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Schoolyard Justice - A short film by Rodney Twelftree

#1
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7/1/08 at 12:36pm
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images_syjposter.jpg

Rodney Twelftree ( HTF Member Fernby) is an Australian filmmaker and he has just completed work on a short film entitled Schoolyard Justice. The film revolves around a bully and his victim, and is intended as a discussion piece about violence in schools, bullying, and the choices we make (and the consequences thereof). It was made on a budget of virtually nothing, with local talent. This film is available only online and debuted on the web Friday the 27th.

Rodney would like for members of the forum to check out his film and give feedback. For your own look at the film, it can be found at the official site: Schoolyard Justice : The Movie.

Enjoy,
Parker and Ron

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#2
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7/1/08 at 10:18pm
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Re: Schoolyard Justice - A short film by Rodney Twelftree

Hi all,

Fernby here (otherwise known as the Director of the above film), just wishing to add on to Parkers post.

I owe a big thanks to Parker and the HTF for allowing me to link my film to the site.

The aim of the film is specifically aimed to promote and provoke discussion about violence at schools (I know it's an issue in the US, and is a growing one here in Australia) and asks what you would do in a similar situation.

Any comments on the film would be appreciated from the knowledgeable film fans here at the HTF (after all, you guys know a lot about films!!!), please leave your comment on the official site, or respond at this thread.

Please also note that currently, only high quality versions are available for viewing on the official site. Low quality version for those on slow internet speeds will be uploaded in a month or so, so please be patient while it downloads. Just FYI!

I look forward to your comments!!!
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#3
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7/2/08 at 3:29am
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Re: Schoolyard Justice - A short film by Rodney Twelftree

I was a bit confused about the ending. What was his final choice?

Warning Spoiler! Click to show
It looked like he left the kid to bleed out.

When you have to shoot...shoot. Don't talk!

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#4
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7/2/08 at 4:58am
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Re: Schoolyard Justice - A short film by Rodney Twelftree

Hi Edwin

The question you really need to answer is: what would your choice have been?

Ambiguity should never be considered a bad thing all the time.
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#5
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7/2/08 at 8:19am
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Re: Schoolyard Justice - A short film by Rodney Twelftree

Did you mean to give us 3 points of view in the end?

That is

1) He does nothing
2) He help the guy out
3) He takes it up step higher and really goes after his nemesis?

Was that the basic point? That is you gave us 3 options from your point of view and the ending is left up to us what we choose?
That is a really good question as you really never know what you would do in a situation until you are confronted with it.

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#6
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7/2/08 at 2:23pm
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Re: Schoolyard Justice - A short film by Rodney Twelftree

Quote:
Did you mean to give us 3 points of view in the end?

That is

1) He does nothing
2) He help the guy out
3) He takes it up step higher and really goes after his nemesis?

Was that the basic point? That is you gave us 3 options from your point of view and the ending is left up to us what we choose?
That is a really good question as you really never know what you would do in a situation until you are confronted with it.

The aim of the film is to provoke discussion. Parker has successfully highlighted that fact, in that the resolution of the story is left unclear. The three options Parker mentions are indeed 3 "alternatives" or, if you like, "could have been" moments that Jamie considers when asking the pivotal question in the film: "What would you do if you were me?"
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#7
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7/8/08 at 6:57am
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Re: Schoolyard Justice - A short film by Rodney Twelftree

What age level would this be appropriate for? I teach at an at-risk elementary school - US 4th and 5th graders, and we have an anti-bullying initiative.

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#8
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7/8/08 at 2:08pm
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Re: Schoolyard Justice - A short film by Rodney Twelftree

Due to the stylised violence portrayed in the film, I would estimate that it's probably not suitable for that particular age group, although given the amount of violent and sexual imagery kids see on TV these days anyway, I am sure they've seen it all before anyway.
It was originally intended for a slightly higher age bracket... mid teens was where we aimed it, although anybody capable of understanding the themes of the film and exploring it's questions would be suitable. In this case, discretion on your part is probably wise: after all, I don't want anybody being scarred for life by something I've done!
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#9
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7/12/08 at 11:38pm
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Re: Schoolyard Justice - A short film by Rodney Twelftree

It the short already completed? I thought the beginning credit sequence was way too long. Also, the Ghandi quote should've lasted a few seconds longer.

The look is really good and the actors did a good job. Music is fitting in some parts and not in others.

To me it looked like the main guy left the bully to bleed to death, as he was smiling at the fact that the field was clear.

If you want it to be ambiguous and for us to ask ourselves what we would have done, I would've left the final scene out. I would've left out the 3 options, and instead maybe show the main guy thinking, flashbacks of him getting beat up, and showing how much in pain the bully is. Maybe the final shot could've been a long shot of the bully on the ground and the guy walking/running out to the bottom right corner of the screen, to mirror the first shot. You don't know if he's running for help, or if he's leaving the guy to die.

~T
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#10
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7/13/08 at 3:29am
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Re: Schoolyard Justice - A short film by Rodney Twelftree

Quote:
Maybe the final shot could've been a long shot of the bully on the ground and the guy walking/running out to the bottom right corner of the screen, to mirror the first shot. You don't know if he's running for help, or if he's leaving the guy to die.

Hmm, actually, thats a really good idea! We were wondering how to make the ending as ambiguous as possible, and that option would have worked really well.

Thanks for your comments, they made sense and were much appreciated.
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#11
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7/13/08 at 8:01am
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Re: Schoolyard Justice - A short film by Rodney Twelftree

With the 3 options, you're showing him stab the bully to death in one, so I think it would sway most viewers to want to save the his life. To make it more thought-provoking, less is more.

~T
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#12
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7/15/08 at 1:02pm
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Re: Schoolyard Justice - A short film by Rodney Twelftree

Stephen:

I would think that at risk kids in that age group would probably pick up on the 3 choices that the protagonist has at the end. And I am sure it would bring about a lot of discussion in your group regarding what path they would take. Maybe you could show the film and then have them chose what group they would be in. Then have them split up into the group they most identify with. Have them write up a paper on why they chose the choice they took and present their positions to the class as a whole.

It is never too early to start the discussion of choice in a matter of an event they may have already been in or may find themselves involved with in the future.

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#13
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7/15/08 at 3:32pm
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Re: Schoolyard Justice - A short film by Rodney Twelftree

Quote:
To make it more thought-provoking, less is more.

We had originally considered not including the "three options" moments, but felt that the film wasn't strong enough to hold up without them. It came down to a choice between the performance of the actor to get the point across, or simply to exptrapolate his intent out and show what he might have been thinking. In this case, I have to respectfully disagree with your comment specifically about this in this instance, as I don't think the film would have the same impact had we not shown it. generally, though, I would agree with you.
Truthfully, I ended up removing a large portion of footage from the film that I had wanted to include, based on the "less is more" principle. You should have seen some of the gear we did cut out!
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#14
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7/23/08 at 11:50pm
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Re: Schoolyard Justice - A short film by Rodney Twelftree

Quote:
Maybe the final shot could've been a long shot of the bully on the ground and the guy walking/running out to the bottom right corner of the screen, to mirror the first shot. You don't know if he's running for help, or if he's leaving the guy to die.

That's good idea.
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