Short film research: Mutt/drama

 Hey there! Another short film I watched and researched in the drama genre was the film Mutt. This short film was very straightforward. Although the short film is only 13 minutes, it still grabs the audience's emotional side and tells an in depth story. The plot is on addiction and is a well known topic to everyone. The topic can be related real world problems people face all of the time. The short film is based on a man who is an alcoholic and his family is trying to convince him to go to rehab. The short film is a drama which is clear from the acting, sounds, editing, and etc.  The common sound used in this film was diegetic sound and dialogue like yelling. The use of diegetic sounds helps to add more emphasis on some of the characters physical state.  For example, as Micheal, the alcoholic, is drinking the juice, the effect of hearing the big gulps help to show that he may be an alcoholic. It adds a more exaggerated effect to the scene. The dialogue in this short film is a lot of quick uncomfortable conversations and a lot of yelling. This is to show that there is heated relationships between the characters which is very common for drama films. Both dialogue and diegetic sounds have been prevalent in the drama genre as it has been the most common sounds in the drama films researched. There was also a lot of common editing techniques in this short film that relates to the drama genre. For example there were many reverse shots as seen in the short film Traitor Knight. The reason for this is there is a lot of dialogue going on between Micheal, his sister, and his dad.  Usually, in dramas the conversations in reverse shots are intense and or harsh. Reverse shots in drama are used in order to show the conversation between characters and to clearly show their facial expressions and body language. There was also many shots and angles that I have found to be very common in the drama genre. For example the medium close shot showing the actors from shoulders up. This is commonly used to show the actors entire face and a peak of the way they are carrying themselves in order to get a better idea of the characters true feelings. The acting found in this film was very serious which helped to set the mood for the film. As the film is based on addiction, the mood was very awkward and serious. Dramas can have many different types of acting moods based on the movie plot. A common convention found in drams is heated arguments or fights to appeal to the audiences emotions. In this short film for example, Micheal punched his own father after he let his dog go. They incorporated this scene to show how the son was not happy with his father getting involved in his life and to prove to the audience how critical his situation was. An element of the drama genre I like is the intensity build up in some of the scenes. For example the scene where Micheal and his dad got into a fist fight. The overall build up to the conflict found in drama is very entertaining and enraging at the same time which I love. One element I do not love about the drama genre is they do move a bit slower before getting to the conflict rather than being more action packed or intense from the get go. Although I do love the build up right before the intense situations I’m not a fan of all the boring fluff used to initiate the story. Anyways, peace out!