Static to Set Off Sparks?

The principle behind Static is both a creative and challenging concept in which the protagonist stumbles across an inanimate object with seemingly supernatural abilities, however the sudden acquired power is soon manipulated. Now that may appear to sound like a blockbuster film created by the recycled ideas floating around the headquarters of Universal Studies, with its synopsis alluding to grand visual effects and witty characterisations combined with the potential to have an extravagant narrative, in which the protagonist becomes corrupted by his newly found power, however you couldn’t be wrong. Directors behind this newly created short film have taken a far more simplistic route that is arguably more relatable with to an everyday audience, after all who hasn’t wished for an iPod that acts a direct audio transmitter to their favourite band, or a pen that writes down the correct answer without thinking? Or in this case, a light bulb that gives the user the power to possess needed answers, or act correctly in imperative situations? Static follows a protagonist whom appears to have become extremely challenged by a crossword puzzle, which perhaps acts as a metaphor for his entire life, whilst his flickering desk lamp torments him further. Upon taking the blown light bulb out of the socket, it relights whilst simultaneously providing the protagonist the ability to complete the puzzle. As events progress he ends up in a job interview, although dishevelled in appearance compared to other interviewees the company seems to favour him, until the light bulb breaks leaving the protagonist stranded.

The simplicity of the concept has allowed the directors and writers to be able to toy with multiple situations that the light bulb would take the protagonist, by minimising other factors such as dialogue; the production thus allows the cinematography to tell the narrative, I believe, in a more effective way. What’s more, the lack of dialogue is further made more natural by the minimal use of other major starring roles, through having the one protagonist any visual effects and narrative are appropriately condensed and made more realistic to the eyes of the viewer. It should be noted that the short film only has two setting, which on the one hand illustrated the low budget of this productive, yet on the other hand enhances the feel of realism which I personally think is one of the strongest points of this production. As well as the setting, the camera work has not been overly done, therefore as a member of the audience I am not side tracked by the extremities that are sometimes created in major films, instead I am forced to pay more attention to characterisation and setting.

However, this film is not perfect, after all how many films are? Although I heavily praised the lack of dialogue before, within the last scene it perhaps could have been used, after all as an audience member the interview scene can be both confusing and somewhat tedious. Confusing, as we aren’t actually aware of what is going on between the interviewers and protagonist instead we are forced to make assumptions. Additionally, the scene is extremely repetitive as we are exposed to the same sequence of shots, however this is made more credible through the increase in pace, that does help such the “to good to be true” ideology created in the opening of the film. Lastly, the storyline is not always obvious; instead the audience is reminded at random intervals about the power of the light bulb. One can see this as a

benefit of the film, that the primary prop is not thrust down your throat, instead it is more subtle and effective; nonetheless the deficient use of the light bulb can remove some quality way from the potentially captivating narrative. If the directors and editing team had reconsidered this, then the production could have gone on to be a far more thrilling and evocative piece of film.

You cannot fault the intimate relationship created with the lone protagonist as the audience both envy and empathise with him. The opening sequence showing his difficulty with the crossword puzzle can be seen as the pivotal point for the creation of any relationship to be made, as without the emotional attachment of the audience the character is somewhat pointless, as he too would become simply an object to the audience. Throughout the short film, individuals are able to empathise as, previously mentioned, we have all wished for a magical object of some kind to help guide us through sticky situations, whether used for success or from pure laziness is another tale. However, is the one thing that is not made clear in the short film is the protagonists motivation for this light bulb that acts as his life saver, especially when it comes to the job, is he lazy? Or simply unable to get a job for alternative reasons? From the selection of books on the shelf it could be suggested that he is an educated person, yet the trouble with the crossword contradicts this to a degree. This is the one set back of the characterisation in the piece, apart from that I believe the directors and writers have constructed the production effectively enough that necessary relationships are made in the short space of time.

Watching the piece there is one obvious point that the production team could have pounced upon to create another spark with the film, and that is the characterisation of the light bulb itself. This mystical object plays a vital role in the short film, yet the audience are sometimes unaware of its presence in vital situations. Through further camera work, and not necessarily altering anything in the narrative, there is the potential to enhance the magical quality of the light bulb, make it into an unique, enticing character.

The piece as a whole is an entertaining piece of media that an audience can truly relate to. Although low budget, Static has the potential to win the hearts of a diverse range of people. As with most things, it has it’s flaws that have the possible effect of hindering any great development from an audience, yet I still believe it is a piece that will still be deemed as enjoyable to a modern audience.

Layout?

For the review of my short film I have decided to mimic the layout of magazines such as Empire as their designs are simple yet effective to the audience. What’s more, their layout has the ability to attract a diverse audience. The image at the top will be taken from the film, a picture of Matt holding up the unlit light bulb for the first time. Similar to this colour scheme it the house colours will be black and white, however instead of the red it will either be yellow or orange to connote the light bulb (yellow or orange depending on how readable the text will be to the audience) Font will be in Arial, font size 10 with subheading being size 12 and the title being of larger size (about 24)