Whilst I liked the idea of using toast as an image for the poster it felt to obvious. The title toast is in itself mysterious, but only because the film is about a teenage girl dealing with school, so if there was toast on the poster it might make the potential audience think that the film is actually about toast, making them loose interest.
I couldn't use the actual image of Amelia on the floor as this would reveal the
ending of the film, so instead i looked at images showing Amelia's desperation or depression earlier in the film for inspiration.
For my final design i decided that the best way to go was to focus on Amelia, but to make the situation she was in unclear, as this would further add to the mystery of the title "Toast". I first experimented with stills from the film, editing them changing the colour saturation, exposure and contrast to try and capture the films mood. However stills i used from the beginning of the film didn't have enough emotion, and stills from the end, had to much, completely revealing the story. I decided to take a photo of the actress so i could decide how much would be revealed through her expression. I decided to have the actress curled up on the bed on top of covers and other objects. The use of covers and objects was to make the image look busy, reflecting Amelia's life. Amelia being curled up on the bed again showed her fragile state of mind, crumbling under the pressure of school work. I edited the picture, decreasing the pictures definition, shadows and sharpness, creating a hopeless and lifeless atmosphere. I then used an effect called vignette, this portrayed how Amelia's life was overwhelming her.
We researched ways in which films are examined and reviewed by professional film critics. We researched what they look for and how they praise or condemn a film. I studied Empire magazine film reviews, made note of the techniques and writing style then produced my own version of a Empire review about our own short film Toast.
Who wants Toast?
“Toast” is a short film about the life of Amelia (Charlotte Baker), a middle class, intelligent, school girl, struggling with the pressure of academic life. Her ultimate goal of getting straight A’s and going to a prestigious university is always faced with new obstacles that she must deal with, whether its an overdose of school work, an attentive boy friend, or going out with friends. This overload of responsibilities concludes the film in a perhaps surprising but satisfying way.
Toast is a breath of fresh air in the otherwise suffocating fog of teen pregnancies, drug abuse and suicides that surrounds the dramatic teen genre. Toast is not some loud obnoxious teenager trying to prove that its some depressed, intellectual, emo that adult kind wont be able to understand or control. Toast instead is more like reading a teenagers diary, there is no front, no attitude, no armour, but instead the naked truth about a intelligent student and dealing with the stress that comes with it.
This is newcomer director Grace Davis' first project, and whilst at times this does show through (probably not helped by the fact that "Toast" has a little to no budget, it is more than made up for through its creative camera work, revealing lighting, and detailed miss en scene. This is also the first project for actress Charlotte Backer. Baker is definitely one to keep your eye on, after seeing her in online interviews it is clear she has the look and style to be the next big hollywood starlet, but unlike most who can fall into this category Backer has talent that could make her last in the business. Ultimately Toast is a must see for anyone who appreciates an intelligent, insightful, underfunded film.
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