Before collating ideas for the drama I decided to watch and analyse existing productions so I could get a better idea of what makes a successful project.

About a Girl
Directed by Brian Percivil 2004.
During one of my seminars we watched About a Girl.
About a girl went on to win  a BAFTA award for best short film.

I was thoroughly impressed with the drama short. The short shows a young teenage girl who dreams of becoming a successful pop star. The film is set in a northern working class, low income area. The short features a variety of issues and themes such as neglection, poverty, teenage pregnancy, social deprivation  and the obsession with fame and wealth. The film is shot in documentary style, the protagonist is aware of the camera, talking to the spectators through its means. The young girl is talking in a stream of consciousness, spilling out her problems, dreams and desires. The fact she is talking to the camera leaves me feeling perhaps she has no one to talk to about personal issues.
The films title sequence is in the style of  mobile phone text,with the sound to match. This connotates the younger generation and their obsessions with technology.
The opening shot of short shows the protagonist dancing on a hill, the lighting is low key and she is silhouetted. The wind is blowing, the sky is a dull grey this is excellent use of pathetic fallacy as a sinister and quite disturbing moment is to appear at the end of the short.
Throughout the film the young girl divulges many issues and problems surrounding her life. We know her parents have split up and that her Father says shes 'too much hassle'.
We see a tracking shot following the girl on her walk down a Manchester canal, we see recent flashbacks when she is explaining her situations. Cuts to her Mother, Father and friends. Her conversation to the camera seems harmless until the last sequence. 'ive been dead good at hiding things from her since then'- We see her throw what appears to be a plastic carrier bag into the water. The carrier bag unravels and twists in water and the fetus of an unborn baby floats majestically out into the water.
The Director intended to shock the audience by using powerful and disturbing imagery.
I found myself questioning the innocence of the youth of today and also thinking about social deprivation and poverty. Wondering if children who are brought up in the latter situations have got any chance in life?