2. ‘What’s Virgin Mean?’ – Future
Shorts
‘What’s Virgin Mean?’ is a short film of the comedy genre, starring
Kate Issit and Rebecca Duffy, portraying a mother and her small
child who are the only characters in this short film.
The film is approximately 2 minutes 30 long, and focuses around
the awkward question of ‘what’s virgin mean?’ asked by the
mother’s daughter, in which the mother attempts to awkwardly
answer.
The plot is something which can relate to both parents and children,
as through growing up children often do ask awkward questions as
they are curious. This therefore, means people will find humour
within this short film as they can relate to it.
3. Film analysis
The film begins with a variety of
close up shots of the mother
cooking, the daughter colouring
(which is an extreme close up)
and of a radio which provides
dietetic sound which the
characters can hear.
This setting creates a warm
homely feeling for the audience,
as they can relate to it, and the
setting of the mum cooking a
home meal suggests she is a
very family orientated, maternal,
loving parent.
The extreme close up of the child
drawing, also draws the
audience into a sense of
childhood and innocence.
4. Film analysis
Further into the scene a two-shot
is used, where we see both the
characters together for this first
time in the setting of the kitchen.
In the kitchen bright lighting is
used, which is a convention of
the comedy genre to keep a
bright mood, as opposed to dark
lighting for an eerie background
which would be used within a
horror or the thriller genre.
5. Film analysis
The scene opens with the mother
and the daughter in the kitchen,
presumably spending quality
time with each other.
The warm, soft diegetic music
coming from the radio creates a
warm homely atmosphere which
the audience can relate to.
The calm atmosphere is then
disrupted by the outburst of an
awkward question from the
daughter, ‘what’s virgin mean?’.
The background music then
begins to fade out, which leaves
the audience with an awkward
silence in which the mother has
to fill by trying to tackle her
child’s awkward question.
6. Film analysis
The question the child asks is not a typical question you would expect a
small child to ask, which leaves the audience feeling as awkward an
embarrassed as the mother does.
However, the awkward question draws upon the comedy genre and is
humours for the audience, as we’re left wondering how the mother could
quite possibly tackle this awkward situation.
The music fading out, adds to the awkwardness which therefore, adds to
the comedy.
As the mother begins to answer the question, non-diegetic background
music then begins which is quite fast paced.
The music is fast paced, so it can help the dialogue can flow as the
mother tries to explain what having sexual intercourse means to the small
child, and also how babies are made.
7. Film analysis
Throughout the rest of the film,
many two shots are used in order
to show their relationship with
each other.
Close-up's are also used to show
the mothers facial expressions
when trying to answer the
daughters question.
The mother also awkwardly plays
with the prop of the green
vegetables in this two-shot, as
she has no idea how to answer
the question. This further adds to
the humour of the situation.
8. Film analysis
Symbolism is also used within
the short film.
When the mother is trying to
explain what making a baby
involves, she is holding a
courgette which could be seen
as sexual symbolism, and
therefore, only adults would
understand this subtle gesture,
therefore, making it more
humorous to them.
Another sexual symbol is when
she is whisking a mixture in a
bowl and is getting carried away
by explaining how making babies
works. Again, as this is a sexual
symbol only the adult audience
would understand this reference.
This is known as iconography.
9. Film analysis
As the mother further tries to
explain the process of how babies
are made, she gets carried away
with what she is talking about and
gets caught up in the moment.
We start to hear non-diegetic
music to represent this, which is
fast and up tempo which relates to
her emotions, which is quite
humorous to the audience.
This light-hearted witty music fits in
with the comedy genre, and is a
typical convention of the comedy
genre.
As the mother is getting caught up
in the moment of her explanation,
the director cuts to a scene of the
daughter looking blank and
perplexed as she can’t grasp at
what her mother is trying to get at.
10. Film analysis
The audience are then
introduced to a twist towards the
end of the film; the mother has
answered the complete wrong
question which is the real
humour.
The daughter looks at the virgin
oil bottle, which reveals to the
audience that the daughters
actual question was asking what
‘extra virgin’ meant in terms of
olive oil. This is the highlight of
the whole film and leaves the
audience laughing and on a
positive note.
11. Film analysis
The final shot is of the mother
slowly turning around in disbelief
after what she has just heard.
The director has purposefully
used a high angle shot, so that to
the audience it looks like the shot
is from the daughters
perspective, adding a sense of
innocence as the angle is quite
low as the daughter is quite
small.
The music now has also
changed to a more up beat
tempo music, which is very fitting
of the comedy genre.
12. Film analysis
After the mother turns around,
the film then ends and the
audience are shown the ending
credits and the main film title as
we wasn’t shown it in the
beginning.
The style and font of the title is
as it has been written by a child,
which further adds to the comedy
genre.
