Drama Film Analysis: Pudding Bowl

NOTES ON STORY DEVELOPMENT- KEY EVENTS - plot developments CHARACTER ESTABLISHMENT & DEVELOPMENT NARRATIVE ARC

PICTURE – SHOT DESCRIPTION MOVEMENT LIGHTING COMPOSITION/FRAMING MISE-EN-SCENE ELEMENTS

SOUND DESIGN CREATIVE APPROACH DIGETIC NON- DIGETIC NOTES ON DIALOGUE

Pudding Bowl 

Pudding Bowl from Vanessa Caswill on Vimeo.

The key events of the plot features a Wes Anderson style sort of character. Anderson focuses on similar subject matter as Caswill, much like the awkward children in Moonrise Kingdom (2012). The film opens with a naive chubby girl with glasses cutting out models from magazines. It conforms to generic codes of conventions, a chronological narrative integrated with dream sequences that have implications of her being older in the future or it could be the imagination of the little girl. In this case, according to Vanessa's synopsis:
"The charming tale of a young girl’s triumph of imagination over the oppressive injustices of childhood."
Todorov's narrative structure:

I did some research on Google and found that there are 5 steps in order to achieve Todorov's narrative structure and I will write down each moment that apply to 'Pudding Bowl' along with analysing the pictures and sound:
1) A state of equilibrium: 00:33

The little girl is cutting out a pictures of models and women in a few magazines. A woman with red lips with long black hair is especially focused in a close-up shot of scissors cutting.
Minimal sounds of objects used, scissor diegetic sounds.
The colour palette/filter is a sort of vintage look, a lot of dark greens, hint of yellow, it enhances the pale skin and dark hair.
An artistic vibe, experimental yet comforting, very much like Wes Anderson films, except with the fact that he uses more yellows, an example of this would be Darjeeling Limited (2007) with Adrian Brody running for his train:

Moonrise Kingdom (2012) with Anderson's yellow colour pallette:

Almost like the simpsons, but not quite.
In Pudding Bowl, the closest to yellows used is possibly towards the end:

05:56You can faintly see the sky being turquoise, turquoise is not a normal colour for the sky, a yellow tinge/ dark green is applied in the image. I know this because I edit a lot on Photoshop CS4 and also work freelance in editing people's pictures for some cash. Turquoise is one of my favourite colours when editing the sky or water. The editing is slightly blurred with light to establish a dream sequence.

I just had a revelation, I'm an artist and I've searched the role of the 'Colourist' and I have to agree that colour palettes are important if you want to create a mood and to look more professional:
"Choosing the colour palette for your film will make it look much more professional. The colour palette or color scheme is the collection of colours which are used in your video to add interest to it. This is one of the biggest differences between professional and amateur films. By choosing the color palette carefully, it will be much easier to make sure that your film looks as good as it possibly can.
Learning about colour palettes can be very complicated because it's more of an art than an exact science. "
The role of the colourist

"Colourists should understand the psychological effect of colours, in order to enhance the narrative of each production. "

It's an extra skill I have which is self-learnt from experience, by editing loads of images on Photoshop for about 8 years now. Although I think it's a small role, I still aim to be an art director / director/ screenwriter / editor / sound designer.

2) A disruption of equilibrium by some action: 01:56

02:52

Her brother pours some thick white glue on her hair. I like 01:56 shot because the dark greens bring out the vivid crimson.
The sound design is very violent during 02:42-03:00. 18 seconds of violent violins (?) to convey the irrational anger of her mother.

3) Recognition there has been a disruption:
She realises her brother put thick glue in her hair.

02:21

03:15: A high angle shot to convey vulnerability

The little girl is frustrated that now she has short pudding bowl hair.

4) Attempts to restore the equilibrium
When the girl takes off her glasses, it's cut to a blurred P.O.V shot to convey her bad eyesight. Which is later emphasised when she takes her brings her glasses up infront of the shot, blurred around the corners except where the glasses frame is at:

04:44

Shot 04:44 connects to shot 05:09 of the blurred vision, POV of the little girl when she's not wearing glasses

04:46: She tries to recover from her family's oppression by wearing black tights on her hair, it represents black hair like the girl in the magazine

5) A reinstatement of equilibrium

05:25

05:56

Acoustic sounds start appearing in the sound design when the 'triumph' scene is happening when she imagines she's a woman with luscious long brown hair, much like the woman in the magazine, the one that she cut out at the beginning. Connecting the black tights with the brown hair she lost and wearing the same red polka dotted dress. It also shows that she is imagining the guys chasing after her with flowers.
Sound design:
Very minimal (diegetic sounds) throughout the whole film
Non-diegetic intrumental sounds happen at:
The disruption scene, when the mother cuts the little girl's hair.
The 'Equilibrium' scene when she is on the bicycle chased by her brother and her friends.

The plot is irrational and dream-like but it works.