Analysis of a similar film - "If Not Now, When?"

“If not now, when?” is a ten minute film about a young man (Daniel), who dreams of becoming a professional footballer; however his life takes a tragic, unexpected turn when gets killed. I found this film from the BBC Film Network website -

This is similar to ours as it starts out happy, but has a sad ending. At first, it is not very clear that he has been killed, however after, we see his friends and family talking about him and you soon realise. It shocked me when I watched it, as it may do the majority of the audicne, showing that they did it for this, and to add to the genre of drama. Our film, “The Last Line”, also has this feature as we only hear a gun shot, and then a news broadcast, describing what had happened. “INNW” portrays a message which is the affects of knife and gun crime. I also believe our film has a message also, (however not as direct as in this film), which is about the pressure of fame and how it can ruin celebrities lives.

The titles for this film are at the very beginning of the film, similar to our film “The Last Line”. The titles in “INNW” simply just show the name of the production company, and who the film is by, (directed by), whereas our titles show the name of the two main actors, the production company and the name of the film, which this ten minute film does not.

“INNW” uses mainly medium long shots, medium shots (e.g. in conversation) and long shots, (to establish the scene). There is also a close up of the main character’s face, (Daniel), and this is to show his emotions. Our film shows a CU of Connor when on the phone to his agent, as we wanted to ensure the audience got an insight into how he felt. In contrast with our film, this film gives an Extreme Close up of the Daniel’s face also. “INNW” uses tracking shots, which are at eye-level, and also look hand-held. This shows the audience the conversation and by looking hand-held, it looks a little shaky and may give the sense that something is not right; this feature makes it also look slightly like a documentary. Similarly with our film, “INNW” uses over-the-shoulder shots in conversation and this is to establish the position of each person, and to look at one person from the other's point of view.

“INNW” doesn’t use non-diegetic sound throughout the film, apart from the titles and the end credits, which are both upbeat, rap songs to add drama. Our film uses non-diegetic sound in the titles too, however throughout “The Last Line”, we have a song in the actually film also, (which continued onto the end credits), which creates drama and emphasis. Also, it is a sad song, which fits well with the scenes the song is on. INNW”, uses diegetic sound in contrast with our film, in the form of an ipod, as this is a normal hobby of a teenager, and therefore the audience may relate to him, (e.g. seeing him as a Role Model).

“INNW” uses mainly cuts throughout the film, to show continuity. It also uses jump cuts, (when he is getting ready at the beginning), to give it rhythmic structure, and matches on action, which we use also. No fades or flashes are used in this film, to show a passage of time, which we used commonly in “The Last Line”.

“INNW” has a voiceover narrative in parts of the film; however seems purely to tell the story, (not the main characters voice). Instead it is the voices of the characters at the end of the film, which has meaning and is quite confusing at first, but can keep the audience intrigued. Our film however, has the main character Connor, giving a voiceover to let the audience know how he is feeling, and what he is going through. Both films also contain a lot of dialogue, between different characters, as this builds the story up and the audience can understand what is happening.

The sets in this film are mainly on streets or in houses, as it is following the life of a teenage boy. Our film is about the life of a celebrity, and so most scenes are outside his house, (where he gets harassed by paparazzi), or in his house where he can escape from it all. The main prop in “INNW”, seems to be a football, as this links in with the main theme of the film. The lighting throughout the film is normal, as it is mainly set during the day time, and the costumes of the characters are ones that you would see typically find teenagers to wear. The main character Daniel seems to have it all at first, similarly to Connor, but in contrast with our film, you cannot see how he handles it, when what he wants is taken away from him (after he gets killed). In our film, we get to see Connor acting vulnerable, sad and lonely as he turns to drugs and alcohol, after hearing the rumoured allegations which drive him to this state, (and then he takes his own life in the end, as it is all too much).