Locust Valley Film Festival

After watching each and every film that came out of the Film Festival, there was one film that caught my eye in terms of how they presented themselves. The Other Half by a student from Wheatley High School . The main factor that attracted me to this short film was the cinematography for one thing. It was very pristine the way that this student set up the film composition as apposed to a unbalanced mess by some other students. The Other Half was the psychological breakdown of how a surplus amount of schoolwork can ultimately decide the fate of a young student. The opening shot of the dolly in through the school hallways demonstrates the students understanding of lighting. The lighting in this shot is interesting as it appears as the camera moves forward it leaves behind a path of shadows casting on the lockers to the sides where the light is focusing on the main subject, which is the student in this case. The narrative in the background also gives a subtle explanation of the character analysis of this young student as well. The film also explores low key lighting where the subject appears to be in the light while the background is compiled with shadows. In the part where the students appears to be doing his HW in his room, the camera tilts up slowly to add to the calm tone of the audio. You could also note in the classroom scene that the camera dollys to the subject being the student almost as he's the central focus and no one else around him is important with the quick editing dissolve. The young student also does a great job in terms of acting as he using "body language" to his advantage by the clinching of the fists, throwing of the desk and grabbing of his hat. By this gesture, the audience has a better understanding as to what the character faces in terms of emotions. The scene where the student is writing near the library bookshelves shows how ambient lighting can act as an appropriate source of light for the film as well as the dolly. I admired when the director decided to film the fence in the foreground while the actor walks in the mid ground almost symbolizing the way character feels, almost locked up and has no where else to turn to. I find it interesting the director is more of a fan of pans/tilts rather than close ups in this film. The framing of the hand dripping a pool of blood couldn't have been frame much better and with the audio, Mad World, in the background almost creates a perfect environment of what this director is trying to express. Alot of people have disagreed with the way this film ended and to that i disagree. The ending where the student is laying on the his bed covered in his HW sheets reminds me of Robert Deniro in Brazil. Both examples are similar in that these HW papers cause the downfall of this character and are what drive this character to the point of disappearance. For Brazil, it was more of Deniro's despise of capitalism that the very thing he despises, receipts for example, ends up the cause for his disappearance. While both examples may cause an area for questioning each scene accomplishes it's goal in subtle symbolism. My only concern of this film however is that the plot structure is unclear to most audiences and that it could have used more work. Either than that, this film is very poetic and presents a unique style that for a student's work, it surpasses my initial expectations.