Use of themes in British Social Realism

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

The themes shown in British social Realism films and what occurs in normal life is very similar. For example we see themes of:

-Violence

-Drug/Alcohol abuse

-Petty crime

-Sexual (abuse) relationships

These are also translated into real life especially the things we hear in the Uk news. For example a article was found on the Ilford Recorder where a man beat his wife while she held hes baby in her arms because he assumed she stole £100 from him. This event shows both themes of sexual relationships,petty crime and violence which are most regulary shown in a British Social Realism film. We could imagine this being shown in a British Social Realism film as the story has actually happened in Britain so transferring it into a film will be very realistic and create verisamilitude.

 

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

Themes that are shown in British social realism are typical and certain themes are repeated in most films but in different ways. In most other genre of films(e.g. Hollywood) we see extreme situations which will probably never occur in real life. However in British Social Realism films there are different conventions that make it seem so realistic to the audience that we are made to feel like its happening in front of us. For example in Nil by mouth we see a violent abuse scene where we see the husband attack hes wife, this is something that happens in everyday life for most people. This makes it a accurate perception of what British culture is like and most people can relate to the situations that occur in the film.

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

The themes that are essential in a British Social realism film are violence,drugs/alcohol and sex. These are seen in mainly every British Social realism film as they create a good and realistic stroyline for the audience. The themes are shown through how the characters act and what they do throughout the film which empahsise these themes. These themes are essential as they are typical of a British culture, and we often see these themes occur in everday life for many people. For example in the film Fish Tank we see all of these themes which reoccur regulary throughout the film with different characters each showing atleast one theme each or more



Production Log Week One

What have you learnt this week from looking at the mark scheme and peer assesing previous work?

From looking at other peoples opening sequences i got a good idea of how well people performed. By using the mark scheme and guessing their score i could get a do idea of how well i think they did. When we got to know their real grade and mark it meant we could compare it to the mark we had given them, and see where we was over marking or undermarking them.

How will this inform your production?

By evaluating this we got an idea of what conventions we should be including and which things were more succesfull and which things we should leave out and not include. By doing this task i found out which was suitable and what work got the better marks and why they got them marks instead of creating something that didnt follow any of the conventions of a British Social realism film

What will you try to emulate and avoid?

-I will try and avoid using similar shots and try and include a wide variety of shots.

-I will remember to create my own music and not use any music that i havent got permission to

-Show the themes clearly, and make sure it fits with the genre of British Social Realism

-use suitable sounds, eg not using sound effects,or foley sounds

-using a good mise-en-scene of relevant props,locations,costumes

-Use continuity editing

-Creating effective credits with suitable typography and placing them in a good spot

-making sure the opening sequence doesnt look like a trailer

-inserting the title and credits in a suitable part of the opening sequence(not leaving it right till the very end)

Social Realism Timeline

Social realism shows the clear character types who display the themes of drugs,racism,sex and violence through their actions. The genre is aimed at a niche audience and shows the culture and typical situations of people in the British region. The style of the genre shows simplistic yet rough camera work and editing, which shadows the down trodden and run down life the British live in a realistic and effective way.

1960's

Kes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LCod-iVNHM

themes: povert,education,bullying

Settings and location: set in a classroom 

Camerawork/editing: very simple, non continuity editing, very long takes, no use of transitions(fades), close ups, long shots

Mise-en-Scene: set in all boys school, wear dull black clothes, shows the poverty of that era, scruffy, little use of props, teacher is quite old and wears glasses shows in that era only old people taught kids as they were seen as wiser, chalk boards

Poor Cow:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMKtVUfl0d0

themes: sport, parenting

settings and locations: a friendly area, lots of houses, communal 

Recurring Characters: working class

Camerawork/editing: long establashing shot to start the opening, long takes, tracking shots follow the action

Mise-en-scene:well dressed, set in the local area, pram, old ladies dressed in trench coats and long skirts, boys are in all denim

1970

Quadrophenia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF-glrpjqog

themes: sex, violence, drugs, gangs

settings and locations: set in Brighton, in a small house

Recurring Characters: working class

Camerawork/editing: long takes, continuity, follows the action, tracking shots, long shots, mid shots, low angle 

Mise-en-scene: parka coats, scruffy, fit the era of mods, extravagant scooters, fashion

1980

Made In Britain:

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

themes: racism,violence,stealing

settings and locations: set in court

Recurring Characters: working class, main character is normally the bad one

Camerawork/editing: lots of closeups of characters, establashing shot, tracking, focus on the main character alot,

Mise-en-scene:skin heads, typical cockney, scruffy even when in court, policeman in typical uniform, barrister very smart

Scum:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn7o35NcJwo

themes: violence, bullying

settings and locations: boys prison

Recurring Characters: working class, main character is normally the bad one

Camerawork/editing: long takes, tracking, follows the action when the violence is being shown, lots of mid shots, and long shots to show more of the setting

Mise-en-scene: all in cream/beige clothes, small tv, uses a snooker ball to hit the man, clothing is typical of the era

1990

Trainspotting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Naf_WiEb9Qs

themes: drugs

settings and locations: Scotland high street, bedroom

Recurring Characters: working class, the main character shows the themes the most

Camerawork/editing: shots of characters then there is a pause, establashing shots, long shots, done in short takes, non continuity

Mise-en-scene: in a run down flat, scruffy, male is bald wears small clothing which looks like they've been worn for ages, seen always taking a form of drugs

Nil by Mouth:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiA7eRQLohU

themes: violence, marriage

settings and locations: set in a house

Recurring Characters: working class, man is the main problem causer, main character shows the theme 

Camerawork/editing: close ups, shot reverse shot, over shoulder shot, continuity editing, long shot of him standing over hes wife

Mise-en-scene: typical cockney, wearing little clothes, scruffy, house is quite old, women is wearing a dressing gown 

2000

Kidulthood:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwovziwEI6I

themes: violence,stealing,sex,drugs

settings and locations: corner shop, estate

Recurring Characters: working class, younger teens

Camerawork/editing: shot reverse shot, establashing shot which zooms out, mid shot, shorter takes, tracking to follow the action,

Mise-en-scene:the flat is small and cramped,the boy lives in a room with old fashioned wallpaper, the characters are all wearing hoods, caps, tracksuits, under dressed, use a bat as a weapon, steal from the corner shop which is typical round the British region

Bigga then Ben:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjLboA4ou8g

themes: stealing,alcohol, violence

settings and locations: in London and flat room

Recurring Characters: working class,young adults

Camerawork/editing:mid shot, two shots, closeups of characters, low angle, high angles, non continuity 

Mise-en-scene: a old fashioned flat, men wear caps and t shirts, scruffy,  corner shop is typical of British culture

Conventions of an Opening Sequence

Past Students Work

Straight Edge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5V5z9urV8s

I found the graphics used in this opening very effective. By them giving the definition it helps the audience get an understanding of what the film will be about. This was a good idea and the typography that was used was simple but in the same style as a dictionary. The voiceover that was also used was suited to what the graphics were showing and the way it was spoken with a informing yet up to date tone made it fit the genre. However i do think maybe the font could have been a bit bolder as this is the point where you want to catch the audiences attention as this is the title

I felt that this shot was very effective, as we can clearly see the theme of drugs and rebellion as where she is sitting on a window ledge shows the risk she takes. This shot is good as it sets the scene and introduces us to one of the main characters. I also think the use of graphics on the side were effective is they were noticeable but still didnt take the attention away from what was going on in the shot. However i do think the shot was a bit wobbly, so keeping the camera more secure would have improved the shot.

This shot is a effective example of match on action. This shows clearly how good the continuity editing was as it was so smooth and flowing that it didn't seem like the shots had been shot separately. I also found that the first shot was a bit unclear what she was doing, but the second shot made this much clearer as the shot was a close up but included enough in the shot to show us what she was pulling out from under the bed. However in the second shot i do think that where the credits were in white it was hard to notice when the white bed sheet was behind the graphics.

I found this long shot very effective as we can also get to see the location of where the shot is set. We can also describe this as a establishing shot as we get to see where they are and where he is walking to. The use of hand held in this shot at times seemed a bit messy, so i think a track would have made the shot clearer. However the hand held was effective as it felt like us as a audience are following him.

This insert shot was good as it went from being a closeup to an extreme closeup. I felt this shot was effective as we could clearly see what she was doing and by going in more closer we can see in more detail especially if the audience is unclear on what they are doing. I feel like this shot could have focused on something else, for example an extreme close up just on the card and the powder instead of it just cutting off the edges and still having all the props in the shot.

This example of a tilt was effective as it felt like we was watching him run up the stairs from the audiences point of view. The shot was good as we got to see where he was coming from and where he was running to and by using a tilt we could see all of this just by using one shot. I think maybe a hand held could be used of him running up the stairs like were seeing it from hes point of view instead of the audiences as this will make a bigger connection with the audience and the quick pace makes you feel like you would be in the same situation and helps show the action taking place.

This title i found was quite plain seeing as it was a black background with white text. However i think it made this effective as it fits with the title of the opening and the typography fitted with the theme of what was being shown in this genre. I think the title was also placed in a good section of the opening as it wasn't left to the end or wasn't at the very beginning. However i do think the title was shown for a bit longer than it needed to have been.

The pace in this shot was very fast and emphasized how much of a rush she was in. I felt that this was shown in a good way as you could really tell the speed of the shot. This shot also happened with no soundtrack meaning that more attention was put on the shot and we could really hear the diagetic sound clearly without it being drowned out by the heavy rock music. I do think that the shot was very effective because of the pace however where it was done so quickly it was hard for the audience to interpret what was happening.

This shot was good as we went from seeing one point of view to seeing basically the boys point of view. A track was used where we went from seeing a two shot/over shoulder shot into  a closeup of just the girls face with hes hand round her neck. This helps us see the boys perspective and because there is no sound its emphasizes  what you can hear in this shot which is him shouting at the girl. With the shot being of him having hes hand round her neck it shows us the theme of violence. Maybe using short takes instead of one long take we could show the action more and make it more jumpy because of the situation their in.

Battered and bruised:

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


The transition they used for this logo was effective as it fitted the theme of rock. They used a zoom where the image would eventually zoom in to the center. However i think the transition was very slow and got cut early so this didn't have the same effect as if it was fast and zoomed right in to the center of the skull. However i think the typography and the name of the production company fitted with the soundtrack and what the opening was showing.

This low angle shot was effective as it gave a different view of him playing the guitar instead of it being a mid shot or simple long shot. I think this fitted it well as we could see all of him and it had the same effect as a long shot however this shot let us see hes facial expressions aswell considering he is looking down. However i think the positioning and the typography used didn't exactly fit the themes shown and it was more computerized looking than a font that would be typically used in a British social realism film. 

In this shot we are introduced to the other characters that will be included in the opening. This was a good shot as it shows most of the characters body language, however we don't get a chance to see their faces which prevents the audience from knowing what the characters are like. The spacing in this shot could have been better as they clearly haven't used the rule of thirds and the shot isn't well centered as there is more on the left than the right. 

We then see a shot of each character which is followed by their name with the credits. This shot is good as we finally get to see the faces of the characters, however they use the same closeup of each one which is a bit repetitive. The typography also takes the attention away from the shots as it is bold and is placed right in the middle of the shots and a better font could have been used which was much plainer and would have had a better effect overall.

A high angle shot was used to look down on one of the guitar players. I think this had a good effect on the audience as it could maybe show that the character is seen as quite weak. However the shot doesn't really have any meaning too it and i think even though they've used different shot types its still showing the same thing. The same thing in this shot is with the graphics and the use of typography weren't the most suitable and takes the attention away from 

This mid shot of the two guitarists hugging was quite a simple shot and was positioned in the center and they used the rule of thirds well. However they have continually used mid shots which makes it quite boring for the audience. This shot shows something that isn't typical of a British Social realist film as they are showing themes of happiness which isn't normally shown in this genre. I also think the shot could have been more interesting and maybe have used a different angle rather than sticking to a simple mid shot. 

This long shot sets the scene and the location of where the people are. They used a pan from where they walked straight down and turned, this show was clean and was very smooth. However the shot was done in one big long take which made the shot quite long and unnecessary as the shot could have been cut. For example they could have used a jump cut  to break up the action and speed it up making the pace a bit faster. However the fade out transition was quite successful as it then faded into the title of the film.

A good shot reverse shot was used were the two guitarists were walking into the park. We first see a shot from behind, then in front and then it returns to us seeing the back of them. This shot was effective as they used the correct editing and it matched well with the use of continuity editing. 

This shot used at the end, was a hand held shot which was taken from a low angle. This shot fitted well with what was being shown and the fight scene that was being taken place. However the show was very wobbly which made it seem quite unrealistic, if they could have improved this a better shot could have been taken. For example a master shot where we see the whole scene, instead of it being seen from our point of view. This would make it seem more realistic  and would help show the theme of violence much better.

Fish Tank Case Study

Themes and Situations:

In this film we mainly see themes of violence, alcohol and sex. This is shown through mainly all of the characters that star in the film, even the kids. We often see the mother in scenes where she is seen as a sex object as she is connected to many men and some scenes even show her having sexual intercourse. However we also see the younger kids doing similar stuff and this shows that they have probably been influenced by their environment and surroundings. For examples we see the youngest daughter smoking with her friend while the eldest daughter on-looks and also is seen drinking alcohol. We also see her getting older boys to get her alcohol which shows that she is underage and what she is doing is illegal. This is typical of a British social realist film as it follows most of the themes and situations which would be found normally in this genre of film. Due to the large amount of violence and use of drugs we can class this as a good example of a British social realist film due to it clearly showing the hardship of life and danger. 

I would mainy use these themes of violence and drugs as these are very typical of a British Social Realist film and i would show this through the actors and the props that they will be using.

Representations:

In this film we see clear stereotypes and representations of all of the characters. We see the eldest daughter as quite a strong minded character and is very dependent on herself and doesnt let people tell her what to do. Her sister is also quite similar as she uses the same language as her and treats her mum with little respect. However the mum is seen more of a lonely character who relys on men to keep her company and to fulfill her needs. The male character that we see who stays with the mum trys to fix the family up by getting them all together however this changes when he develops feelings for the eldest daughter. All of the other character follow typical stereotypes of people living around this area as they all drink, they all smoke, the children like to cause trouble, they are uncontrollable and the women are all seen as sex objects and overall quite weak and rely on the men.

Stereotypes we see:

-Kids act older than they are
-Kids go against the law and dont care
-Men see the women as weak 
-Women are seen as sex objects
-The kids have little respect

These stereotypes are typically shown in a British Social realism film and I would mainly use the representation of kids been uncontrollable due to the themes of violence and drugs as this would be easy to show through the characters actions.

Mise-en-scene:

In this film we see a typical mise-en-scene which is found in British social realist films. The mise-en-scene is mainly based on a block of flats in Barking where it is rundown and the atmosphere is quite dull and dark as there is little hope for most of the people living on that estate. Props are the main thing that helps us set out what a character is like, from the props that are used in this film such as alcohol, cigarettes and weapons we can tell that the characters are quite rebellious, and they don't care about their health and are out for danger. For example we see the eldest daughter take a hammer to use it to break free a horse and we also see her use a massive rock. All of the characters are wearing similar clothing as they all live in the same area and follow the same trends. The eldest daughter is normally dressed in a grey tracksuit, with gold hoop earrings or a polo shirt. Whereas her mum is more known to wear skimpy clothing like the yellow dress she wears in the party scene which contrasts the typical tomboy look that the daughter has. The first scene where we also see the girls dancing provocatively on the estate they are all wearing vests and jeans with their belly's on show to try and get the boys attention who are watching on the sidelines.

The Mis-en-scene used in this film was very typical of a British Social realism film as it was set in a run down area where we see flats, lots of kids, small and cramped conditions. This will help emphasis the class and status of the characters that would be shown in a typical film.

 

Music and sound effects:

In this film there is little sound effects, and who only really here diagetic sounds. For example we here screaming on the estate, cars driving past and music that they are listening to the scene. By using this in most British social realist films it creates verisimilitude as this is what you would expect to hear in those scenes. The thing we hear regularly would be the choice of songs. The songs used were either hip hop, R&B or rap which fitted with how the women danced in the film. This is quite typical in a British social realism film as the people in Britain often listen to that genre of music the most.
It wouldn't be very realistic if there was any use of sound effects, so i would definetly stick to the use of diagetic sounds which keep the British social realism stick. I would also use typical and up to date music as this will show the era and emphasis what the characters would be into and set a certain mood for the film. 

Camera work and editing:

The camera work and editing used in most British social realist films are very basic due to their low budget. However sometimes this can look effective and reflects what life is like for the British people being shown in the film. Most of the edits we see are fades or just simple cuts which makes it seem like it would make it quite boring. Considering the amount of action that takes place in the film the takes are quite long and more could be done to follow the action and make the pace faster and better from the audiences point of view. A range of simple mid shots, longs shots, closeups are used as these help introduce characters and establishing shots set the scene and location. Non continuity editing was used as there was so much action within most of the scenes and if continuity editing was used it would be too clean and flowing, and it would be then less effective to the audience.
This film had rarely any shots that were complex and it was mainly left simple, i think i would do similar shots as it reflects the hardships and makes the audience seem more connected to whats going on. I would make the editing at a minimum with just using fades and dissolves as this will create a dim atmosphere.

 

Dialogue:

In a typical British social realist film we expect to hear alot of offensive language and this was done regularly in this film. The eldest daughter who is seen the most in the film refers to people as bitch, and uses foul language (e.g.fucking,shit) which emphasis her aggression and hate towards some people. Words such as "skanky", "pikey" are used alot and this shows us that they are labelled as this due to where they are from and the way they look.  A good example that is shown at the beginning of the film is when Mia says: "Can you give Keeley a message for me? Tell her I think her old man's a cunt!" The way the people speak is very similar as they all use similar speech and talk with a similar accent. They all have stereotypical ways that someone living on an estate would live as they have little respect and don't care what people think of them. They all have quite a chavy way of speaking and they aren't subtle and often shout to get their point across. Compared to the Irish man who lives with the family who is actually living 2 lives, he speaks with a softer tone and hes accent makes him different from the other characters in the film. This is typical in a British Social realism film as this is exactly how people would speak in this region of Britain.

The dialogue used in this film would be a good way as it represents that area as being chavy and reflects how the characters will act. I think i would use a chavy aggressive tone, or quite a stern deep tone of the voice where they would use slang that is typical in this generation and i would mainly incorporate words in such as "bruv" and "snake".

Fish tank secondary research:

The film was directed by Andrea Arnold

The production companies involved in the making of this film was:

-BBC films

-Uk film council

-Limelight Communication

-ContentFilm

-Kasander Film Company

http://industry.bfi.org.uk/filmfund

The film was mainly aimed at teens and young adults of a British culture. The film reached this niche audience through its realistic use of dialogue, mise-en-scene, themes and sound effects. With the good production of the film it created a good and accurate perception of what  the British region is like for the audience. However it would be quite difficult for a mainstream global audience to be able to relate to the situation and themes as much as they could with a  Hollywood film.

The film had a very low budget and was mainly funded by different companies. This meant that their marketing strategy was very simple and didn't have much to it. The film was nominated for many awards, and was shown at several film festivals such as Cannes. The film was only marketed through posters which meant the film was only distributed into few cinemas in Britain.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1232776/awards?ref_=tt_ft