RESEARCH - Echo

Echo - (2011) - Lewis Arnold

Narrative: This 18 minute film, is a recreation of the story a boy who cried wolf. It's gripping tale shows us a young girl who receives a phone call telling her of a tragic accident. As the story unfolds we learn that she is not in fact genuine. Nearing the end of the film we are left with the cliff hanger - has she actually this time been called or is it her trick all over again...

Genre: Drama, Suspense

Representation: This film represents firstly the kindness of the general public and humanity which I really like to see. It also shows a struggling girl. We aren't sure exactly what makes her the way she is it's clear she doesn't get along with her family and she is very secretive. I think it shows struggling teens who are still trying to find themselves and understand the ways of the world.

Audience: We are positioned with the Protagonist of the story and all of the camerawork supports this in order to keep us next to her. We get to see a lot more than the public eye as we are taken home with Caroline. As we slowly discover her mischievous doings we begin to latch on to the story. Although she is secretive we still feel we know her and understand her struggles.

Micro Elements:  The mixture of shots from close ups to long shots expressing the loneliness and helplessness of the film as well as the gradient being an ever so chilling grey, this film has everything in it to keep you feeling cold, empty and on edge. Sound wise it's actually a very quiet film only diagetic sound which can again at times make the audience feel nervous and on edge.

What did I like?

I loved the story line in general it was fantastically gripping, it was great to have based it on a well known story because, it meant as an audience when we clocked to what was going on then we knew the rest of the story. This is nice for a light film and there's still the suspense of how will she get found out. I also liked the acting. It was an intense film where a strong protagonist was necessary, this is something for me to bear in mind.

What didn't I like? 

I didn't love some of the shots on the bus I think that they dragged for too long, parts of the film dragged painfully I understand the element of tension but, personally it made me slightly bored and uninterested at points.

What can I take from this?

I can take the idea of maybe adding a certain colour or effect to parts of my film in order to give it a certain feel. Perhaps in my flashback sequence I could make it more dreamlike. I can also take that in my own film I will make sure I get rid of any unnecessary shots and make sure I don't linger on any shots for too long!