Still Frame Analysis

About a girl- Drama

This is an extreme long shot frame taken at a low angle. The camera techniques used empahaise the rest of what is going on in the image. For example The clouds appear very low its almost as if they are a stone throw away from our earth, there is also a silhoutte of what appears to be a girl just standing there on very tall and dull grass stems in a neutral position. This expresses the idea of the world closing in on someone (silhoutte) as its almost as though the clouds are coming down on the girl attemting to suffocate her in the cloudy mist whiles the tall grass is almost drowning or tapping her. This is significant as is almost suggests that everything has got to much for this young girl and she may have fallen into the trap of folowing certain stereotpes within society and she now cannot go any further, its almost like she has hit rock bottom and only has herself to confind in hence her being alone.

The camera techniques can also portray the ideas of things moving on in the world whilst the girl is stuck in the same situatin or position hence her neutral stance.

The low lighting and in this image also signifies a dull situation in wghich the girl might be stuck in although there may bee some hope, this can be represented through the bright highlights aroung the dull clouds as well as the bright patched of a clear blue sky.

This image may also connote that the girl is amost wrapped under a blanket (clouds) and there is alot for the audience to learn about her later within the film, which can be supported by the canterd angle which makes everything appear as if its moving towards something.

The fact she is by herself may foreshadow any later situations of her always being by herelf within the film.

As she appears to be quite a young girl this can portray themes of neglect as well as lonliness.

This two-shot-mid-shot can tell the audience alot about the girls upbrining as within the film we realise the women in the background is her mother.

The mother in this photo almost holds the dominance, the fact she is in focus despite being in the background shows she may be the focus of this scene or the main source of the girls issues, but in actual fact the audiences attention is focused more towards her daughter due to the depth of field (focus pull) used within the image. The audieneces attention is automatically drawn to the girl who appears blurred, although through this it adds emotion as the audience begin to feel sorry for the young girl as she appears sad and distressed, this is seen through her facial expression and the fact she is holding her head down. This can relate back to the themes of lonliness and neglect as although her mother is with her its almost as though she isnt at the same time, this can be represented in that her mother is much further back within the background of the photo and seems to be occupued by other things such as the pushchair, suggesting other children and also the scratch card in her hand, suggesting her mum might struggle to bring up her children and cant rely on government funding so she has to go through any means neccesary to try and provide for her children. In this circumstance the girl holding her head down is almost alike she is holding her head down in shame and is embarrassed of her mother.

The positioning of the characters in this image is significant as it portrays the idea that although her mother is present she may not have been present in all situations that occured troughout the young girls upbringing forshadowing later events in the film. It can also raise the theme of neglect as its almost as if the youn girl is walking off and her mother is just leaving her to get on with it.

Through the mothers facial expressions she appears helpless, its like she wants to be with her child but cannot afford to physically and may not have time hence why the scratch card is a significant icon within th image, bringing themes of poverty and wealth into play. The mise-en-scene through costume also represents this idea of poverty and living in an uraban enviroment. The mother is wearing a dull green baggy bomber jacket, which appears old and washed out, the colour green can connote envy, hope, money and health this is significant as it presents what this particular scene may be about and also what kind of person her mother is, this compliments her scratching a scratchcard as the fact she has no money can make her enviouss of those who do, the dullness of the jacket can suggest she does not have more money but contrast the scratch card is giving her hope which is a connotoation of green, again the dullness of her jacket can portray a loss of hope but gaining it back through the scratch card.

In this image the colours used are most significant as at this point within the film the audience just get to realise the whole story line, here is where we realise she has thrown her baby in the canal.

The low angle used allows thw audience to see what has happened but also shows that the the baby may have been the key and purpose of the whole film.

The colours use are significant as they not only have there own conntations but the contrast of each colour can be a represntaion of the young girl/babies mother.

The white plastic bag can connote the babies purity and innocence through the colour white, which is contrasted with the red blood the baby is covered in as both the colour red and blood can connote danger and death, being associated with evil. The reflection of the bush apoeard to be black, its almost as the baby is about to fall through a black whole. The colour black connotes death/funerals, evil, and mystery. All of these colours used within the death of a baby can be used to represent the young girl, in the fact she was young and innconent and her purity was taken away from her from something that can been seen as evil and life changing in this cirrcumstance, to the young girl the blood and black colours used could show the baby as being evil and something that would have ended her life, so she wouldnt have been physically dead but keeping the baby could have mentally distroyed her. These repreentations are also significant as the an innocent babies life was taken or given away due to no fault of their own again representing the young girl in the fact she had no life as she was always alone and had no one she could rely on so couldnt be the innocent child she was supposed to be and then she got her self into a dark patch that may have destroyed her so her only option was to through away the baby as it may have caused danger.

Although this image is quite disturbing and horrific the clear blue sky can portray relief for the young girl in that the biggest issue has been washed away (literally).