Sophie Laxton

Evaluation
For my A2 Film Studies Portfolio, I produced a five-minute film sequence
called 'Seeing Things'. The purpose of this was to reflect on my thesis- the
representation of people with disabilities, specifically mental illness,
focusing on the 1960's to present day.
The aim of this was to exemplify how
social, political, historical and cultural
factors affected the representation of
those with disability within the media and
how this has changed over time. During
the research for my essay, I discovered
that individuals with mental illness were
often depicted in negative ways in films
due to the events occurring during those
eras. For example, theorist Otto Wahl
states that they were often stereotyped
as dangerous, which is the case for a
number of the films I chose to analyse.

I decided to name my production Seeing

Things influenced by the narratives most essential element; the
hallucinations experienced by the protagonist. The hallucinations she has
are of a young boy that has been with her for 11 years who convinces her
to do bad things. The audience are not given the plot, therefore creating
an enigma throughout the film. However, eventually the title makes a
direct link to the plot as to hallucinate is to see things that are not really
there. This therefore allows the audience to have a better understanding
of the production and the themes within it. The themes that I chose to
incorporate within my short film were those that I was able to identify
throughout all of the productions I analysed. The main themes were
danger and the fear of others towards those with mental illnesses.

Before the construction of my short film, I created planning and research

materials for my portfolio that assisted with my final product and the
decisions that I had to make in order to make it successful and enjoyable
for my target audience. This was beneficial to me as my final product
successfully reflected upon my planning and research. My materials
included a location report, which contained my final locations for my
production and descriptions of each one. This document assisted me in
deciding what locations would suit my short film, as I had to choose the
best ones that added to the themes within my film. I create a script, a
health and safety report which outlined the risks that there would be
whilst filming and the solutions, a storyboard, a synopsis, casting
Sophie Laxton

considerations and a shot list. The casting considerations considered

different actors and actresses that I auditioned for the roles of the
characters in my production. I gave each character a profile that
described their background and their personalities as well as celebrities
that I would cast in my production if I were given a budget. My shot list
consisted of a list of shots I would use in my film. This made my filming
process more efficient in terms of time management and also allowed me
to adjust and add shots throughout the process. This was effective in the
organisation of what I needed to do and also ensured that my creative
artefact would be the best it could be, delivering the necessary messages
and values to the audience.

It was vital for my production that I kept the same character types as seen
in the films I previously analysed (Black Swan, Girl, Interrupted, Ordinary
People and The Perks of Being a Wallflower) as well as similar elements of
mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound and editing. I was influenced by
many stylistic aspects used by the directors who all conformed to the
common conventions of their chosen genres of drama or thriller. For
example, the director of Black Swan, Darren Aronofsky, uses influence
from Polanski, a French director, within his productions such as the
incorporation of the psychological elements. I chose to conform to the
representation of the characters within the films I analysed such as
representing the protagonist with the mental illness as dangerous and
pitiable. Alongside this, the repetitive use of fast paced editing and low
key lighting were significant elements within their films and I chose to re-
create this in my creative artefact in order to emphasise the theme of
mental illness. I also took inspiration from films that I did not analyse such
as Donnie Darko (2001) where the director Richard Kelly incorporated dark
themes and aesthetics that I aimed to use within my production. This is
because I wanted my audience to be fully engaged and immersed in the
dark side of my film that included mental illness and death.
Sophie Laxton

In my creative artefact, I
incorporated the theory
proposed by Syd Field who
states that the set-up of a film is
the most important act as it is
what grabs the audiences
attention. The set-up of my film
is suspenseful and an enigma is
created for the audience and multiple questions arise. The protagonist,
Eva, is first introduced through the first few shots before the title. They
show Eva digging in fast paced shots with the diegetic sound of her heavy
breathing alongside her heartbeat. In between the shots, there are flashes
of a black screen, adding to the suspense and confusion the audience
encounter.

The evolution from the script to the final chronological series of events
brought the film together and became much like the narrative structure
showcased in Gone Girl (2014). The events were displayed in a non-linear
order and the use of voiceover aided in the explanation of the narrative. I
researched multiple short films with the same genres in an attempt to find
more films created on a lower budget that used the same techniques as
used in larger budgeted Hollywood productions.

The most important element in my

film was sound which brought the
whole production together in the
editing stage. This was important for
my production as it ensured that the
audience understood the narrative
and themes I intended to portray
through. I decided to incorporate flashback scenes within the production
to allow the audience to get a better understanding of the character.
There were multiple flashbacks of Eva: one in which she is a young child
meeting her subconscious being, Avici. This shows the audience Evas
journey through her mental illness and this is emphasised through the
black and white filter showing that it was in the past. The editing also
allowed me to create representations for the characters. For example,
Young Eva is seen in her room throwing her toys aggressively across the
floor, portraying her as dangerous: a stereotypical representation of
people with mental illness. There is no dialogue throughout my 5-minute
film, meaning that I had to use sound to tell the narrative. Suspense and
drama were created through the non-diegetic score music and voiceover,
which also aided with telling the narrative and making it clear for the
audience as well as emphasising the emotions of the protagonist.
Sophie Laxton

In conclusion, I feel that I have successfully fulfilled the aims of my

artefact as it was an entertaining and dramatic production that involved
significant themes such as that of disability, specifically mental illness and
the negative affect it can have on an individuals life. The
cinematography, editing and sound were accountable for the success of
the film as much as the narrative; however I would have improved the
lighting and performance of the actors in order to improve the production
as a whole.

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