Research Tasks 3 {[Hollie]}

Eight … 1998 … Stephen Daldry

1. Genre and Style:
The short film ‘Eight’ is a short film set in Liverpool, England. The film is very clever in terms of its mise en scene, the film is shot in an urban location but uses settings which place the young boy alone in the shot which gives the impression of being isolated, also, the film uses lighting to make all of the settings look dark and dreary as if all the bright fun and colour has been taken out of the boy’s life due to the death of his father. The sound of the piece also helped to create tension in the viewer. For example, the lack of sound apart from the young boy’s voice compels the viewer to listen to his words and helps them to understand the sorrow that the young boy feels as he has never met his father. Even though the boy is playing football with his friend, something which he says he loves, the audience can hear the sadness in the young boy’s narration as he tries to fulfil the dreams of his father. The narrative of the film is restricted as the audience can only see as much as the boy. This helps the audience to relate to the boy and also, in the beginning, makes the viewer wonder why his mother doesn’t allow him to follow his passion of football. The film moves on and we find out that the boy’s father has died in the Hillsborough disaster which is why his mother resents football as it caused the loss of her husband. The film is dark and saddening but enjoyable at the same time. The main character is a very sympathetic character and easy to relate to and this allows us to get right into the film emotionally.

2. How does this film use genre and style conventions uniquely?
Social Realism is an artistic movement, expressed in film, which depicts social and racial injustice, economic hardship, through unvarnished pictures of life's struggles. It often depicts working class activities as heroic and celebrates the mundane aspects of life. The film ‘Eight’ conforms to this idea as the boy is very average and working class. He is trying to come to terms with the fact that his father has died and he, unlike his friends, must grow up without a father. One good example of how the boy longs for a father and normal family is when his friend tells him he wishes he didn’t have a father and we hear the boy talking to the audience and saying ‘Terry talks to much.’ The film uses conventions of a typical social realist film much like other social realism films such as ‘Happy Go Lucky' which involve people just going about their daily business and trying to deal with obstacles in life.

3. How does the film use the short film format?
Films begin with equilibrium, a calm period. Then agents of disruption cause a period of unsettlement. This is then followed by a renewed state of peace and harmony for the protagonists and a new equilibrium brings the chaos to an end. This is the simplest form of narrative and is sometimes referred to as ‘Classic’ or ‘Hollywood’ narrative. The film ‘Eight’ does not really use this narrative, the period of equilibrium is present throughout as there is nothing to cause a disruption and the state of morning for his father has been continual throughout his life. This is done in many social realist films because a disruption to daily life doesn’t often occur in the same way that a feature thriller film would depict it and often in life things do not all get resolved in time for a happy ending. This short film uses restricted narration for the entire film to help create tension and mystery. The viewers are only able to see what the character sees and so are unaware of the things that are happening outside of his thoughts and feelings. The restricted narration also helps the viewer to relate to the main character and empathize with him as it is clear that these events are very distressing.

4. What is interesting about the use of sound?
The use of sound, in ‘Eight’ is very interesting as it only uses diagetic sound. The only sounds are the boy’s narration and the sounds that would occur naturally in the settings, such as the waves on the beach. The only dialogue within the piece is the boy telling his story about his dad. None of the other characters speak, their silence is used very well as it makes the audience focus on what the boy is saying and also emphasises that he feels isolated and alone in his world. It positions the viewer to feel sorry for him and also represents the families of the people that died in the Hillsborough disasters’ feeling of loss and sadness.
I particularly like the use of silence and dialogue as it creates and intense atmosphere and really puts the viewer in the mindset of the boy. I would like to use a technique such as this in my own piece if I were to make a social realism film to create a unique and emotional relationship between character and audience.

5. Themes, issues and representation?
The main character of ‘Eight’ is the protagonist of the story so he was introduced first. This helps to introduce his situation and the fact that he appears to be a lonely young boy who is struggling to come to terms with the loss of his father.
He is represented as a fairly average boy, which makes the film more realistic and helps an audience from any social group to relate to him. It creates empathy in the viewer as things such as this could happen to anyone from any walk of life.
The character appears alone in most shots apart from when he is with Terry, who clearly does not understand his pain. The audience can feel the boys sense of longing for a father and a normal life and feel distressed for him and also understand that they would feel just as helpless and alone in a situation such as that. The film is based on a real life event and so the audience can easily relate to it and most can probably remember the news coverage of the event. They are positioned to feel sympathy for the boy and his mother who is so distraught that she cannot bear to watch football.