Zero - Story and Conventions Research

FILM TITLE: Zero

COUNTRY OF PRODUCTION: United Kingdom

DIRECTOR: Christopher Kezelos

YEAR OF PRODUCTION: 2010

SYNOPSIS: The story follows our hero Zero, born into a world of classes. He struggles to feel like he belongs anywhere. He meets a female Zero and they against the laws fall in love. He then is sent to prison for his crimes, she sees him, as se goes into labour. When she gives birth, the baby is born with the symbol of infinity. Then Zero realises that you can making something out of nothing.

The genre of the film is an animation and follows the narrative structure of a hero's journey.The film follows the general codes of a character led story, in which we follow Zero. Codes and Conventions of an animation used throughout the piece are the use of animated figures, and the ability to create and fantasy world.  

The use of colour follows the idea of seperating Zero from the rest of the people within the film, this is done in many films such as Shindler's Film in which everyone is in black and white except for the young girl in red. This use of tells the audience that this person is different, it also tells the audience that this person is the one to follow.

Particular instances of when codes are conventions of animation are used like when Zero wakes up from badly beaten and the way they show the female zero as an angel and bring a fantasy element to the piece that couldn't be created in the real world. 

The film could have been made as a live film, but the use of the codes and conventions of an animation lent itself to the film as it added to the element of taking it away from this world, it takes away that element of realism. With that gone it allows the audience to take in the idea easier.

The main representation throughout the film is the use of the numbers which represent the different class systems present in real life. It follows the similar principles of the socio-economic scale.

The use of colour of costume on the characters also represents that Zero is different than the rest of the people and the use of different brown coloured threads gives the impression that he is lower than  the pink of the other characters.

The first scene we see is of a fetus within the womb and we see it spinning changing numbers. The way it is filmed gives the representation of a slots machine and the number the character was given is just by chance. That the character has no choice in the rank they are born with.

The next scene of the film we see the sequence of Zero's mother giving birth, when Zero is born a candle on the desk goes out. The candle is often a symbol of hope as can be seen in many religions such as Christianity. So the visual of the candle represents the idea that all hope for the child is gone.

Another symbol used within the film is the butterfly which is used in the school scene. After we see Zero is hit with a stick by the teacher for something he hadn't done, the audience see a butterfly out of the window. The butterfly is behind a window and we see it free, this juxtaposed to Zero's containment in the classroom creates a stronger feeling within the audience.

Another representation used is through the locations used. An example of this is when Zero is rejected from the job at the shop and he ends up sitting on a dark alleyway, in which the lighting is very dark and this is used to represent the mood and how Zero had felt. In juxtaposition the most vibrant sequence in the film is when Zero is with the Female Zero. In this sequence there is a shot of the clouds and a blue sky, this is used to represent the idea that the couple were in the clouds. Above the law, on top of the world.

The film is aimed at all ages, mainly aiming at people who want informing from a film. I feel that the film is all about diversity and they have tried throughout the piece to use different techniques to keep all audiences interested.

Throughout the film there are many locations used, these include; Within the womb, Mother's bedrooms, School, Park, Diner Street, Alleyway, Park, Prison and outside the Court rooms. 

Until the alleyway scene, the locations follow the expected journey of someone going through life. Being born, childhood, job. By using these locations, it gives the audience an insight to his life, snippets of the way he was brought up.

The first scene is within the womb, this location was needed as the representation explained in "representations" with the slot machine. It also shows the viewer that we would be following this baby throughout the story.

The second scene again is shown as it is when the baby reaches the real world and when he is then rejected. Taken away from his mother.

We then see Zero at school where he is bullied and picked on by both the students and the teacher. This gives the audience an insight to his life as a child. The chalkboard is showing that in lesson the teacher is telling him he is not allowed to have relationships.

We then see the other students in the vibrant park and see what Zero could have had, if he had been born with a higher number.

At the diner we see Zero face the hardest challenge, when he gets turned away from the job at the diner. This location is the darkest location we see after the birth scene and this is important as this is when Zero loses and then hides away.

Zero reaches the complete bottom, this is shown in this location, but then the street starts to glitter and this follows the similar representation of the candle, of there being a light at the end of the tunnel.

We then return to the park with Zero and Female Zero, we see the vibrancy of the world around them and it juxtaposes with the location shown beforehand.

We then see our hero, in prison, dark, lonely and lost. This is to make the audience sympathize with Zero and to be on his side from now on.

At the end we see the female Zero pregnant outside the court rooms and by having her at this location it gives the whole seen more emphasis of what will be the verdict and will justice be served for our hero and heroine. 

In the piece there are two main characters and then a number of supporting character who are there as antagonists within the story. The main character within the piece is Zero, his behaviour in space and time within the film shows him to always be looking at the bright side of life. He always looks for the silver lining. Examples of this is when he stares at the butterfly in class with awing eyes, when the children hang him upside down from a tree and he just stares at the mother bird feeding the two babies and straight after being rejected for the diner job he gives some money to the homeless and injured zero. These examples and others within the film all together make the audience more empathetic towards Zero.

The overall film shows references to children's shows such as Morph and other animated children's shows. It also shows inter textual reference to the world that we live in today, the activities the characters do mimic what we do throughout our lives. This makes the world seem familiar to the audience.Throughout the film there are references to human objects such as money. Jobs such as working in a diner or being a cleaner. 

Heartstrings - Story and Conventions Research

FILM TITLE: Heartstrings

COUNTRY OF PRODUCTION: United Kingdom

DIRECTOR: Rhiannon Evans

YEAR OF PRODUCTION: 2009

SYNOPSIS: It is a story of two string people, who fall in love and are connected but then they are pulled apart from wanting to go in different directions. They then feel lonely without each other and one asks for forgiveness. One of the string people then they said sorry and together they connected their hearts with a bow which mended their broken hearts.

The film uses the genre of a romance and shows two people who seem to have a connection which is shown through their demeanour and the way they interact with one another.

A clear example of it being a romance was that it followed the 3 act structure of a romance. The couple meet, and then there is an argument. One of them leaves the relationship which leaves both to be lonely. One asks for forgiveness and then they love each other again. This is a very common structure in romance genre films.

The particular shot which tells the audience it is a romance is when one character gives the other the heart and they connect as this instantly gives a symbol of love and connection between the two characters.

The film uses minimal colour, only using predominantly white and with bits of red. White is often meant to mean the idea of innocence in Britain so this mixed with the use of red, a passionate and fiery colour worked showed the simplistic nature of love.

Many of the codes and conventions followed through from the particular style of the way that Evans filmed the piece, she explains in her blog that she used research and inspiration from “Morph, Voodoo Dolls and Sad Sack from The Raggy Dolls.” (Evans, March 10^th 2009)

The codes and conventions of a romance used were the use of the hearts on screen, represented with the heart strings which come from chest of the characters.

Another convention which was used was that the characters were string figurines and were animated in a simplistic and children’s show fashion. Such as shows like Morph from Art Attack.

Like in Morph the characters were given simple names as stated by Evans “I’ve named them Lefty and Righty because for the most part of the film they will occupy the left and right side of the screen” (Evans, March 10^th 2009). This allows for a wider appeal and engages the audience as they can relate to the character as it is more of a blank canvass. This convention is often used in role playing games as it allows you to feel what your character feels and put your feet in their shoes.

The use of colour and expressions in the film is used particularly well, emphasising the idea of the simple needs of love.

The use of expressions on the characters is well used and conveys the message but better than if there had been a voice over.

In the film the director used a lot of symbolism to put across messages to the audience, these are both subtle and obvious and aid the viewer in understanding what is happening.

The whole film has a sense of naivety about the character, the way they interact. The way they are surprised when things happen. This in turn makes the audience see the power of love in a new and more awe inspiring light.

As previously mentioned in both Codes and Conventions and Genre is that the piece is artistically simplistic and the use of a small pallet of colours and the simplicity of the heartstrings. This was stated in a review by Flickering Shadow Designs “Two white teddies with only eyes to distinguish them enact a romance with no more than a red thread each. Clever animation, evocative and expressive.” (FlickeringShadow, 2010)

In the piece one of the characters has a small head and the other a large head, this was meant to establish gender between the two characters.

Another representation in the film and the most obvious is the heartstrings, in which the film gets its name. The director made a visual representation of the connection of love between two people through the string which left the chest cavity. This again in a very easy and meaningful manner told the audience what was happening through visual metaphors which were mimicking the feelings   of love through a real entity.

The overall film was most likely aimed at a young audience, this   is because of the way the director has taken on a style from children’s shows such as Morph and The Raggy Dolls, but also because the end project is light hearted and deals with the strong emotions of love in a simple and loving way.

Resemblances occur from this film in other children’s shows such as Get Well Soon aired on CBeebies which explains medical issues such as water infections and how to avoid them in a simple and children friendly manner.

The film is aimed at a target audience of all ages and feel that it can be related to by anyone. It has the joyful and humorous moments for the children, has the information and emotion for teenagers and for adults the light hearted take on an emotion which is known throughout all strands of life.

The use of the string characters in particular adds the cartoon element which is used in almost all children’s shows such as The Hoobs, Get Well Soon, The Wombles, Teletubbies, Pingu and many more. This added to the film as it straight away told the audience that the film is light hearted.  It also brings in a young audience to watch the film as at that age children are often curious about the world and seeing things that they can’t believe are happening such as the use of stop motion. By having this element it has that effect of showing that love can happen with anyone no matter who or what they are.

Another particular element which lends itself to a young audience is the use of humour throughout. The vivid emotions portrayed by the characters plays a key role in the film’s success and it allows the audience to easily identify how that character is feeling.

The film also has elements which suit an older audience such as the topic in which the film is about. Love. The most common emotion which is used across films as it has a lot of power and meaning behind it. The story shows the couple and visually shows what love does to someone. This is quite a mature   story and wouldn’t yet have been experience by young people.

It was picked up upon by the British Film Institute that “quite brilliant in its ability to render every turn of emotion.” (Bradshaw, 2012) which again shows that through the use of the cartoon figurines and as Evans called them ‘big, beady eyes’ (Evans, 7 April 2009) she could create a simplistic, cute and   innovative style on her film.

The entirety of the film is based in one location; this again adds to the simplicity of the piece and strengthens the message behind it. It also is just plain white and this works well as it means that there are no distractions in the background which would stop the viewer watching the video.

The use of the white background meant that the audience could leave it up to themselves where there were and be more engaged with the piece. It also gave room for white space which meant that the red of the string.

The director, Evans stated in her blog that she tried a variety of different backgrounds including Carpet and Knitting but she found that the material was the best as “it was lighter so the puppets stood out and it had no   pattern so gave the illusion of infinite space, which is what I was hoping for.” (Evans, 27^th April 2009)

There are two characters in this short film. Lefty and Righty. The characters are genderless but it is shown through their sizes and their demeanour that there is a difference for genders. Neither of them have a pinpointed gender.

Lefty is shown to be the smaller of the two characters and throughout the piece Lefty is shown to be more shy and timid than Righty.

Lefty is also the one who fixes the broken heart string by making a bow, we see his loneliness during the time when the character are apart. We feel more for Lefty as he is the one we feel the pain with in the mid-section of the film.

The overall film shows references to shows such as morph through the character movement and the style of the film.

There are also references to films such as romantic comedies like Love Actually, The Proposal. These commonly follow the same outline, a clear example would be Remember Me up until the ending sequence of the film where the storyline follows the same route as described in the synopsis.