Someone Else (2020) Conventions, Tropes, Cliches

Someone Else is 5 minute 45 second drama/romance short film released in 2020 by Cormac Duff. The story follows two ex-lovers arguing as they must "put aside their differences to save a West End opening night."

From a story writing perspective Someone Else contained many of the the conventions, tropes, and cliches of a melodrama; a story of strong emotions, etc. Due to its attempts to create a highly emotional story, the content and quality of the story itself lacked. It was far too vague, just attempting to coney strong emotions. From a cinematography perspective however, this film was well shot. Below are the different conventions, tropes, and cliches that were present in the film.

Conventions:

• Expressionistic lighting
• Symbolic color usage 
• Close-ups for emphasis
• Dramatic/unconventional angles

Cliches:

• Lens flare for romance

Tropes:

• Glances to convey unspoken emotion

(1)

(2) When comparing picture 1 to picture 2 we see a clear difference in color. When the man speaks and talks about their prior romantic relationship he clearly still loves her so the colors are extremely saturated to represent his strong, romantic feelings. However, when the woman speaks her lack of reciprocated feelings is demonstrated by dull, desaturated colors. The usage of color to represent emotions was clear and very well done. Additionally, expressionist lighting was employed throughout as well for similar reasons symbolic color usage was employed.

As the two main characters discuss their former romantic relationship there is a lens flare due to stage light. The cinematographer frequently used lens flares throughout in order to emphasize the emotions of the scenes.

Close-ups - often with glances to convey unspoken emotion - were thoughtfully employed to place emphasis on the emotions of the characters. The effectiveness of this partially relies on the skill of the actor, but knowing when not to use dialogue and convey emotion almost solely through a shot is a collaborative art between the cinematographer and the director (and whoever else is writing the story/script). In a genre that relies so much on emotion, effective and thoughtful employment of these things is vital.

Conventions, Cliches, and Tropes of a Melodrama - Cinematography

As stated in my previous post, melodramas are typically highly emotional stories which prioritize emotion over character/story depth, and usually does so through highly emotional dialogue. Despite typically being dialogue heavy, cinematography is an important element of the way emotions are conveyed as well - especially when there isn't any dialogue. 

In order to more fully understand melodramas we must understand the conventions, cliches, and tropes that define the genre itself.

Conventions:

• Expressionistic lighting
• Symbolic color usage 
• Close-ups for emphasis
• Dramatic/unconventional angles

Cliches:

• Using weather to demonstrate or foreshadow events/emotions
• Lens flare for romance
• Sunset (silhouette)
• Slow motion

Tropes:

• Soft focus for for flashbacks/emotional moments
• Mirror reflection
• Glances to convey unspoken emotion

The issue in distinguishing cliches from tropes is that the two are left up for individual interpretation, and are not objective truths. As such, I separated the two based on my research of the genre as well as what I've seen/believe to work best. Though slow motion can be done extremely tastefully, it is often over-used and extends scenes beyond a comfortable length, causing the audiences to become disengaged. Lens flares and weather are also extremely over-used as well, hence why I deem them cliches and don't want to include them later once I begin filming.

This is an example of lens flare being used for emotional emphasis. It is extremely cliche and overused as I mentioned previously.

Having a softer focus for flashbacks is something I intend on frequently including as there are multiple flashbacks throughout the story. One of the ways in which I learned this look could be achieved is by placing a light coat of vaseline on a UV filter and then placing it on a lens - something I will test in the future. Additionally, I have plans of including a shot in which the main character looks at herself in the mirror as much of the movie's message one will be about self-reflection - hence being represented by a mirror.