Comparative Textual Analysis

This is my contextual textual analysis of 5 short films. The films I decided to study are The Most Beautiful Man In The World (Alicia Duffy) About A Girl (Brain Percival) Wasp (Andrea Arnold) Soft (Simon Ellis) Youth (Jane Linfoot). The films all revolve around similar themes and issues. As recommended by Marilyn Milgrim all the films revolve around their meanings all of which are implemented by kids to teenagers Milgrim suggest this is because it makes the problems faced universally recognized. The films all establish there macro themes and representations using micro elements from camera, sound, editing and mise en scene. One theme that recurres throughout the films is neglect. Wasp; Most Beautiful Man In The World; and Youth all have use the micro elements synergistically to create the theme whilst incorporating representations of characters. Most Beautiful Man In The World starts with a long take pan close up shot of a young girls belly that is being reveled through the costume of the girl (low cut boob tube). The digetic soundscape is made up of noises from a TV playing cartoons, the low key lighting in the scene also comes from the TV. The slow pan close up of the girl shows that the guardian of the girl has sexualized her, Social stereotypes would suggest that the person who dressed a young girl like this is a bad parent and also a clear representation of sexuality. The fact that the girl is sitting in a dark room with the TV the only source of mental

stimulation is where the theme of neglect comes from. The soundscape and lighting is what establishes the theme. The theme is visited again in Youth. Similar macro representations of sexuality are created of the young girl at the swimming pool. A very young girl is show again using close ups on erogenous parts of her body when her costume only consist of net underwear. The long takes used in this shots are intended to make the audience feel awkward, This is Jane Linfoot making her statement about the sexualisation of young children. A representation very similar to Most Beautiful Man In The World. The theme of neglect is seen in this short mainly through character codes and props. The girl is eating a bag of crisp and tango when she was meant to be swimming. The girls smile as she does this suggests to the audience that the girl is often allowed to exchange exercise for fast food. A sign or neglect from a guardian figure. Shes also show to be alone in a wide shot showing he isolation reinforcing the theme of neglect. Wasp takes a slightly different approach by using a handheld close up tracking short of a babies bum, although its wearing a baby grow the back if pulled down revealing the babies bare bum. This could be seen as another attempt by the director to represent the sexulisation of children, I believe its a character code working with an element of costume to create the theme of Neglect. The way the mother is holding the baby looks awkward and uncomfortable for the baby as well as revealing the babies bare bum, which doesnt concern the mum as she walks down the run down area they live in. The long takes towards the

end when the wasp threatens to sting the inside of the babies mouth is used to build tension and show briefly what could the consequences of the mums neglect could have been. The disjointed editing at this time is being used to show the mothers panic. Soft, Most Beautiful Man In The World and Abut a girl establish macro themes of growing up. Just like the themes of neglect spoken about previously the theme of growing up comes from a combination of micro elements, Soft uses high angles to represent the growing of the younger boy. Whilst his dad goes into some kind of panicked and scared state the younger boy is empowered by the high angle shot, although its not yet enough to confront the bullies outside he still is shown to have grown more courageous than his father. Once the boy brings the cricket bat outside the editorial pace speeds up using short takes with lots of cuts, accompanied with the digectic sound of the car alarm a tense atmosphere empowers the character even more. The narrative of him then dropping the bat whilst going to hand it to his father signifies the end of his growing experience. About A Girl takes a different approach, the moral journey that shows the theme of growing up in the story is accompanied by a literal journey. This is another reference to film theorist Marilyn Milgrim who stated Takes the character on a metaphorical emotional journey and it can work well to use a literal journey as a setting. The film uses editing pace and take length to create a rhythmic beat from the girl otherwise unintelligent speech, representing the

ability of the girl to create some kind on music. This not only represents the ability of the girl but also raised issues involving lost talent as the girl gets older. The end of the journey to an extent contradicts this theme of growing up, when the girl walks away from the canal is show in a wide crane shot. The shot is divided by the canal one side has life in the form of trees and other green life. Juxed apposing this is the other side that the girl walks along which is heavly dominated by urban decay. Showing that the girl might have grow up in the film but no in a way that would have allowed her to better her life and escape the urban decay around her. Most Beautiful Man In The World also creates the theme of growing up and developing using micro elements and again juxed apposing two of the scenes in the short. Low key lighting, electronic sounds, slow paced editing and repetitive shots used in the first few scenes showing her lack of nurturing, They dont stimulate the viewer which is intended to show how the girl feels creating empathy with the audience. However once shes outside the micro changes to accompany her self-growing as a human. The lighting becomes much more high key. The natural light brings a more innocent view to the girl who has previously been very sexualized. The soundscape becomes packed of natural sounds including insects, wind in the wheat and flowing water. This synergises with the faster paced editing and insert camera shots to show its the natural world that is provoking a sense of education and self-growing. Throughout all the films cinematic metaphors and symbolism are used with sound and

visuals effectively. Symbolism in film is a visual metaphor signifying something about character, plot or setting through the associations or connotations of a prop or part of set design. Seen in the Most Beautiful Man In The World, About A Girl and Wasp. In Most Beautiful Man In The World and About A Girl bars are used to symbolize the entrapment of the protagonist in the films. Both are trapped into there areas because of the consequences from the themes seen in both films such as neglect and education. The filmmakers have used elements of set design and composed shots so that they are made up of bars; similar to the bars we associate with prison. About A Girl they are seen when shes walking through her neighborhood. This suggests then that its the whole town thats entrapping her whereas in MBM you only see the bars when shes inside creating a symbol that the house and the reality of life inside the house is entrapping her. Trevor Whittock states in his book Metaphor and Film that To identify a visual phenomenon as a red rose the beholder must be acquainted with the categories of redness and rose. Hes saying that you have to understand the connotations of the majority to understand a symbol in a film. In Wasp there is a close up of a Wasp trying to fly out of the kitchen but is bumping in to the glass. The wasp is symbolic of the woman. Like Whittock stated you have to understand that wasps are hated by the majority of the population, and are famous for causing nothing but stings. The woman lets the wasp out and near the end of the film it almost kills her baby. The wasp is again symbolizing the woman. The wasp wanted the outside; it got it. The

woman wanted the man; she got him and in turn caused neglect to her children and likewise to the wasp put them in danger. In conclusion all the films use techniqual elements to create macro themes and representation. The critical use of these elements is the reason these films are so popular but not the only reason. A use of creative narratives using symbols and metaphors makes some films such as Wasp stand out. Incorporating story plots that raise debate and questions like Most Beautiful Man In The World. All these films are great and it would be hard to say which one is best overall due to the way different people interpret them. However I think that Wasp is the best short, The way that symbolism is used is clever. Techniqual elements are above average and well know actors such as Danny Dyer make the film more engaging for me personally. All the films deserve massive credit though.