Use of themes in British Social Realism

Use of themes in British Social Realism

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

British social realism movies focuses on topical issues alive in modern day society which is represented through different ideologies. BSR uses themes such as corruption of youth, money, drugs and racial injustice. The issues they deal with are some peoples reality. BSR outline issues which happen in real life without making them look pretty or easy to handle through un-varshied camera actions and hard hitting issues. There isn't much different between BSR and the real word as BRS are made to look real as if it has actually occurred. Fish tank is a good example of themes linked between real world and BSR. In the real world a story about a rapist who attacked a teenager girl after forcing her to drink alcohol was awarded compensation. However in Fish Tank we see Mia getting involved with her mum's boyfriend who is much older then her as she is 15. Mia also is involved with alcohol at such a young age.
 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2270114/Samuel-Betteridge-Rapist-attacked-teenager-forcing-drink-alcohol-awarded-compensation.html



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

BSR are filmed in a way to make you feel sorry for the characters in the world of the story, the producers make it to feel as real as possible in order to make the audience aware of the issues that are continutlsy happening everyday. Deals with strong issues in a sensitive but informative way and tries to take you through the process of the event occurring in a unvarnished but yet still realistic way. Hollywood movies are made to escape reality and real world but BSR are there to make the audience aware of issues happening. BSR draw inspiration from the real world by taking knowledge from Britain News and style of living. The themes in BSR are unique and we see this in Nil by mouth, as the movie takes us deep into a relationship between a man and his wife which involves abuse. The audience are not shown the women when she is being beaten but we she the aftermath of it to add more shock to the audience, we feel sorry for the characters who are affected. We also see something like this in the news about abuse, abuse can happen to anyone at any age. This story is about a man who abuse severn children, the facts that its children shocks people more as he is older and should know better, But also shows know one knows what happens in real life.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-20435736



Is there any themes which are essential to all British social realist films? What are they? Why are they essential?
In my view all BSR have a common theme of representing life in a negative way which makes the audience think about life. Most BSR have petty crime and the use of violence due to drinking or drugs. Also in my view we see recurring character such as young teenage boys who think they run the world and old males who commit a crime in order to provide for their women who stays at home. BSR have many essential theme however each topic they outline is dealt in a hard hitting way. These are essential to BSR as they allow the genre to be a real as possible aiming at an audience to become more aware of life for some people living in Britain. I think its essential that BSR draw a strong sense of awareness to the topic they deal with by making the audience so involved and sorry for the characters.
We see this in Trainspotting, as the main character is hocked on drugs. This is commonly seen in BSR films as drugs are a major issue in Britain. This is also seen alot in the news (drug awareness). A story has been in the news about a man who has been sentenced 6 years for drugs.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21242806

Opening sequence

Opening sequence

I analysed 21 jump street opening sequence by looking at common conventions.

http://issuu.com/taramann/docs/mediaopening

Social realism timeline

British social Realsim definition

British Social Realism is an accurate insight of the reality of living in Britain, we see common themes and issues being dealt with such as Drug use, Alcholo, Undre-age realtionships and Voilence through un-varshed camera work. We commonly see characters from a working class background.

http://issuu.com/taramann/docs/timeline

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Production log one

Production log

The first week of our coursework has helped me as I have built up an image of how opening sequence work, as we looked at past students work and analysed opening sequence.

Looking at the mark scheme has allowed me to see what areas I must focus on to gain as many marks as possible. It has also allowed me to see how the examiner views work and where they award the marks which means I can focus on area and build them up to target a British audience and have conventions of a British social realism.

Looking at past students works has helped me because I found it much easier to see what standard i need to work at and to see how and what they found difficult to put into a 2 minute sequence. It also helped me as I can see what kind of issues they used and themes, I feel I can also learn from their mistakes because we gave each of the sequence a mark we believed was correct. I was marking them too low which helped me see that you can gain marks from little things like the continuity of the sequence.

Looking at their past work this will help see what I can do better in my work, I found it was the little things that added to their work. Overall I feel this week will help as I know what to include and where, like the title and credit should come the beginning rather then at the end, due to the sequence looking like a trailer. This week gave me an insight to opening sequences of movies and how they are effective and not effective.

From looking at other peoples work I will avoid copying music which is not copyright free and make sure that I target an British audience through British issues and convention, creating a British social realism. I will also avoid shots which aren't solid, we saw some shot in past students work which were shaking which made the opening sequence ineffective. I will also try and make sure I deal with a topic which has something to do with British social realism using the convention and shots. I will also make sure that the sequence doesn't look like a trailer bynot summin the film up in 2 minute.

Past students work

Battered and Bruised

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

The music which is playing whilst we see this credit doesn't have any relevance with British Social Realism movie. We hear a drums with a rock style, this made me believe i was about to watch a music video or movie. I would improve this by changing the music to more of an urban feel due to the genre we have to create and i would also change the image because it also helps connote the movie may be about rock or music.

This scene has a good over the shoulder shot, however the Credits which appear on screen look a lot like a TV sitcom. All the credits are very big drawing the attention more to the credits then the story. To improve this is would make the credits much more smaller and wouldn't make them appear whilst were being introduced to the characters.

This shot was good because it allows us to see what their doing which social realism do, they don't cut the boring bits out. However the camera was shaking whilst they were filming, which is difficult to pay attention. I would improve on this shot by using a tripod to avoid the camera shaking.

The idea of using a hand held worked well when we saw the boy getting beaten up however i think they could have structured it a bit more as, it doesn't look like an effective hand held. I would improve this shot by making sure if i use hand held shot its not messy and has strong meaning.

This shot is good because it shows us a long shot of the bullies however this was the last shot which didn't make me want to watch the rest of the film as we didn't really establish a story or see any thing to do with social realism in Britain. Also shot pans to get the girl in but doesn't successfully get her in. I would improve this shot by making sure the last shot grabs the audience and if i pan the shot get what i need in the shot.

This shot doesn't really tell us about british social realism nor does the storyline. This shot makes them look like they lead a good life due to the expensive equipment. I would improve this by sticking to themes and environments that reinforce british social realism. However the shot type was very different which look good.

This shot is good because its simple like british social realism titles are however it looks like a web episode or tv sitcom title due to the way it appears on screen. I would improve this shot by making the title appear sooner because the title appears late making us feel its like a trailer.

Straight Edge

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

This shot worked well in my view because its a typically background which you would see in a british social realism film. I also like how they added the girl drinking it adds to the story and we can see what the movie may be about. I would improve this shot by making the location more visible to the audience.

This credit is very well placed in the opening sequence in my view because it is commonly used convention in social realism movies. I also like it because it doesn't take attention away from the story. However i think it could be improved by adding who the person is, if they are the star, producer or music etc.

This scene in the movie is good because it leaves you wanting to watch the rest of the movie. However this could be improved by allowing the audience to see more of the action and not having too much dialogue due to the section only being the opening sequence.

The music in the back of this shot matches the movie because its very up beat rock, which is stereotypically known for drugs and alcohol. Also the music builds up which is seen in british social realisms. I would improve this by making sure the music matches what happening on screen in respect to the beat.







This shot is good because we see the credits appear in ver small text, not drawing any attention away. These are the production people who need to be credited. I would improve this by making it a bit darker so i can see it on bright backgrounds.

This long shot of the main character develops the story and the setting because the long shot allows us to view the location. This is what you would see in british social realism. Everyday things, he is wearing normal clothes and the estates help show its in Britain. I would improve this making sure i see more of the location which is commonly done in british social realism movies.

This shot it good because the use of Dialogue in it is what you would expect in a british social realism movie. Also this is the scene were we hear most of the dialogue but we can understand what themes the story may deal with. I would improve this by making sure that i have a script that would apply to social realism.










                               

Fish tank case study

Analysing Fish Tank

Theme and situations 

We see a young girl trying to fulfill her dream of becoming a dance, but unluckly grown up in a bad area which stops her from achieving her dream. The block she lives in doesn't give much hope as well her mum trying to put her in a private school. We see this kind of situation in social realism movies as the estates sums up reality, once your in, your stuck because your dream becomes harder to fulfil. Its an unvarnished picture of the struggles people in this situation face. I would use the location as it makes the story more real and gives it verisimilitude.


We also she the topic of underage relationship, between the Mia and Conor. Mia is only 15 which means she is still a child. We see Conor and Mia get closer, as she has no father figure she turns to him for comfort but this escalates into an un-natural relationship between the underage girl and older man. This is a situation that happens to some young girls, as they get stuck in an imagery world of feeling special, social realism highlights this situation. If i had this in my movie i would use it show the affect of the relationship in a negative way so people become aware of underage relationships. As we see Mia getting to involved in the relationship. 

This storyline is a typical social realism as it deals with many different point that happen to people in everyday life, especially in Britain. We see Mia not getting along with her mum which leads to her out burst, The sister fights, under age drinking and anti social behaviour which is seen when see's peeing on the floor and breaking into the area with the horse. This film is not an escapist movie, but the topics the film deals with is how some young girls who have grown up in a rough area may deal with. The film doesn't cover the situations up, they show it how it is.  I would use this due to the fact that the audience then can identify and taken in from the situation that the film deals with.

Representation (stereotypes and archetypes)

The little girl challenges the common stereotype of a little girl who are meant to be sweet and innocent, we see the little girl smoking and swearing breaking the ideology of little girls. Children are meant to be innocent and hopeful, due to her area of growing up she has been shaped into her character. This is common in social realism due to the fact that it shocks the audience that children act in this manner. I would show this due to the idea of showing children are not innocent and copy what they see.

Conor fits the dominate ideology of a typical man which is being very sexual, as we see him and Mia get very close. This idea of men being very sexual is shown through a underage relationship. He breaks the trust of Mia's mum to sleep with Mia. Social realism show different sides of genders, but deal with issues that happen. I would us this to outline the difficulties in a relationship. 

The stereotypes of the mother is challenged very much in this movie as we see her abuse Mia. We see her hit Mia and tell her she nearly aborted her. This is a challenged stereotype of a mother as we expect mothers to be a safe place and caring. This is common in social realism movies because it shows how a mother and daughter relationships work in different situations. I would us this because it shows how different environments can affect someones life. Mia has to look after her self at such a young age.

Mise en scene

The mise en scene is very low key and dark as we denote estates which connotes no hope for the younger generation. Also the mise en scene is very run down which is typically as Fish tank is made by an independent company who lack budget unlike hollywood. Social realism tries to keep the colour natural to get a real feel of life in the world of the story. This is common convention in social realism due to the whole idea of them not be varnished and non escapist. I would use this as it creates a sense of lost hope and no way to escape reality.

The costume that the character wear are very cheap as we can see that the family struggle for money as Mia steals and tries to get a job. The costumes are very basic and are made to appeal realistic to the storyline. We can see they are working class which means the costumes are very realistic. Mia is shown in simple joggers and a top and the mum in very basic non branded clothes. This is common in social realism films because they try to make the story and characters real as possible. I would use these costumes to make it look as real as possible.

Conor's actions in his performance makes the audience connote him as a life saver to the family but over time we see him abuse his level in the family as him and Mia betray the mother. We first she him trying to bring the family together and looking after Mia but then its escalates. This is seen in social realism movies as it happens in life to families. I would use this to show the seriousness of letting a stranger take so much control in the children's life. We denote the little girl to be very sad when Conor leaves as she is unaware of his action, His is also married which was hard to see during the middle section.

Music and sound effects

Most of the sound in fish tank is diegetic, due to making the story look more real. Social realism are made to represent reality in Britain. I would make all my sound diegetic because it adds to the reality of the story being told.

There is a lot of foley sound in fish tank which adds more verisimilitude  to the story. We hear the sounds of babies crying, people and cars, this adds to the reality of the story because these are the normal sounds you hear in the story. This is common due to making social realism sound real, most social realism are shot in urban area which have these common sounds. I would add these sounds because they make the story more real.

We hear mia's music when shes listening to it on her headphones to take us into her world. The music helps us understand her, the music that is played is very un-beat which could suggest her actions. The music in social realism movies are mainly made to match the action, normal very fast to represent bad actions. I would us a very up-beat to show violent situation. 

Camera work and editing

There are a lot of long takes within fish tank, which makes the story seem like its flowing and flows the action. The long takes also make the story seem more real as it adds parts of the story which may are not needed. This is used in social realism due them not being varnished, but also because it makes the story more real. I would use this because you can add little parts of make the film appeal to British audience. We a long take when Mia is crossing the road on the way to Conor's.

The editing is continuity editing, this as well as long takes makes the story follow, as reality does. This makes the storyline look more real to the audience because it doesn't cut out any bad bits. social realism use these because allows people to see the hardship and un-varshied life some people live.

We also see a lot of long shots of the area, this shows the audience where the characters are being brought up in and allows us to see how some people live in Britain. We see a long shot when Mia is looking at the horse. The long shots of the area create the sense of reality, which is shown a lot in social realism movies.

Dialogue

The dialogue used in Fish Tank is very uneducated, as they have a very poor RV and use slang. The Dialogue between all the characters is very rude as we hear the little girl swearing and the mother swears to her daughter. This is common in social realism movie as it allows the audience to see how all ages and gender are effected by the area you grow up in. We don't see Mia or the young girl attend school or show any interest in school. 

Secondary research

Fish tank won a Bafta award for Outstanding British Film, they also won 2 independent British film awards for best director and newcomer. Also at the cannes film festival they won the Jury Prize. 

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

Fish Tank made £103,180 in their opening weekend and grossed £598,162. The amount made wasn't that much but did do well with the critics, which independent movies rely on to market their films.

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

Fish Tank was released on DVD which is different for an independent movie to be released on DVD due to lack of money. Fish Tank used music from all over the place not just UK on the soundtrack.

In the trailer we see a lot of critics quotes, helping with the marketing, if critics like the movie then they (film company) believe that the audience will watch it in cinema.