Initial Research into Short Films - Olive

Representation:

In 'Olive' the female character is shown to be glamorous but also extremely selfish. 

A common stereotype of wealthy people is that they are 'snobby' and disapprove of anybody below them - they are very much concerned with social hierarchy. 

This stereotype is very apparent in this this short film as we can connote that the female has seen a way into getting what she wants - which the audience can assume is some sort of inheritance. She is portrayed very negatively through her body language and facial expression:

• A medium close up shows her fiddling with her rings behind her back upon approaching her partner, implying that she is hesitant on whether she genuinely wants to be with him or if she is just in it for the money. 
• At first when the male character begins to choke on the olive, she stands in a hurry, looking concerned, however after realising the situation, she begins to stand back and return to sitting. This shows the women to be depraved as she has seen a route to get what she wants but in a very evil way..
• We are positioned to feel empathy for the man as whilst he is choking, the women who he loves merely sits there watching until finally deciding to give him a kick with her shoe. She continues to sit in a casual way when she swings her leg from under the table showing that she isn't bothered as she barely makes an effort. 

Narrative:
Within this social group there is still a binary opposition between the two characters. 

Binary oppositions were proposed by Clause Levi-Strauss. Although both are rich and live within the same household, we can see that the male is the better natured of the two. After she prevents him from dying, a close up is used to allow the viewer to see his look of sadness and disappointment which suggests how he loves her and is disheartened by her reaction. 

On the other hand, the women does not show much emotion - medium close ups show her almost blank expression. 

here is a prezzi presentation on binary oppositions!