Past Student analysis

Past Students Work

Fast life:

The first opening film I am going to be analyzing in further detail is Fast Life.


This film comes across as very complicated and confusing in a negative sense, as the viewer including myself, could not to see the sense of direction of where the film was taking us, this is a result of little dialogue and poor use of graphics and typography. Also another negative aspect to this film was the background music, as this overpowered the whole opening scene and takes away the feeling of watching a film, but rather feels like listening to a music video. however contrary to this the film does use a good variety of camera shots and techniques, such as long range shots and match on action. there is a good use of establishing shots which in general create a theme for the film. towards the end of the film there are many examples of bad editing etc. as there is a long transition from the film title to the ending scene.

Positive:

This is another opening scene from a past student, this is an example of a well produced opening scene.

The opening scene of the short film, sets the mood and theme for the rest of the other scenes. This specific opening started off with the main character texting her friend. This is a very beneficial way of starting a British Social Realism Film as it gives the viewer an idea of how the film will go. This individual scene is an example of a conventional idea, as the use of props such as a mobile phone is used by most young teenagers.

One of the scenes show the main character preparing herself, to go to a party; putting on make up and clothing, this allows the audience to experience the whole short film, and gives us an insight on what may happen.

The film uses flashbacks to show and suggest what is emotionally going through, the character and what is actually going on.This takes the narrative back from a current point in the story, flashbacks are often used to recount events that have previously happened before the story's primary prequel.

Overall this short film deals with many current issues that occur within British societies, that is teenagers being raped and also being underage and pregnant, this refers back to the film being a British Social Realism film. The whole plot of the film keeps the viewers interested and eager to find out what is going to happen.

Production Log Two BSR

Production Log Two BSR

In reference to what I have been doing this week, I have discovered numerous things about British Social Realism Films, to do with codes and conventions and target audience etc.

In one of my other blog posts i analysed the film Kidulthood and the Mise-En-Scene features used in the film. I've learnt that production design is a vital feature when making a British Social Realism film, because it allows the viewer to have a visual representation on the actors, and allows the audience to discover the actors personality. The characters used in British Social Realism films are vital because at the end of the day, the films aren't allow about special effects and the use of CGI, but rather the real life presentation the audience experiences. For example in Kidulthood the use of characters, where imperative because they are using conventional aspects to make the film more up to date with the current generation, this may be the use of teenager characters, using slang in dialogue which is very common in deprived/council house areas.

Also during this same week, we viewed a film under the production name 'The Selfish Giant'; The Selfish Giant is a 2013 British Drama film directed by Clio Bernard. The Selfish Giant is a contemporary tale about two scrappy 13 year old boys, who live among a working class society and peruse illegal scrap dealing. This film was very emotional and heart touching as, the realism of the film made viewers realize this is a real thing people face especially among the working class society.

Watching these two British Social Realism films, definitely allowed me to gather more knowledge and understanding of what a British Social Realism film requires, therefore I will be able to implicate and apply this knowledge and understanding in my own production.

MISE - EN - SCENE IN KIDULTHOOD

MISE EN SCENE IN KIDULTHOOD

Kidulthood (2006) is a British Social Realism(BSR) film also known as British Drama. Following the lives of several teenagers in inner West London. Kidult hood was directed by Menhaj Huda and written by Noel Clarke.

Production Design

When analyzing production design used in the film, the first feature that came to mind was the choice of clothing and costumes of characters; the young teenagers wear a lot of sportswear, hoodies and big jackets representing the working class, as they can not afford high end clothing.(screen grab from 49:26) Production design is all that is shown on screen such as clothing, props, setting etc. The use of clothing is conventional as it is what people normally expect teenagers of this generation to wear however it also represents the typical London troublemakers and working class teens; council estate teenagers. Hoodies and hats are things that probably every teenager owns. In this specific screen grab, the use of clothing being; hoodies,big jackets and hats connote that something suspicious is happening.

Lighting

The lighting used in Kidulthood is mainly low key and all times natural. This is because as it is a British Social Realism, the realism of the film needs to be emphasized through the lighting and keeping it natural ensures this, as it gives the film a real feeling. In terms of artificial lighting there is not much of it used throughout the film, as shown in the screen grabs (1:06:56). Lighting is imperative in showing how a film is represented. The typical lighting in BSR Films is usually gloomy and low key, this enables the film to engage with the audience, as it creates a dark mood and atmosphere throughout the film. In low-key lighting there are usually a lot of shadows cast upon the characters and objects. The way characters are represented within a BSR film, or any film in that matter, depends on the way the lighting around them is shown. If they are shown in high-key artificial bright lighting for example, then it would give us the impression that they're happy and that the scene is joyous, however if its low key lighting, as shown in most BSR films, then its usually the complete opposite. 

Actors

 

 

 
 The actors used in Kidluthood range mainly from 15-16 year olds, these are typical teenage school ages. The film shows the realism of Britain, as it focuses on the day to day life of these teenagers and shows the troubles and struggles they face. The film mainly focuses on the protagonist Trife, showing his problems and situations that he faced. Also Trifes ex Alisa is also focused on as she finds out she is pregnant, this itself is a social problem that teenagers may face. Both these characters emphasize and represent the realism this film presents.

Color

The color palette of any film is one of the most important thing a film can us, as the colors may have a deeper meaning in the film, for example it being symbolic. Kidult hood uses many dim colors, which may portray the evil and darkness within the film, and the realism the film suggests. Colors can change the mood of an individual and in general terms the whole atmosphere of a film or scene. For example bright colors such as orange may connote and make people feel really excited and happy however dull colors can make someone feel scared or thrilled. Different color palettes used in films can show the highs and the low lows of the characters.