Use of Themes in British Social Realism

What is the link between British Social Realism themes and the real world?

The themes that are portrayed within British Social Realism films are very similar to the issues we are experiencing in the real world. For example in the real world there are young girls drinking alcohol, getting drunk and then have sex or get raped by guys taking advantage. Similarly in "Fish Tank" the main character, Mia is drunk and then has sex with her mums boyfriend. This reaction would be more shocking in real life than in the film, because the film itself is fictional whereas in the real world it has actually happened. The British Social Realism films are inspired by these real life events and are emulated into a film to make the audience aware that these issues can happen and has happened before in the real world. 

What is unique about how themes are explored in British social realism films?

The themes in British Social Realist films deal with violence, relationships, sex, politics, isolation and many others. They are unique, because they all relate to the real world. The themes are explored differently between British Social Realism films and Hollywood. For example in "Nil by Mouth" the theme of domestic abuse is shown when the wife is brutally abused by her husband. This is a shocking scene that will startle the audience and you wouldn't see this in a typical Hollywood film like "Saw" which has a lot of violence and torture in the film, but audience still see a more positive reaction towards it, because they know its unrealistic and made for entertainment unlike "Nil By Mouth" which is portraying real world issues. 

Is there any themes which are essential to all British social realist films? What are they? Why are they essential?

There are a lot of important themes that are essential in a typical British Social Realism film that make Britain as it is today in the modern world. The most common themes we see recurring are violence, relationships, alcohol and sex. These are essential, because the British Social Realism films are emulating real life problems and these themes in particular are what makes most of the teenagers in this day and age and is a growing part of British culture. "Kidulthood" is a very good example of this as it portrays all these main themes. This also creates a realistic, verisimilitude story-line for the audience. 

Conventions of an opening sequence

Open publication - Free publishing - More conventions

Production Log week 1

By looking at the mark scheme and having peer assessed previous work, I learnt that its the small things that gives you a lot of marks, for example adding a title and how and when is very important, because that can sum up the entire film. "Written Syria" is an example of previous work which suggests its about someone writing a book about Syria so this makes it more effective and this gives a lot of marks. This informs me to focus on the simple things to create effect rather than adding complex conventions. I learnt that I need to create my own music and add it in as the previous examples have done. I will try to avoid making the same scene at different times, because as seen in "Cycle" U can clearly see a change in the weather through the window which lacks continuity. Also I will try to avoid producing the same scene for too long, because this drags it out and makes it boring. Overall I have learnt what I should or shouldn't include in my production.

British Social Realism Timeline

The style of British Social Realism is based on different problematic themes that the characters are dealing with such as relationships, racism and violence and how they cope with their normal, boring, daily lives in a realist British genre. The conventions usually contain minimal camerawork and editing to give a clear sense of reality and most of the sound in the film is pure dialogue. This genre is aimed at a British niche audience.

Past Students' Work

Wasters

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ7Ji71wqdo

over the shoulder shot and a mid-shot used to show the distance between the two characters and this camera language makes it look like they have a close relationship as a teacher and student.

shows a teenager taking a cigarette in a classroom, which clearly depicts the theme of smoking which is appropriate for the task relating to British social realism.

good use of camera language; a closeup is used here to show his emotive language followed by a shot reverse shot which portrays them having a direct conversation.

 A voiceover is projected from this part of the scene onward describing what his life is like in comparison to a normal boring everyday life to the audience. This is what a typical british social realist film would be like.

Lots of handheld used here to make the audience feel like they're in the scene watching, because the camera is really shaky which makes the action more energetic. This is another theme as young people are seen to go partying  which is a 

This portrays a theme of drinking which is another British social habit and is very common with teenagers as well. There is also graffiti on the walls around the characters which represents British social realism, because that portrays reality. 

This is a creative and clever way of adding credits as the cast names are written on wrappers which is unique and eye-catching as opposed to others, however, because this was added to the end of the scene, this makes it feel more like a trailer.

There is a lot of short take involved throughout this scene to escalate between different sets of actions. Music is appropriate here as it is upbeat and fits with the scene. 

The film title is added at the end of the scene before fading into black which is unusual and happens in trailers, so this didn't feel like an opening. I would add this to the beginning of the scene. Also there is too much stuff added in these two minutes which is another reason why it looks like a trailer.

Battered and Bruised

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT3uB9RTvuw

This is a very flashy title which is the first thing that stands out and this is uncommon in social realist films. This doesn't look like a typical British social realist film. However, the music in this opening fits perfectly with this production studio title as it has a rock theme.

They used rock music throughout the first half of this opening which matches the scene with the character playing a guitar by using synchronous sound. A low angle shot is used here to get a clear view of him which is good, because its different and we can see his face as well as the rest of him.

The credits are added during the scene instead of a black screen like other typical independent films. This is more common in TV dramas than a British Social Realist film. I would have the credits roll on the side of the scene like most British social realism films.

In these two screenshots I am comparing the continuity between the two. The lighting has changed from one shot to the next and as they're walking, the next shot shows the characters have already walked a few distances further than the previous shot. This shows there is no continuity between these two shots.

They used a simple, but funky title in the middle of the opening scene which is unusual, because there is no link between the scenes before and after it. This title I would add something to make it more creative.

This is one of the few good shots in the opening scene, because it clearly shows four teenagers on their phones which depicts a typical British social realist film through a long shot. This scene introduces the characters with a close up of each one, however it doesn't show their faces so we don't get to see what their facial expressions are like.

They used a low angle shot through handheld to show the character has a higher power. The handheld in this scene is moving around too fast which makes it very blurry and the audience may struggle in understanding what is going on.

 

The representation of British social realism in this scene is unclear, because there is no understanding of why the main recurring characters are being beaten up. there is no clear stereotypes in this scene so this may confuse the audience. Also in this shot, the character in blue hoodie is blocking the view of the main characters which is bad, because the audience can't see what is going on as the gang have their backs turned to the camera so there is no face visible to the audience. There is also a lack of continuity, because the next shot underneath has the character in blue hoodie's arm above his head when it was by his side before.

Analysing Fish Tank

Themes and situations

The main themes shown in this film are alcohol, aggressive behavior and sex. Mia is a teenage girl who has an aggressive behavior towards people as shown in the first few minute where she throws stones at her friend's dad and she headbutts a random girl. Her mother is an alcoholic and she doesn't seem to care for her children at all. She is also seen in the house most of the time which tells us she doesn't have a job and may be financially unable to support her family.

This influences my film because i can depict these themes and show real British life problems.

Representation

A teenage girl doesn't know how to use a digital, modern video camera. This suggests Mia is not in touch with the latest technology which is unusual for a teenager, however she lives far away from a modern city, so she would be very narrow minded.

The characters in this film have a drinking problem, as they tend to get drunk and out of control. Mia is shown to be drinking when she is underage, meaning its illegal, but in this location, rules seem to be outside of order as there is no police seen.

This influences my film, because the film portray common stereotypes of the real world and this can make the audience get a better understanding.

mise en scene

filmed on an estate and most areas are in the countryside, thus this conveys its a social drama, because independent films are typically set in working class locations. 

All lighting is natural, there is no special effects used which depicts the film had a small budget.

Mia's (the main character) costume consists of a tracksuit which is a typical representation of this type of teenage girls. This is somewhat different in contrast to the other girls who wears less clothing and is typically stereotyped as slags.

This will influence my film, because the film use all ambient lighting which is the cheaper option and this shows the world how the setting is meant to look like with no special effects.

Music and Sound Effects

There is no non-diagetic sound used, only diagetic sound. There is ambient sound where birds are tweeting and kids laughing in the playground. Music is played on the TV or on an audio player which is all hip-hop, jazz and reggae music like in the scenes where Mia is dancing to it which shows British teenagers are interested in that.

This would influence my film because I would only use diagetic sound because it portrays the social realism in the film.

Camera work and editing

There is a long take with handheld used when mia runs out of the house and the camera tracks her movement. Most of the shots in this film are mid-shots. There is a high angle, over the shoulder shot used at the start of the film which establishes the location. There is also use of a focus pull going from a shallow focus to a deep focus which also emphasizes the location. There are not many continuity techniques used, just all cuts. Its all very slow paced which is typical for a social drama.

This influences my film because a lot of handheld has been used which reveals the realistic situations used and this can be useful.

Dialogue

Most of the sound used in this film are dialogue, which conveys this is a social drama, because its very quiet and focuses on the relationships between the characters. The dialogue contains a lot of offensive words such as "Bitch" and "cunt" which portrays teenagers having very bad language. 

This influences my film, because the film uses a lot of dialogue and i can use that to show the relationship between the characters.

Institutional background

written and directed by Andrea Arnold

Had a low budget and was funded by BBC Films and UK Film Council

Production Companies

• UK Film Council
• BBC Films
• Limelight Communication
• ContentFilm
• Kasander FIlm Company

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1232776/companycredits 

Audience Breakdown

This film is mainly aimed at a British niche audience, because there is a lot of British cultural references used within the film. This appeals to teenagers around the age of 16, mainly females. People from estates area and who are from london would be most interested in this film. 

Marketing Strategy

• The film have used numerous posters to advertise the film. 

• The film was also promoted at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009 where it won a jury prize.

In this trailer they market the film using critics quotes and awards they won to promote word of mouth advertising.