Evie Stylianou's Blog

'The Operator' is a short film, directed by Caroline Bartleet. This dramatic short focuses on an emergency services operator, and her efforts in saving a mother and her son from a fire inside their home. The film is based on a real 999 phone call that Bartleet heard. She said, "It became clear straight away that the story would make a powerful film." The short is very original as it closely follows the woman who deals with the victims of emergencies, as opposed to the victims themselves. The cinematography of the short film appears to be quite simple, consisting of only a few camera shots. All shots are of the inside of the operating room, mainly focusing on the operator's face. These close-up shots of the operator help to add intensity to the short, as a more intimate relationship is created between her and the viewer. Whilst the use of minimal shots appears to be quite straightforward, this conscious decision is crucial for the creation of an extremely intense...

'Slap' is a BAFTA nominated short film, directed by Nick Rowland. It is about a teen boxer (Joe Cole), who is forced to hide his secret passion for cross-dressing. Chelsea Lupkin accurately notices that the film, "Aggressively confronts standards of masculinity in sports culture and how one young man attempts to construct his own sense of masculinity under unyielding gender confused conditions." This is definitely true of Rowland's film and the fact that he taps into the issue of suppressed expression in sport explicitly, is what makes the film so interesting. Sport is one of the most difficult areas to express oneself due to the perceived idea of masculinity that is so closely linked to it. These contrasting stills help to depict the contrasting feelings that he is battling with. Rowland's inspirations tell us a lot about his vision when creating the film. He said, "Growing up my idols were the likes of Eddie Izzard and David Bowie. I have...

The film begins in close up, with a knife cutting some meat. This shot sets the tone for the rest of the film as it foreshadows events that occur later in the film, surrounding the topic of knife crime. The use of a close up means that the viewer can't see who is using the knife, which builds tension, whilst the use of artificial lighting mimics the bright light used in kebab shops and suggests that it is night time, which adds to the sense of unease for the spectator. The characters are seen in the centre of the frame, filmically stating that these are the main characters, with the boy on the left being the main protagonist and narrator of the film. The bright colours of the chairs and clothing, combined with a use of natural lighting, helps to create a more relaxed, daytime atmosphere. This provides a strong contrast with the flashbacks that are filmed at night, and are used to build a tense, unsettling atmosphere. The medium shot of the boys immediately creates humo...