A Snapchat story

by Amar Patel in , ,


It's not my go-to app but occasionally someone does something interesting with Snapchat. There is editor Yusuf Omar and his mobile team at the Hindustan Times, for example. They have covertly reported on the drugs problem in Punjab and discreetly given voice to sexual abuse victims. But student Trim Lamba's short film Cracked Screen has taken the social media tool into a whole new realm.

Chantelle Levene stars as a regular young woman sharing her everyday life with followers on Snapchat. She goes to the gym, goofs around with friends, dances in her bedroom to the likes of Nadia Rose and airs her frustrations about job hunting, among other filter-enhanced moments. When she suffers a horrific attack, the story becomes quite gripping … and disturbing.

Having read the synopsis, you expect the worst and wait for the shocking act. As Short of the Week's Chelsea Lupkin points out, "You’ll experience empathy for her injuries, the betrayal she feels by her followers, and a creeping guilt at being a voyeuristic spectator in her undoing." For me, it's the reactions of others, played out through her reactions on Snapchat, that are most affecting. How things can quickly turn nasty, and friend becomes foe. Her see-sawing emotions as the victim becomes increasingly insecure, unraveling in a series of images and messages.

lamba_cracked_screen_Snapchat
cracked_screen_snapchat_lamba

Good news travels fast but bad news is almost instant. In the intemperate and often disheartening world of social media, people frequently bypass compassion and empathy, taking pleasure in the misfortune of others. And they love to gang up on those under fire. It's the mob mentality that Jon Ronson wrote about so poignantly in his book So You've Been Publicly Shamed

The title Cracked Screen acknowledges the obsession with image and the power of myth-making in the age of social media. When that image is tarnished or shattered, what then? Where does that leave us? This is a bold and exciting use of the medium. Snapchat, an in-the-hand experience, definitely makes the narrative feel more intimate. And real. Chantelle's character could be your friend. You feel complicit.

The composite narrative – a sequence of moving image, stills, captions and doodles – adds tension and mystery to the story, not least because we only see the victim's reactions. The viewer's imagination then goes to work. Trim Lamba and his team have done a great job on this. It's exciting new ground for filmmaking and, as she says, challenges our conception of what we deem 'cinematic' — an idea that should intrigue and propel us all".



Amar Patel

Digging in the archive: ITN Source Competition

by Amar Patel in


The other night I was having a chat with a friend of mine about filmmaking and editing. We are both determined to get busy behind the camera this year but, in fairness, I'm the one that needs to pull up his socks.

My script writing for branded short films is developing nicely but it's been a while since I last said, "Cut!" on my own set. I am currently scheming with my good friend Paul Reson, who is a talented editor and director, so we may collaborate on a few documentary projects this year.

Of course, there are myriad technical skills to acquire if you want to be a professional filmmaker but one of the most crucial is editing. Even if a producer/director works with an editor, it's only going to be a fruitful collaboration if he/she has a good understanding of the edit and shoots accordingly. Being an experienced editor can even make you a better director.

There are two main options for software, apart from Avid. Many seasoned filmmakers still swear by Final Cut, while others find Adobe Premiere more manageable. I tried the latter last year for the first time when entering the ITN Source Short Film Competition. It was great fun to root around their gargantuan archive, and quite a challenge to stay focused on task. Thankfully, selecting, chopping and changing were simple tasks with Premiere. (It still went down to the wire on deadline day.)

I needed to pick a theme and then try to convey the corresponding mood within 60 seconds. It's often said that a film is made in the edit. As I started working with all the clips in my bin, I quickly realised how influential editors can be in constructing a narrative, particularly on a shorter piece. The impact of quick cuts to add tempo or a pause to heighten suspense, putting the right sounds to a sequence to project a certain mood… 

Unfortunately I wasn't shortlisted but I'm grateful for the opportunity to learn a new skill with the support of ITN Source and Audio Network. Hopefully, they will run the competition again this year. If so, definitely give it a go; especially if you're a beginner. Experiment, play, let your imagination run wild. Even greats like Kubrick and Herzog had to start somewhere.

Here is my entry. Can you guess what the theme is?

Music: Audio Network
Stonk (Chris Blackwell)
Chase (Evelyn Glennie)
Batucada (Neil Clarvis)



Amar Patel