Short film review.

PEANUT BUTTER LIPS - JAMIE HOOPER 2011

Peanut butter lips by Jamie Hooper was selected as the overall winner for the FILMSshort
competition. The film Peanut butter lips features a young boy who wants a kiss for a sandwich.
Unfortunately the girl is picky about the contents in the sandwich.

It starts off with a big close up of a girl reading a book called, “PEANUT BUTTER LIPS”.
The camera then zooms out to the girl and pans over to a boy walking over using a high track shot.
He is holding a sandwich, he then sits on the bench on the far end opposite to the girl.
There is a closeup of him and he looks stressed thinking of something.
In the background you can hear ambient sounds of the birds, and the wind.

Then shot/reverse shot is used to portray a conversation between the boy and the girl.
He asks her for a kiss and then the camera focuses on her, she says, “What's in it for me?”
The camera then focuses on the boy and he says she can have some of his sandwich.
She then asks what's in it and he says it's a jam sandwich, she doesn't like the sound of it and there is
a closeup of her face.
He then asks what she likes and she says guess then the camera zooms out on the bench and she
skips into the camera and it jumps cuts to her skipping off.
Match of action is used as the camera follows her and the eyeline match technique is used
There is a two shot used before she skips off.
The camera is back on the boy and uses a close up of him taking a bite of his sandwich.

The camera then crosscuts to the kitchen location and features an extreme closeup of the hob, we
hear diegetic and ambient sounds such as the gas and flickers of the hob.
Music then plays which is non diegetic and has an upbeat tone to it, sort of implying that he is on a
mission.
A montage is then used to show him making the sandwiches, extreme closeup of the eggs and
boiling them, then cutting them, and stop motion animation is used to show this.
It then crosscuts to him back on the bench with the girl and his new sandwich, elliptical editing is
used to show the passing of time.

There are a ton of techniques that elevate this short film into a really good piece.
He continues to make more sandwiches and she doesn’t like them, we then see him sitting on the
bench and he has a light bulb moment, the camera zooms in on his face to show his expressions.
There is then a close up of the jar of peanut butter and he takes the lid off and sticks his finger into
the butter.

There is then a big close up of his face and finger and he has a big glob of peanut butter on his finger
and he eats it.

The camera then cuts to the girl and the boy sitting on a bench and she is reading her book.
He sits down and opens his sandwich, she sniffs the air and can sense peanut butter.

She moves closer to him and he asks if he can have a kiss. The camera shows him closing his eyes
leaving the sandwich on his lap and when he opens them the sandwich is gone.

Big close up of his face as he looks sad since she didn't give him a kiss
Then she comes in from the side and kisses him.

Extreme close up of him smiling and the end.