Becky: Analysis of a short film- ‘Mankind Is No Island’

I decided to study this short film, as I believe it is distinctive, and stood out from the others I looked at, including ‘Signs’. In just 3min 31seconds this short film told an important story and portrayed its message to the audience differently from the others as they did not use verbal communication, they use words found in New York and Sidney, from signs to pictures and objects (signage) they used this to narrate their story. As the director decided to use this method to narrate their story, they had to assure that their target audience would be able to understand the context, and  could keep up with the fast pace, also the viewers must have  high concentration otherwise their message would not be successfully understood by the public, this potentially could reduce the amount of suitable viewers and audience.  

I found this short film on YouTube but it is also available on many other sites including Technorati and VodPod; however it became well known at the Tropfest NY, which is one of the largest short film festivals in the world. This short film, which was created by Jason van Genderen and Shane Emmet, which unusually was shot entirely on a Mobile Phone, appealed to a great number of people and stood out from the other competitors, which made it the winner of  the ‘Best Short Film’ and the ‘Peoples Choice’ awards on  29^th September 2008 at the Tropfest NY.  

This is a short film is about how the world treats homelessness or people in need of help. They are highlighting that a little bit of time and help can make an impact, even if it is a small compliment or helping someone across the road, these helpful things can only take a couple of seconds but can make a big difference. The main message they are trying to portray, is instead of ignoring the less fortunate people who need help, be generous and help them as it can make a bigger difference than you may have previously think. 

  ‘Mankind Is No Island’ is a documentary as it brings ups and shows the ‘truth behind the scenes’, and that there is a different story around every corner.  This documentary is aimed at adults of both genders, as their message is complex and would not be suitable or understood by children or young teenagers. As there is no verbal communication in this short film, it would not be suitable for people who are blind or have poor eyesight, however with today’s technology, a voice player could be available.  

It is clear that this short film isn’t a clip from a mainstream film, as there isn’t a film that I am aware of that has continually used the method ‘signage’ to narrative their story. As well as this, it is shot entirely on a mobile phone which makes it differ from most mainstream films. They had the opportunity of using professional filming equipment, but they wanted to prove that an important message and a successful short film doesn’t have to be costly and can be created by different types of technology/products.