Camera and Editing in Ill Manors Opening

Editing:

From the very start of the film to 4:13, everything is fast motion, this connotes the use of drugs in the film because the symptoms of cocaine are having lots of energy and a fast heartbeat, straight away creating a very energetic, upbeat atmosphere for the audience. At 2:50, there is a mid shot denoting four guys doing drugs in the kitchen, this again connotes the theme of drugs in the film. This represents the characters as people who use drugs as their escape from reality, they do not have any better things to do with their spare time, connoting the area they live in to be rough and run down, probably living in a council estate, as the kitchen denoted is very small and simple. I think the fast motion is really effective because it helps the audience understand their day to day routines, over and over again, the fast motion creates the sense of time passing. 

Another editing technique used is the music enhances the pace of the music, the shots are edited specifically to fit the lyrics of the song, Plan B, the rapper, is the narrator of the story, everything he raps matches exactly what is happening in the shot, helping the audience understand what is happening. For example, at 2:44 he raps "Prossies on the corner with their f***king high heels on, Pick 'em up, drop 'em off, Yey they ride real strong" this connotes that prostitution is a theme in the film. This represents the characters in the film as the girls having no future, they are worthless objects who are only capable of selling their bodies for sex. This also represents the area they live in to be rough and cheap, the girls make a living by prostitution. 

There is simple editing used, the main technique used is the cut, this keeps the film fast and effective, the story runs as fluently as possible, making it much more realistic for the audience. At 3:32 the shot starts as a close up of an injection going into an arm, this then cuts to a long shot of the girl he is injecting sitting on the toilet, she is half conscious. This cut is really effective as it creates suspense for the audience as to who the injection is being used on before she is revealed. This establishes the theme of drugs to a more extreme level rather than just them smoking it, the fact she is hardly awake whilst being given this drug represents her as someone who needs the drug to live her life daily, she is an addict, she has nothing else to live for. 

Camera:

There are close ups used on the main characters, At 10:03 there is a close up of the young child tied up, on the floor with his face covered in blood. This shot establishes the theme of corruption of youth which is common in British Social Realism films, the young child is experiencing something no child should have to go through. This represents the character who has tied him up as a bully, he is not a good role model for this child, he has disrupted his youth. 

There are artistic estbalishing shots of locations used, for example at 1:46 there is an establishing shot of the area that the film is set in, the foreground consists of flats, straight away connoting to the audience that the characters do not live in the greatest houses, just small, simple flats. This connotes to the audience that the characters will not have a lot of money, they will probably be dressed in tracksuits, and on the street alot as their way of escaping the reality of their lives. This is very common for British Social Realism films as they are nearly all set in council estates with very urban characters.

The camera msotly uses wide shots, this helps to establish not only the character, but the background around them which is very important for British Social Realisms as both play a huge part in setting the appropiate atmosphere for the audience and exploring the key elements of British Social Realism films. At 7:44 there is a wide mid shot denoting the character standing in his living room, there is not actual curtains for the windows, it is cramped and there are clothes hung on the sofa, this connotes the poverty of this character, he does not have a lot of money, he cannot afford a nice house. This could represent him as maybe the failing man, he cannot supply a family and he is not a great role model which is very common in British Social Realism films. 

There are jerky camera movements used in some parts, example at 25:03, the camera is constantly moving, it is never still at this point. This adds to the roughness of the shot, it feels much more real and sets the atmosphere of the gangs, even though the lighting is high key it adds an element of discomfort for the audience.