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.

Film Four Ideology

Looking for Eric

The characters represent real life situations by portraying a man who's life is at its worst and has a mental illness. These characters are located in lower class houses. There are many British cultural references like the use of slang by the youngsters, the pub, British football team reference Manchester United, the British police and their use of language like how they use 'me' instead of 'my'. This is a typical Film Four story-line  because it deals with relationship problems which is very common.

Submarine

This film portrays a teenage boy who is in a conflict between his relationship with his girlfriend and the relationship between his parents. This location was set in South Wales so its quite a boring normal British area. The characters have Welsh accents that the British audience will be familiar with and it uses British soundtrack. This is a typical Film Four story-line as it depicts the relationships between certain characters and life's difficult choices that people will need to make.



Four Lions

Film four used the characters in this film to depict the extremists in real life. The main characters represent terrorists and are used to portray the Islamic dominance and how they see the world. They used a location in Pakistan to depict where these type of people reside in which is a common stereotype. The British cultural references would be their accents, British soundtracks, road signs, references to mobile network and the few British areas that the British audience can familiarize with. This film isn't a typical Film Four representation, however the ending shows all the main characters dead and Film Four usually present sad endings. We can also denote this was a very risky film to produce as terrorism is a serious topic and this film portrays this as a comedy and would have been banned in many countries like America and the middle east.


Attack the Block

The characters here represent of mainly a black ethnicity which is stereotyped, because people see black people associated with gangs. This is aimed at teenagers unlike other typical Film Four films and there are many British references like Fifa and their use of street slang. This is not a typical Film Four story-line as it features aliens which is unusual, uses CGI which can be expensive, aimed at teenagers and it has a happy ending.

The Inbetweeners Movie

The characters here are all white British and have strong British accents especially the character Will who has a more posh voice which suggests he came from up North. The main characters all represent teenagers and they have a typical story-line where they have their own problems and decide to go on a holiday after they finish Sixth Form to get drunk and have sex. There are few British cultural references as their main setting is abroad, but they use slang language which represents all British teenagers. This isn't a typical Film Four story-line as this is considered a joyful comedy film with a happy ending unlike most other Film Four films. 

Edit Workshop Evaluation

In my edit workshop i portrayed the use of many techniques for my continuity exercise video.



180 degree rule



 I used the 180 degree rule effectively, because the two actors are standing against a wall, so then you cant physically break through that rule. Therefore actor A would always stay on the left and actor B is always on the right.

Rule of Thirds

 I used the rule of thirds here correctly as the actor's eyes are almost level to a third of the line. We had to pan the camera up slightly to match his eyes to a third of the screen.

Match on action

Here I portrayed match on action by shooting the first scene of the actor opening the door all the way through and then shoot the same scene from the opposite side and then edit the two scenes by only showing the actor opening halfway in the first shot and the second half from the opposite shot so that it flows continuously.

Shot-reverse-shot

Here i showed the use of shot-reverse-shot of the last scene, because the two actors are in a conversation and it is the easiest way of doing a shot-reverse-shot. I also implemented an over the shoulder shot to give it a bit more creativity by using two different shots at the same time.

I have faced a few challenges during the production, for example on the street, we had cars driving past on the road, so we had to stop filming and wait for it to go past. We had to overcome this by timing our films perfectly when there are no distractions and this also meant being fast with our filming. We also had to repeat some of our shots many times to get it just right as from the first shot we learn how to do it better. If I was to film again, i would change the dialogue in this scene as I believe it wasn't interesting enough. Also the filming was done over two days, so the lighting would have changed even if it was slightly. If i filmed again i would make sure to do it in a certain time period on the same day to keep the continuity more fluid.

During post-production I used iMovie on an iMac to do video editing which is new to me, so i had a few problems in using it as it was my first time doing video editing. I found it quite easy to use and the clip trimmer tool was very useful in trimming parts of the clip and mixing it together with other clips to make them flow as one. I had faced a continuity error as when showing the match on action, the character opening the door in first person is a different actor to the person opening it on the other side. One thing we didn't notice at first was the actor was wearing a watch in the first shot, but in the next shot there was no watch. So I had to re-edit that scene, to make it more believable by removing the shot with the watch. Another problem i faced was the audio, because the wildcat track I originally recorded was much louder than the original scenes and it had many sounds of footsteps walking by. Also there was a difference of background scenes between each scene so i used a tool on iMovie to reduce the volume in the first few scenes. I then went to find a suitable music track to fit in the video and finding one was not easy. I went through YouTube and listened to at least 10 songs before I chose my favourite one. If I had a chance to edit again, I would have reduced the background sounds in the conversation as the actors dialogue is unclear and hard to understand.

Strength-wise would be the unique idea of having a meeting for concert tickets outside the park/school, as no one has thought of this and it makes mine stand out. Another strength would be my effective use of iMovie. My editing is very spot on and the video flows well error-free and the music is almost on time with the actions. I also added some transition effects to be more creative and to make it look more flashy. 

where there's strength, there are also weaknesses and I have a few here and there. In terms of planning and research, we didn't have much time and we had to rush through in order to start filming on time. We could have gone more in depth with the plot and make the subject more interesting as a man walking up to someone asking for concert tickets isn't very appealing as it should be. I think my sound editing was a bit weak during post-production as during the conversation, loud wind noises could be heard whilst the person was talking thus making it a bit difficult to hear.

Overall, I would have made this better by having better time management to do all filming on the same day to avoid different lighting's including weather and change the dialogue to make it more interesting and appealing to the viewer and make better use of editing in terms of sound. Also I would reshoot the whole conversation, because it wasn't very clear as a new viewer would find it hard to understand what the actors said. Also I think I should have kept the music playing during the conversation, but at a lower volume to keep the pace going, because when the conversation scene starts, the music abruptly stops thus breaking the flow of music.