Production Log - Week 3.

In the first lesson of this week, we finished off the timeline we had started in the previous week. I completed the timeline for the opening sequence of the film, 'High Fidelity'. My timeline included all of the timings in which each graphic would appear, the timings of each transition and what transition it was whether it be a cut, fade, dissolve, etc, when the music would change and the duration of the music and what was actually happening throughout the opening sequence and what we could visually see. We was asked to produce this timeline as it helped us gain a better understanding of how many graphics actually appear in opening sequences, what information they display and where each specific graphic is placed, whether it be towards the beginning or the end of the opening sequence. Creating this timeline actually helped me to gain ideas about the typography of the graphics, the different transitions we could use, etc. High Fidelity was a very interesting, unique opening sequence, as very little of the narrative was actually shown, but the main character was introduced although there was no dialogue. This opening sequence was unique because all of the graphics were made to look like they were on record grooves and on walls on posters. This was very unique as they would use whip pans to introduce the next graphic, this made it look like most of the graphics were stuck on posters on the wall. These techniques that were used within this opening sequence taught me that you don't have to reveal lots of the narrative or introduce the characters a lot to gain interest, as this opening sequence captured me although there was no real insight as to what the narrative is and what the main characters disposition is like.

In the second lesson this week, my teacher asked me and my classmates to in pairs capture two pictures of what we believe a positive and negative representation of Britain looks like within the school premises. As a positive representation of Britain, my partner and I took a picture of a class working to show that British children are educated, dedicated and committed and that they work hard to try and achieve their future aspirations, to prevent feeling isolated as they age. To represent Britain in a more negative way, we took a picture of a skip in front a metal spiked fence, a leafless tree and some flats. This represents the duller side of Britain, as through this picture we see danger from the hard, spiked fence and poverty from the flats. The leafless tree also connotes a lack of opportunities for some people living in Britain, meaning they cant achieve their aspirations and there is no escape for them as individuals, they are just isolated within the hopeless mundane. The sky is quite miserable and dark, which further reinforces these connotations.

Positive representation

Negative representation

As a class we then discussed how the mise-en-scene is presented in British social realism. We concluded as a class that they use working class, urban areas set in real life locations to add to the verisimilitude. They predominantly use natural lighting in both the exterior and the interior. They use a very dull colour palette, which typically consists of black, grey and white. They use authentic detailed costumes and props, but tend to use minimal props. The genre tends to use untrained or inexperienced actors of different ethnicity's  this is so that their behaviour and performance is portrayed to be as real as possible. The current era is made to look very rough and hard for the every day British person. Using this knowledge, we then viewed three minutes of a scene from 'Looking For Eric', and whilst watching it we took notes about how the mise-en-scene is used to represent the characters, locations and establish the British social realism themes.

After completing this, we then went on to discuss what the camera style is like in British social realism. To do this, we looked at the opening sequence of the British social realist film 'Shifty' and took note of the camera language used in it. We looked at what shots were used, the angles used, the movement used and the composition of each shot. From this, I learnt that British social realist films use a lot of mid shots to show the body language of characters and a lot of close-ups to support this body language with the characters facial expressions. A lot of establishing shots were also used in this opening sequence in particular, we almost saw a new establishing shot for each camera to show where they're coming from and more specifically what social class they're in. There was no extreme use of high or low angles, most of the shots were positioned straight on as they don't want to add any further connotations to the shot, they want the audience to view the scenarios as they literally are. The movement within this sequence consisted of a lot of hand-held, so the shots look more natural and so that you can feel each characters vibe. Pans were also used when there was an establishing shot to allow us to see the full view of each location. Moving tracks were also used when introducing certain characters as it made us as the audience feel like the characters presence was more intense, showing that they are quite a strong, potentially influential character. We also closed paid attention to the composition of each shot, thinking about the framing and the rule of thirds. Characters were placed to the side of a frame to leave lots of space to one side of them to show how lonely or isolated they may be or feel. This isolation was also shown when the camera would take a shot from a far distance. In almost every shot they rule of thirds had been applied. In some shots it had seemed like it had purposely been avoided to show more of the mise-en-scene. All of these elements we identified within this film, are applicable to all British social realist films as they all use the same camera style.

In the third lesson of this week, we watched the opening sequences of films like; Anita and me, This is England and Drive. Whilst watching each of these, we had to analyse the sound we heard whether it be diegetic or non-diegetic sound and the impact this sound had on the audience and what the sound connoted about the film.

We found that the sound in Anita and me started off with light warm hearted non-diegetic music, this connoted that the main character was not of British decent and immediately told the audience that she may come from a different background to those that live around her. There was a lot of ambient sound used to add to the realism of the scenes. A voice-over was used, it was the main characters voice and was used to directly address the audience, to give us as the audience a better idea about what was actually going on. A sound bridge was also used from her narrating the story through a voice-over to her talking to her class in school, telling them about her life and what it involves. this helped to anchor the meaning.
 

The opening sequence for 'This is England' contains purely music, one song is used throughout the whole opening sequence, it's almost a song in the style of the genre - reggae. This music relates to the cast and a group in British society within the 80's - 'skins'. This group of people were of all ethnicity's and the music in the opening sequence was the type of music they were interested in. Connoting that the characters in the film are interested in it. For the audience and more specifically people who lived through the 80's, this music is used to make them feel reminiscent of the era.

 In the opening sequence for the film 'Drive', music was also used. This non-diegetic music related to the characters life and the narrative. It connoted that all he does is drive around in an American city alone, connoting that he is isolated and trapped within the city and there is no escape from this.



From this lesson, I learnt that the sound is very important to the representations and connotations created for the film, as the sound helps suggest the characters disposition and maybe lifestyle and helps the audience gain a better understanding of what the narrative may be, whether its through diegetic or non-diegetic sound.

In the fourth and final lesson of the third week of production, my class and I discussed what the editing style was of British social realist films. We discussed what the pace of these films was typically, how frequently effects were used, whether the editing was typically continuous or non-continuos, how much interference there was and how often montages were used within these films. As a class we concluded that the British social realism genre's editing conventions usually consist of: long takes, simple/minimal editing, mostly continuity editing but some directors use montage, very infrequent CGI/effects, a general slow pace excluding when a montage is used. Camera movements are often a replacement for the use of transitions, editing on dialogue, an audio overlap and sometimes where music is used, it enhances the editing. To find proof of these typical editing styles for this genre, we watched the opening sequences of two British social realist films; Dead Mans Shoes and Shifty and analyzed how the editing style represented the characters, locations and helped to establish the themes.

In 'Dead Mans Shoes', a montage is used to show the two mens childhood together, cross cuts are also used to cut between the archive footage showing they're childhood and the present footage to show their development and that they were brothers as they shared they're childhood in a stable home with their family. The cross cutting to the present era connotes that they came from a loving, functional family surrounded by people, to being isolated and excluded from society as they are shown in a rural area with no one around. When the footage of the males in the present is shown, a lot of dissolving transitions are used to keep the flow of action smooth and not all over the place.

In 'Shifty' there are a lot of long takes when capturing one of the main stars - Riz Ahmed as it represents his character as intimidating. Also when the other main character is talking, the shot jumps forward, closer into the action. So they're editing on dialogue, which is a typical convention within the British social realist genre.

All of the editing conventions I had discovered today will be very useful to me when I produce the opening sequence to my own British social realist film as I now understand that all of the editing in British social realist films have a meaning and a purpose, to either represent characters, locations or establish the themes of the film.
 

What have you learnt about opening sequences and title devices?

Looking at all of these opening sequences, I learnt that there are a lot more graphics included in an opening sequence than I first thought. There are lots of title devices included, like: production credits, such as; production companies, executive producers, etc. Job title credits are included, like; costume designers, music composers, etc. There are also casting credits. I found that all of the important actors in the film would appear alone in a single graphic. The less important characterised - the supporting ones would appear with other actors in the same shot. I also learnt that montages can be used in an opening sequence to create enigmas within the audience and it allows them time to think about what the film will be about.

How will this inform your production?

This will inform my production, as I now know that to make a good opening sequence I have to include many graphics with all of the different people who made my production possible. I will also differentiate from the import cast and the supporting cast. Therefore, some actors will have a single graphic alone if they are important and others will appear together. The use of montage in various opening sequences will inform my production as I may decide to use a montage to lead the audience to connotations about my film before it has even begun.

What methods might you use in your opening and why?

In my films opening sequence, I may decide to use a smash mouth opening as looking at opening sequences that used this technique such as London to Brighton made me think it was really engaging from the beginning and it creates enigmas within the audience from the start. I think this technique creates a desire to answer unanswered questions within the audience which keeps them alert and fully active as an audience throughout the whole film. As they may want to gain information about each character and their lifestyles as some of the things the characters are going through they are also experiencing similar situations perhaps. I could also possibly create a montage as this fast paced method could reflect the characters lives in my film and show how many frequent, recurring, negative events take place in they're mundane lives. This method also puts an emphasis on the chaos in they're lives. Both of these techniques are very relevant to the British social realism genre if they are used and applied correctly and can create a great atmosphere within the audience before actually getting into the main body of the film.

British social realism - visual style.

Analysing sound in British Social realism opening sequences.

High Fidelity opening sequence timeline.

Production Log - Week 2.

In the first lesson of the second week of production, my class and I explored the themes of British social realist films in relation to the news. We surfed the internet to find new stories that related to the themes used in British social realist films. There were a lot of themes that featured in British social realist films that also featured in the news, for example; violence, dysfunctional families, poverty, politics, unemployment, etc. From this research, I concluded that the production companies of British social realist films gain their inspiration from the news as they want to portray real life events in an explicit manner.

In the second lesson this week, we discussed what you should do in an opening sequence and what you shouldn't do. For example, in an opening sequence you should use typography that is appropriate for the genre - in this case, the social realism genre and you shouldn't reveal too much of the narrative. We also looked at how many graphics appear in a typical opening sequence and how frequently they appear. We then created a timeline for a British social realist opening sequence of our choice to label the intervals in which the graphics appeared and what was happening when they appeared. We also had to label when the music played and when there was a transition. This helped me to gain a better understanding of how many graphics need to be included and it gave me ideas of how I could edit the sequence to make it more effective.

In the third lesson this week, my class and I watched the opening sequence for the British social realist film 'London to Brighton'. This opening sequence was very different and explored a range of themes. The sequence started with a smash mouth opening, which attracted my attention from the start to end. It was very entertaining and left me, as the audience, with a lot of enigmas and left me feeling a lot of emotions. The themes that were explored within this opening sequence were; prostitution, violence, poverty, dysfunctional families, parenthood and childhood. From watching this opening sequence, I learnt about smash mouth openings and realised that there are more interesting, exciting ways to start an opening sequence of the British social realist genre.



What have you learnt about social realist codes and conventions in relation to audience?

I have learnt that in social realism, current issues that exist within society are presented seriously but also with an element of humour. For example, Kidulthood explores the issues of corruption of youth and petty crime. Both of these are shown through serious situations but some humour is added, for a wider more younger appeal to the audience. Depending on the region of which a film is set, the appropriate issues/themes, language and accents will be used according to the region. The locations used in social realist films are real and mundane, to increase the verisimilitude of the narrative. Camera language is always used but in a gritty style, wide shots are used a lot to show the mise-en-scene, in particular the settings and locations. Also, non-professional actors are commonly used as it increases the verisimilitude and because the production companies who produce these British social realist films cant usually afford mainstream, international actors. I have also learnt about the conventions of the social realist genre, some of these were; to put the title towards the beginning of the opening sequence, to include lots of the mise-en-scene (settings & locations), not to reveal too much of the narrative, etc. All of these conventions will help the audience ease into the film, so and if the title is put towards the beginning of the opening sequence the audience wont have to be interrupted when they start getting into the narrative.

How will this inform your production?

This will inform my production, as I will now make sure I include all of the social realist codes and conform to the conventions of social realism. I will also pay sharp attention to detail because I do not want to mix the conventions of social realism with those of a trailer as there isn't much of a difference to separate the two. I will also make sure that when I make my social realist films opening sequence, it is very British, so that I can meet the brief and create a British social realist film, so I will relate all of the accents, issues/themes, language, settings and locations to the British region. Therefore my film will be very culturally relative.

What texts did you find particularly influential and why?

I found the British social realist film 'London to Brighton' very influential as it started with a smash mouth opening and from then on had me engaged in the narrative and left me with a lot of enigmas. It also explored a lot of issues/themes that take place in London and many other places, but was most culturally relative to British people, as the accents, language and settings all related to the region in which the film was set.




Will you conform to conventions or subvert them?

I will conform to the conventions of social realism rather than subvert them so that the opening sequence of my British social realism film, meets the brief at the highest standard possible as the brief clearly states that it wants my film to conform to the conventions of social realism. Therefore, I will do this in an attempt to create a film of high standard and to gain as many marks as possible.

How British Social Realism themes are used.

This Happy Breed 1944 (3:22-4:00)



Theme: Social class clashes

This theme of social class clashes is identified through the situation, as the five main characters in this scene are seated having a meal and discussion and as the men are about to leave, a woman pulls up a shutter and loudly shouts 'alright to clear away?'. This connotes that she is not of the same social class as the other characters, because she was not able to have a meal with them and join in the discussion, but instead has to tidy up after them. This also connotes that she is perhaps working for the owner/s of the house as a maid, which signified that she is maybe of working class and the other characters are upper class because they can afford a maid. The mise-en-scene also connotes that the woman poking her head through the shutter is not of the same social class because she is located in the kitchen which is a place where she'd be cleaning, whilst the others are socialising. She is also wearing dark brown clothing, in comparison to all of the other female characters who wear bright, elaborate clothing. This also supports my connotation that the woman in he kitchen is likely to be of working class because her clothes reflect her poverty and lack of money. The sequence portrays this theme of a social class clash through the diegetic sound; the dialogue, as the 5 wealthier characters have a very posh tone and they talk well spoken English and use a lot of complex phrases, where as the maid doesn't speak with such a posh tone and uses a more informal tone. Also the composition and framing of the shot which introduces the maid like character, consists of her being deep in the background, just about noticeable connoting that she isn't as important as the other characters. Leading to a further connotation that working class citizens are not as important as those of upper class. In the opening sequence of my British social realist film, I might explore this theme by perhaps using a more recent friction between working class and middle class citizens. I would do this by maybe having a character from a rough family living on a council estate and maybe a character who lives in a house with a stable family, I would do this to contrast the two social class'. 


Bullet Boy - Part 1 (05:45-07:00)



Theme: Aspiration & Escape

This theme is established through the situation that occurs. For example, the main male character is released from jail at the beginning of the film. He is picked up by his friend who starts asking him if it feels good to be home and telling him that there is money to be made and that they can 'clean up the whole of road'. The main character replies saying that his friends way of making money is not the way that he wants to be making money. He then goes on to say in so many words that he has just been released from jail and is not going back. This connotes that the main character doesn't want to go back to jail by repeating the same mistakes he made in the past which got him there in the first place. Instead he aspires to make money legally and is therefore trying to escape his past and escape this working class lifestyle that seems to have nothing to offer him. The sequence as a whole portrays this theme of aspiration and escape through the camera language and the mise-en-scene shown. For example, from 05:39 - 05:49 a shot reverse shot is used to show the main character looking at the council estates he is driving past, this edit is used to show his disappointed facial expressions to connote that he aspires to escape from this mundane scenery and mover on to greater things and that he doesn't himself want to live on a council estate for the rest of his life. In my own opening sequence, I might explore this theme of aspiration and escape by using similar situations. For example, I could cast a teenage girl from a rough urban area, going to college to try and get the grades she needs in hope of being able to get a good job with them.


East Is East



Theme: Religion

This theme is established through the consistent use of language used by people of the Islamic faith. For example, an Asian man that comes out of a car greets another Asian man saying, 'Salaam Alaikum', the other then replies with, 'Alaikum Salaam', whilst kissing each other on each cheek as a way of greeting one another. This language and behaviour is used frequently within this scene. The sequence also portrays the theme of religion, because from 0:08 - 0:15 the camera language used is a point of view shot panning left, the Asian, Muslim child is sitting alone on his doorstep watching all of the of the other white children play and have fun. This connotes that he may be or feel excluded because of his religion or culture. In my British social realist film, I could use this theme by creating a divide between two different religions, to explore cultural differences that exist within society today.


 The Football Factory



Theme: Violence

The theme of violence is established through the explicit situations that happen. The first glimpse of violence we see is at 0:55 when two men punch a man sitting on a wall. But from 1:16 - 2:46 we see two groups of men who are fans of two rivalry football clubs gruesomely fighting, for a long duration of time. The sequence portrays the theme of violence like its done for entertainment because the voiceover says, 'what else are you gonna do on a Saturday?', whilst the action of the fighting has been slowed down and one character is looking around him. In the opening sequence of my film, I would explore the theme of violence through gang related violence or potentially domestic violence because they are common sources of violence within this generation.


kidulthood



Theme: Petty crime

The theme of petty crime is established in the beginning of this scene, up until 0:30. This theme is established through the situation that happens. The shopkeeper wouldn't let the boy but beers because he thought he was 'too young' to buy them. The boy then tells him to shut up and casually walks away with the beers as the shop keeper says 'come back', the boy then turns and throws something at the shop keeper as he says 'come back for what man, shut your mouth'. The shop keeper then chases him out of the shop with a bat and the boy pushes over a stand and then leaves the shop. The boy stole the beers and therefore committed a petty crime as it is not that major because the shop keeper did know he was taking it. The language used by the boy towards the shopkeeper shows that youngsters have little respect for their elders. This sequence portrays the theme of petty crime like its done by youth and done because they have little respect for the older generations. In my film I could use petty crime but make older people be committing these crimes. For example, I could have a single mum stealing nappies because she cant afford them. Working class women who have little money have been known to commit these petty crimes in the real world to provide for their children, so it would be relatable to society today. 

Use of themes in British Social Realism.

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

The link found between British Social Realism themes and the real world is that the themes used are a reflection of situations and events that occur in the real world. For example, according to BBC News - in August 2011 a toddler died from a methadone overdose that could only have been prevented if he was taken into care because his parents used this drug to sedate him when he was grisly (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-19478883). This story that occurred in the real world reflects some of the themes British Social Realist films use, such as; domestic abuse, drugs, childhood, parenthood, dysfunctional families and drug abuse. Fish Tank, is an example of a  British Social Realist film that uses the themes of domestic abuse, childhood, parenthood and dysfunctional families. We see domestic abuse in this film as we see the eldest daughters mum slap her in the face and pinch her for no apparent reason, we also see the themes of childhood and parenthood as we watch the two daughters in a fragment of their childhood and how they live and we see how their mum as a single parent decides to take on parenthood, through a dysfunctional manner which is how we see the theme of a dysfunctional family.



The theme of drug abuse is also apparent in many British Social Realism films, for example in Trainspotting, drugs are abused.



What is unique about how themes are explored in British Social Realism films?

Themes are explored in a unique way in British Social Realist films, as they are portrayed in a very explicit, grim and nasty way. The themes are not made to look any better or worse than what they really are in the real world, but they are a reflection of the actual theme from the real world in a film where the narrative may be fictional but the themes are being portrayed exactly how they would  be in the real world. For example, In the British Social Realism film 'Looking For Eric' , numerous themes are displayed like; dysfunctional families and isolation are displayed. The dysfunctional families theme is shown through the sound as the main character says his 'wife refuses to talk to him' and 'me kids wont give the time of day', this shows that his family is all over the place and don't communicate. The fat that his wife or kids don't bother with him leaves me with a further connotation that he may be left feeling quite isolated. Isolation is another common theme shown in British Social Realism films. According to a graph published by The Guardian, divorce rates in 1930 were really low and over the years has increased, in 1985 the divorce rate was at its highest. Over time it has slowly decreased. But these divorce rates have increased since the 1930's because of these dysfunctional families.
 

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

There are quite a few themes that are essential to British Social Realist films. These essential themes are; dysfunctional families, violence, childhood, aspiration and escape, corruption of youth and unemployment. These themes are all essential to British social realist films because they are some of the main issues within society in the real world. So the production companies who produce these British Social Realist films try to portray the essential issues in real society and make them themes in these themes.