Eight - Stephen Daldry (1998)

Clip from Eight

• An extreme long shot is used in a shot to show Jonathon kicking a football into the air, this correlates to what he is saying within the scene, about his father being an astronaut. The effect Jonathon makes verbally of something being flung into the air creates the effect that his football is acting as an astronaut in a rocket.

• Much of the background music (diagetic sound) is a violin, this conveys a sweet and innocent feel as it links in with the spirit of Jonathan and plays off at how young the lead protagonist is.

• A handycam was used in the shot where he talks about his father, it focuses on Jonathon, especially as the lighting includes a back light and a fill light, creating a shadow which emphasizes how lonely Jonathon looks at the table.

• Linking in with the previous point, the objects of the plant pot and food on the plate are an obvious symbol of his father as he remembers what he father was fond of once he sees the props.

• The props and the setting where Terry & Jonathan are hanging out whilst watching football is very realistic from their body language to the props on set such as the TV and stacks of CDs.

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• This is for something where the audience such as boys their age or parents who have children around that age can relate to witnessing or being a part of.

• It can also seem nostalgic for some if they look back at their childhood as well as relating to Jonathon's problems.

• When Jonathon is playing football on the beach, the commentator's voice played in the background is displayed as a diagetic sound because the audience witnessed the cassette being played.

• However, with the shots of the camera placed at a low angle, mid close up, the sound is much louder as if we've entered Jonathon's mind and he's playing for an actual football match which then creates a non diagetic feel because it's not part of the real world anymore.

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• The shot of the children running past Jonathon, with him in focus and the slightly blurred illustrates how he could be seen as a outcast which adds to the loneliness and how different he may be feeling in general compare to the other children as he has a look on his face which expresses how he has a lot on his mind.

• What I can take from this film is how essential the monologue is, instead of relying on dialogue from a variety of characters, the focus on one person's opinion was powerful, especially from a youth's perspective which I feel created a lot of sympathy towards him from the audience.