Right, so this week we touched on Non Verbal Communication….
so what better way to reflect that then silent videos.
I am an absolute television freak so I’ve been noticing that The Hallmark Channel airs short clips between shows.
Some are silent clips and some have dialogue but all of them are under 3 mins.
I have taken note of a few of them and decided to post up ‘Lullaby’, it’s actually one of the more recent and favorite ones of mine.It is one of Tropfest finalist 2003 and directed by Pat Stevens.
Here’s what the video is about but of course watching it is a lot better.
“Lullaby begins one morning when an elderly man in his 80s waking up next to his wife. He turns to look at her and gently strokes her face but can see that she has passed away some time in the night.
He gets up from bed and goes about his daily morning routines. Brushing up, making breakfast and taking in the newspaper. All this while he looks normal and as if everything was normal but he finally goes back into the bedroom and puts on his best suit and takes out his wife’s dress and lays it down on her and he does so he lifts it up to his nose and takes in a deep breathe. At that moment, the realization of losing his wife dawns upon him and he breaks down. He then lays next to her and closes his eyes.”
*edited (thanks ash!)
If any of you have the hallmark channel and have the chance to watch those silent clips between shows, some of them are not bad.
-
’SIGNS’
‘SIGNS’ is a simple short film about communication.
Created by Publicis Mojo and @RadicalMedia
Director: Patrick Hughes
It is also one of the 2009 Cannes Lions winners.
Well…. the video is speaks for itself….
I just love this short film…
it’s a total romantic…
Body language, facial expressions, it’s all there…. who needs vocal cords….
-The eyes are the windows to the soul-
September 24, 2009 at 3:17 pm |
lullaby: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMLv7hyjBa0
September 26, 2009 at 3:35 pm |
Life is tat precious. Each and every day light we see each day is a gift that we should appreciate. Regardless of whether we positive or negative about life, amidst tis, we will face ups and dwns and particularly for a person who is negative about life, amidst the sadness and all blues faced, there are little moments of happiness which we are or will be thankful for.
So taking each day as it is, appreciating it, will at least give us no regrets when we leave. This will include spending time with our love ones. At least wen they leave us, the hurt, the sorrow the regret wouldnt be as haunting as not doin anything at all.
September 29, 2009 at 2:20 pm |
I don’t like silent films… They make me sleepy…
Lullaby
I guess… all i have to say is that… I wonder why when they show these kinda dramatic stuff like in lullaby the guy always lives longer while statistically women live longer than men. I think it’s something to do with the fact that men have a higher tendency to take the things around them for granted as compared to women. Which makes it more saddening perhaps? I know everyone will be talking about how saddening and all that this was meant to depict but i prefer questioning weirder things. Like the fact that his toast was burnt maybe she made breakfast for him every morning.
Signs
Well… The first thing that comes to mind for me is the statement, “being alone in a crowded room”. If anyone has ever heard of that before. Small events become significant in a not so significant existence which is how their love evolved I’m guessing.
Not so good with artsy fartsy stuff. Alicia placed me under duress. HAHA
P.S. How come ashika gets off scott free just leaving a link! THAT’S NOT COOL
September 29, 2009 at 3:39 pm |
Lullaby made me cry so much! i believe everyone will experience a kind of death at one point or another, be it of a loved one, pet or even a breakup can feel like a death. the video definitely hit close to home and it managed to convey the emotions realistically. it made such a great impact without any dialogue. All in all, it was a good use of body language and facial expressions.
September 29, 2009 at 4:17 pm |
shaun – of all the things for you to say…. u talk about the toast…???? actually…. meh…. it’s you,I shouldn’t be surprised. As true as it is, that women live longer than men…. I don’t wanna live toooo long…
ehh…. as for ash? meh, i like her better….. wahahahahaha…….
actually, it’s cause right now all her comments would only say ‘Kame’. Yup, I’m talking about KAT-TUN’s Kame…. pls, don’t ask,,,
September 29, 2009 at 4:18 pm |
vans – I ALMOST cried….. hahahahaha…… I’m TRYING!! The emotions are just not cooperating…
September 29, 2009 at 5:48 pm |
lullaby:
I NOTICED THE TOAST TOO.
im not too sure if im choking back on tears because of the fact that the lead actor gramps lost his love, or that he was left behind and alone. im torn between the more depressing situation to be caught in; to lose something you always had, as opposed to being abandoned. he losing her to death was beyond him or anyone for that matter, so that being the circumstance is less to fault on, whereas she leaving without accounting to him (routines) felt unfair in a self-centered perspective.
what sucks most, is that he is nothing without her.
he cannot function without her guide, he cannot eat without her presence, he does not do routines the way he does without the familiarity that she would be around. living in denial for the initial moments before succumbing to defeat that he is incomplete is the most crushing take-away for me.
signs:
the lack of technology to communicate felt like sign language despite the use of paper. this could be apparently due to the reliability we (i speak for everyone!) have on technology to convey message and eliminate loneliness.
the little injection of communication in the lead’s mundane life, spurs many familiar occasions when something unexpected happens expectedly and snowballs into a emotion you cannot ignore, yet cannot live with. you expect everything to work out fine, yet there’s fear that we’re mere puppets in life’s stage play so you take baby steps, which comes too late sometimes.
i suppose its better to not have expectations, than to have and get disappointed. if something good happens in your day, you should soak up the moment and leave it as that.
people leave, its on the list of ‘expectations you are allowed to have without disappointment’.
September 29, 2009 at 5:49 pm |
my god i typed compo.
September 29, 2009 at 6:11 pm |
yeah i was thinking about the toast too, and the way he took it so calmly at first. but by the end of the video the toast didn’t matter anymore. when you lose someone you love you think about why that person died, was there suffering? seeing how sad he was, was heartbreaking. i guess the emotions do kick in only later on.
September 30, 2009 at 10:51 am |
Ok…finally got to watch the videos.
In ‘Lullaby’, I don’t agree that the reality of him losing his wife only sank in at the end when he takes out the clothes and smells them. I think that reality and realization dawned on him after breakfast and he had his half burnt toast. I think going through the motions of the day gave him time to think about what to do about it. But the end was a bit…strange…does that mean he dies as well? But dressing up and lying beside her doesn’t mean his heart will stop beating and he’ll die upon request and by sheer motivation!
I guess that’s the beauty of films without verbal communication, there are different ways to see things. But then again, communicating with just body language is dangerous too because it depends on how the recipient interprets the body language. It’s a 2 way thing. It could go terribly wrong as well.
On a more superficial note, the guy in ‘Signs’ is a complete loser. Procrastinates too much. He hesitates from asking her out because…shy? I mean, what has he got to lose if she says no? He loses…face? Pride? What pride when his life was so monotonous and obviously meaningless even to himself?! Maybe disappointment?
Anyhow, the acting is pretty good!
October 1, 2009 at 4:42 am |
hahaha….. the toast was a passing thought for me…. I was wondering more of… ‘when’s he gonna call the coroner?’
October 2, 2009 at 3:51 am |
bloody hell alicia. coroner.
October 2, 2009 at 10:41 am |
hahaha….. what…. i mean it makes sense… no??? i mean was he thinking of keeping her there for like…. a long time? was he ever going to call the coroner? ahh…. it’s me… r u surprised something so morbid came out from me? no right…
October 22, 2009 at 6:47 am |
I LOVE THE VIDEO !
And i agree, like what you said, the video speaks for itself. I really like “silent films” because usually they have a strong storyline or a meaningful one behind them. It helps people feel more positive of things…
October 22, 2009 at 6:49 am |
oh, i was referring to the video “Signs” by the way ^^