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.