'Paper Hearts' BBC Short Film Research

Narrative

The narrative of this short film is about a young boy who loses his bag and as a result his dad offers to buy him a new bag however finds out his father is living on the street after he catches him scrounging for money in coat pockets.

The relationship between the father and son is very distant, throughout the film there is limited communication between them suggesting they rarely see one another making  them appear like strangers towards each other. this can also be shown through their body language which is very shifty as they don't know how to react around one another. during the opening scene it shows a clip that something has happened between the father and son as the son is running towards the camera away from the father and then there is a struggle between them once stopped running, therefore, the technique used is a flash forward where a film shows the end of the film first and then introduces the title enabling the audience to be active and want to watch the film as they wonder why the child has reacted to his father so abruptly.

Camera shots/angles

This is the first clip shown to the audience after the title 'Paper Hearts' this shows a two shot of the characters which can be considered to be the main characters as they were seen in the previous clip before the title.

There is then a close up of the boy showing a facial expression of anger and resentment towards his father, due to his sad eyes that are staring into the distance not making any eye contact.

Later on once the issue is resolved between the father and son there is a medium close up of the father which shows anticipation and worry whilst looking at something or someone, this is then revealed as a close up shot of a unshaven man sitting down and wrapped up warm is shown. However, due the camera angle changing to a long shot of the unshaven man it becomes very apparent to the audience he is homeless and the father knows of this man  due to making eye contact with him however, his look of fear suggests he hopes he doesn't approach him whilst with his son.

(The audience at this point are told the son has lost his bag and the two of them are searching to find it in various locations). A theme of determination is portrayed as the audience are shown a long shot of the father and son entering a shopping centre however, the father is way ahead of the son signifying how important it is as otherwise he may have to buy him a new bag. The use of a fast cut from an exterior shot (high street)  to and interior shot of the shopping centre also portrays elements of determinations to find the bag. The camera is then shown out of focus outlining only the son expressing he is very bored and lacks motivation due to his body language of walking very slowly (not in a straight line). This shows elements of Claude Levi-strauss' binary opposition as the father shows determination whereas the son lacks motivation. This can also be illustrated through the close up of the coke bottle the son is kicking around.

Due to the sons mood and boredom, the father clips him over the head with his hand implying to get a move on, the son lashes out at his father, once resolved the father makes a joke to lighten the atmosphere this is shown by a medium shot of the two the father peers over to see the reaction of the child, this is done by his facial expression changing. His eyes move to the right to glance over at him.

(At this point the father has asked the son to wait in the shop centre while he goes and gets money for his new bag). There is a medium long shot of the father looking over his right shoulder to see if his has been followed, suggesting he is hiding something.

The father looks up past the camera (medium close up shot) once found some money to see a long shot/point of view shot of his son standing watching him whilst he looks through plastic bags in an alley.

Sound

The diegetic dialogue "sorry I shouted at you earlier" establishes the first scene as to why the son is so distant and reserved towards his father, signifying the relationship between the two is very untruthful and uncomfortable.

when approaching the unshaven man the footsteps are very loud, this illustrates the idea of being in shelter referring to a dry place to stay, linking with why the homeless man may be there.

"Why cant you be like everyone else's dad?!" is the diegetic dialogue heard by the son after he shows his true colours towards his dad about how he feels, the sound of his voice is heard over the environmental noises of people talking and other noises within the shopping centre, this creates an atmosphere that others around them can hear and see them argue. Background music is played once the father exits the shopping centre to create a sense of mystery to where he is going.

Once again footsteps are heard suggesting he is in the same area as he was earlier which is where the homeless man was, signifying he may be quite similar to the homeless man than the audience may have thought.

Gentle music is played once walking away from where the son and father were sitting after discussing his situation, signifying regardless of the materialistic things in life the son still loves and accepts his father for who he is as he is his father and thats all that matters. This links to the clip shown before the title was introduced where the boy states " he's my dad" conveying their relationship is still strong.

Mise en scene

During the opening scenes the location is based in a busy town with shops on either side of the road, it is obvious to the audience that the season is winter due to the snow on the ground, this is also recognisable because of the clothing both characters are wearing- large, warm coats and sturdy footwear. Once the father speaks it is easy to identify the location of the setting due to his accent which accentuates a Liverpool accent. In the scenes when the shots are interior the location is a shopping centre and whenever outside/exterior are the high street or alleyways/quite areas. However, there is one scene where the interior shot of a pharmacy is used, this is recognisable due to the props within the scene such as medicines displayed on a cabinet and shelves. When the father approaches the alley way towards the end of the short film he kneels down towards cardboard boxes, plastic bags and a rucsack with his belongings in, it is obvious that they are his as he rummages through them this gives insight to his type of lifestyle that he has kept hidden from his son.