Pre-Production Genre Conventions

Research into Social Realism

Growing up & Aspiration:

British social realism definition - Growing up is maturing with ones self. Aspiration is wanting to achieve more in life, trying to improve ones situation.

Example film -

• This is England
• Fish Tank
• Billy Elliot

How Example films explore the theme - This is england explore growing up as the young boy experiences his first kiss. Fish Tank explores aspiration as the main character Mia aspires to make something of herself as she wants to become a dancer, she wants to be more than what her parents were. Billy Elliot explores growing up as he tries to discover himself and what he wants to be. He wants to be a dancer and so her persues in his dream. Lateron in the film we see him all grown up and dancing in a play!

Race, Ethnicity & Cultural Tensions:

British social realism definition - Race can cause tensions between different ethnic groups in a city. Can be shown in a negative or positive way.

Examples film - 

• West is West
• Snatch

How example film explores the theme - In West is West there is a typical white mum, and a typical strict asian father. Throught the whole film the children are trying to discover who they are as they come from two different cultures. Snatch is about different gangsters, theres irish, blacks, whites and asians.

Social Class:

British social realism definition - Working class are people who work and under class are people underneath the working class who do not work, peole we accociate living in coucil flats etc...

Example film -

• Fish Tank
• The Full Monty

How example film explore the theme - In fish tank Conner the mums boyfriend is working class as he works unlike Mia and her mother who do not work and so we class them as the under class. The Full Monty is about a factory going bust and all the men working in it loose their jobs and so 6 of the unemployed men start planning to be strippers for money.

Violence (often with gangs):

British social realism definition - gang violence, domestic violence, motivated violence and verbal violence which involved name calling and swearing.

Example film -

• Fish Tank
• Adulthood/Kidulthood

How example film explores the theme - In Fish Tank Mia is constantly shouting abuse at her mother sister, basically everyone. In Adulthood/kidulthood there are alot of gangs, alot of weapons being carried e.g guns, knives. There are also alot of fights and bad language.

Sexuality:

British social realism definition - Homosexuality, mixed race sexuality e.g white woman has a child with a black man. Age, pedaphilia, underage sex, and rape!

Example film -

• My beautiful laundrette

Based on homosexulaity and discovering his gay and telling people!

Gender roles & relationships:

British social realism definition - gender roles are when people forefill a typical role for a man/woman. Husband and wife are one example, also father figures and friendships.

Example film -

• Nil By Mouth (1997)

How example film explores the theme - Two lovers and the man tkaes his role as being the man of the house a bit too far and begins beating her!

Addiction:

British social realism definition - Drug addiction, petty crime, alcohole addiction, addicted to smoking, addicted to self harming, addicted to violence etc....

Example film -

• Trainspotting

How example film explores the theme - Most of the boys in Trainspotting are highly addicted to drugs, and some are violent as a result of it!

British politics:

British social realism definition - Angry at British politics, They explore how the government doesnt care, and they are very anti-government!

Example film -

• Hunger

How example film explores the theme - The man in this film doesnt agree with politics and he feels they are out to get everyone and that they dont care. He is in prison and he gets beaten in the prison and becomes extremely skinny.

Immigration:

British social realism definition - Moving from one country to another. Can been seen as bad as they face many difficulties such as benefit fraud!

Example film -

• Bigger than Ben

How example film explores the theme - Making immigration seen negative, as they try and seek all posible benefits, and they try to rip people off.

Pre-Production Opening Conventions

Mood Board

Pre-Production British Social Realist Themes - Kidulthood!

British Social Realism >

Pre-Production Opening Sequence Work

Opening sequence work!

Fish Tank

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

• Was released on the 11th of September 2009 
• Was directed by Andrea Arnold, and was also written by Andrea Arnold.
• In 2010 it won a BAFTA award
• In 2009 it won the British independent film award
• The film was set in Barking, London, England, UK

  East is East

• It was released on the 5th of November 1999 in the UK
• It was directed by Damien O'Donnell and it was writeen by Ayub Khan-Din. He also done the screen play.
• In 2000 it won a 'Special Award'
• Also in 2000 it won a 'Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film'
• And also in 2000 it won a 'British Comedy Award'
• The film was set in Ealing Studios, Ealing, London, England, UK

Kidulthood

• Was directed by Menhaj Hunda
• Writen by Noel Clarke
• It was released on the 3rd of March 2006
• It won best screen play award
• It also won a Douglas Hickox award

This is England

• Was directed by Shane Meadows, and writen by Shane Meadows
• It was released on the 27th of April 2007
• It had a budget of £1,500,000 (estimated)
• Its location was in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, England, UK

Pre-Production Production blog - week 1

Project log - week 1

I have learnt from viewing and assessing past students work that a detailed, descriptive, colourful piece fo work with diagrams helps to pick up maximum marks from the mark scheme.
Hear is one students detailed diagram for one of his tasks.
Part Seven

Also alot of detailed and well researched information paid off in enabling students to get the highest mark, for example I feel that Jamie Chandler was one candidate that really worked hard and put alot of detail and intense research into his project! 

And hear is his blog - http://jbchandler1.blogspot.com/

This will inform my production as I now know the standards I am supposed to work towards and possibly beyond. Also it will encourage me to put alot more detail into my producion enabling me to gain the best possible marks.

During this project I will try to avoid unessasary research, also I will try to put the most detailed information i can possibly find into my work. And alot of attention to research will be done and will try to compose a well written detailed piece! 

Pre-Production History of British Social Realism

Social realism timeline!

1950's -

Key films -

• Black in anger

Social realist conventions - Black and white, british accents. Set in a house. Two shots/mid shots, not very good quality of filming. Not familier actors. the sound is a bit mufferly and is not clear.

Appeal to a niche, British audience - Older characters which appeal to the older generation. Black and white colouring of whole film, traditional colour of filming back in the 1950's.

1960's -

Key films -

• Poor cow

Social realist conventions - Old music, not famous or well known artists. Theme is love. The camera quality is very poor and the camera shots are mainly midshots, and there wasnt much speaking.

Appeal to a niche, Britsh audience - sex scenes appeal to a more older/mature audience.

1970's -

Key films -

• Quadraphenia

Social realist conventions - Poor quality, natural light. the soud was not clear (muffled) Slang was used alot - British. Set in a house. The shots were mid shots and long shots.

Appeal to a niche, British audience - Appeal to most familes with children, due to the use of language.

1980's -

Key films -

• Made in Britain

Social realist conventions - Artificial lighting. characters - 'Bad boy' loyer. Location an isolated room. Alot of mid shots and long shots. Real life situations/events of someones life!

Appeal to a nich, British audience - Aimed mainly at boys from teenagers and above. Realets to teenage boys who have left school and are getting into trouble. Working class background.

1990's -

Key films -

• A room for Romeo Brass

Social realist conventions - location (football) park, Bad language, violent. Shots were, mid shots and long shots. Very poor quality, not very clear and there was old clothing.

Appeal to a niche, British audience - Appeals to a British teenger because of the use of bad language and the violent behaviour. Typical British slang that only British people will understand.

Pre-Production Evaluating past students work!

Evaluating past studants work!

Student one - 1st blog

Planning and Research:

Strengths-
Had a clear, detailed planning diagram. Good explanations as to why he picked certain things such as the name of his thriller 'Reloaded'. He also had some good research on the 20th Century Fox big mainstream Hollywood company and why he used them for some things.
Weeknesses-
Could have had a more fun, colourful layout design to his planning/research making it more exciting to want to read.
(Level 3 - 15/20)

Construcion:
Strenghts-
The music worked well as it kept to the whole idea/theme of his film 'Thriller'.  The first person perspective of when someone is in the bin was extremely good as it gave us the feel that something was indeed in the bin, and it showed us it from their point of view. This made me watching it want to go ahead and watch more.
Weeknesses-
The opening titles were far too long, i just wanted it to start! The sound was extremely loud especially the scene where the man was putting rubbish in the bin!
(Level 2 - 30/60)

Evaluation:
Strenghts-
Good, simple, clear reasons for what he thought his strengths and weeknesses were.
Weeknesses-
Could have got some advice on what other people thought of his final piece in order to give him some strengths and weeknesses!
(Level 2 - 9/20)

The students blog - http://amanveermediacw.blogspot.com/

Student two- 2nd blog
Planning and research:
Strengths -
This student has made extremely good use of his attention to detail on researching for his film. He has very good detailed resons to why he researched what he did-extremely detailed.
Weeknesses-
Could have had some explanations as to how he made some decisions for his film.
(Level 4 - 17/20)

Construction:
Strengths -
The flickers of the flash backs were very clever and creative. It was easily understandable and i understood exactly what was going on throughout i was not lost or confused at all. The close-ups to his face was good because it enabled us to see his facial expressions. It helped us as an audience see that something had previously happened.
Weeknesses -
He could have used some darker/duller lighting to stick with his theme of a thriller.
(Level 4 - 56/60)

Evaluation:
Strengths -
Clear, decise, reasons for improving his piece. Various ways of posting many of his evaluations on to his blog. Very detailed and descriptive.
Weeknesses -
This student has wrote a very large amount, but has made accurate and clear decisions, the only weekness i could suggest might be that he has wrote an awful lot.
(Level 4 - 18/20)

The students blog - http://jbchandler1.blogspot.com/

Beach-Combing!!

Beach-Combing!!

Fish Tank - British Social Realism

Fish Tank - British Social Realism

• Fish Tank was released on the 11th of September 2009 (UK)
• It was located in Barking, London, England
• It won a BAFTA award in 2010
• Also was nominated for The British Independent Film Award in 2009 which it won!
• Its box-office takings on the 13th September 2009 was shown on 47 screens and it recieved £103,108!!

Themes and situation= The main theme of this film is about a young girl aged 15 called Mia, and she wants to become a dancer, she wants to make something of herself. This is social reaslism because alot of people aspire to becoming a dancer. However she lives in a really run down area, she doesnt have any money and her mum barely takes care of her. She's not in any sort of education, and she is a bit of a trouble maker. Her living situation is that her mum likes to invite loads of people round to throw parties whilst she leaves her two children one aged 15 and the other between 8-9 upstairs smoking and drinkning beer. This is social realism as in some of the worst cases parents dont care about their children and so they are brought up badly. Lateron in the film Mia mums boyfriend gives Mia a camera to record her dance, but she doesnt know how to work it as she doesnt have all technical up-to-date electronics. Mia also witnessed her mum and her mums boyfriend having sexual intercourse. This was a very explicit scene and was innapropriate for the mother to be having sex whilst her two children are in bed 'supposidly' asleep! Mia lateron begins to have a crush on her mums boyfriend and they end up having sex. This is social realism as many people are having underage sex, however she was only 15 and he was a grown man so many will see it as him being a pervert!

Representation (stereotypes & archetypes)=  Some main stereotypes are for Mia...

• Chav
• Tramp
• Rude girl
• Rebel
• Drinker

For her mother...

• Bad mother
• Drunk
• Alcoholic

All these stereotypes relate back to social realism as in the real world many people are drinkers and quiet rebelious however we dont always call them by their stereotypes. As she lives in a council fat on an esate she is stereotyped as being a trouble-maker and all the other ones i have mentioned above!

Dialogue= There is a huge amount of sweaing involved in this film for example 'fuck off', and 'bitch'. Its very unformal and very un-lady-like! As Mia is a teenager alot of slang is used for example 'whatever', 'init', etc...

She has a very distinctive essex accent, and she comes across as very aggressive from the tone and the vocabulary she uses. This again realates to social realism as its the way she has been brought up, however she has to mainly take care of herself as her mum doesnt really help. Nowdays alot of teenagers use slang as it shortens down words and they think they are cool doing it, they also swear alot as they think they are cool. The dialogue used throughout can been seen as a very negative impact for Britain as people may get the idea that everyone living there is the same. Some people wont want to watch this film because of all the harsh words used and so it wont attract a mainstream audience, the audience it will attract would be Britsh and niche!

Music & sound effects= Alot of rapping and gangster music is used throught this film. Also RnB. Some famous artists are in it, although the songs were a little bit old and not so much up-to-date like the music we have now, but they were still by two famous artists called 'Jarule' & 'Ashanti'. Also Cassey who was on the Tv at the beginning of the film. This music is good for a mainstream audience as they are very well known singers and so it will attract more people to watch it!

Mise-en-scene= She lived in a flat which was for the working class. Mia was extremely violent for example there is a scene where she head butts a girl for her trying to dance and she actually breaks her nose. Mia is a theif as she steals money from her mums boyfriends wallet. Mia tends to dress like a chav as she constantly wears big looped earings and tracksuits, or a vest and track bottoms. She quiet tom-boyish, shes not your average teenage girly-girl. This is social realism as some people cant afford to buy expesive clothes, and some people do dress like Mia. In one scene Mia is in an internet cafe on a website 'www.youtube.com' This is very much realistic as many people use internet cafes to go on things such as youtube. The lighting in this film is very dull and dark, which tends to set an atmosphere for every scene and it makes where she lives seem scary.

Camera work & editing= Many close up are used on Mia in particular. This allows us to see her facial reactions/expressions, which tends to tell us she's unhappy, tense, moody, upset etc...

We get a 1st person view from Mia when she falls asleep in her mums bed and her mums boyfriend carried her into her own. Hear she has her arms covering her face and through the little gap she see's what he is doing, we got to see this scene as if it were us peeping through the gap. Social realism because it allows us to see what she going through, and helps us see what she see's!