Textual Analysis #2

In this essay I will be evaluating the short film “What’s Virgin mean?”  by Michael Davies, which I found in Youtube, about a Mother faced with a difficult question brought forward by her daughter.

The short film, What’s Virgin Mean?, is about a mother facing the question,  “What’s a Virgin?” asked by her curious young daughter, the whole film happens in a kitchen set, in which the mother and daughter is positively and stereotypically portrayed, the mother being a hard working housewife and the curious and innocent daughter shown to be doing , what it looks like her homework.

The whole short film is based on a simple idea, and simple dialogue infused with the director’s camera work and somewhat acceptable acting (from mum). The Film starts off with 3 close-ups on 3 items, an oven, a radio with the mother’s hand mixing something in a saucepan with the depth of field focusing on the Radio, slightly blurring the hand as it motions on, this sets up the place where the scene is taking place, a kitchen, then we are shown a close up of a hand drawing with a crayon on a white sheet of paper, after that show we are immediately shown a 2 shot of the characters, mum and daughter, the depth of field focusing on the mum as she says the ingredients to the dish she is preparing standing near the oven, and the daughter, sitting behind her by a table full of condiments , the daughter is blurred on the said shot but not so much as to make her an invalid part of the story, after that shot the daughter throws out the question “What’s virgin mean?” the film carries on with the conventional conversation camera work and editing, as the mum tries her best to answer the question that her curious daughter threw at her. Right after the mum answers the question,  she thinks she’s out of the woods, then the daughter asks her another question...”so what’s extra virgin mean?”

The film I think is successful because of the mise-en-scene, setting, camera work and acting, the mise-en-scene and setting made the short more believable and humorous as the daughter asks the second question, there would only be another setting that a script similar to this shorts’ would work and that’s a supermarket, a place where Extra virgin/virgin oil might visible, this short wouldn’t be as powerful performed in a different setting like a park or school, given the same lines in the script is followed. The very believable acting from the daughter strung up the semi-mediocre acting brought forward by the mother, the daughter’s acting I think is one of the strongest area of the film. The camera work of the film is conventional, nothing special in terms of shots, but in terms of the use of the depth of field and aperture, the way that all the shots focused on things that was the centre of attention(except for a few).

This short film is a good example of how a good short film can be achieved with a simple narrative thrown in with (a) good camera, work and great acting, without the ultra believable acting by the daughter the film wouldn’t have been the same, the way she played the curious, innocent child was just phenomenal, and the clever set/mise-en-scene (table full of condiments = “so what’s extra virgin mean?”, which contributed to the narrative of the film, and ultimately the films’ success.