Source of Inspiration: Rocks that Bleed

Rocks that Bleed is a short film by 18 year old film maker; Bertie Gilbert. Bertie has a audience of both males and females, mainly teens and young adults. This particular short film is about the end of the world, and is strongly inspired by the theme of dystopia and its links to the real world.

Plot: 

Two siblings, Sid; a successful artist and Joe; a widowed mechanic, come together on the day of the earth's destruction to try and re-build their broken relationship.

Actors

• Young, less experienced yet persuasive and convincing

Mise-en-scene

I was most inspired by the mise-en-scene in this film as the lighting was very unique and created beautiful on screen aesthetics.

• Coloured lighting flares from projector
• Soft orange lighting representing sun
• Large location, apartments, night-time, low key lighting
• Change in lighting between flashbacks and “now” very different, soft white light to orange tint

Camera Angles and Editing

• Handheld tracking following Joe upstairs, continuity editing
• Handheld shots show awkwardness between brothers
• Shot reverse shot, only two characters equal amount of screen time shows relationship

Sound

• Opens with titles and classical non diegetic music (violin, piano) fades out when Joe enters the house
• Diegetic sound of check in system and footsteps
• Awkward speech – hesitant, stutter
• Voices fade out as camera cute to scene of Joe in an orange light, shows he was dreaming the previous scene
• Low rumble when orange light is seen
• “Here Comes the Sun (Cover)” by Tom Rosenthal, suggest end of world, irony

Narrative

• Restricted – enigma ‘do you know what time it starts tomorrow?’
• Equilibrium  - flashback to two years before, happy (dream like)
• Representations

o   Teenager partying, drinking underage, sick

o   Older brother – swearing, less responsible, helps younger brother

• References to title “Have you ever seen those rocks? Well they’re not just rocks. They..when you kind of break them they have sort of..guts and stuff inside?” adds deeper meaning to narrative, enigma (Pyura chilensis)
• Reference to end of the world, hard to recognise but obvious when noticed
• Abrupt ending