The Bench (Film)
Encyclopedia
The Bench is a short film written by James Marks and directed
by Alex McCormack. It was made by film students of The Northern Film School
in 2006, post-production finished in 2007.
The Bench begins reflecting on his youth as a newly fitted bench. The energetic characters that come by and sit on him; a man exercising through the park, children playing chase around him, a young couple kissing, a perverted old man staring at young women at the bus stop.
This new sense of life is illustrated by a personal connection the Bench has with a neighbouring bluebird called 'Kevin'. Kevin starts his own little family. The most striking of his offspring is a vibrant yellow bird. After the chicks learn to fly and leave the nest, the mother too leaves Kevin. The Bench shows empathy towards Kevin's loneliness.
'Night' people as they called, the hooligans, the drunken tramps come and deface and abuse the bench. The bench finds some ways of getting revenge (E.g. A drunk tries to get a bottle cap off by hitting it against the Bench, the cap comes off and hits him in the face.)
The vandalism gets the better of the Bench and he is worn down. He realises now that people don't want to be near him anymore. At the same time, he discovers that Kevin too has perished and he begins to understand that this is the way of things.
The Bench is removed piece by piece and bundled away in a van. A brand new bench has now replace it, the vibrant yellow bird returns to the tree and so on; the cycle of life continues.
, later a computer generated world
was added that surrounded the bench and the live action characters. Another character that was added was Kevin, a small animated
hand drawn bird.
during a showcase of other work by the Northern Film School
. The film is currently still being shown on the BBC Big Screen in Leeds
City centre on Millennium Square. Along with this the film has also been screened at the Hyde Park Picture House (Leeds), Dr WU's bar, ITV Local website (Yorkshire - Short Films) and has had consideration for The Royal Television Society Awards.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Alex McCormack. It was made by film students of The Northern Film School
Northern Film School
The Northern Film School is part of the Leeds Metropolitan University faculty of Film, Television and Performing Arts. It is one of the largest full-time film schools in the UK with both bachelors and masters degrees, and it is situated in the city centre of Leeds.-History:As far back as the late...
in 2006, post-production finished in 2007.
Synopsis
The film is told through the personality of a typical park bench, the Bench narrates retrospectively at his life and the people that has come and gone in his lifetime. Not having the senses that human beings deem normal he lives with his surroundings, in a bubble of feel. Only being able to sense we view this characters life through the warmth of touch, vibration of laughter and the uncertainty of emotion.Plot
The film begins with a Tramp lying on a park bench, a narration begins to speak in the first person perspective. As the tramp moves away, the narration still remains with the Bench.The Bench begins reflecting on his youth as a newly fitted bench. The energetic characters that come by and sit on him; a man exercising through the park, children playing chase around him, a young couple kissing, a perverted old man staring at young women at the bus stop.
This new sense of life is illustrated by a personal connection the Bench has with a neighbouring bluebird called 'Kevin'. Kevin starts his own little family. The most striking of his offspring is a vibrant yellow bird. After the chicks learn to fly and leave the nest, the mother too leaves Kevin. The Bench shows empathy towards Kevin's loneliness.
'Night' people as they called, the hooligans, the drunken tramps come and deface and abuse the bench. The bench finds some ways of getting revenge (E.g. A drunk tries to get a bottle cap off by hitting it against the Bench, the cap comes off and hits him in the face.)
The vandalism gets the better of the Bench and he is worn down. He realises now that people don't want to be near him anymore. At the same time, he discovers that Kevin too has perished and he begins to understand that this is the way of things.
The Bench is removed piece by piece and bundled away in a van. A brand new bench has now replace it, the vibrant yellow bird returns to the tree and so on; the cycle of life continues.
Production
The film was shot within a studio against blue screenChroma key
Chroma key compositing is a technique for compositing two images together. A color range in the top layer is made transparent, revealing another image behind. The chroma keying technique is commonly used in video production and post-production...
, later a computer generated world
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
was added that surrounded the bench and the live action characters. Another character that was added was Kevin, a small animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
hand drawn bird.
Release
In 2007, the film was screened at the Leeds International Film FestivalLeeds International Film Festival
The Leeds International Film Festival is the largest film festival in England outside London. Held in November at various venues throughout Leeds, West Yorkshire it shows over 200 films from around the world, commercial and independent....
during a showcase of other work by the Northern Film School
Northern Film School
The Northern Film School is part of the Leeds Metropolitan University faculty of Film, Television and Performing Arts. It is one of the largest full-time film schools in the UK with both bachelors and masters degrees, and it is situated in the city centre of Leeds.-History:As far back as the late...
. The film is currently still being shown on the BBC Big Screen in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
City centre on Millennium Square. Along with this the film has also been screened at the Hyde Park Picture House (Leeds), Dr WU's bar, ITV Local website (Yorkshire - Short Films) and has had consideration for The Royal Television Society Awards.