Roses are Red - Dean Atkinson

'Roses are Red' is a short film by Dean Atkinson. The film is about a young photographer whos girlfriend died in a traffic accident. He thinks he sees her around the city and tries to photograph her, but in the final images she isn't there.

Sound
The non diegetic music is in minor key. It is repeatative and can be easy recognised and stuck in your mind. The instruments in the music is just a piano, and this is used frequently in songs to play with emotions. The music is played repeativly throughout the film. This could present the idea of repeating the situation, things playing on your mind and how certian events can not be forgotten. The music gets louder in certian places and quieter in others. For example, when the man thinks he sees his girlfriend, the music gets quieter.
A voice over is used twice in the film. He says 'a picture can tell a thousand words' this is said when the audience are not completly sure of the plot and are not fully aware of who the characters are. The second time he says 'a picture tells a thousnad words, or sometimes 3'. This is supported by a radio announcement which reveals the plot to us. I wasn't sure were the radio annoucement came from because on screen the character doesn't turn on a radio or a television. I thought that it could be that he is replaying the announcement; reinforcing the idea that the event wasn't forgotten.

Editing
There is a fade when it seems as if time passes and this could reinforce the fact that her life has ended or faded away. When the young man picked up the flower the girl dropped the camera blurred. This could be associated with tear filled eyes and sadness. This gives us a clue to the plot as we are not completly sure who the characters are. The red flower in the blur still stands out because of the bright colour, it is enough so we can see what it is, but this is something we can all relate to on a personal level as we all have seen something that has made us feel emotional. There is a scene in the film, where there is a shot of the girl but this has been edited in slow motion. This could present the idea of a life ending and fading away, also the idea that even though he is running to catch up with her, he still can not reach her and this links to the idea that she is unreachable.

Mise en Scene
There is a red flower in the girls hair which she drops on the floor. Red is associated with love and the rose is aswell. This prop is also very significant as it seems to link the 2 characters together. Also, the girl's name was Rose and this flower is very significant to her and the young man. The girl wears pale feminine colours and this represents purity and innocence. This links to the idea that her life was needlessly taken away. The weather in the film was fairly overcast and grey. This helps represent the mans emotions and also adds to the overall message of the film, and it is fairly sad.

Camera Work
There is a close up on the rose and this makes the object significant. This object also represents love and this links to the plot of the film. There is a shot of the girl through the water fountian, it looks as if she is standing in the rain and this represents sadness and loss, also it could represent a barrier between them and the idea she is unreachable. There are tracking shots of the young man, this could symbolise a journey and connote that it will be a long and difficult journey to come to terms with her death.