I’M HERE

BLOG TASK

Question 1 : How would you classify I’m here in terms of genre?

The Short film “I’m here” has a varied mixture of genres. Mainly, sci-fi and romance. The sci-fi conventions are shown by the main characters being robots and mise-en-scene related to them being robots. For example, chargers in their apartments. However, the sci-fi aspects of the film don’t really come into focus until the end of the film. Until the last act, the film could have gotten away with the main characters being humans. The main genre of “I’m Here” is romance, as the story is about development of the relationship between Sheldon and Francesca. It follows the typical narrative structure of a romance story – guy meets girl -> goes on date -> relationship develops -> second date -> Shocking/tragic event happens to one main character -> other main character confesses love despite event -> Happy ending.

Question 2: What kind of world is represented in the film?

The world of “I’m here” is a strange one. Humans and robots co-exist and live in a world very similar to ours. However, we know very little of the world represented. Who invented these robots? Why do some look more human than others? The backstory of the world of “I’m Here” is left intentionally ambiguous, as the main focus is on the characters, rather than the world.

Question 3: Is it a happy world?

From we see of it, the world of I’m Here is quite similar to ours, though presented in a slightly pessimistic light. Although the world contains robots, the time period isn’t futuristic. Sheldon keeps an optimistic attitude, but his attempts to keep positive are shot down by depressed and injured robots and working in a job he does not enjoy. Despite this, scenes such as the upbeat gig and dates with Francesca shows that the world is not all bad and restores Sheldon’s optimism..

Question 4: What evidence of prejudice is there?

Interestingly, the world of “I’m Here” shares many parallels with 1960’s America. There is a scene where an old woman scolds Francesca when she sees her on the motorway. “She can’t drive, she’s not aloud to drive” she snaps, “and neither are you,”. It is also important to note that while we see human doctors or policemen we never see any robots having tasks such as those. Which is similar to how Black Americans were segregated from having professional/academic careers.

Question 5: How would you describe the main character?

Sheldon follows most tropes and clichés of a standard romance movie protagonist. He is awkward, shy but overall friendly and optimistic person, despite hardships in his life. With the help of Francesca, he manages to come out of his shell and become a lot more relaxed. Meeting Michelle also has the added effect of making him take responsibility and putting others first before him. Sheldon is a typical audience surrogate who the audience can easily relate to, despite being a robot.

Question 6: How would you describe the girl?

Like the main character, the girl also follows the tropes and clichés of a stereotypical female protagonist in a romance movie. She is the counterpart to the main character; she is energetic, outgoing, and priories having fun above all else. However, her carefree attitude, while making Sheldon become a better person, does have consequences – as she is frequently injured throughout the short film. Showing that some responsibility and maturity is needed to live a healthily life and have a healthy relationship.

Question 7: What messages do you read into about love, friendship and loyalty?

The main theme of the film is giving up something in order to help someone you love. Sheldon removes his body in order to keep Francesca alive –showing his dedication to her. However, is this a healthy relationship? Is going to extreme lengths to save someone you’ve just met a sign of dedication or instability? The film intentionally leaves this ambiguous.

Question 8: How would you summarise the narrative? Does it follow short film conventions?

The film starts with our protagonist Sheldon, living a life he does not enjoy – many people are hostile and prejudice towards robots and his apartment is empty and barren. Soon he meets the female robot called Francesca and a romance blossoms between them – as typical romance movies do. However as Francesca gets frequently injured, Sheldon is forced to give up his limbs In order to keep his love alive. The film ends with Sheldon ended as just a head, symbolising his devotion to Francesca and what she means to him. As a short film, it is important to subvert expectations as it needs to be original as it can be in order to gain positive reviews and a large audience. If the film does nothing to be original and innovative, it will not be successful in the short film industry.

Question 9: Who is the audience for the short film?

The audience for “I’m here” would consist of mainly people who like sci-fi and romance genres. However, due to the nature of short films the initial release would attract a very niche audience full of film buffs and people working in the industry.

Question 10: Where do you think it is more likely to be viewed?

Due to the high production value this short film has, it is most likely that was presented at a short film Festival - as it allows for many in the film industry to view the product and potentially distribute it to cinemas and television channels.

Question 11:Why did Absolute sponsor it?

One of the secondary themes of “I’m Here” is to occasionally have fun and forgot about the hardships and troubles about the world, as evidenced by the gig and the party scene. This is why I believe Absolute sponsored it, as alcohol is used in parties and pubs – therefore after watching the short film, the audience is more likely to buy it. There is also the fact that the target audience for I’m here and the audience for Absolute may have correlations and would be more likely to purchase Absolute than an audience for another film.