Education for Leisure has won two awards, one at the Coca-Cola Cinemagic Film Festival 2010 and also the No limits award at the No Limits Film Festival in 2011. The film is inspired by a poem by Carol Ann Duffy and follows the day of a boy who is bothered by everything in his life but highlights the difference the small things make in life. This multi award winning short film targets both a teenage and adult audience; although the teenage audience will be larger because of the age range of the majority of characters in the film also a small adult audience would be formed by the roll the mother of the boy has in the film. The clothes and settings of the production target a modern audience and also most society classes.
The codes and conventions of the production suggest the mental distress the boy feels and the pressure the world has on him, this is connoted when the boy is standing in the shower letting the water run over his head; this classic scene is associated with someone being in a stressful situation and finding some sort of escape through the running water.
The costume of the main character suggests a very laid back attitude towards rules and regulations of school policy as he has a dark coloured hoodie over the top of his school jumper and the laid back attitude is also connoted by the lowness of his bag. The dark colours the boy wears through out the film connote a mystery and depth to the character and as dark colours are associated with negative feelings this is also linked to the character. The big house and remoteness of the property connote wealth however seclusion from the outside world which also links to the characters own self seclusion.
The music starts instantly after the boy is nearly knocked over by an on coming car, the music is slow and solum therefore connotes no panic or bother in the boy that he nearly got hurt which again links to his state of mind. A lot of the film is based a cruelness and killing of animals from the boy which may connote a deep hate for humanity and the world especially when he feels like a 'superstar' after murdering a girl.
Slow and fast motion is used in the film when the boy is walking through the school and around his house to show the detachment the boy feels from the world of reality.The most important connotation in the film is when time reverses right up to the point in the morning when the boys mother is leaving the house and instead of just leaving she goes up stairs wishes her son a good day; highlighting the importance of the little things in life however exaggerated the end circumstances may be.
An extreme close up is used at the beginning of the short film as the boy is waking up, this puts the audience immediatly in contact with the character and also makes the audience slightly disorientated because they dont know what is going on in the scene or the setting.
In this shot the camera is held at a tilt, this is an interesting angle for the audience to view as it almost suggests, because its such an abnormal view point, that we are looking in on something that isnt supposed or neccesserily viewed.
A low angle is used in the short film to create shading across the characters face to make him seem more domniating and suggest that his chracter is in power over the situation.
An over the shoulder shot is used when the boy is following the girl, this way the audience sees the reaction of the girl via her facial expressions but also connotes the fear of the boy speeding up behind her. This puts the audience in the position of the girl, of whom we know nothing about ad makes the audience connect with her.
Editing is used uniquely in this short film, slow motion is used frequently throughout, this creates suspense and puts the audience on edge. At the end of the short film some scenes are reversed to show time going back to the ealier morning when the boys mother is leaving, this connotes not only the time movement but also the butterfly effect of the whole film.
Sound is used very effectively in this short film. From the sound of the bed creaking to the crunch of the boys toast mostly every sound in the opening few minutes is amplified and made louder; this creates a the scenes slightly surreal however also makes the audience focus on the actions of the boy rather then the charcter himself which is a useful connection to be made at the start of the short film because of what comes later. Music is also played during the title sequence as the boy makes his way to school, this helps create interest to the scene and keeps the audience engaged.
Foreshadowing is created with sound when the boy makes the flip book of someone being murdered and you hear the stab of flesh and a girl screaming.
The directer, writer, editor and producer of Education for Leisure is an award winning 18 year old film maker called Dan Allen. He has his own website and has an archive of short films and awards to his name. He started out producing his first film in senior school and then went on to enter film festivals and other award winning schemes. He also has funding from the BFI.
Leah Brine
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