My Review Page

Planning the review page

After doing a detailed deconstruction of an Empire, review page I decided to use some of the typical conventions they used to construct a simpler version, suited for a school magazine. In my plan I used the block squares to frame my review and separate some the text, to give it a clearer structure. I also used the same layout Empire used for their film information section, except that I situated my information next to my main image, as opposed to underneath, as I wanted to separate it from the main body of my text.

After which, I created a style sheet in photoshop with 'x's to represent my text and used a production shot I hads in mind to see how the design would work. I liked the overall effect the layout and felt that it was quite clear and consice, except that I found that the spacing was very limited in places, whilst other places were left with huge ammounts of white spacing. Therefore I had to re-work the layout and spacing, as I realised I had a lot less text than shown in this plan.

Composing my review page

Firstly I added text and a main image to my review page then I was suggested to make the title fit the whole width of the page, as my teacher felt that it was lost in the composition; where I'd put it originally.

However I didn't like this as I felt it didn't look proffessional and it swamped my tag line. Furthermore I was still facing problems with a lot of white space in the right hand corner and my main image and film information felt cramped.

Therefore in order to eliminate these problems I made the main image bigger so that it dominated the left hand side of the double page. Then used the empty space in the right hand side to spread out my film information and make my title and tag line clearer. Moreover in order to get rid the problems I was having with the white spacing, without adding a highly detiled and expensive print background, I filled it with a light blue.

Empire Review Page

I liked Empire's review page as the simple house style of 3 contrasting colours was stylish and something I could easily incorporate into my own school magazine review of my own short film. The bold blue, capitalised heading was centered at the top left-hand corner of each of the reviews, whilst the main photo took up the rest of the space beside it; on the right had side. This provides a simple connection and allowed a nice space for other anchorage I would need to incorporate into my own review. However i didn't like the way that the white edging around the title intruded the main photograph on this page. Never the less i did like the italicised text overlay caption on the image, as this time it was centered in a darker space of the image and didn't feel as intrusive. Moreover the same font was also used for the header also provided a simple and effective cohesion within the article. The simple and effective style also borrowed into the plain dot border to separate the breaks in text to allow the readers eye to follow the structure of the layout. Moreover block sections of colour were also use to separate and border the text to give a simple and bold layout that seemed easy enough to be used on a school magazine. Furthermore i liked how the different colour boxes worked within the contrasting colour scheme to work together and highlight different sections of the text. For instance the mustard yellow block worked well to sign post important film information:

• the release date
• certificate
• director
  
• cast
  
• running time

Furthermore this then also helped indent the 'Plot' heading to add a subtle separation whilst also keeping the text very tight. I also though that including a brief plot was a very successful way of drawing an audience in and create interest.

However as this was only a half - page review I'd have to consider the implications of using a similar layout on a larger scale for my own review, as when I looked at the larger empire reviews most of them contained large images which would not show a great deal of digital excellence.

Magazine Review Deconstructions

In order to get a brief idea of what we would need to do for our magazine review page I did a brief overview of four different magazine review in class.

Time is a commercial magazine sold weekly, therefore I'd have to be careful as to what elements I could incorporate into my own magazine when thinking realistically about budget and audience.

Audience - Casual, general film interest but most films aimed at an adult audience.

Quantity/ Range of film coverage - Lots of little reviews, with a main focus on 'Another Year' and 'Let Me In'.

Film Review Page - The reviews contained the same basic format, with the main picture to the left, a box with their rating and relevant information (e.g. director, running time, certificate). The writing was columned with a use of bold font to make quotes stand out and as for the larger reviews the quotes were separate and considerably larger within pictured quotation marks.

Little White Lies is an independent magazine issued by the 'Church of London', which was a better model for my magazine review page as it was slightly less budgeted.

Audience - Varied sense of audience but less mainstream films suggested specialist film taste and a predominantly adult audience.

Quantity/ Range of film coverage - Main films contained 'The Illusionist', 'The Secret in the Eyes', 'Beautiful Kate' and 'Frontier blues'. I'd never heard of these films before as they aren't mainstream but seemed very varied in genre.

Film Review Page - Simplistic design with the main photo centralised at the top of the page, the writing was laid out in columns with small colour boxes of information to the side, along with bolding and numbering.

Total Film is a commerical magazine owned by a mainstream publisher and a large corporation, which is something I'd to take into account given the limitations of my budget and design.

Audience - "The modern guide to films" quite young audience but seems to have a general interest throughout.

Quantity/ Range of Film Coverage - Had about 10 detailed reviews and offered a wide range of mini reviews as well. The lead was 'Due Date' which has quite an open audience, also as it reviews films monthly it leaves a wide range of audience interest.

Film Review Page - Has one main photograph, usually a production shot, with an amusing caption. There's also the title next to the photo with the release date and a mini synopsis underneath. The first letter is larger than the rest to indicate the start of the review, whilst the rest of the writing is in columns. Certain quotes were made larger and seperated from the text. Subheading and a boxes were also used to sign post a 'talking point' and 'predicated interest curve' to engage with the reader.

Empire was another commerical magazine, owned by a mainstream publisher and big buisness, which I took into account when deconstructing.

Audience - The reviews started with quite childish films, aimed at a younger audience, but as you went through more adult films appeared implying a parent demographic.

Quantity/ Range of Film Coverage - 'Lemony Snicket', 'The Incredibles' and 'Shark Tale' were at the front but the main coverage was of Johnny Depp's 'Finding Neverland' suggestion a family audience, attracting women because of the focus on Johnny Depp. a timeline of that months films and their date with picture references thats size depended on their coverage within the magazine. At the end there was 'Predator' and 'The Exorcist' which are very adult in comparison to the other reviews, very varied audience demographic.

Film Review Page - 'Intermission' was a section allocated to lots of little reviews. Then as for the actual reviews the main phot was centralised with an information box as well as opinons and the magazines rating. The main article was in columns and bold lettering was used to make certian parts stand out.

Health and Safety

As part of our research we had to look at health and safety risks to both the actors, crew members and pieces of equipment whilst filming. In class we talked about the risks of:

• theft - in public places


• weather - rain and cold conditions could effect the equipment


• damage - if not in a controlled area (e.g. wind or free falling objects) damage could be done to any equipment


• Filming children under 16 - when filming in public spaces there is a risk of accidentally filming children under the age of 16, which we would need consent for
  


• Permission - some areas (e.g. train, bus and public buildings) require written permission to film there and even insurance fees.

After which I went through each of my shooting schedules and analyzed the individual risks involved.

Hampstead Heath:

1. Weather conditions - if it was raining or cold it could damage the camera or affect the quality of footage, or people could slip and damage the camera.



2. Splashes of water from the ponds - as I was jumping into the pond I'd have to be careful of splash back.



3. Sickness - as its winter I'd have to be careful of being wet for too long in the cold weather for risk of hypothermia.



4. Theft - Hampstead Heath can be busy at certain times and therefore I would have to be wary of thieves.



5. Transporting - I'd be using public transport to get to the location and so would need to be wary of damage and thieves again.



6. Damage - wind could disrupt equipment or causing free falling objects to damage it.



7. Animals - it's an outside location so would need to keep and eye out for any animals that could knock equipment.



8. Public - as I couldn't be sure as to who would be there at the time of filming then I'd need to accommodate any unwanted attention.

Train and Train Stations:

1. Public - as I couldn't be sure as to who would be there at the time of filming then I'd need to accommodate any unwanted attention or noise.


2. Young Children - Children under the age of 16 need written consent from either a parent of guardian before being filmed, therefore as they are public property then I'd need to make sure that I didn't accidentally film anyone under the age of 16.


3. Permission - I had to be wary of where on the underground and train station I filmed as I would need permission from the station to film certain parts.


4. Damage - Busy crowded areas would make it very easy for equipment to be damaged.

Home:

1. Pets - As I have to cats I had to make sure that they wouldn't any of the equipment or get into the shots so as not to damage the equipment or disrupt the footage.
2. Noise - I have a large house that can often be quite busy and therefore would need to manage people whilst filming.
3. Free-falling objects - I would have to manage general clutter around the house to make sure that it wouldn't disrupt the shoot.

Cafe:

1. Public - As I couldn't be sure who would be there at the time of filming then I'd need to accommodate any unwanted attention or noise.
2. Theft - as it was a public space I would have to look out for potential thieves.
3. Damage - If the cafe was busy I'd have to be sure that no damage could come to the equipment.
4. Transportation - Luckily the cafe I chose was only across the road from me, however I would still have to take it across a main road.

Shooting schedules

In order to be completely organized on the days I was filming I created shooting schedules with itinerary of equipment, contact details, a timetable, locations and props required. Then I highlighted the individual sections required of each of my cast and crew.

Storyboard

This is collection of small images I drew and scanned into powerpoint to create a digital storyboard.

Storyboard

View more presentations from elinor923.

Unfortunately after I made this and started filming the 'Pond' scene I realised that it was far too difficult to film in winter in an outside pond, for health and saftey reasons as well as quality of filming. Therefore I created an alternative scene to suit the narrative that was more accomodating to film.

storyboard2

View more presentations from elinory92.

Script final draft

1. INT. TRAIN CARRIAGE. DAY.

Seventeen-year-old ALICE is sitting in the window seat of train by herself. She is looking out of the window in deep thought and scrunching MARK'S hooded sweatshirt between her fingers.

ALICE

(Voiceover)

I honestly thought that when I left home it would be a happy affair, a crowd of family to see me off, a loving boyfriend to load my bags into the trunk. I imagined myself going off to University, my whole life in front of me. But I suppose everyone wants to believe things will turn out the way they're meant to. The movie ending way, I thought me life would turn out like that too. I was a good student, part of a close-knit family, a big group of friends; I even had a cliché of a high school boyfriend. However this all changed the day I decided to step off the face of the earth.

TITLES: TRAIN JOURNEY

The words ripple away to the surface of a pond.

2. EXT. POND. NIGHT.

A surface of a pond with the water disturbed before we see Alice break the surface. ALICE floats on the surface of the water.

MARK

Alice!

ALICE stirs on top of the water

MARK

(Annoyed)

Alice where are you?

MARK emerges from the clearing. ALICE swims towards the edge as MARK walks up the pond platform.

MARK

Jesus Christ Alice.

MARK helps ALICE out of the pond and wraps his jumper round her shoulders.

ALICE

(Meekly)

Thanks.

MARK walks away. ALICE picks up her bags and follows.

3. INT: TRAIN. DAY

ALICE sits on the seat and pulls MARK's hoody round her. She's upset.

ALICE

(Voiceover)

Mark gave up on me.

4. EXT. HAMPSTEAD HEATH. NIGHT.

ALICE and MARK walk out of a dark enclosed area into an open space. ALICE turns round to face him.

MARK

(Impatient)

Look Alice I don't know. (Pause) What do you want from me?

ALICE

To care! (Pause) About me.

MARK

(Half arsed)

I do. Look alice I'm 18, I wanna go out and enjoy myself. I don't wanna be dealing with this stuff.

ALICE look even more upset and begins to talk, when MARK interrupts her.

Don't get me wrong I knew you had issues when I met you, and that's why I asked you out, coz I felt sorry for you and you looked really hot at Chris's Halloween party. But lately your so withdrawn and upset all the time, it's like your different. This is different I can't be dealing with.

ALICE

You mean you can't be dealing with me?

ALICE stares blankly at him waiting for a response.

MARK

I like you and everything but I can't help you. You need to sort stuff out, like whatever's going on at home. Look Alice.

MARK reaches out for her. ALICE pulls away sharply.

Lemme walk you to the bus stop and we can talk some more.

ALICE

(Defiant)

I can walk myself.

ALICE turns and walks away from him.

MARK

(Calling out)

Please don't be like this.

ALICE turns sharply back around.

ALICE

(Angry)

You've made yourself perfectly clear. Mark. (Pause) Oh yeah and I'm keeping your jumper.

5. INT: HOME. NIGHT.

ALICE walks in. There's a loud muffled argument coming from the kitchen. ALICE closes the door and turns to lean against it and begins to cry.

6. INT: BEDROOM. DAY.

ALICE is lying on the bed, stroking her cat.

ALICE

(Voiceover)

I couldn't get last night out of my head, I felt like a part of me was still lost under the surface. (Pause) In the days that followed Mark took no time in moving on...and I began to realize jus how imperfect the surface of my life was.

ALICE enters the kitchen. MUM is slouched over the kitchen table with a bottle of wine. ALICE knocks it over. ALICE leaves before a slamming of a door is heard.

7. EXT. OUTSIDE FRONT DOOR STEP. DAY.

ALICE is sitting on the steps as MUM opens the door in a dressing gown, looking dishevelled, with the bottle of wine as if to put it in the recycling. But is startled by ALICE'S unexpected presence.

MUM

What you doing out here love? What will the neighbours think?

Goes to touch ALICE'S shoulder but she brushes it off. ALICE is clearly annoyed but acts flippant.

ALICE

Oh I'm sorry do we care what the neighbours think now (pause, MUM mumbles the start of a sentence) coz last time I checked we didn't care what the neighbours thought when you wanted to come home at 4oclock, trollied. Or how about the time, the social services came over and you screamed your head off at the neighbours accusing them of calling them?

MUM

Look Alice it's not been easy for me, you wouldn't understand, where I'm coming from.

ALICE

I know where your coming from, that bottle of merlot in your right hand! (pause) Third one this week isn't it?

MUM

You have no idea what I've been through, the loss I've endured.

ALICE

(Hysterical)

No you can't imagine! And you don't even want to!

MUM

What does that mean?

ALICE

There were two people in that car mum, me and dad! (Pause) Sorry he's the only one you cared whether lived or died.

ALICE pushes past her indoors. MUM looks dismayed and upset before throwing the bottle angrily into the recycling bin.

8. INT. TRAIN STATION. DAY.

ALICE is sitting on a bench.

ALICE

(Voiceover)

I knew I wanted to be free, to feel the weight of it all leave my body, even if that meant descending into the unknown.

ALICE walks up to the ticket booth and buys a ticket.

ALICE

Thank you.

ALICE walks away from the booth into the foyer and walks past a convenience store. She takes out her purse with the ticket in her other hand. She looks uncertain.

ALICE

(Voiceover)

Things had to change.

9. INT. CAFE. DAY.

ALICE is sitting in a booth of café, by the window but not looking out of the window. There is a JOURNALIST interviewing her sitting in the seat opposite her. The JOURNALIST is smartly dressed and has a note pad and Dictaphone on table in front of her. ALICE is smiling and dressed in a white shirt with her hair tied back.

INTERVIEWER

How did you know that would be the right time?

ALICE

Well I'd just finished my A-Levels and I was all set to go to a University, in central London, and… I jus knew that if I stayed at home for those three years that it was just going to get worse and I was never going to leave.

INTERVIEWER

How do you mean going to get worse?

ALICE

It was like I was in a glass jar watching my life get worse and worse and all I could do was sit there and feel guilty about it, whilst trying to pretend that everything was normal.

INTERVIEWER

Did you ever think of going back home after you left?

ALICE

Yeah I did, when things got really rough, but I don't think I ever really could have gone back. (Pause and looks sad) but you know, I found the café and I'm even at college now. (Smiles)

INTERVIEWER

What are you doing at college?

ALICE

A cookery course. (Laughs) Working here has really inspired me.

INTERVIEWER

Well its been lovely to talk to you, and I wish you all the best, and I'm sure you'll hear from us soon.

They shake hands as the INTERVIWER gets up to leave. ALICE clears away the breakfast things before waking up to the counter and smiles at a BOY sitting there.

CREDITS: TRAIN JOURNEY

The words are embossed on the background before 'Train' disappears and underneath 'journey' the definition 'Travel or passage from one place to another, especially one covering a large distance or taking a long time.' [1913 Webster] appear, to a continual roll of the cast list.
     

Script drafts

Alternative poster idea

Apart from my inital idea for a poster based on her 'train journey' I also toyed with the idea of creating a poster based on the station.

Poster designs

After I had my ideas in place I used one of my production shots for the basis for a first draft of my film poster.

First of all I had to eliminate the date stamp that was unfortunaely let on my image. Then I lightened the top background, window and added a white block at the bottom, to use for my billing block. Then I added my anchorage before emphasising the reflection by cutting out my figure and using a lower definition eraser to add a lucidity to create a reflection effect. However the problem I faced was that Icouldn't flip the image without flipping the whole background so I couldn't make the reflection look realistic, which I something I has to take into consideration when taking my next set of production shots or using this idea again. Afterwhich I got feedback from my teacher giving me hints on how to improve my idea and general poster properties. Some of the problems I had with my poster was that my proportion was all wrong for the size it would be on a standard A3 film poster format. In addition to this I would need to work on a way to get a better reflection image for my idea.

Then I began working on my second draft with a different set of production shots.

First off I chose a photo with a really high visibility reflection, so as not to encounter the same problems as last time. However as I didn't like the main image and decided to replace it with the photo I used from my first draft, by layering it on top of my new photo. Moreover to improve continuty of the too images I darkened the background and blurred the edges by using a low definition 'clone stamp' tool. Then I created a replica age certification and alligned my billing block with the copntours of the window and space underneath. After I also added more ancorage, and based on the opinion of my teacher moved the text in relation to the design layout and added a higher contrast of white to the text to make it stand out on the dark background. The final product of my second draft was a lot diffferent to the first, as the dark contrast appeared to give the film an element of gritty realism, whereas my first draft appeared a lot more romantiscised and dream like. However it produced a result I was happy with, as I did offer a more realistic portayal of a runaway.

Poster Idea

Here's some found images that I used to explore poster ideas.

Poster ideas

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Poster Designs

After deconstructing some poster ideas I used the social network 'Facebook' in order to get feedback from a variety of different social representations of my target market. To do so I put my photo ideas on facebook and asked people to comment on the ones they liked.

• Daniel Rimes: the picture here is kl because it creates layers within the imagery giving it texture! The name of the film however is a little small in font
  
• Erin Power: I find this to be slightly pretentious and uninteresting. I agree with Daniel about the layering though.
• Michelle Rimes: I dislike this poster.

  I like the idea of the silhouette but it has an unnessasary number of faces on it which I feel detracts from the artistic feel of the poster.
  The colour scheme works well, it's bold and stands out.
  Whilst the text may be... slightly small the contrast between the black and White makes up for it's size making it stand out on the page!
• Zachary Oscar Bergman i think its gd lol

• Daniel Rimes this is not so interesting as home of the brave as it just apears messy with font on the top bottom and in the middle! picture is interesting and sets a scene but personally isn't interesting to me!
• Erin Power There's too much text, too much to take in. You need to be able to understand the information in a shot, not after a long hard read.
• Michelle Rimes

  The shot used for this is brilliant, it has relevance to the title and tells a story of it's own.
  Whilst there is quite alot of text on the page I think it is placed well, the important information is a good size and stands out enough where ...as the less important information is less obvious on the page and blends in rather than standing out.
• Damian O'Sullivan cut down the quotes and ur golden

• Daniel Rimes once again i enjoy the layering of this cover! and the splitting of the image into two pictures! the white text however is appropriate in places but at the middle left aligned text does clash with the background!
• Erin Power I've always thought there's too much text on this, just isn't attention grabbing. I like the close up of the face and the scene below it, very interesting.
• Michelle Rimes
  I don't think there is too much text on this poster but I think that it is badly placed. The important information doesn't stand o...ut anymore from the the less important information.Colour scheme used is bold and stands out well though. Also because of the colours and where the font is placed it's very difficult to read!
  I like the two images used in this. They both have relevance and are intresting enough to grab your attention.

After which I used the same technique to start making mock up posters with found images off google search engine, then got people to vote on which one they liked better.

• Erin Power B.
• Michelle Rimes B
• Steven Letts B
• Ali-John Ramsey Mirsepassi B
• Theo McCarthy Budzynski i personally like C
• Daniel Rimes C

Then did the same for: Font, Production title, Tag line and Certification.

• Erin Power The 3rd one. Not too fancy, not too casual.
• Michelle Rimes ‎3 - it's had a creative flare rather than just being a basic font.
• Ali-John Ramsey Mirsepassi ‎1, especially if it is in large font
• Daniel Rimes yes number 1

• Erin Power Example five
• Char 'Soprano' Bierman ‎3
• Michelle Rimes Example 2
• Daniel Rimes ‎3

  
  

• Erin Power ‎12a. 15 if it's particularly graphic.
• Damian O'Sullivan ‎12 a. 15 if theres frequent swearing or graphic scenes
• Michelle Rimes ‎15 if scenes including alcohol and dysfunctional familys are actually shown.
  12a if they are mostly just reffered to.
• Daniel Rimes ‎12a!

Erin Power Fish Tank Titles.
But.. if I may suggest... 'Fish Tank Productions'?

Michelle Rimes Fish tank titles.
(fish tank productions also works)

Daniel Rimes life line!

After everything I then decided to design a train based poster using the 'Fish Tank Title' production company and a Baskerville old face font. As well as the tag line: 'Where would you go to leave everything behind you?' and to use an age certificate of 12A for my poster designs.

Film Posters

Here's a powerpoint presentation I made on poster deconstrucion:

BFI - British Film Institute

For a class trip we were taken to the BFI for a day and given a set list of activities to complete in order to help form our own ideas for a short film. During the day we worked in the mediatheque, watching a list of short films to gain ideas.

Lap - Meloni Pole

http://www.indiemoviesonline.com/watch-movies/lap

Lap was the first film I watched,which is about a lap dancer and a blind man that meet at a bus stop. I liked this film as it had a lot of interesting shots around this bus stop encounter, which was a visual reference I was thinking about using in my own short film.

A succession of low lit close ups are used for the mans glasses and the rain dripping off them, which works well to connote his poor sight as well as creating an intimate sense of touch that affects him, being blind and her job as a lap dancer. In addition to this the highlighting of the rain works well to connote a kind of pathetic fallacy when contrasted to the deflated emotion we see on her face in a close up of her leaning against a bus stop. A smooth transition of panning down the length of the bus after she gets on and walks down the aisles is a also interesting to the idea of mise en scene and pathetic fallacy as the camera is left on a close up of her window, with rain pouring down it, connotative of tears.

In addition to this as the narrative progresses the bus stop encounter is constantly referred back to in a number of interesting shots. For instance there is a rule of thirds shot at the bus stop, depicting her as being alone with the vast amount of space next to her. In addition to this her sense of loneliness is reiterated as another shows shows a mirror image either side of the screen, suggesting that all she has is herself. The repeated visual motif of her at the bus stop creates a sense of importance to this encounter and the importance of the decisions made there, which is something I wanted to incorporate into my own short film around my protagonists 'train journey'.

Johnny Go Home - John Willis (1975)

'Johnny Go Home' is another short film i watched at the BFI where the opening sequence was set in a train station.

I really liked the use of low key lighting and dark shadows as the train pulls into the underground station, as it makes as though the train is arriving in stages as it is only part highlighted. In addition to this the Ariel view of the busy station and diegetic overhead announcements build on a sense of tension as the shot is too busy to keep focus. Leaving an audience lost and confused, which is something I want to install in my viewers to empathise with my protagonist in my station scene.


Dreams of Leaving - Bill Nighy


I only got to watch the very beginning of this short film, however in the first few seconds of the opening sequence there is a man looking out of a window whilst a voice over acts as an internal monologue. I really liked this as it is how I wanted to start my own film and it worked really well, as the shot inside the train was compelling and the disjointed dialog added intrigue, that I think would compell an audience.

Snow on Saturday

In class we watched the short film 'Snow on Saturday', directed by Imogen Stubbs, about a family recovering after the loss of their wife and mother. I liked the film as it alluded to specific meanings through places and iconic imagery, which was something I was trying to incorporate into my own film through cinematic shots and personal settings. In addition to this I specifically liked the technique of flashbacks to narrate the story and give it structure. As 'Snow on Saturday' defies conventions of film structure by using a flashback as an opening sequence, and also throughout the film to structure the story and the resolution at the end. Which reflected similar ideas to my own short film, therefore I deconstructed the film with particular reference to the use of flashbacks as a structural device.

First we see an establishing shot of stone henge, which is reiterated through close up shots of the stones themselves and there composition. The location is bright and colourful, with a bright blue sky and vivid greenery in addition to the lighting being over contrasted, giving the setting an almost dream like feel. This feeling is carried on as sound bridges of laughter can be heard against close ups of typical family moments, such as the two adults chasing the two young boys and running around, smiling and happy. Whilst the soundtrack is happy and upbeat, connotative of a good time the sound bridges of laughter and echoing whispering seems almost eerie, foreboding that this is a past event. In addition to this there is a repeated image of a toy car being thrown into the air in slow motion, giving it a surreal representation of a dream or climactic moment. An image of the car mid flight is frozen and contrast is used to bring about a fade to black. On which embosses the words 'Snow on Saturday' in a simplistic, children font of thick white against the sheer black. After which a pan allows us to follow a car with the older man and the two younger boys we saw the beginning. The atmosphere changes as colour saturation is drab and the location is grey and boring, unlike our first establishing shot. This offers a contrast between the narrative that is suggestive of some sort of catalyst tragedy has taken place. This is confirmed as a voice over reveals that 'mum died' and 'Jamie stopped talking', which is instantly connotative to feelings of grief that mirror the demure grey background. A cut brings us to a close up of the youngest son, Jamie, in the bath playing a harmonica. The diegetic sound of the harmonica instantly disrupts the peace and quiet of the previous scenes and brings the narrative into sharp focus. Over this we hear the same voice over, who we assume is the eldest son, from the first sequence, mention that since Jamie's failure to talk they 'mustn't undermine his confidence'. Which is instantly undermined as we hear the dad tell Jamie to 'Shut up' from another room and thereby adds tension to our already fractured image we share of the family. Cut to a long shot of the three of them outside, walking to the van, composition depicts them as all being separate with large spaces between them, all intimacy has gone. A cut bring us to a shot over Jamie's teacher's shoulder, showing Mr. Snow in a low angled shot as if he is small and vulnerable. This is reminiscent of a child, with the connotations of the teacher and the ruler he is playing with absent-mindedly, indicating he has regressed since his wife's death. In addition to this his vague interest in the teachers concern indicates that he is not responsible for his children and emotional reserved. The teacher mentions the 'social services' as a indication of this fragmented family structure. Long shot to a Jamie being hurried down a tunnel by his brother pushing his back, the low key lighting indicates that there is no enjoyment left in the time they spend together. Cut brings us to an establishing shot of their living room, it is messy with packets of food everything and general clutter and neglect. The dad seems completely uninterested in his two boys sitting at a table behind him, as shallow focus only depicts the dads vacant expression, focused on what we assume is a TV. Camera cuts to the space in the background where the brother is trying to engage with Jamie. An over the shoulder shot shows Jamie turning in towards his brother, as a sign of closeness, as they talk about the family outing to stone henge we saw at the beginning. Close ups and two shots are used to represent the growing intimacy between them as they recreate stone henge out of toy cars, this appears to be a visual link to the opening sequence. Sound bridging is used, on a close up of Jamie, as dad remarks 'So what' to Jamie's efforts as a representation to the dads indifference to the teachers advice to engage and talk to Jamie. The camera's focus is still on Jamie as we see him break their creation and run out of shot before we hear a door slam and the same monotonous harmonica, representative of wailing, issuing from somewhere else in the flat. The brother appears to tell the dad off for ignoring the teachers advice to engage with Jamie, offering a contrast to who the responsible one is in this fractured dynamic. The dad makes some pitiful excuse to which he sarcastically replies, "Yeah like you'll do it on Saturday" which instantly gives us a link to the title 'snow on Saturday'. A cut to a close up of the table reiterates the visual motif of stone henge, as we see that the boxes have been position to look like the stones and painted grey, like they are trying to recreate their last family outing. Another flashback is then used to that particular outing, using close ups of the rocks in particular, to reiterate this theme. Shots of the family all laughing and playing together contrasts to the life they have now, a sound bridge of laughter is used to suggest that they need this back to be a happily family once more. Cut to a close up of the dad smiling as he seems to appear to have come to a resolution on how to get his family back together, the importance of this moment is also highlighted by the incidental string music. A cut to a scrap yard, indicates that time has progressed and that they are moving on with their life, which is shown through close ups of happy shots of them as a family wandering in and out of the market, displaying intimacy that had previously hadn't existed between them. Furthermore the voice over narration states that the dad is "making an effort" and suggests that his efforts have lots of "energy" and "importance". This connotes a positive change, although we are still left unknowing to what the dad is trying to accomplish in buying all these random things, as the narrator describes "the massive fairy lights were a bit bollocks". An establishing shot of a scrap yard increases the tension as we see the dad draw something on the floor of the scrap yard that we, the audience, and the narrator can't understand. Long, high angled shot of the scarp yard depicts a train passing behind it, to which seems to be a visual reference to the journey that the family has begun to undertake. A cut to another establishing shot of their flat, shows it to be tidy and organized now with the use of high key lighting to help emphasise this change. The dad is fixing something on the floor as he determinedly says 'were not going to be so whatters anymore', which reminds us of what he said to Jamie before. From which we get the impression that dad is trying to make amends for what he did and try and bring his family closer together by joining them again. Cut to a long shot looking down a the tunnel we saw earlier in a low key light so as the family look as though they are silhouetted. The darkness of their forms helps to connote the intimacy between them, as we see Jamie riding in dads bike basket whilst his other son is holding on to dad as he Rollerblades beside them, talking. This isn't contrasts the previous shot of this tunnel where the two boys where rushing and not talking as this time they seem to be enjoying it more and they seem to be closer because of it. Cut to a shot from what appears to be an inside enclosure looking out, this creates a sense of suspense as we aren't sure where they are now. The three of them are huddled together looking inside, don't know at what yet, to reinforce this sense of intimacy. Through their brief dialog we are told that it is 'Saturday' indicating a pivotal point in the narrative as we appear to have reached the event in the title 'Snow on Saturday'. Cut to an establishing shot of a scrap yard before a quick secession of jump cuts between happy scenes of them messing around and having fun that mirror the opening sequence. Happy upbeat music also reiterates this theme of family unity and sense happiness, as the lyrics 'happiness is in your hands' represents the struggle they have recently overcome together. Techniques of slow motion are also used in a long shot of their dad tossing Jamie's into the air, which acts as a visual motif of the car being thrown into the air before the title sequence. In addition to this bright colour saturation is used in a geographical match to the picnic scene on their trip to Stone Henge and the picnic they have recreated with AstroTurf. The bright colours also connote happiness as they are bold and cheerful, but also feel dream like, connotative of the trip to Stone Henge. Cut to a three shot of the three of them standing in front of a car, the dad looks serious indicating this is the purpose of their trip. The shot is at a slight high angle suggesting a need for height, furthermore the higher angle also gives us a closer look at the hook dangling in front of the shot. Jamie is centralised as they begin to talk about the way they should lift the car, whether it should be from the top or bottom. Our attention is kept focused on Jamie despite his faraway look. Then a flashback is used of the toy car being thrown into the air before it freezes and we see it is exhaust is facing up, suggesting this is the way it must be now. A cut back to the present scene shows Jamie in a slightly closer shot indicating a pivotal point. Then Jamie suddenly announces "the exhaust must face down", to which his dad and brother simultaneously turn in towards if in a state of surprised happiness, suggesting that they have overcome the last hurdle of grief as a family. Another quick secession of jump cuts is used as they begin to move the cars and machinery. After which a cut to a close up of a sign reading 'Saturday by Jamie, Tom and Bob Snow' referring back to the title in the same childlike handwriting. A cut then reveals a three shot of them all sitting together in a car, looking up at the moon. Calm harmonica music is playing which contrast to the previous harmonica sound Jamie was playing earlier. The camera begins to zoom out and a voice over who we now learn is Jamie's brother 'Tom' says "if mum was watching I'd want her to know we did something". This seems to represent the theme of the message and a cut to flashback of the mum and Tom blowing bubbles mirrors the last shot we saw and the intimacy that has been restored between them.