"Internet Date" - Directed by Lockyear, Joyce and Pearn

Storyline

Internet Date is a modern film presenting the dangers of social network stalking! The film follows the date a  man has with a woman, a woman who he seems to know too much about already. Whilst they're talking, the man cannot help but remember all the details and photos he discovered on her social networking profile, and goes off into a day dream about how perfect she would be for him, leaving him speechless and the woman left in an awkward situation. After staring into space for a while and not speaking, the man realises his date has left.




Narrative

Although being a linear narrative, unlike Archie, the storyline is set continuously in one time frame. A collection of photos taken from the girls social networking profile clog up the man's view of her on the date, climaxing to the screen being full and her leaving.

Enigma Codes

There are a few questions/enigma codes throughout the sequence that allow for the audience to question certain parts throughout, and even after the film:

• Why did he do so much research?
• Why doesn't he speak?
• What happened after the date, did they meet up again?
• Why doesn't the man go after her?
• What put the girl off so much?

Characters

The man is the main character and it's through his eyes that we see the woman. He narrates through a voice over and images appear from his head - ones he's remembered from his dates online profile and ones he's imagined (of them together etc). Through the dialogue, it is obvious to the audience that he thinks this girl ticks all the boxes through what he has learn't all the internet, and many audience members can probably relate to checking through someone's profile page before a date! The audience feel frustrated that by daydreaming he is ruining his date.

The woman spends the vast majority of the film talking, although the audience are unable to hear a lot of what she is saying due to the man's voice over. She spends time talking about her hobbies before asking her date about what he enjoys doing with his time, although is let down when he is too busy daydreaming to respond. The audience feels sorry for her and frustrated that she doesn't stay, knowing that the reason for the man's daydreaming is positive. 

Mise-en-scene

Costume: The costume doesn't really say too much about the characters apart from they are probably of middle class. This gives the audience the impression that they are both suited -the woman in a smart blouse and the man in a collared shirt and suit jacket with neat, parted hair. The online photos of the girl also convey a middle-class feel. Through this, the audience are able to see the romantic potential making the ending more disappointing.

Locations: The location is the same throughout, a nice-looking restaurant. Again, this doesn't really say much about the narrative of characters apart from the fact they both seem to be enjoying a shared environment. The audience receives a larger view of the location at the end, where the man realises his date has left. From this view, the restaurant doesn't look quite as fancy, with missing tiles and messy kitchen utensils - it may be a location of acquired taste. The latter could suggest the man chose the dining location - another factor why the woman may have left ("she probably earns more money than me" - could be a true statement from the man). Having said this, the idea simply acts as an enigma code, for the audience to try to understand if his daydreaming with the only reason she left the date. 

Lighting: The lighting is dim and low-key throughout, with a flickering reflection on the characters faces to show there are candles on the table. This makes the whole scene seem more romantic and as though they are enjoying each others company. For the audience, again, this reinforces their romantic potential, making for a disappointing ending. 

Props: There are no highly influential props used in the sequence although it could be said that the photographs the pop up in the male characters head have the same role. The meaning of the word "prop" is the slang for the term "theatrical property", referring to an object used by actors to further the plot or storyline. Although not a physical object, the without the photographs there would not be that much of a plot line and the ending wouldn't be nearly as dramatic - the photographs are the theme. 

Cinematography

The as with the mise-en-scene, the cinematography is quite simple in Internet Date, this is in order to keep it realistic, particularly due to the fact the vast majority is seen through the eyes of the male character. 

Types: Pretty much all of the shot types featured in the sequence are medium close-up shots. This is due to the conversation taking place throughout the whole duration of the film. The camera is at eye level as a point-of-view shot from the man, showing his date through his eyes. When the camera positions itself back onto the man, this is at more of an angle, and he is seen to be looking away from the camera, simply to show that he is not being viewed as a point-of-view shot on the woman's behalf, placing more focus on the man's point of view on the woman, rather than the other way round. 

Composition: Again, to show that a conversation is being place and that we are seeing everything from the male characters point of view, the characters are placed in the centre of the screen. The long-shot at the end however, shows the man sitting on his own, placed in the background and to one side of the screen to show the mass of space, reinforcing his loneliness. This allows for the audience to sympathise with him.

Movement: The camera is stationary throughout in order to reinforce the conversational feel and to make it seem more realistic - how it would be in the eyes of the male character. 

Editing

Quick cuts: As the film is set in only one time frame, there is no need for fade transitions or anything more than quick cuts. Again, this reinforces the realism of the sequence, and how the characters would see it.

Eyeline match: Eyeline match is used for the audience positioning to be in eyes of the male character. He is seen to be looking off-screen across the table, which is then frequently cut to the girl, who the audiences sees through his eyes. 

Photo pop-ups: The photos popping up throughout the sequence are used as an original prop. The photos open themselves in the same way a file would be opened on the internet, and these are placed all over the screen, fading out again.

Sound

The sound is one really interesting thing in Internet Date. 

Diegetic: Dialogue is the key part of the diegetic sound, with the girl laughing and discussing various hobbies she enjoys, and the man occasionally taking part in the conversation. The fact she does most of the talking shows how much the man is daydreaming about the romantic possibilities between them both. 

Non-Diegetic: This non-diegetic sound comes mostly in the form of a voice-over emitted by the man, which is essentially the voice in his head. Through this he comments on the pictures that come up in his head and tries to piece together her personality and what it would be like to be her boyfriend. As he hears everything she has to say he pieces it with what he's discovered on her online profile - "I work...", "oh god, I bet she got a first here". As well as this, there are "clicking" noises that appear with the photos in order to represent the social network aspect of the story - this keeps the audience intact with the issue - he's Facebook stalked her too much! There are also little quirky ideas like the dogs barking as she laughs (how he seems to be hearing her laugh, thinking about them getting puppies together), as well as the sound of fireworks, cheering and wedding bells increasing in speed as he gets more and more excited with the prospect that "maybe she's the one" - all of this helps to show his excitement, allowing the audience to see how "over the top" it all is. 

Score: The score, of course as non-diegetic sound, only sounds at the end nearing and during the credits, after the man has realised what he has done. Again, this is as quirky as the entire narrative and correlate with how comical the story feels by the end. The internet "click" sounds again as each title appears. 

Titles

Similarly to Archie, the titles are shown at the very end of the film, in order to not distract from any action during the sequence. The titles appear on the same background seen when the woman is speaking, and the films title, plus credits, each pop up to a "clicking" noise. These are in a simple sans-serif font, much like what you would see on the internet.

What have I taken from "Internet Date"?

I really liked the concept of this film, I found it really down-to-earth as a modern topic. There are a few things about the film that I may take into consideration when producing my own:

• I enjoyed the quirky parts such as the dogs barking. Prior to viewing Internet Date I felt that such things could not be done tastefully - but I felt that for this film, they added comedic effect
• The fact the majority of the film was from one characters point of view added realism and made the sequence seem all the more believable
• The voice-over was an easy way for the audience to know what was going on. I really liked the use of it and thought that to made it seem comical