Influences - FIFTEEN

For the production of this film I had a lot of different influences from different films.

One of the main influences for this piece would be Gus Van Sant's 2003 film Elephant. This is because a lot of the shots are tracking shots, where the camera follows the character and then moves onto the next one as they pass in the hall. This is a really good way to keep the pace of the film light and mysterious, as it lets the audience feel like they are walking around the school with the students, therefore they are kept in the dark about what is happening just like the characters.

Still from Gus Van Sant's Elephant

This is something that I wanted to incorporate in to Fifteen as I also wanted to create this sense of mystery within the film.

Another film that I took a lot of influence from would be Michael Haneke's Cache (Hidden) as a lot of the shots used in this film are very long and slow, this is another way of keeping the audience in suspense as they are waiting for something to happen, even if they are unsure of what they are waiting for.

Still from Michel Haneke's Cache (Hidden)

Andrea Arnold's Fish Tank is another strong influence for the cinematography in this film as the shots are very suggestive in the way that they imply that there is a relationship forming between the young girl and her mother's boyfriend, when actually it is all in the girl's head.

Still from Andrea Arnold's Fish Tank

This is a strong influence for me as the story line is similar to that of Fifteen, where the young female character is imagining a relationship forming between herself and a older man. The only difference is that in Fifteen, these feelings are reciprocated.

I wanted to use the cinematography in this film as an inspiration for Fifteen because the shots are used to help create this relationship in the audience's mind, much like that of the character's, therefore the viewer is left feeling like they are unsure of how the male character is feeling in response to the young girl's actions/feelings.