Vincent short film mind map

Editing 

Editing is used to show how delusional the main character Vincent is, as a shot of Vincent seemingly digging up a grave to find his 'dead wife' that is dark and only lighted by a small lantern turns to a cheerful sunny day with flowers as it turns out he's actually digging up his mothers flower bed as a very innocent and child like Vincent peers out of the whole he's dug. The juxtaposition between these two images shows how delusional Vincent is, comparing his dark fantasies to cheery flowers to emphasise how they are just fantasies, or how dark those fantasies are. Ghostly images fade in and out attacking Vincent, the technique of them fading shows how they are just weak delusions as well as giving them a more ghostly presence implying he is haunted by his delusions. These ghostly figures fade over a slanted checkerboard background, this optical illusion like background reflects the internal chaos Vincent is facing as his mind warps and has the effect to similarly confuse the spectator allowing the spectator to better empathise with Vincent. 

The use of juxtaposition through editing is a technique i could use to show disillusion, by keeping the mise en scene relatively the same with only slight variation to show for example how such a seemingly small thing can have such a massive impact. The use of fades also gives a gothic and ghostly feel that i may use in a different way, instead of attacking the spectator with ghostly images i could use ghostly images to imply that something is fading or waining, like a dream that is still perceivable but of the past and now unachievable. 

Characters 

There are only two character in this short film, Vincent and his mother whose face we never see (and briefly his aunt in one scene). Keeping the cast small like my other chosen short films, helps keep the story focused and would allow me to better explore a characters story arc. Vincent's mother only purpose as a character to drive Vincent's personal narrative again allowing the narrative to be focused around Vincent and Vincent alone. Conflict is built around Vincent from the beginning, contrasting his dark scientific fantasies with his also child like appearance, as well as the conflict between him and his mother which mostly comes from Vincent. 

The internal conflict of the main character is an important aspect i plan to adopt in my own short film to drive the narrative. My protagonist 

Narrative  

The narrative can be said to follow equilibrium theory: We begin the short film exploring Vincent's dark fantasies which he does little to entertain appearing like a normal child, this is the equilibrium. The equilibrium is then disrupted however when Vincent believes his wife has died, going to dig up his wife only to find its just his Mothers flower bed causing a short return to a new equilibrium where he is banished to his room. Vincent then however goes mad as we reach the climax of the short film at 4:45. A very brief at attempt to repair is tried as Vincent attempts to escape through the door but ends up on his back defeated where we reach the new equilibrium of Vincent's accepted defeat. 

Using an equilibrium narrative does create a more structured narrative which has its benefits but i may chose to however use a more non linear narrative to allow for more creativity and experimental ideas. I will however most likely still use aspects of the equilibrium narrative to keep my short film focused with some structure. 

Mise en scene 

Black and white is used is to give gothic connotations to the short film. This gothic feel is furthered through costume as the boy dresses in a lab coat in his fantasies accompanied by mad frizzy hair. At 2:12 his dog rapped up and covered in excessive scientific equipment to emphasise the boys mad dreams and evil plans; the rest of the shot is also left in darkness with the dog being highlighted by a spotlight emphasising the grandeur of his evil plans. At 2:15 lighting is used through chiaroscuro creating a more dramatic close up on his face and highlighting how evil his expression is. At 2:24 a typical feature of german expressionism is seen through architecture, with slanted windows and bending stairs to create fantastical and gothic connotations, creating an abnormal world, also using heavy fog to create mystery. At 5:22 everything in the frame warps and contorts as the room defies reality in a surreal way, showing how deep Vincent has fallen into madness as well as helping us better empathise with him.  

The German expressionism in this short film may be something i include in my short film to help create a more surreal feel, with distorted architecture and high contrast. For example slanted spot lights shine distorted light onto a lone performer, reflecting the protagonists own distorted mind and or world view. 

Sound 

Narration is used to tell the story to give a more book like feel to the film. The narration is told through a doctor Seuss rhyming style and this narration is used to show how Vincent treats his life like one of his gothic novels. A gothic sounding score accompanies the gothic visuals throughout this short film to help create that gothic feel. The music also helps empathise the emotions felt in a scene, such as at 5:12 when the music progressively intensifies as Vincent reaches his breaking point or at 5:24 when the music goes low and reflects the sombre tone of the scene. 

This is a more traditional use of a soundtrack that i like elements off. for example i like the way it emphasises emotion in certain scenes or intensifies a scene which i would like to use, it also creates an unsettling feeling but i would prefer to create an unsettling feeling through contrapuntal music. The use of narration is unique but if i were to do something different with narration i would use subtitles to emphasise the important of the visuals and isolating sound to the diegetic to keep the spectator grounded in the world of the film. 

Cinematography  

At 4:49 a high angle long shot shows Vincent as small vulnerable, he is dominated by his delusions and fantasies like his 'zombie dog' that is projected on the wall towering over him but also presented as being his own shadow, further showing how he is tormented by his delusions that are of his own making. 

The sequence at 5:06 frequently changes the cinematography as Vincent delves deeper and deeper into madness, zooming in frantically from a long shot as his mothers wax figure melts behind him into a close up, then zooming in frequently again into his mouth from a close up shot. This barrage of cinematography combined with a full on attack from the mise en scene as every evil fantasy he's ever had attacks him in increasingly mad ways confuses and overwhelms the spectator as it does Vincent, helping the spectator to emphasise with Vincent. At 5:19 by the end of this chaotic  sequence the spectator is given a short respite with a medium close up shot from a low angle of Vincent on the floor; by placing the spectator on the floor with Vincent it helps us empathise with him as we similarly feel defeated as Vincent is defeated by his delusions. This shot also contrasts the previous chaotic sequence that frequently changed the cinematography and mise en scene by showing the spectator a continuos shot of just Vincent laying on the floor with no visual clutter as seen before, allowing the spectator to purely focus on Vincent's defeat as well as providing the spectator some needed time to breath. 

The camera then tracks back away from Vincent slowly in a hand held way, showing Vincent to become smaller and smaller appearing more and more helpless and defeated. The hand held of the camera also has the effect of showing how out of breath Vincent is, as tho the camera is also breathing heavily, tired from the previous chaotic events, as this slow track back also allows the spectator to breathe and contemplate Vincent's defeat.

This short film uses a variety of cinematography techniques, the slow tracking back I particularly like as we slowly exit the story giving us time to contemplate the short film and the way it captures the emotion in the scene. I would like to use this as a way to end my short film as it is more gentle and less abrupt then a simple fade to black but can be just as devastating if used right, slowly leaving the short film with for example no real resolution.