Research Tasks - Jess Garman

'Conversation Piece' - Joe Tumner - 2009

• Genre = social realism/comedy. Camera work - shaky in places, looks more natural and makes the audience feel closer to the action and more involved in the story. Close ups are used to establish both setting (showing the random brick-a-brack and clutter around the house) and character (by being introduced at such a close proximity we identify more with them). Shaky tilts and pans are used to move between each character rather than cuts to different shots so that the action isn't broken. Characterisation - Man = reading the Daily Express (shows more stereotypically working class), he is made to look unkempt with messy hair, double chin (due to his posture) and wearing a dressing gown. All these things give clues to his character and suggest it's a lazy morning. Woman = wearing neat, tucked in clothes, her body language and posture are upright which suggests she's up tight and she pouts. The traditional conjugal roles are shown by the fact that the woman's in the kitchen washing up while the man is relaxing in his chair. The lighting is naturalistic which makes the film more realistic.



• I like the way depth of field is used in the frame (going in and out of focus) to direct the audience's attention (for example, to show when the woman puts the broken vase in front of the man, then switches to his reaction). Shot / reverse shot is used in conversation to make the speech easier to follow. Social realism is broken when the record stops and there is a slow zoom from bird's eye view to show the audience the title. The main thing that sets this film apart from conventional social realism is the sound, which I will discuss later.
• Todorov's theory is used in the way that at the beginning there is an equilibrium, a disruption comes when the woman finds the vase broken and by the end equilibrium is restored by the man fixing the vase. This is demonstrated by the woman's satisfied smile at the end. It is a short contained story within one location, which may be a simple idea when it comes to creating our own film.
• Sound is particularly pivotal in this film as it uses traditional styles of social realism (diegetic sounds at the start and end - clock ticking, washing up etc.) until the record comes on. This is also diegetic but in a non-realistic way as the volume of the track stays the same no matter how far away the camera is placed (it also covers all other noises, including dialogue). This helps induce humour as the sounds on the record help construct the characters, in that the different instruments used represent exaggerated features of each character's voice (e.g. the man's is a low trumpet sound and the woman's is a higher pitched, whiney noise). The different sounds that are made help to show what's happening in the dialogue (e.g. when the woman blows her nose the instruments are manipulated to recreate a similar sound, which is particluarly humerous).
• This film is about a domestic dispute between an average middle-aged working/middle class married couple. Unlike many social realism films, the content is not particularly gritty or tragic, and is rather a light-hearted demonstration of married life. The audience are positioned to be neutral so that they don't side with either character. This co-operates with the fact that it is a short film, as the director (Tumner) may not want the audience to become attached to the characters.