Coming Of Age Review

Review:

A short film directed by Ben Goodger and Charlie Goodger, was excellently captured. The location that was used to film in was an isolated, broken down, abandon set. This ensures that the short film looks very convincing when being viewed. Ben Goodger had a budget of just £150 and a crew of only four to produce his Thriller film.

The film shows the struggle of the boy’s life after the post apocalyptic. He tracks down vital medicines that were stolen from him in an empty house which he gains hold of but, resulting to an intense and adrenaline chase scene between him and two dangerous armed bandits.

The directors illustrate the difficulties of society and use the boy to take responsibility due to an apocalyptic future. A young actor Toby Goodger plays the young boy whose performance is outstanding as he takes us on a journey.

The use of low key lighting showed the fear of the boy but also his exposure, as he upholds the responsibility of taking care of sister. The use of diegetic sound is used in the background of the intro. The whistling and rustling of the leaves gives the impression that the location is empty and secluded maintaining an unexpected atmosphere. There was little dialect in the film which was not an issue because the film was self explanatory.

There was an element of tracking shots which was mainly used to get in on those chase scenes. There are elements of editing used in the film, such as jump cut, fade and action match. This was used well in the film for example; the action match edit allows the audience to see a smooth action despite a cut in the shot. Another use of edit used in the film was fade, this was used in the beginning leaving a black screen which is often used to suggest that time has passed or a situation has ended. This is used to show the brutal post-apocalyptic future.

This short film would appeal to teenagers; this is because of the on going chase scenes, and the weapons that are involved. Also throughout the film a deep and concentrated focus is created because of the never ending chase that keeps the audience interested.  Overall the film was impressive as it had a budget of £150 but managed to overcome that and managed to pull the film off superbly.