About a girl by Brian Percival -- Film Review

I have watched the short film "About a Girl" By Brian Percival and have analysed how the film was made using mise en scene to show how the representations have been conveyed.

Link to the film: http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p0055x2k

Notes:
- Non linear
- Enigma
- Character
- 1st person narration
- Juxta positioning
- Mise en scene
- Language
- Colour

Representation
- Disability
- Age
- Gender
- Sexual orientation
- Religion
- Race – stereotype - shameless
- Socioeconomic ( class )

Review
About a girl is a short film representing a young girl aged 13 whose morals have been damaged by her family life.

The main representations of this film are age, gender, race and socioeconomic, they are portrayed through mise en scene.


THE SETTING
The setting is important in conveying the story as the girl was on her own walking through the streets of Manchester. This focuses directly on her and connotes that her parents aren't particularly worried about her as you would not normally expect to se a young girl walking on her own through a rough looking area. This helps convey the subject matter as she is talking about her family life which seems fairly negative.

By contrast, in some of the scenes (like the opening scene), the young girl is seen with her friends singing lyrics from songs and seemingly enjoying her life which portrays her childlike nature and subsequently suggests a sense of innocence. These scenes make the ending of the film (where she throws her baby into the river whilst saying she has "become good at hiding things" even more shocking.

THE PROPS
The cola and crisps are used as props in the short film to express the difference between the lifestyles the girl is witnessing. Her life with her father is presented as fun and optimistic yet when it is shown in the film it is very much contrasted.

COSTUME
The girl is wearing plain clothing which highlights the socioeconomics of the film. Furthermore, the plain clothing may be representative of how she seems to go unnoticed in her family life, this is because if you were to see the girl in "real life", the clothing she is wearing does not make her stand out from the crowd and she is very likely to go unnoticed.

MAKE UP/ HAIR
The girl doesn’t seem to be wearing any makeup and her hair is swept up in a ponytail which highlights her childhood. The lack of makeup and the hair style, also help represent the socioeconomics of the film.

THE EXPRESSION AND MOVEMENT OF THE ACTORS
The film is enhanced by the movement of the girl through because you are able to get a good view of Liverpool and the surrounding areas which add to the atmosphere of the short film.

LIGHTING
The lighting is a very important influence to the film as it becomes darker when the girl drops the baby into the river. As she walks away, the lighting becomes lighter which echoes the burden being lifted off of her shoulders that her parents are unaware of her pregnancy and the baby. However, she will have the burden of her conscience of dropping her baby into the river.


STRUCTURE/ SEQUENCE
The film is in a linear sequence which is important for the structure of the film because the audience are able to understand the events of girls life before the film is set and can understand the events of the plot during what is shown in the film.