Short Film - #AmeriCAN

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#AmeriCan (2014), directed by Nate Parker is drama based on a police officer working for the LA Police Department on the night shift. He responds to a convenience store break-in and when chasing down the perpetrator, he's receives a huge surprise. It is also considered a public service announcement in response to events of violence against black males in America.  
 
 
This short film uses lots of natural sounds that you would normally hear on the street such as cars passing, footsteps, heaving breathing when people are running and police sirens. They are used instead of music to emphasize the drama and tension.I like the effect this has as would like to do something similar in my project. 

I like the films narrative, it has two distinct moments which I remembered after it had finished. The first was the scene where the main character Jim Mitchell is chasing the group of people who robbed a local shop and he shots one of them running. When he falls to the ground and Jim gets to him, Jim realises that he has actually just shot his son. This emotional moment is witnessed by other people on the streets who heard the gun shot and came to see what happened. Jim calls out asking for them to run an ambulance but no one responds and the only sound it distant police sirens and Jim shouting and crying. 

The dark lighting is similar to the lighting I want for my production. I think that the darkness adds to the drama of the film and gives it a mysterious atmosphere. The shadows on the character's faces connotes enigma and makes them unknown. In certain scenes, for example when Jim approaches a group of about 5 men, it shows the audience that the focus is on Jim's character and not the others. 

Overall, I enjoyed this short film. I found is useful in getting a good idea of the lighting style I want to recreate and it has given some ideas for the audio of my production when I get to the editing stage. I think that the beginning scenes of the family together establish the characters well and make clear the relationship between father and son. 

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