Tyler - Ailsa

MRANG on "Tyler"

TYLER from sam benenati on Vimeo. 2014.

Media language and narrative

 We're introduced to the short film with diegetic sound of someone rapping. We are then shown a LS of a little boy in a lower- class setting, there is trailer - style housing behind him. 

There is then a two shot LS of the little boy with what we presume to be his older brother, working out. This gives us an idea that the little boy wants to be like the older one. 

The camera tracks in on the older boy and a girl kissing to show the relationship between them, and emphasise how close they are. 

We then see a LS of the couple with their arms round each other, and the little boy behind on his bike. This shows how he is left out. He is on the side of the girl, which could also emphasise how he favours her over his brother.

There is a two shot that reveals it was the older boy who was rapping. The dialogue shows how he cares about his brother's opinion, but also the way he questions him makes it seem he knows the answer already - he knows his brother looks up to him. The way they are talking also shows who has the most respect for the other, and shows the audience that the older boy is much more confident. 

 We are introduced to the mother through a voiceover and a slightly high angled LS. These make her seem lonely (the dialogue makes it seem like she's talking to herself) and vulnerable. As she does yoga, her facial expression seems lost, to emphasise this we are shown a CU.

We see various clips throughout to show the little boy and girl enjoying each others company.  Quiet and sympathetic non-dietetic sound accompanies these. The CUs and dialogue shows how fond the little boy is of the girl, and how close they are.

As the boy rides behind them on his bike, there is a MU that is mainly framed around the girl. The sun is shining on her and the effect of this is to make it seem like almost a dream to the boy. 

A sound bridge of dialogue between these two brings us to various CUs of the boy playing with his toys. This highlights how she is always on his mind, it creates an idea that he is daydreaming about previous conversations with her. 

 Another sound bridge shows us a LS of the family sitting at their dining table. The setting is dark which instantly sets a depressing mood overall. The dialogue is of the girl asking about their dad - which could then give us a hint as to why their facial expressions and body language make them look depressed. It could also be telling us that this is the reason for the little girl latching onto the girl. 

The little boy is begging his brother for some of his beer (again, showing us he wants to be like him,) and this concludes with the older boy pouring it over his head. This creates sympathy for the little boy, as does the non- diegetic sound of a piano throughout. After this scene, the piano music is emphasised more, and this could signify how things are about to get worse for him.

We are shown yet another clip of the little boy and girl. She is teasing him, and we are then shown a CU of him trying to kiss her. Just before he does this, the non- diegetic stops to emphasise his shock and embarrassment.
 

There is a side-on MS of the boy punching a wall in frustration and anger. We feel sympathy for him as his facial expression shows how he feels rejected.

There is a voiceover of a man reciting a romantic poem, which contrasts with what has just happened to emphasise this.

As this is used as a sound bridge for various CUs of each family member, we are brought to the little boy more, this means we get more sympathy for him. This slightly low angled CU is shown with dark lighting to tell the audience he is doing this at night. It looks as though he is wishing for something good to happen, as throughout the short film we have witnessed his bad luck. 

The narrative is non-linear as it switches back and forth with memories.

Representation

The mother is shown to be a single mum, and is presented as being hopeless and through the setting, we get an idea that she is struggling to provide for them. The older brother is seen as powerful and "cool". The girlfriend is shown to be slightly superior to everyone else (as she is the girlfriend of the older boy and the little boy appears to be in love with her.) The little boy is shown to be unlucky and slightly depressed, he is also seen to be a dreamer and slightly lost. The old man is shown to be full of wisdom. Due to the setting (as previously mentioned,) we get an idea that they are working - middle class, as they are working out in their garden, this is presented to mean not much goes well for them.

Genre

The genre is drama.