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Film Review

Review and critique at least one short film production

‘Shiny’ by Paul Halbrook (2021 UK)

As part of the process we were very fortunate to be shown Paul Halbrook’s ‘Shiny’ before its release; the story of two creative but impressionable kids on a council estate as they hatch a plan to purchase their first packet of cigarettes, whilst clinging on to their prized possession; an impossible-to-get shiny gold football sticker.

I found the film both entertaining and moving. It is a film that encourages us to be ourselves in the best possible way, embracing who we are and in turn, loving others for who they are. I found the film uplifting and its ‘everyday comedy’ style fitted its message very well.

Music was used creatively to create a soundscape that immersed the audience in the piece not just of sounds, but of songs that have the audience an idea of the ‘culture’ of the place and surroundings.

Lots of different camera angles were used to give the audience lots of different perspectives and through this I certainly felt very involved in the lives of the characters, their hopes, struggles and triumphs. The film was edited in a naturalistic way to make the audience feel as if they were viewing real life and I certainly found this very effective.

Being a young adult myself, I believe I was part of the target audience, but I believe that the film would be equally aimed at ‘teenagers’ or adults of any age.

Overall, I was very encouraged by the positive message of the film. I thought it was engaging and thought provoking, but also entertaining. The issues brought up in the piece provided interesting food for thought and I have had interesting and uplifting discussions with other members of the team after seeing it.

I would very much recommend this piece to anyone.

Comments

  1. Clare Leczycki

    Hi Dan,

    This is a page of notes rather than a film review, went through how to write a film review when we did the film critique session on opening weekend (which you have also not written about – I flagged this in the group email).

    Here is the link to the folder from opening weekend with top tips on how to write a review:

    https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1ZCNzdUk-wEOXQQS5nKTKpWsZtN0x7qzT

    You would need to re-do this to bring it up to a pass.

  2. Clare Leczycki

    Hi Dan,

    You have now made this into a more cohesive review with some nice observations on the style and themes. It is lacking in detail but you have engaged in some level of criticism and written it in a review style – well done.

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