Simon Ellis

Simon Elllis began his career as a black and white photographer at aged 16 studying still photography, he then began to pursue a career in film after graduating. Ellis had helped on fellow students projects as a camera operator and became interested in the making of films.

Ellis began to write his own short scripts and started working as a volunteer at the now-defunct Intermedia Film and Video in Nottingham, providing access to camera and editing facilities. He also freelanced story boards and graphic design.

 Ellis received numerous international film festival awards for his film work- from music videos (The petebox) to full length feature films.

His most famous works are Telling Lies (2000) and Soft (2007) both have been featured on the Cinema 16 DVD collections.

Wasp vs. Fish Tank

Wasp and Fish tank

Andrea Arnold was the director and writer for both Wasp and Fish Tank. She grew up on an estate much like both our protagonists so she has a very deep understanding of how tough that life was bringing a realistic level of emotion to the film.

Both Wasp and Fish tank have the same theme of social realism as a focus point. Wasp looks at the social realism of a mother struggling with money and feeding her children while Fish tanks’ looks at the story of a teenager called Mia’s view trying to break out of her miserable life in her social placement.

Both films have the theme of helplessness and desperation in them. Wasp the mother-our protagonist- Cannot look after her children properly and is struggling to get money while being threatened with child protection from another mother whom she got into a fight with. Our protagonist is often displayed as powerless in these situations- she cannot win in a physical fight and she cannot win when having an argument.

Both films are part of the social realism genre provoking empathy in the audience when they see how others have it much worse than them.

Sony Corporation

Telling Lies vs. Soft

Hannah Gowdy

Telling lies vs. Soft

Simon Ellis

Telling lies and Soft are both short films directed by Simon Ellis, Telling lies was filmed in 2000 and Soft 2006 both were film in England.

Although both Telling lies and Soft have a theme of relationships- telling lies being more obvious- Telling lies is looking at the relationships of the protagonist (Phillip) has with his Mum, Ex-Girlfriend, Friend and an older woman he has had a short affair with. On the screen as the characters talk is what they really mean behind their lies so we find out that Phillip’s friend has slept with his ex and is planning to do so again and we find out that Phillip has been cheating on an older and richer woman who wants nothing more than a one off. The use of the words on screen gives a dynamic to each person’s relationship to each other with the size of their writing, how it is typed and so forth.

Soft looks at the fragile relationship of the father and son in the story but it also looks at the theme of fear and confrontation as the father encounters a group of youths that terrorise both him and his son as the audience watches the film it is obvious that the father has problems with confrontation. Soft is set in a middle class street giving the film an edgy and raw feel as what people do in fear.

Both short films have a tense atmosphere and feel about them as they play on the audiences emotions and senses- having very little non diegetic music so the audience is on an edge.