Introduction

For this coursework I am hoping to make a short film, based on the theme of mental illness. Schizophrenia in my opinion is one of the most harmful representation in the media, with films portraying them as dangerous. Therefore, I would like to create a short film on Schizophrenia in an attempt to make an audience see what it really involves, so that they can understand the illness better.

Linking Texts Together

Links between texts are important because they are able to convey the same message strongly. If the theme is the same throughout texts then it is clearly aimed at a target audience, as well as portraying the message of a product. If the texts link then it is better advertising for the product and would give a stronger message, because it would all look better.  It also avoids confusion, for example if a film poster came out with flowers and bright colours, and then another film poster for the same film that came out and was dark with a graveyard on it, then it would convey completely different messages about the film and it wouldn’t sell effectively.

Alice in Wonderland (Trailer)

Things the stand out in the trailer:

• Surreal colours
• Fantasy characters
• Key characters
• Actors (Johnny Depp)
• Music
• Dramatic
• Director (Tim Burton)
• Typography

This Alice in Wonderland poster reflects what is seen in the trailer. For example, it shows Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter who is a big selling point for the film as he is a famous and liked actor, and is also a key character. The bright and bold colours are represented in the background and in his makeup/clothing, which also shows the fantasy and surrealism of the film. The darkness of the colours predominantly at the edges makes it look dramatic which is also a key element of the trailer. The typography of the poster is the same as what is used in the trailer, and is also the well-known font used for Tim Burton’s films, so there is again a big selling point as Tim Burton has a lot of fans so they would want to watch the film. The iconography of the character’s hat in this poster is eye-catching and gives it a ‘mad’ sort of look, again representing the character but also the whole atmosphere of the film.

Independence Day (Trailer)

Things that stand out in the trailer:

•           Science Fiction – computers and the typography used
•           Will Smith
•           Dramatic events
•           Famous landscapes (Washington/NY)
•           Alien spaceship
•           Explosions – action sequences

From watching the trailer I created a poster for this film, without looking at the real posters used for this film, to see if I could understand the way posters link with films and their trailers. This is what I made:

 I first thought I would have lots of buildings in the background as most of the destruction in the trailer is on buildings, and also it shows a landscape, which is another element I saw. I decided to put a spaceship at the top of the page looking like it is over the city causing the destruction, as this is what was shown in the trailer. I put the title of the film bold at the body with Will Smith’s name under it, because he is one of the well-known actors in the film so I thought it would be a good selling point. I also chose to put green in my poster, as I assumed the spaceship had something to do with aliens, however looking at the actual posters that were made for the film, the colour scheme is a deep orange colour, which is now understandable because aliens were never actually shown in the trailer, even though the film includes them, so therefore it adds to the mystery of the film. Furthermore, in some of the real posters all 3 main actors (also famous) are shown all together, so I learnt that Will Smith isn’t just the key character in the film and that all 3 of them are good selling points.

Codes and Conventions of Short Film

Codes and conventions of Short Film from rosiesutton

I looked at the codes and conventions of short film to understand the process of it so I can use them in making my short film. 

Todorov's Narrative Theory

This is useful because it explains the narrative of films and also applies to short film, so I can follow this in order to create an effective short film.

Portrayal of Mental Illness: Media and Short Film

Mental illness is portrayed differently in films than in short films. Generally in the media, people who suffer from a mental illness are represented badly and inaccurate, which makes the audience think they are completely different people to the rest of us and are dangerous. For example, in ‘slasher’ films they are presented as homicidal maniacs, which are obviously not the case in most situations, however these myths are still being portrayed in films. Although, there are many major films that do a good job representing them and it is becoming common for directors/producers to hire psychologists as consultants.

A common myth in film is that people with mental health issues are dangerous and violent individuals, and people with Schizophrenia for example are always the victim. People with mental illnesses are the ones who are robbed, raped, murdered, so therefore they are seen as a weak character in films. This is obviously a bad portrayal for people with issues and can make an audience feel a certain way about them, which is inaccurate and harsh on the individuals who are suffering.

In films or TV, people with Schizophrenia are stereotyped as being dangerous, for instance over 80% of main characters with a diagnosis of Schizophrenia displayed violent behaviour and almost a third engaged in homicidal behaviour, but in reality this isn’t true for every single person suffering from Schizophrenia, and I think it’s important for people to realise that this is a harsh interpretation and stereotype of the illness and be able to understand it better.

Short films interpretations of mental illnesses are quite different. They don’t necessarily give a positive interpretation of the illness but by the use of art in the films they give a more truthful image of mental health. Because the films are short it gives a chance for the audience to have an intimacy between the characters and really get into their head, as the focus is on these people. For example, in the short film ‘Disorder’ by Dan Micheels, it shows the process of a young man suffering with social anxiety, struggling to leave the house to meet his friends who are giving him a hard time about staying indoors. He is the only character shown in the film, which makes the audience sympathise with him as we are put into his shoes. The use of close ups in this short film also gives the intimacy between the character and audience and helps us understand his emotions. Short films like these make the audience understand these mental illness better, which I think is important because a lot of people, injected with thoughts from the media, have the wrong idea about mental health.

Disorder from Dan Micheels on Vimeo.

I would like to produce a short film based on a mental illness, focusing on Schizophrenia. This is because they are made to look dangerous when in fact they are not, so I would like to make a very raw and true film about a man suffering from this illness, to make people think more about it and how it affects people’s lives.

A Positive Representation of Mental Illness...

The Soloist

This film, in my opinion, gives mental illness a truthful and positive representation. The Soloist is a true story of a musician who developed Schizophrenia, became homeless, and becomes friends with a journalist who writes about him.

Trailer:

This film portrays the harsh and depressing reality of mental illness, with the audience able to sympathise with the schizophrenic character by seeing what he has to go through. We get put into the main characters shoes (journalist, Steve - played by Robert Downey Jr), which helps us befriend Nathaniel (schizophrenic - played by Jamie Foxx), just like the journalist does. Because they are friends, it helps notice that they are people, who shouldn't be feared like the media proposes. The narrative of this film is gritty, full of realism, and manages to be compassionate without being patronising, which is what I hope to achieve in my short film.

A Negative Representation of Mental Illness...

Girl, Interrupted

This film is about Kaysen's 18-month stay at a mental institution. Although it has had a lot of positive comments on how it makes mental illnesses seem positive, I think it doesn't necessarily give a negative representation but glamorises mental health. 

Trailer

The hospital in my opinion seems more like a summer camp, which isn't a true representation of what hospitals a like, especially ones that help people in the situation that these characters are in. In the trailer, you can see the girls doing lots of fun, rebellious things, it would be unusual for any hospital to let them get up to the things I do, so therefore it makes these characters look cool, which in some ways glamorises the mental illnesses they have, because people may aspire to be like them. This representation changes the way sufferers are treated in society. 

Shutter Island

This film is about a man (Teddy Daniels), who investigates a psychiatric facility on Shutter Island. In my opinion, this film is a melodramatic exaggeration of mental health and gives a very negative representation of it.

Trailer

In the trailer, it shows a mental institute with violent characters in it, who suffer from some sort of mental illness, making them look extremely dangerous, scary and evil, which is not a true interpretation of people with mental illnesses. This would make the audience think this is what everybody suffering is like, when it's not like that at all. The film is outdated; Shutter Island is an imitation or caricature of mental hospitals in the 50's and 60's, where many chronically ill patients suffered their life with filth and mistreatment. By using an outdated version of mental institutions, it makes the audience think things like this still go on and that these people should be feared, shunned or confined. Although the character 'Teddy' played by Leonardo DiCaprio is appealing and empathetic, the film shows a bipolar mother killing her children and hospital patients who are gruesome people. This is not the representation I want to convey in my short film, I am hoping to show a more truthful image of somebody with a mental illness, and for people to understand them and be more sympathetic.