Analysis of Short Dramas

In this weeks seminar we watched a number of short dramas. We also learnt about the narrative structure used in a drama and how it was made up of four different componenets; the INCITING INCIDENT, any OBSTACLES they might come across along the way, the climatic moment or CLIMAX and then the DENOUEMENT when everything returns to normal.

Below I will analyse a few of the films we watched in the seminar and I will identify how each of these four components are represented in the film.


Sign Language - Oscar Sharp - 2010 - 5 mins

INCITING INCIDENT - The character's last day on the job, holding a sign on Oxford Street, before he starts his new job the next day.

OBSTACLES - All of his co-workers don't seem bothered that it is his last day and they don't really seem to pay much attention to him.

CLIMAX - At the end of his last day at work, all of his colleagues then surprise him by saying that they'll miss him via the signs they are holding. They also tell him to ask out the girl he fancies.

DENOUEMENT - He gets the girl and starts his new job as a pilot.

OTHER COMMENTS
This film was very different to other dramas that I have seen as this piece was filmed in a documentary style by using a lot of handheld shots. The sound was also interesting in this film as there was a lot of diagetic sound and also Sharp included a voiceover, to add to the documentary-esque style.


Pudding Bowl - Vanessa Caswill - 2009 - 7 mins

INCITING INCIDENT - Boy is grounded and his friends are banging on the window to try to get him to come outside. The boy then puts glue on his sister's hair so she gets in trouble with their mum.

OBSTACLES - The mum cuts all of her daughter's hair off by using a pudding bowl as a guideline.

CLIMAX - The young girl then dresses up and steals her brother's bike, causing him and his friends to chase her down the street.

DENOUEMENT - She rides off down the road as she visualizes herself as a tall woman with long hair biking down the road and having men chasing her, suggests that they are lusting after her.

OTHER COMMENTS
The sound in this film is very interesting as specific diagetic sounds, like the scissors cutting the paper, were very distinct. Also when the girl is imaging herself as a woman on the bike, the image seems slightly dreamlike because of the way it was edited and how it plays in slow motion.


About a Girl - Brian Percival - 2001 - 6 mins

INCITING INCIDENT - In this film there isn't really an inciting incident as most of the film she is talking about her life, however it can be seen that the inciting incident is her talking about how she wants to live with her dad but he won't let her.

OBSTACLES - There aren't many obstacles present in this film as until the end, the film is very slow and seems as if it doesn't have a point.

CLIMAX - Climatic moment in this film is when we realise what has been in the bag she is carrying as it is revealed via her dumping the contents into the river. The contents of the bag is revealed to be her dead baby, which she had hidden the pregnancy for, given birth to it and killed it, then dumps the baby in the river to get rid of the evidence.

DENOUEMENT - The film returns to normality as after she has dumped the bag into the river, she walks off and gets an ice cream.

OTHER COMMENTS
In a similar way to 'Sign Language' this film is filmed mainly with a handheld camera, which follows the girl as she is talking straight to the lens. This is also different to other films in this genre as nothing really dramatic happens in this film until the last 30 seconds.


Rite - Michael Pearce - 2010 - 16 mins

INCITING INCIDENT - Son's birthday so he picks him up from his mum's house, obviously divorced parents.

OBSTACLES - Dad is very distant from his son, he doesn't know anything about him and they have absolutely nothing in common.

CLIMAX - The father gets violent with a security guard at the doors to the football game he wanted to take his son to.

DENOUEMENT - Father finds out that his son is gay and invites the two of them to do something together that his son wants to do.

OTHER COMMENTS
This film is interesting as it sets up the ending as if the dad was going to react violently to finding out about his son's sexuality, but surprisingly he was very calm and didn't react the way that the audience expected.