Media Language

Our short film begins with a series of flashbacks showing Claire and Wesley's preparation for their baby boy. We chose to do this to show the spectator what the characters lives were like before the tragic loss of Theo, to create an empathetic relationship between the spectator and characters. To signify that these are flashbacks, there will be high-level lighting and saturated so that the shots are brighter than the other shots. In the last series of flashbacks, Claire and Wesley are in the nursery and we have a close up of the mobile above the cot, as it dissolves into the next shot spinning and playing child-like peaceful music. In these flashbacks, Claire is looking healthy and happy. Her make-up and hair immaculate, wearing dresses and lovely tops. However, as the short film progresses and she struggles to cope, she begins to look tired and run down, her clothing turns to dressing gowns and trackies, and her hair is scruffy and scraped back. This is to show her transformation from before the birth of Theo to after the death of him.




















We use eye-line matches for effect through-out our short film, such as when Claire is watching baby programmes with what she thinks is with Theo, and when Wesley enters the room they're exchanging dialogue however there is an eye line match as he realizes what Claire is watching on TV followed by a POV shot of the TV.

Towards the end of our short film, there is a significant scene in a graveyard. We will shot this from behind the grave, showing Wesley and Claire distraught from the other side of the grave (LS). The lighting will be low-key to create a depressing, eerie atmosphere. After this scene, Claire is sitting at the table (MS) where we see that there are pills in front of her. It cuts to her hand hesitantly reaching for the pot of pills (CU) and back to a CU of her troubled face. There is then a sound bridge of off-screen diegetic sound of a baby laughing and an eyeline match from Claire to the other side of the room, which cuts to a POV shot of Theo sitting in his chair (MS). It cuts back to Claire and there is on-screen diegetic sound of dialogue as she shouts out in desperation for the hallucinations to stop, as shes just coming to accept and believe that Theo is dead. Her body language constructs meaning as to how she is feeling emotionally as she has her hands on her head and her fists clenched begging for her visions to stop and go away. It then cuts to the pills in her hands and cuts back to Claire (CU) where there are jump cuts. Then there is a cut to Claire on the floor and a fade to black as the sequence ends.