Student example film: Noted

 

Characterization

The husband 

His character is represented as never being home and not communicating with his wife well, as he is seen communicating with her through post it notes. This gives an audience an insight of their relationship. He is presented to come across quite bossy or controlling as he always asks the wife to do things for him, whereas he is never home or seen doing much.

The wife

She is represented as playing along in his game of not communicating and only communicates through notes. Which she reflects how she isn't happy with by wanting a divorce. The audience has sympathy for her character as the husband is seen always ordering her to do things for him.

Narrative 

Three Act structure 

ACT 1: The film starts with an introduction to the protagonist (the husband), He performs a conflicting incident as he pours milk down the drain just to ask his wife to buy more. This creates curiosity for the audience. The audience quickly catch up the the film has no dialogue and the only way of communication is through post it notes. 

ACT2: We observe the husband entering and leaving the house frequently, which indicates that he is barely home and spends  little time with his family. This reflects his relationship with his wife as they aren't communicating properly, which mirrors that their relationship isn't healthy. The different scene montages of the husband writing notes and leaving the house increases the rising of action which leads to the climax of when the husband came home, and we saw post it notes from the wife. This was the first time we have seen the wife take part in the film, which reflects the state of their relationship, but 

 also mirrors a sense of isolation between the two as the distance between them seems extensive. By showing the wife communicating back creates tension between the two characters and also for the audience as she is seen giving him a taste of his own medicine 

ACT3: The tension from the how the couple are communicating, or what it reflects as fighting leads to the resolution of the wife filing for a divorce, which releases some of the stress that the audience have been carrying from the start of the film but it also creates sympathy for both of the characters.

Mise en scene 

 Props

post it notes

The post it notes is a significant prop in this film as it is the only thing that shows the connection between the wife and the husband. The post it notes carry the narrative of the film. The use of the everyday prop, and turning it in to a communication device creates the feeling of distance and loneliness in the relationship as if they don't even live in the same house.  

Cinematography 

The film uses a large amount of static shots with a combination of medium, Dutch angles and close up shots. The large use of static shots can be used to highlight the movement of the characters, but it can also be used to metaphorically compare  the characters relationship as it is "dead" and not moving, their relationship is lacking of movement and life. The Dutch angles are used to present every time the husband sticks post it notes on to the kitchen cupboard. This can perhaps portrays the unease and disorientation in their relationship.  The use of close up shots are to highlight the importance of the scene and detail for example, closing up on the "wake up it's 6 AM." scene portrays the conflict between the two characters, which leads to the resolution 

Dutch angle 

Close up shot 

close up shot

Sound

The film has no dialogue/monologue or any sound effects. The only source of sound is the background music which is used to convey the film's narrative. The background music is used to manipulate and control how the audience feel, in this case, the background music is a slow paced piano piece with a majority of minor keys. This conveys and manipulates the audience to feel sad and low, like how the characters feel.  The background music reflects an emotion of distance and loneliness that is carried in their relationship. The background music communicates the feelings instead of what would've been portrayed through dialogue.

Performance

The performance is very minimal as their emotion is portrayed through the post it notes, actions and the music. These elements help and convey the film's narrative and reflect the emotions that manipulate the audience. 

Editing

The editing is at a medium to slow pace which makes it easier for the audience to focus on the characters actions as there is no sound, making their actions very significant and important to the narrative. The pace of the editing could also reflect the pace of the characters relationship as it is slow and dying out. The editing consists of fades, cut shots and cut on action shots. This can be used to reflect the feel of time passage that occurs in the narrative. 

How it is lockdown approved?

The film consists of only two actors which minimalized the amount of people needed on set. The setting is also minimized as it is set in one place(house)