Short Film Package

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJDc3zNI1ms&t=50s

https://misunderstandingsm.wixsite.com/website

Critical Reflection

1. 
   
   1. How do your products represent social groups or issues? 

My product represents the normality of minority groups. The actors in the film are very diverse. Many tv shows and movies have mainly white casts. By including dark skin and mixed races, this is a way to incorporate more diversity into the film. This can help represent more people into the media world and give many others opportunity. In film production, many all-Black cast films or mixed casts get awarded mainly because they aren’t a white cast. However, this should become a norm in production. Having diverse casts is a way to add more diversity in media and normalize the talent many minorities have but don’t have the opportunity to show. The film also represents same-sex relationships between the characters. The idea of having only LGBTQ+ relations in the film breaks the stereotypes that many people have. This is a big issue in modern societies that are normalize opposite-gender relations. This “default setting” or assumption of straight orientation can be very damaging to the LGBTQ+ community, especially those who conceal their sexuality. I wanted to break this “straight” stereotype since there’s such a broad spectrum in the LGBTQ+ community. This is also a way to help equalize and speak out for these relations, genders and identification in the modern worlds. There’s been a huge misconception and violence towards people in these categories. By representing them and destroying this closed idea, this can majorly benefit many people and lives. 

2. 2. How do the elements of your production work together to create a sense of ‘branding’? 

There are many influences of our production that supported the branding of our film. Since our movie was based around teenagers and high school, I tried making the film more modern. My partner and I had this idea for the main group of characters to be the “It Girl”. This is essentially an iconic personality or expression of a character in a film. Since the most famous “It Girls” were around the late 1900’s to early 2000’s, I wanted to add some of the editing styles and scenes into the short film. One of the most famous scenes was the “Mean Girls” phone call scene. I really liked this idea and adding it to the film it brought together the aesthetic of the friend group. Another idea was a confrontation scene between rival friend groups. My partner and I really liked the idea of having two different friend groups having a dramatic but also entertaining confrontation.  Since many films portray the main character as disliking the other group, we had many ideas on what the ending. At the end of our film, this is where the story completely changes, and the romance part comes in and plays a role. The main character confesses her love to the girl in the opposite group. This gives a shock to the audience since they were portrayed as having no interest in this character. The other girl also plays off the confession and leaves the audience on a cliffhanger. 

3. 3. How do your products engage with the audience?  

My product engages with my audience in numerous ways. First off, our cast is very diverse. In mainstream media, many shows and movies that are labelled with a “diverse cast” are still predominately white. All of the actors in my short film are a mix of Asian, Black and Hispanic actors. This is promising to be portraying more diversity in many areas. The plot of the movie is also based around LGBTQ+ characters. This can appeal to many different groups and create a sense of representation for them. Many of the jokes and lines match with the interest that our generation use. For example, astrology has gained popularity in the past few years and to include that into the film can relate with many of the teen and young adult audience. People relate others behavior to different astrology signs. Also, the pronunciation of the different signs many people make fun of. I included these jokes into the script so the audience can feel the similarity of the film with what they see on social media. My partner and I decided to do create rival friend groups. The main friend groups in the film have a completely different aesthetic. Many groups nowadays tend to stay within the categories that match them and their aesthetic. By having different groups with different interests, this can be a way to relate with many people. 

4. 4. How did your research inform your products and the way they use or challenge conventions? 

I’ve researched about genres that related to my film. The main genre of the film is Romance with comedic elements. My short film is based on a teenage love story. The main twist I wanted in the film was for all the characters to be in LGBTQ+ relationships. My partner and I created the other characters in the film to be in relationships. We did this since the love confession with the main character was a short scene at the end. This also gives a hint towards the ending since the main character hasn’t found their love yet. This uses conventions in romance and gives a unique perspective but still fitting in with the high school life. The only way our film challenges conventions of romance is our own character not searching for their interests. In most traditional romance movies, many of them have a specific person in mind from the start of the film. In my film, our character reveals their love interest at the end without any suspicion. In the comedic aspect of the film, I created jokes that resembles modern humor for teens and young adults. In romcoms or comedy movies, many of the jokes are stand up corny. Our film challenges the comedic elements since most of our jokes were in spite of the other friend groups. The jokes essentially make fun of the other characters in a humorous way that younger generations relate to. 

The Finishing Touches

      My partner and I have discussed how we should edit our short film. Since I had the editing software, I called my partner so I can still receive feedback and her input on editing. I arranged all of our clips in the order of the script. I cut any loud noises, long pauses, and mistaken lines out of the film. I then started to edit the 3-way phone call. This was difficult since iMovie only allows a 2 scene split screen. I had to slow down one of the scenes of the characters in the call so it would be able to give enough time for the other character to say their line. Originally, I did the two friends on the split-screen and put the line of the main character after it. I showed this to my partner and we both agreed it wasn't what we pictured it. We wanted to have an iconic phone call split-screen like in Mean Girls. I further researched how I could do a 3-way split-screen on iMovie. I was trying to use another editing software to do the 3-way split screen but the features were either too complex or time-consuming to do. My partner suggested that I should do a split screen with 2 of the characters and save that clip and do another split-screen with the last character. I was concerned that the clips would be different sizes when I put it on the last split screen. However, upon editing this scene, when I put the last character over the split-screen it automatically laid that clip in the middle of the split-screen. This made it look like a 3-way split-screen already which was very convenient for the editing process. We’re not completely done with the film yet. I still need to add sound effects and our titles in the film. We still have one scene left to film but we’re planning to do it soon in time for the deadline. The last scene doesn’t need any fancy editing it’s just a big part of the movie.

The Second Filming Day

      We rescheduled to refilm on Sunday, January 4th. We had to shoot many of our scenes so we decided to start early at 11. We waited for our crew to show up but decided to film the beginning of the film in the meantime. For the beginning of the film, we mainly needed our female for those scenes. We planned to film in the same area so it would be easier and so we can see the footage and see if we need to refilm. We filmed our main actor in bed with her alarm going off then going to look for clothes. We had to shoot this several times because the alarm time was off or a wardrobe malfunction happened. After that, two of the other main actors showed up. We filmed the phone call scene individually but since all of our actors were there, it was difficult to have a continuous shot with disruptions. We refilmed which lines were necessary or last said to save on time. After we shot the phone calls, all of our actors have arrived. The only scene we needed with all of our actors was the sidewalk scene. This was also difficult to shoot since many cars and planes would be around and picked up on the audio. We also filmed this several times, picking up from the lines we left off on to manage our time. Lastly, we needed to film the pool scene. Since we only needed the original 3 actors from the phone call scene in the pool scene, we had our other actors stay away to not risk disturbing the audio. This was slightly easier to film since it was in a secluded area. We decided to film several times in case we needed extra time on footage or if there were any mistakes in the original shot. We revised all of our shots to see if we needed to reshoot any more. Luckily we didn’t need to and decided to celebrate with snacks and cake with our crew! However, we still have one final scene to film which is the Dairy Queen scene. We’re planning to do it on a school day since most of our actors are back to school in person and there's a Dairy Queen next to the school which will be easier for attendance purposes.

The New and Improved Plan

      We've faced many obstacles trying to situate our filming schedule and script. As previously discussed, many of our actors had to miss out on the original filming week. Some also weren't available to film in general. My partner and I went through many tasks trying to recruit new actors and change our script to fit the number of people we had. Our original filming day was set for Saturday, December 5th. Due to all of these circumstances, we decided to change the filming day. We talked with our cast and decided that Saturday, December 12th was better to film. However, that day many of our actors failed to show due to personal issues. We've decided to film as much as we could that day. After that, we've edited the scenes and decided on what we still need to film. However, we didn't want to film over winter break so we can rest from school. I've been talking with my partner and we've concluded to film possibly on January 3rd 2021. We thought this day was good since its after all of the holidays. We've contacted out actors in advance to see if they're available to film. Currently, we're waiting for their response to the new filming schedule. This gives us an idea of what we can film that day. We've also planned to film one of the scenes on a school day since the setting is close to our school. Many of our actors are also attending school in person after winter break. However, that plan is very vague and only an alternative if we do need another filming day. Hopefully this improved schedule will happen smoothly with less problems occurring.

Scenes That We Still Need

     After our editing, we've concluded the scenes we're going to film next shoot. Our opening scene is one of our biggest challenges. For that scene, we have three of our actors talking to each other on the phone about school. We had the vision of doing the iconic Mean Girls phone call split screen. We were originally planning for each of the actors to film that scene separately in their own room. However, we decided to do it together to ensure it comes out the right way. It's also easier to help our actors film the scene as well instead of doing their own thing at home. We were planning to film one of the scene in the bedroom, another one in the bathroom and the last one in the living room, to give the illusion of the characters being in different houses. Our other scenes is this sidewalk scene where most of our characters are having a confrontation interaction with each other. We were going to film this scene outside of one of our crew members houses. Their sidewalk is mainly secluded and open to allow all of our characters to comfortably film. We didn't want a place with many cars to pass by to distract our actors or mess with the audio. Our last scene is at Dairy Queen where four of our actors are talking and confessing the love for the two main characters. We've changed the scene to be easier to film for our crew. We took out the main characters friends in the scene. We didn't want to keep them there filming when they didn't need to. Their characters in that scene aren't that important especially since it's where the plot twist happens. We created a new scene to have more dialogue for our other actors. This helps even out the importance of the other characters so none of our actors feel excluded. We hope we can film all of the scenes in one day.

Editing Blog

      I'm going to be editing the scene that we have. We've filmed on December 15th, but came across many obstacles. I will be editing the scenes to see if we need to reshoot. I have the editing software iMovies on my computer since I don't have a school desktop. I will be using iMovies to edit the rest of the film. The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the major difficulties that we've faced this year. In order to be able to edit the film with my partners input, we need to be on call or FaceTime to communicate with each other. First, we tried to cut out any of the long pauses or lines that we didn’t need. We wanted each scene to roughly be a minute long to match the five minute time limit. We had two scenes from the shoot to edit. Each one was roughly 1:45-2:00 minutes long. This wasn’t short enough to match the time limit. We then decided to cut out any long lines that over-exaggerated the scene, since it was also not needed. This cut the scene down to about 1 minute and 30 seconds long. We replayed the scene to see how the outcome was. There was many cuts throughout the scene and we didn’t prefer it since we wanted the scene to flow nicely. With all the cuts, it effected the camera movement and sometimes the audio. My partner and I decided to try and reshoot that scene on the next filming day. If we don’t have enough time then we can try and salvage one of the scenes we’ve already filmed. Hopefully the scenes that we get next shoot can flow nicely with what we already have.

Why We Won't Be Filming Over Break

     Before break started, there was many stresses happening at school. Midterms was one of the main focuses during December. Many of our cast were busy studying and working. We didn't want to put any more pressure on them during break. Winter break is a time for every student to relax and rest from school. We didn't want our film project to be a burden on them, especially since it's not their assignment. We are just going to work with what we've already filmed. First, we're going to edit the clips we've filmed from the first shoot. Then, we're going to document the scenes we still need. I've been planning with my other partner what our schedule will be once we get back. We've contacted our actors about our new schedule. We're trying to take precautions so no inconveniences happen the next time we film. We asked if they can be available to film. We were thinking about filming after the holidays or when break ends. This gives us an idea of what we're working with. It also can help us with what we can film and if we need to have another filming day. However, for now it's a time for us to relax and enjoy the holiday season. We decided not to do much work over break. Especially since we know how stressful school has been lately. We hope our new plan will continue flawlessly.

Script Changes

      In our script, we had a different group of people we were originally working with. One of our members had to move away due to some personal problems. We didn't think it was much of a difference since it was just a side character. We tried to find a replacement actor for that one specific person. We had other people as an option but it wasn't confirmed that they are definitely able to film with us. We decided to change our script since we would have to anyway. We first had to rearrange our crew and the different characters they were playing. We went back into the script and just changed the names of the actors to be easier during filming. We changed it to the crew that was available for the original planning.We decided to make a backup script in case one of our actors wasn't available. We had to change the location of a scene to be outside since it was more convenient during filming. We also had to tweak parts of a scene to remove a side character. Also at the end of the film, we changed the scene so two of the girl friends are out of the scene. Everyone we're filming with has a different schedule to film. We didn't want to have to rely on the actors that weren't needed in a certain scene. After our first filming day, we decided to change some lines in the script. We wanted the lines to match the personality and humor of our actors in real life. We also altered some scenes to fit more in later. Some of the lines were too detailed that weren't necessary for the film. We're planning to reshoot to correct and fit our script.

Day 1 of Filming

      Today is December 12 of 2020. We decided to meet early at 11 A.M. to start our shoot. Each of us had some plans already that day. Which is why we decided to start so early so we can also finish early. We decided to change our scene to be outside near the pool. There was no one around to keep us safe from exposure to any germs or virus. The pool also had more space and less distractions for our actors. We had to test shoot to see if the audio could be picked up. We didn't have the opportunity to use the school camera so we improvised and shot on our iPhone. We decided to film the scene several times for time management so we wouldn't have to film again. We also wanted extra precaution incase the original shoot didn't was too long or short. We filmed one completed scene for the script. We went through many obstacles during our shoot. Our male actors weren't able to come that day. We decided to just reschedule to film their scenes at another time. We decided to film as much as we could without the boys in the scene. Overall, there was 2 mains scenes we could film. When we were filming, we went off script but still along the lines of the original script. We wanted our actors to be able to express themselves but still get the point across in the film. As we kept shooting, we realized we couldn't film much since our other actors weren't available.

Replacement Actors

      We've had many difficulties trying to find replacement actors for two members of our crew. One of our actors unfortunately had to move away due to personal issues. We as a crew supported this person and understood their struggles. We just thought we could do the movie without this one character since they were a side actor. We just planned to change the script without that one character because the story would still work without them. We gathered our crew and tried to schedule when to plan. We originally planned to film on December 5th, which is a Saturday. Due to the pandemic, many of our parental guardians aren't comfortable with this gathering to film. This leads to one of the main actors not be able to come that weekend to shoot. Most of our members decided to get tested to ensure our health and safety. Also, a few of our members were occupied with their own personal life such as practice and work. This caused two of our other actors to also miss out on the shoot that weekend. Overall, we decided that it wasn't the best time for any of us to film. We rescheduled the filming week. We also decided to find some backup actors in case any of the main actors weren't available to shoot when we rescheduled. We reached out to some of our mutual friends and asked if they would be interested in filling in those positions. We had a person that was confirmed able to come to shoot when we rescheduled. We didn't have anyone else to reach out to replace. We thought we could edit the script to fit with the number of actors we have. We will plan out our schedule for future occurrences.

Music Choices

     After we finished marketing and planning out our scenes, we decided to figure out more aspects of our film. One of the main categories we had to figure out was the music in our film. We didn't want to reach out to any mainstream artists for our film. Due to the fact that it would take a while to get their permission for copyright or might not even answer at all. We didn't want to risk that occurrence so we decided to choose copyright free music that you can find online. It would be more efficient and easier overall in the editing process. However, we still managed to run into some problems with copyright free music. We wanted different music to fit in with the characters of our movie. Most of the free copyright music online is mainly basic or not what we really expected in a modern film. We experienced a similar problem for one of our previous film projects. In one of our AICE Media Studies AS Level projects, we had to find music for this film. We went with a piece of copyright-free music at the time because we were warned about the same problem I previously mentioned. We thought about putting the same music into this short film. We also are going o add different songs that matched the tone of the scene. For example, in the fun and happy scenes we were going to add upbeat pop songs for those specific parts. While in our sad scenes we were thinking about adding dramatic music to emphasize the mood. We didn't choose any specific genre for each scene. We mainly just want to have a more creative way to provoke feelings into the audience that included music. We are still searching for music that would enhance our short film. We hope to find the perfect fit for our movie.

After the Break

     We didn't do any work over the break because we weren't assigned anything for class. We also wanted to relax since school and the pandemic has taken a huge toll on our lives. School is our main priority however we also just needed a mental break from all the stress and work. We didn't film over break because we wanted to focus on our mental health. We also didn't want to bother our crew and get them out to film during their break as well. We planned to film the weekend after the break since we mainly planned the schedule before and over the break. We decided to start filming the weekend of December 5th and December 6th. If we aren't able to film that weekend, then we will most likely film the weekend after. Most of the filming will be finished in one weekend. We are planning to meet up and film only the scenes that have our other members in the scene. We will most likely finish filming in those two weekends if any inconveniences happen. We're going to try to finish filming before the midterm week and winter break happens. We want to be focused on studying for the midterms. That week can also be very stressful trying to balance school and work as well. We also don't want to film over break either since we want our members to relax. We don't want our actors to be forced to film over break either. One of our actors contacted us and informed us that she isn't available to film with our group. We contacted another person to try and fill in her position. We don't have a confirmed answer yet but we're trying to stay positive about the situation. Our plan if we can't get a replacement is to edit the script and scenes to fit the number of members we do have.

Marketing the Movie

    For today, we continued on marketing our film. Last time we focused on getting the website up. Today we are gonna continue with adding onto the site. We planned on finishing putting all of the required information up on the website. My partner and I each made separate social media accounts for our film. I was responsible for the Instagram and Youtube account, while my partner was responsible for the Twitter and Facebook account. We used the same email that we created for the site so all of them have the same contact. After creating the accounts, we had to chose and make a profile picture and promote the movie. We then proceeded to add the social media links to our website. It took a few tries to see which link was correct. We also had to preview the site to see if the links actually worked. We added the headshot photos of our participants. We divided the information thats going to be on our site. I was focused on the synopsis, film festivals and where and when the film is being released. I researched the different film festivals that are local and international. My other partner were doing the reviews, photos, crew and cast. She reached out and received the photos and decided on the different roles. We had some difficulty changing different features like the fonts and photos. We both had input on the synopsis of the film. We wanted the description to show the film isn't a traditional love story without giving too many details. 

Creating the Website

     Today, we had to create a website to market our film. I started off with wix.com to create the site because it's free with many options to choose from. I created a new email to use specifically for our film. I didn't want to put any personal information out there as the contact for our film. The email was the name of the movie because most professional films have one dedicated for that specific film. I filled out the information on the site to get started with out business. We chose film to be our main purpose for the website. We then proceeded to chose a layout for the website. They originally gave us 6 options to from. We were aiming for something more simplistic so our info stood out the most. As we finished with the main format of the site, the website was finally official. It was exciting to see the site up, especially because I never done anything as professional before. We mainly explored how to edit and the different customizations the site had. We tested out different formats and colors to see which one looked the best. We added sub-categories to separate the different information that was required on the site. Wix already had subtitles for these categories which included cast and crew, reviews, trailers and etc. Having these formats out was very helpful in suggesting of what else we could add onto the website. We also could create out own subtitles and add photos and captions to it. We mainly just wanted to put the film description on the site. We also reached out to our participants for their photos to put onto the site.

Storyboard for Short Film

 

      We finished the storyboard for our short film. We were able to get a better picture of what our film will look like. Since we are in quarantine we did this short film together over the phone. One group member printed and drew half the pages while the other was on the phone helping and giving feedback. Then, the member who was giving feedback printed the other half and did the drawing while the previous drawer gives feedback. The storyboard also helped us if the weather is not our friend the days we film. Umbrellas easily fit into the film since high schoolers often go to school even in the rain, so we will just film in the rain. The beginning of our storyboard shows Alicia, the main character, getting up and looking through her closet. These first squares show the layout of her room and how her bed, dresser, and closet are all right next to each other. Then when Alicia's friends call her we at first see a split-screen between her and Audrey. In the screenplay, it is written differently but we decided to go a different way where Gen would not enter the split-screen until she starts talking. We thought this change would emphasize the joke she makes and make the characters more memorable since they are not all introduced at once. They end the call and in the storyboard, the screen goes black. In the screenplay, this is not clearly written as it just says the call ends. We decided we should have the screen go black and then transition into the next scene. We thought this would make the next scene more dramatic and that's what we wanted. These girls are supposed to be fashionable and have all the attention on them so we thought the transition from a black screen to this next scene would emphasize that. In this scene, the girls also meet Eric and Willow. These two groups banter back and forth and we decided it should be filmed in a way so that the audience can feel the comebacks. We thought close-ups could accomplish that because then it feels as if the little quips and comebacks are being said directly to the audience. Also, there is a close up that shows Alicia in front making a remark while Gen and Audrey are behind her. This represents the power structure in the friend group with Alicia being on top. We put a lot of thought behind this storyboard and are glad we were able to get a clearer picture of our short film.

Planning Blog for Short Film

 We are planning on beginning the filming process for our short film December 5th. This date may be subject to change, but it is what we are planning on as of right now. We can get all the filming done in a day but if not we can finish December 6th or the following weekend. We have multiple filming locations. The first locations are three bedrooms. These can be filmed at the same time since it is the actor's individual rooms so they can film themselves saying their lines. The second location will be a sidewalk. This sidewalk is located near one of our group member's house. The third location is Dairy Queen located near Fort Lauderdale High School. We have six participants including the group members since we have six roles in our short film. Since Covid-19 is still severely affecting Florida we will try to be as cautious as possible. Most participants don't leave their houses a lot unless for school and none of them go to large social gatherings. The first scene is relatively safe since each actor can film themselves in their own house. The other scenes will still be safe to film since we will most likely be the only ones their and our group is only six people. These locations are also outside in open space so we don't have to be close to each other besides filming. We will also wear masks when not filming. Our props include skateboards, telephones, food, clothes, and backpacks. The costumes will have two opposite aesthetics. The three main friends wear more traditionally feminine clothes consisting of soft pinks, blues, purples, yellows, and greens. While the main groups rivals the "skater" kids wear baggy clothes or jeans consisting of darker colors like black. We are excited to start filming and have high expectations for our film.

Short Film vs. Feature Film

 I’ve watched a short film and a feature film version of 9. The short film was only 7 minutes long while the feature film is an hour and 20 minutes long. Both films had many similarities while being completely different. The films had a similar plot, setting, and characters. One of the biggest contrasts was the dialogue in the feature film. The short film had absolutely no dialogue. In the feature film, it portrayed the different dolls more than the short film did. In the short film, there were only 2-3 different dolls shown while the feature film introduces everyone and their personality. The length of the movie gave more of an opportunity for plot development. For example, in the feature film, it shows how the souls of the dolls were taken and how the dolls were created. In the short film, it's very vague and doesn't explain why or what the ragdolls are trying to do. The feature film also gives more of a background to what happened to the world. While in the short film, the dolls were just placed into the apocalyptic environment with no particular goal or reason. Both films had similar core elements where the dolls were saving the others from the robots and freeing their souls. While I enjoyed both films, I prefer the featured film more. It gave more background to the characters which helps create a connection with the audience. One of my favorite parts in the feature film was when 9 found out that the other dolls are souls from the same scientist. In the end, this information bonded the group together which was really heartwarming to me.

Research 9: Featured Film

 I had to watch the featured film 9. The film is based on the short film 9. The film is an hour and 20 minutes long. The setting looks was an apocalyptic place and damaged from the revolution. The main sound in the film is dialogue, ambient, and incidental music. The plot is revolved around 9 rag dolls. The rag doll, 9, is the last doll built by a human to help save humanity on Earth. When 9 wakes up in the studio, he starts to wander around the place. As he explores the area, he finds one of his friends, 2, however, he was taken by the robot beast shortly after their meeting. Another doll, 5, finds 9 in a struggle and try to take in to care for. In their sanctuary, 9 gets to meet the other dolls. There's the main leader of the group which is 1, he controls and rules what the other dolls to keep them safe. The 8th ragdoll is the biggest and he's the "guard" of the group to make sure they're following 1's commands. 1 explains to 9 what has happened to the world and how they're supposed to be discreet. 9 and 5 start planning their rescue for 2, despite 1's disapproval. They ventured out towards the industrial buildings and found 2 locked up in a cage. When they tried to free him, a robot started to attack them only to be saved by 7. 9 found a device that took the soul of 2 to power the robots. The other three dolls eventually escaped the robot and 7 led them to a library. At the library, they found the twin dolls 3 and 4 to help them find answers to defeat the robots. They eventually found a correlation with the devices that awakened the machines only to find out that doll 6 was studying them. The dolls go back to the church to tell 1 about their new knowledge only for it to cause an argument. They were ambushed by a robot bat creature and had to relocate after the damage. After figuring out that the devices were from humans to create the dolls, 1 started to diminish their ideas which caused the group to drift. 1, 6, and 8 were attacked by the machines and took their soul to power more robots. The other dolls realized that the device with the symbols was what contained their souls and put them into the robot to fuel them. The remaining dolls, 3, 4, 7, and 9 help save the others by removing the piece from the robots. 9 put a sequence into the device which released the souls of the other dolls into the sky to free them. In conclusion, I very much enjoyed the featured film and the journey the ragdolls had to go through.

Research 9: The Short Film

 Today, I'm suppose to research the short film, 9. The film is only 7 minutes long. The setting looks like a futuristic wasteland. This is very similar to the movie WALL-E and how he's the only cleaning robot on Earth which is covered in garbage. The characters look like rag dolls, however, their eyes are the only "human like" characteristic. This reminds me of the movie Coraline and how her parallel universe was the "rag doll" version of herself but her eyes were buttons. There's no dialogue in the film which is interesting.  I like how this can give the audience some freedom when watching the film. The audience can create their own conversations and plot which can be entertaining. It also helps emphasize the characters emotions though their eyes. The main noise is normally ambient or diegetic sounds. There is some score in the film when the robot is fighting with the dolls. The lack of dialogue helps focus more on the ambient noises. This creates a more suspenseful and tense scene. The plot of the story is very intriguing. In the beginning, it shows two of the characters and one of them has a 9 written on the back. They have this glow up device to help connect the characters together throughout their mission. However, there's a giant robot that targets 9's partner. Sadly, they was taken and it looked like the robot had his soul sucked out and into their glowing devices. I'm guessing later on in 9's life, they're reminiscing about their lost crew mate and adventure. Coincidentally, the same robot creature comes back to attack 9. In an intense chase and battle, 9 eventually tricks the robot onto a ledge and makes it fall into a pit. After their attack, 9's devices started glowing. They put the two devices together and it exploding out a bunch of the other cremates and their numbers. 9's original partner, 5, comes out and looks back towards 9 as a sign of their redemption. Overall, I really enjoyed this short film and the redemption that 9 gets back for their friends.