put them together on a Photoshop A4 sheet. This will go over a newspaper in order to convey how the main character is looking for a job.

Narrative Script / Notes

SCRIPT

I am Basarab Nicolae.

After 4 years I returned to Cluj.

I guess you are wondering where I have been gone?

At the age of 14 I was transferred to a special-needs school in Bucharest.

Why?

Because I've been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, second grade, which manifests with depression and hypomania.

Later, I've also developed anxiety, a social phobia.

Because of this, I could not collaborate with any of my teachers.

Maybe you're wondering who sent me there?

She did...

She is my mother.

And the reason I came back in this city.

When I was told she passed away I was forced to reaccommodate because of my financial situation.

Why she passed away?

Not even I know the answer to that question.

In four years many things can change.

Except myself... on the contrary.

I realise as the days pass, my situation is aggravating.

The first person to speak to me was a taxi driver.

But that was because it was necessary for him to know...

Where are we going?

I gave him the address which was on the back of the picture to let him know I'm not from the area.

Are you from the area?

Even the city has changed.

It seems more grey.

Although the same unpaved road remained in front of the building flats where I grew up.

The first thing that I observed when entering the apartment was that it was colder inside then outside.

Second thing...

...It was empty

The third thing...

I wasn't alone.

It felt like she followed every step I took.

It felt like she was staring through me, like I was doing something wrong.

The initial realization perturbed me.

No amount of lithium could control my symptoms.

You might say I created an imposed addiction...

I would contradict you, better said necessary.

I already got used to being alone.

I surrounded myself with loneliness, so I could amplify my guilt.

The guilt of not being present.

Where?

All over the place.

Lowliness creates overwhelming conditions for the presence of people like me.

Control may sometimes be an illusion;

sometimes you need more illusion to create your control.

After all, fantasy is an easy way of giving the world meaning, to hide reality with a surreal comfort.

A comfort with which I tried to create a behaviour, with the assumed needs which were created based on principles indoctrinated and seduced through power and indifference.

My options were limited.

The labour market was completely saturated.

Interview after interview, with minimum criteria.

From the beginning I was disadvantaged because of their prejudice, and those around them.

Rejected

Rejected.

Registered or unregistered...these are the criteria's which you are categorised in society.

How well you fit in some preconditioned standards.

A society with no moral limits.

Practically, it teaches you to support subjective ideas when out of alternatives.

My idea was confirmed through a letter.

In the name of the Romanian government,we inform you that from the date of 05.03.2011 the invalidity allowance (grade III) will be cancelled.

The case has been approved through the order of the

health minister and of the president of CNAS.

Beginning with this date, the order 719D/2011 will come into force.

Yours sincerely, President Director-General, Mihaltan Catalin.

Among drugs, irony and ignorance, a word called hope too easily hangs in balance.

This is why we surround ourselves with so many walls.

So we can dodge what we see.

So we can dodge reality.

Because reality is a bitch.

Today started like yesterday,

and the day before that,

And like everyday in the

past 30 years.

A loop.

Intended to restore my order.

We are basing on our senses to accurately describe the world around us.

But our senses are just data for our overestimated minds.

Nicolae?

Yes!?

You know that you have murdered you mother?

You've been here for 30 years.

Medical Specialist Psychiatrist

Do you still see her?

Who?

"Her"

No.