Dom "Fade to Black" Research and Planning

Fade to Black.

• Genre Dark/ Comedy. Fade to back is about a girlfriend that appears to have just been dumped by her boyfriend. The whole piece is filmed by a handy cam that appears to be controlled by the lead protagonist, Sheridan Smith. This is effect as it gives us a very restricted narrative. The use of low key lighting meant that the opening scene has a very dark feel and we can tell that the protagonist is upset about something. The use of the bunny rabbit in one particular scene is very stereotypical as a prop for this type of situation as the girl reverts back to almost child like tears. Another interesting use of props is the contrasting skull ash tray and the china doll. Her costume in the second scene is very clever in reinforcing that she had been dumped by her boyfriend but still wears his clothes and still cares about him. The iconography of the cigarette is the idea of a depressed, run down and very unladylike like thing to do.
• The style used in the piece is like an on going monologue. This makes the piece that is all filmed by the protagonist in her house and normally bedroom a lot more interesting. we learn how the characters feeling about her break up and her boyfriend now sleeping with her best friend. The way it uses the handy camera means that the restricted narration means we only see her point of view until the end of the film with the phone call from her x best friend. We are then told another side of the story that makes the whole film seem very funny.
  
• It uses the short film format well as it keeps us interested whereas a feature length film may be hard to keep the audience interested. The narrative structure as I said earlier means that the piece is funnier at the very end as the other side of the story. the restricted narration means that we learn a lot about the main character and this helps to keep the audience interested. I like the idea of using a simply restricted hand cam film like this but i don't feel that it demonstrates and originality in camera framing or actual film making as it is more about the dialogue. And the acting has to be a good quality for it to work and good actors are not readily available.
• All of the sound is deigetic in the piece which adds to how realistic the piece is and how at some stage or another the audinece members have felt like that or known someone who has. The use of the telephone call at the end being off screen along with the screaming tells us that something bad has happened as first time Gillian called the protagonist pulled the phone out the socket.
  
• The themes and representation in this piece is of a young women that is dependant on her now ex boyfriend. The piece positions the audience in favour of the protagonist as she struggles coping with the loss of her boyfriend to her "best" friend. This is achieved through the restricted narrative and the use of only one camera operated by the protagonist. The protagonist is represented as a very fragile women that is dependant on her now ex boyfriend. The stereotype of a needy clingy girlfriend is played on a lot in this piece.

Dominic Michau