Research - Schindler's List

I watched through the film Schindler's List (1993). Before I saw this film I already had an idea about the theme and basic layout of my film but watching Schindler's List has given me ideas for techniques I can use in my short film to create a greater effect.

The fist technique I was interested in at the start of Schindler's List was the use of an graphic match. About a minute into the film a close up shot of a candle going out and smoke rising from the top dissolves into a shot of Steam rising from a train. This technique is very effective as it links one scene with the next. I am going to use this technique in my film to link the Protagonists conscious state of mind with his unconscious one.

Another technique that stood out was the slow development of a character using shots of different parts of the characters body without revealing the characters face. The main Protagonist in Schindler's List (Mr. Schindler) is slowly built up with shots of him doing tasks but only revealing parts of his body and not his face. An example of this is the character collecting money from a draw but only focusing on his hands. This technique builds up suspense for the audience as the identity of this character is not revealed and therefore the audience can't fully connect with the character until their identity has been revealed. I hope to use this technique in my short film when the elderly man is first revealed. I wish to use this technique because the unknown will create suspense for the audience and add to the overall suspenseful effect that the Forrest scenes will have.

A third technique used in Schindler's list which I may use for my own short film is the use of a prop placed between two characters to create a visible barrier between them. In Schindler's List Mr. Schindler and other businessman meet with each other, a clever still camera shot places Mr. Schindler on one side of a desk and the businessman on the other side. This technique not only physically separates these two characters but also suggests an emotional distance between them. I would like to use this technique in my own short film to separate the protagonist character from the rest of society in his conscious state.

Initial Idea

The initial idea for the short film i am creating is a adverage man sitting in an office meeting, he is wearing a suit. He starts slipping in out out of conciseness, when unconscious he sees an old man(Who is about 80) sitting on a bench in a forest area. As he slips into unconsciousness for longer he find himself in the forrest with the old guy. In the centre of the clearing in the forrest is a line made out of sticks and stones. He finds it hard to step over the line but eventually the old man helps him over. The Guy wakes up from his unconscious state and suddenly tears of his suit and leaves the meeting.

Many ideological messages can be interpreted from this short film. The message i intended to portray to the audience is the idea of 'Society' and how the Norms of society affect the way people generally live there lives due to the media's influence. The first thought of a film title is 'Crossing the Line', i have chosen this title as the character literally crosses a line and also metaphorically crosses one in his real life by walking out of his meeting and therefore breaking free from the norms of society.

What is a Short Film?

From my research i believe that a short film has various characteristics that make it different from a feature length Hollywood film. Firstly, the most common way to identify a short film is normally around 10 minutes in length whereas a feature film is about 100 minutes. Short films tend to be experimental and could be described as artistic while the Feature length films often have a formulaic structure.

Lots of short films are not only created for entertainment purposes but are normally real to life and sometimes have an ideological message behind the film. An example of this is the film 'About a Girl' which focuses on the issue of teenage pregnancy. On the other hand the majority of feature films are made solely for profit and therefore are designed to entertain the audience to produce as much money as possible.

Of course, not all short films contain all of the elements i have talked about above but the majority of them do contain these identifiable themes.