Young Love

Iconography (key visual symbols)

The most clearly used symbol has to be the camera which connotes the way in which the couple have memories because they record them. Although it also denotes their playful side of their relationship because they are posing and messing about with it. Another visual would be the setting in which the main story takes place, on the bridge at the beach as it connotes a peaceful and romantic day but the denotations of it can be danger or calmness. The one scene of her walking away then changes to black and white and the 'old' her running towards him, it shows that she is ready to move away from him in the present but he still remembers their past. This a very effective bit of the film because it gives the viewers an understanding of their relationship and what happened.

Mise en Scene (props, lighting, setting, weather, clothing)

The setting of the film is very iconic of a romantic drama because it takes place in typical places such as the bed room and out on the bridge, the setting is romantic and typical of a young relationship. The bedroom is typically youthful with clutter and books and jewellery everywhere. Their clothing is very casual although the girl is covered up in man clothes which could connote she isn't a very confident within her appearance. The lighting is all natural however the black and white filming shows a unnatural light on the characters.

Narrative (key features of story)

The black and white footage suggests it is in the past which is later conformed from the way they are talking to each other on the bridge. The female is seen as innocent alone in the bed but then when the boy comes in to the bed she becomes violent and aggressive which is unexpected. Because we have seen the boy watching her on the bridge at the start (not in black and white). We watch different clips from the past showing the development in their relationship which goes from happy and close to the present day when they are finding it hard to be next to each other.

Sound (diegetic and non-diegetic)

The non diegetic classical music playing at the start is very soft and emotional which is fitting with the genre however its a bit dramatic because the viewer doesn't understand how it relates to the sad story. The camera snapping as well gives a very sharp noise which attracts the audience. The diegetic sound is the background such as the sea and strangers adds to the realism of short films, the voices of the characters is very stereotypical because he is very loud and nasty which suits his personality as well as her being quite. The panting of the woman's voice connotes her desperation within the relationship and her weakness against him.

Camera (movement and composition)

A lot of the time the camera movement was hand held which created a realism to the film, it also used a variety of angles during the film. Because the effect of 'the real camera' is flashing images it looks as if we are looking through the camera which is effective because we are watching the relationship. When the couple seems to be at their happiest the camera is close up on their faces for example as they kiss, this could connote their closeness and 'being as one'. The tracking along the beach shows the distance between them with the girl being the main focus and closer to the camera and the male further away.

Message (hidden meanings)

The hidden message through this film is that things change and although everything seems happy that usually isn’t the case and even though you might not want it you have to accept change and carry on.

My Thoughts

I liked the idea of the camera being a central part of the film because it was an interest with both of the characters but also played a significant part in showing the viewer their relationship. I also thought that the story line was well thought out and the little hints that there were towards their relationship were cleverly put in to it. I didn't like the black and white tint on the past footage, i think that they could have done that differently. But overall I enjoyed this one because its plot was more interesting and its characters had more depth.