About

 

Genre: Comedy/Drama

Duration: 3:35 + Credits

Production Company: 2AM FILMS

Producer: Rob Watson

Director: Dan Sully

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Plot Summary

 

Two friends sit in a kebab shop in London (Nathan and Beefy). Beefy orders a burger, startling Nathan. Referencing a recent stabbing by a gang further up the road in Clapton, Nathan explains why Beefy would be best cutting the red meat out of his diet. The victim had accordingly "staggered into the very kebab shop they are sitting in", desperately looking for somewhere to hide, pursued by the gang, looking to finish him off. But the gang hadn't thought about the shop's owners, that are portrayed as brutally mysterious

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Conventions

 

This short film is a telling of an urban legend - about this stabbing - which has themes and ideas that will feel familiar to viewers as there may be myths and stories they've been told as well (probably at around the age of our two teenage protagonists), causing their gullibility to take over. The location used of Clapton in London and in particular the typical stereotype of British people in an urban setting of a kebab shop, adds an emphasis to the 'urban' in urban legend. This combination of the myths and chip shop portrays the typical conversations that young people discuss, with them hearing 'rumours' that they feel the urge to tell people. 

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The natural dialogue draws you into the story so, even though you probably know where it is going (considering how the story started), you still go with it and are quite engaged. As with any good story, the sense of realism and detail is important and we see this not only in how Nathan tells it (in a narrator tone) but also in how it plays out. Diegetic and nondiegetic foley sounds have been used to enhance certain effects e.g the deep fat fryer sizzling and the scrape of the knives both have connotations of a chip shop as well as danger in a metaphoric dimension. Sound bridges are often used so that the sounds overlay into the next shot, allowing the short film flows smoothly. The background music as Nathan as narrating is suspense and builds up tension until the flashback is over. When Nathan jokes about the meat being human meat, we cutaway to the kebab worker who is scraping his knives together with his stern facial expressions.  these knives seem o always be in hand or nearby which portrays the threat that these men hold.

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Writer/director Sully does a good job with the dialogue but also with the action, with the film looking good in the darkness and moving into the bright environments of the shop and underpass. This is helped by the transitions and camera shots. A lot of two shots were used in order to give the two main protagonists in the present time (Nathan and Beefy) equal screen time as they both have important roles. The camera regularly tracks gradually around them when in the cippy as well as over the shoulder, shot reverse shots showing that the two characters are in a two-way conversation..With regards to editing, a large flashback has been used to look back on the stabbings last night, with it flashing up on screen several times when being discussed. The main convention of this film that creates the tension during the flashback is the close up on the kebab owners faces. The fact that they have no facial expression as well as combining with a low angle shot is highly intimidating to both the audience and the gang members that were originally looking for trouble but now seem to be backing down.