James - 4 short films (1)

Film Title: Connected

Director: Jonas Drotner Mouritsen

Date of Production: 2009

Watched on: youtube.com

Summary of Film: Set in the distant future, Connected is a story about survival and greed with a post apocalyptic wasteland as its backdrop. Survivors of an unknown disaster shuffle through a desolate landscape, as it quickly becomes clear that not everybody has the strength to survive.

Why I chose this film: I chose this film because I enjoy the element of enigma in it.

Representation.

• This film only has 3 characters in it. The only social groups I can see represented are males, and humans. I use humans as a social group due to the circumstances of the film, although it could also be another life form but I'm assuming they're humans. It's hard to see who the film represents which could be done on purpose to represent al humans as the same and equal to one another. I don't think there is a specific place being represented in this film as I can't see any specific landmarks. I think the issue of greed is a strongly represented in the film. I feel it's represented negatively. 
• I'm not sure which genre this film belongs to. Possibly action, sci fi, or thriller. This is because of the colours used in the film being quite plain, costumes are black and rather menacing, and violence and death playing a key role in the film. I'm focusing on the character who abandoned the person he was connected to and left him for dead. I feel this character represents all humans. He comes across as greedy because he abandons the person who he was connected to to better himself. The film shows us how greed does not better us in any way as that character is punished and pays the price for being greedy by losing his life.

(City in background)

• I feel the audience has shaped the representations in the film. This film is aimed at children and adults aged 15 and above. This is due to violence. However I feel the representation of greed could be identified by most people even younger than 15.

(greed, resulting in violence)

• The film deals with greed. Why? Because I feel the director wants to express how greed is wrong and people who are greedy will suffer the consequences. How? By the character who dying as a direct result of being greedy.

Narrative.

• The plot is 2 humans who depend on each other to survive, however 1 abandons the other out of greed to survive on his own. He ends up dying. The story is set in the future and is about 2 humans who have some how survived an apocalypse. they're now connected by a device which keeps them alive. They come across another human who has a device which can keep him alive on his own. One abandons the other to try and get the device off of the other guy. He successfully gets the device therefore killing the other 2 people. He then discovers that he has been tricked and the device is about to stop working. He then dies as a result of his own greed. The the plot and story are of course related. The story is a more in depth and detailed version of the plot.
• The chronology of the narrative is linear. I think this is because there is no time lapses in the film. Everything happens in the presence and the tense never changes. 
• Todorov's 5 stage narrative theory cannot be applied to this short film. 

1. State of equilibrium - The 2 'connected' people at the beginning.
2. A disruption of the equilibrium - the 2 'connected' people come across another person
3. Recognition of the disruption - a fight breaks out between 2 of the 3 people 

However stage 4 and 5 don't appear to be in this short film.

• An attempt to repair the disruption - 2 of the people die therefore there is no attempt 

• A reinstatement of equilibrium - All characters end up dying so equilibrium in not reinstated

Genre.

• As stated above I believe the genres action, sci fi, and thriller can be identified in this short film 

• Neale states the 'difference is essential to the economy of genre'. This means basically means the change keeps audiences interested. In this film, there are differences between other films of a similar genre. For example, the landscape after an apocalypse, the clothing, and the whole concept of what the people are fighting over (the masks).
• Sci fi codes and conventions are present in this short film. Futuristic costumes and unfamiliar strange landscapes. 

Audience.

• I watched the film on youtube. Therefore I think people aged 15 - 50 years old (http://mashable.com/2006/10/30/are-you-an-average-youtube-user/) will watch this film. However due to the genre of the film, I'd narrow it down to people aged 15 - 30. Although I feel as it's a short film the audiences could be narrowed down to 20 - 30 as short films are usually watched by film fanatics. 
• This film might please it's audience because it has identifiable conventions like enigma and violence. But it also has different traits to it like the concept of the mask and earths lack of or deadly air.
• The only other sites I can find the film on are film blogs and review sites. It's only really categorised as a short sci fi film from what I can see.
• The film won 'best short' at the Sydney science fiction and fantasy festival
• Director - Jonas Drotner Mouritsen
• Produced by - Hui Rose with support from the Danish Film Institute.