"when you find me" - Another Analysis of the 10 Themes

The short film “when you find me”, by Ron Howard, is the product of the photos taken for the Long Live Imagination contest, which asked people everywhere to take photographs that exemplified the 10 themes of storytelling. Ron Howard sought to implement these ten themes in his film. In this blog post, I will analyze the elements in this production that show these themes.

 Let’s start off with the theme of the Unknown. In the short beginning scene, you really aren’t given any context at all concerning what is happening. While that is sort of understandable, the prevalence of white coloring is disconcerting; making you wonder what exactly is happening. This sort of setting isn’t exactly grounded in reality after all. Secondly, most of the scene focuses on the tree and the girl, hinting at some importance to them. As we find later in the film, this is indeed the case.

 The next scene establishes a Character. By focusing on the woman’s movement and actions instead of the boy or the husband, they are highlighting her importance. The darkness and tone of her words also work towards giving her a very gloomy attitude, and the way she talks to her son implies an importance in whatever happened to her and her sister.

 Cut to: Backstory. While these next few scenes are a major portion of the film, they are an explanation of present events, notably the relationship between the woman and her sister. The way the camera is already focused on the little girl in the beginning of the above scene, it immediately shows us that this person is related to or is in fact the woman from the previous scene. More to the point, the sudden change in scenery and time is Howard’s way of telling us that this scene is going into further detail concerning woman and her sister, and what causes the tension between them.

 At this point in the movie, the theme of Discovery becomes especially critical. The death of the girls’ mother is a pivotal moment, and sets the tone for the evens that follow.

 The flow in time is shown in the following scene, through the use of a shot of the sun lower in the sky, and the darker atmosphere that comes with it. The body language of the girls implies that a very short time has passed since the death of their mother, and their position in the background exaggerates the loss and loneliness they feel.

 Ah, and then there is the Goal. The cartoonish feel of this scene is used to showcase the little girl’s imagination, and the way in which she views her desire to see her mom.

 Next up is the Obstacle. The gate is shown as large and imposing in contrast to the girls to show the impossibility of the little girl’s desire to see her mother, and gives the older girl a chance to emphasize that. Of course, it could be just a gate. I wouldn't be able to climb one even if I tried. But enough of that.

 In the diner scene, the Mood in is palpable, as well as the Relationship between the two sisters. By giving a good view of both their faces, you are able to see the tension that is right beneath the surface. The lighting also plays a part, giving it all a very tiring and depressing feel.

Lastly, there is Setting. After all the other scenes, we are finally shown the meaning of the very first. The ethereal quality given to the field emphasizes the other-worldliness and unreal atmosphere of it. It is clear (or perhaps not clear at all) that it represents heaven in some form, what with the mothers presence below the tree.