1950s
Room at the top
Themes and Situations:
The shots denote firstly a close up of a man who has been beaten up with his face covered in blood, this is then followed by a mid shot of two children looking at him,. Already this is showing the theme of corruption of youth, the two young, innocent children are seeing something that no child should see.
Characters:
The shot denotes the young girl being lead by the hand by the young boy, connoting that she is the lost child as she has no parent guidance, she is young and vulnerable. Again connoting the theme of corruption of youth, as she does not have parents she can rely on, and the boy is forced to grow up quicker than he should to take the father role on her.
Locations & Setting:
This shot denotes the houses in the background, connoting the area to be quite run down, nothing too special. This also connotes the type of characters that will be in the film, underclass/working class people with not a lot of money, connoting maybe the theme of poverty in the film.
Sound
There is music throughout the film, it is old fashioned, quite dramatic music, there is hardly any dialogue, I feel the music already sets the atmosphere alone.
Camera Work/Editing:
There is a variety of shots used throughout for example this shot denotes a close up of a man looking extremely upset. This close up is really effective because it clearly shows the audience the state he is in, making us feel empathy towards the character, whereas a long shot would not have such a big impact.
Other mise-en-scene:
Natural lighting is used throughout, so that as a British Social Realism, it looks realistic and genuine to the audience. At 0:28, the man is wearing a black suit, white shirt and black tie, this is extremely different to what characters wear in BSR films now. This connotes that maybe this character is more wealthy than other characters, maybe part of the reason he was beaten up, connoting the theme of clash of social class.
1960s
Poor Cow
Themes and Situations
This shot denotes a father feeding his child, he is laughing and they look really happy. This is an unusual thing to see in British Social Realism films as they mostly show unhappy characters, and the Dads are normally shown struggling to supply for their children whilst the wife stays at home and looks after them, this shot connotes the complete opposite, connoting the theme of family throughout.
Themes&Situations
This denotes a high angle shot of the houses, they all look the same, very plain and simple, again nothing too expensive or special. This connotes that the location they live in is not very nice for their kids to be brought up in, quite cheap and run down.
Characters:
This connotes the type of characters that will be in the film, not much money, struggling to provide for their families.
Sound
The music throughout is an acoustic song, it has quite a upbeat, happy feel to it, again unusual to hear in a British Social Realism as the music is normally quite upsetting or aggressive. This sets an uplifting atmosphere to the film. At 2:07 we see that it is actually the Dad that is singing.
Other Mise-en-scene
The lighting throughout is natural, so again it seems real to the audience. It is high key lighting, there is no low-key moments, setting a happy atmosphere to the film.
1970s
Quadrophenia
Themes & Situations
The shot denotes the two characters representing 'Mods and Rockers', this connotes that the theme will involve the clash of social class, at 3:14, he does not want to be seen in public with his friend and moves away, connoting the film will really highlight the difference in characters. The 'Rocker' says 'What am I black or something?' connoting the racism present in the film, they treat different colours as if it is a bad thing.
Characters
At 2:02 there is a shot denoting the boy in his bedroom with posters of girls on his wall, representing him as just an ordinary teenage boy.
Location & Setting
There is a shot denoting the boys bedroom, it is small and cramped, connoting the family is not wealthy, they live in a small simple house. The film is set in West London.
Sound
There is mainly dialogue in this film, the music does not start until 1:36 which is unusual as most BSR films have a lot of music with only minimum dialogue.
Camera Work/ Editing
There is a variety of shots used in the film, for example at 0:02 there is a high angle used on the character walking up the stairs, this connotes he is quite a young, vulnerable character in the film because this angle is mostly used on people to make them seem that way.
Other Mise-en-scene
At 0:46 there is a midshot denoting a woman tanning in her living room, there is a tinted blue colour design to the shot, creating a very cold feel to the shot which is common in most British social realisms.
1980s
Themes and situations
There are many places where Violence is highlighted throughout the film, straight away telling us this is a major theme. The first piece of dialogue we hear is the man swearing at his wife at 1:08 asking where she has been. He carries on swearing at her, calling her names and threatens her. Another theme denoted her is alcoholism, the father is clearly extremely drunk, connoting that he is a struggling father, he fits the archetype of the failing man, this could also link in with the theme of Parenthood as he is a bad role model for his child and takes his anger out on her.
Characters
The father is denoted as a drunk man with no respect for women, he calls his own daughter and wife names, swears at them every sentence and just lacks respect for them. This connotes him as a drunken man who drinks away his sorrows instead of facing them like a real Father would.
Locations & Settings
The first location denoted is a pub, this connotes alcohol will play a big part in the film as it is the first place we are shown so it stays in the audience's mind. The second location denoted is a council estate, it looks rough, cheap and run down connoting the area they live in is for underclass people with not a lot of money.
Sound
The music at the beginning is upbeat and has a happy feel to it, connoting this is how the drunken man feels, the pub is his escape from reality. As soon as the house is denoted, the music stops, the happy atmosphere is removed. At 1:08, the dialogue of swearing begins, making the audience feel on edge of the man.
Other mise-en-scene
The Father threatens his daughter many times to "wrack it around her neck", the use of props here is really effective because it makes his threat more realistic than if he was just saying it. It connotes the type of character he is, an aggressive, careless man with no respect for others.
1990s
Nil By Mouth
Themes and Situations
Domestic abuse is the main theme denoted in this film, at 2:30 the husband is shown throwing his wife onto the floor, and kicking her over and over again. This is a really effective shot as we cannot actually see her being beaten up, we can just hear her screaming and crying. This makes the audience imagine the pain she is going through instead of seeing it, which makes us feel sympathy for her.
Another theme shown in this film is childhood, at 3:11 there is an over the shoulder shot denoting a child watching her own mother being beaten up by her father, she does not have a good role model as a father, her childhood is being wrecked by him. Her vulnerability is highlighted as she is cuddled up in a small ball at the top of the stairs watching his every move, there is nothing she can do to help her battered Mum on the floor.
Characters
The father is denoted as a worthless, aggressive, jealous man who beats up his wife if he doesn't get his own way. He fits the archetype of 'bully' perfectly, he pathetically bullies her because she is weaker and more vulnerable than him, he does not bully people of the same gender or strength, representing him as a coward.
Location & Setting
The location is set in their house, it is not that big or fancy, just a plain, simple house connoting they are not that wealthy, they are just ordinary working class people which fits in with the British Social Realism genre.
Sound
The music at the beginning sets a very eery atmosphere, it sounds almost like music you would hear in a horror movie, connoting to the audience that something bad is about to happen before we even see anything. The thunder and lightning also adds to the mood and atmosphere as the weather normally correlates with the characters emotions, so we expect to see anger by the characters. The dialogue plays a huge part in this film as it sets the atmosphere more than any other sound we hear which is unusual for a British Social Realism film as the music is normally the main thing which does this. The dialogue mostly consists of him swearing at his wife and shouting at her, his tone is so aggressive, we straight away take a disliking to him and feel empathy towards her. At 2:30, the sound plays the biggest part yet, as he is beating her up, we cannot actually see her, we can just hear her, so the sound is really important as it is the only thing making us imagine the pain she is experiencing through her screams and cries. This is the saddest, dramatic and effective part of the film because of that.
Camera Work
The shots used in this film are really effective and portray each character really well. As her husband is shouting at her, there are several close ups used on her face, denoting her looking tired, scared, upset, and overall afraid of what he will do to her. We can really empathise with her feelings as we have a clear view of how she is feeling. Where as with the husband, the close-ups denote him looking angry and his eyes are wide. As an audience we actually feel scared for her because of how badly he is being portrayed, the close ups have a huge effect on the audience.
At 2:17 there is a close up denoting the wife's hands, she is holding them up to defend herself, although we can not see her facial expression here, we can feel how scared she is that she feels the need to try and keep her own husband away from her.
Other mise-en-scene
The lighting in the film is natural, it is quite dark because it is night time. I feel the darkness also sets the mood and atmosphere really well, if it was bright it would not have the same effect of of darkness and anger as it does on the audience.
2000s
Kidulthood
Themes & Situation
At 0:07 there is a shot of a young boy trying to buy alcohol at the shop, "You are too young to buy these beers". This connotes the theme of 'Corruption of Youth' he is under-age drinking, showing his childhood to not be ruined. Another theme denoted is drug abuse, at 2:57, they steal his weed from his house, and at 3:13, the boy is seen smoking it, connoting drugs plays a part in their everyday lives.
Characters
At 0:05, the boy is denoted using the word "blad", this connotes him to be a typical gangster character who is growing up in a very urban area. At 0:42, there is a mid shot of the three characters standing on the street drinking beer, again connoting them to be your everyday typical gang members. At 4:08, the characters are denoted making fun of his friend for his sexuality, this is light humour and reminds us of their young ages, as most teenage boys do this.
Settings & Location
At 0:33 there is an establishing shot looking down on a typical, everyday high street, connoting the area to be a very realistic, everyday, urban place which the audience can relate to.
Another location is in the characters bedroom, it is small, quite cramped and simple, connoting the characters to be underclass with not a lot of money. The posters on the wall are of girls, connoting the character to be just an ordinary teenage boy, the location is realistic for this age of character.
Camera work
At 4:33 there is a low angle shot denoting the three guys being someone up, the camera is pointing upwards so that we feel as if we are the one on the floor. This makes the characters seem much more threatening and bigger than what they are, so it is a really effective angle to use in this scene.
Other mise-en-scene
At 4:22, one of the characters uses a baseball bat as a threat of violence, this connotes him to be a very aggressive character who beats people up without care. The lighting is natural throughout and quite high-key throughout so there is not a dark atmosphere set, the violence is quite light going, it is not too brutal to watch.
The costumes that the characters wear are tracksuits, connoting they are quite chavy characters who are always on the street, they do not have a lot of money to dress formally and live in a very urban area.
2010s
Ill Manors
Themes & Situation
The major theme highlighted in this film is drug abuse, there are long shots of each character taking and smoking a different type of drug, this connotes the area and characters are rough.
Another theme denoted is 'corruption of youth', at 0:55 there is a long shot of a young child, he is in the same area that the others are doing drugs, connoting he is being forced to witness something no child should be witnessing, this will have a bad influence on his childhood and they are not good role models for him. At 1:18, the kid is tied up and his eye is slit with a razor, there is a close up denoting the blood dripping from his eye, connoting the deprived childhood he has, this fits in with both the theme of corruption of youth and violence.
Characters
At 1:21 there is a long shot denoting a guy tying up the child with rope, this is followed by a close up of him slitting his eye lid with a razor, making him bleed. This connotes the character to be a bully as he is doing this to someone much younger and more vulnerable than him.
There are many shots of the drug users denoted, smoking drugs, this connotes them to be rough people who use drugs as their escapism from the real life. Another character we are introduced to is the FBI, they are denoted arresting someone on the floor, connoting the authority their characters have over the others.
Locations & Setting
The only location denoted is in a basement, this is where all the drug action happens, connoting it could be a secret business set in a basement so no one can find them, again fitting the theme of drug abuse. The idea of it being set in a basement sets the mood and atmosphere well.
Sound
The main sound used in this is music, it fits the scene really well because it sets the appropriate mood and atmosphere. It is upbeat, lively and urban; the lyrics tell a story, they match each shot shown. At 1:20 the lyrics say "What an environment to raise a kid" as the man is tying up the young child. At 2:01, the lyrics go on to tell us "his mother Janet took an overdose of heroin and died" the story being told really helps us to understand what is going on because of the lack of dialogue.
Camera work/Editing
There is a variety of shots used, the close ups are especially effective at 1:27, a razor is denoted covered in blood, at first we do not know where the blood is from, I think this choice of order is really effective because it leaves the audience on edge as to what he has done to the young boy to make him bleed so much. At 1:31, the boy's face is revealed, his eye is slit with blood dripping down his face, this is a really gruesome shot and is unsettling for the audience to see a child in this state.
Other mise-en-scene
The lighting is artificial, there are lights in the basement, this is unusual for a British Social Realism to have as they mostly use natural lighting. This doesn't take away from the realism from the film though because you would use lights in a business basement.
In what ways has British Social Realism evolved over the last sixty years?
British Social Realism's have evolved in many different ways, although some things have stayed the same, such as themes, the main themes being presented are still poverty, social class, corruption of youth etc, that has not changed. The archetypes are still the same, you can clearly see which character represents what. But, the actual storylines are what has evolved the most, British Social Realism's are now a lot heavier and more brutal to watch, when BSR films were first made, people did not agree with what they were watching, it was shocking to see people taking drugs, having sex etc, but now they are more common things for teenagers to be experiencing, therefore films can display them more openly because the audience will not react as badly. The area's in BSR films now are a lot more urban, more scenes are set on the street in more recent films, so producers pay closer attention to for example graffiti on walls, this sets the atmosphere well as it would connote a gritty, rough area. Also costumes have changed, in more recent films, the characters mostly wear tracksuits, to connote their chavy, gangster characters, where as this was not that common 60 years ago.
No comments:
Post a Comment