Pudding Bowl Analysis

The short film Pudding Bowl, directed by Vanessa Caswill, tells the story of a young girl Ivy who, after an unwanted haircut, goes into a fantasy world of her creation. It is a very simple story carried out in a simple manner, reflecting the 50s backdrop of the film. There is minimal speech within the film, the very few lines that are spoken taking place early on as Ivy’s mother chides her for the glue in her hair and during the hair cut. This seems to be a way to isolate Ivy from the rest of the world seen in the film, in turn giving her reason to delve into the fantasies that create the plot. It also means that more emphasis is placed on the reaction of the characters, and Ivy’s performance, this being one of the highlights of the films as we are given a range of emotions without the need for dialogue. One of the aspects of the film that has worked successfully is the separation between Ivy’s world and the very bland suburbia she is brought up in. The colours of the house are very muted with very little vivid colour, which contrasts heavily to the bright red that Ivy surrounds herself with, wearing a red dress and putting on red lipstick. While this separates the two worlds, it signifies Ivy as a far brighter person than those she is surrounded by, and also signifies the points at which her imagination becomes more prevalent in what she is doing (ex. The colours are more muted until she decides to take action in ‘transforming’ herself into one of the models from her magazine, at which point the reds are used more). This is also reflected in the music somewhat; there is minimal music in the first part of the film, only the sounds of the mother in the kitchen and Ivy cutting her magazines. After she has had her haircut, though, and begins using her imagination, there is more music being used to create an uplifting atmosphere. Again, this emphasises the divide between the two worlds, and works in presenting one as a far more inventive and happy alternative. The use of angles in this film also create a very interesting visual experience. For example, after Ivy’s haircut, a high angle is used looking down on her. This coupled with the ring of hair around her that might represent entrapment would often provide a very oppressive image, but the way in which the actress portrays determined emotions turns this around and makes the scene somewhat more empowering, making the audience feel more sympathetic and hopeful. We are also given quite a few close ups of Ivy, which strengthens our feeling of sympathy for the character. At the beginning of the film we are given an extreme close up of the character, instilling in our minds immediately her importance to us. We are also given frequent close ups of her, or find that Ivy is the sole character shown in a shot, for example when she is looking in the mirror. This works in getting the audience to feel a connection with her, and creating sympathy for her when it is needed.