Social Realism

Social realism is a genre that I feel relates to British New wave, as essentially it is the more contemporary version, depicting the gritty issues working class people face but in a much more blunt, vivid way as film making has progressed considerably over the years.
This is a genre I will be able to draw inspiration from when creating our film, as the thing I like about social realism is the blunt, harsh portrayal of reality as I don't like to rose tint.
I found an interesting video on youtube from a BBC series called 'film forever' with celebrities expressing their views on that episodes film genre 'social realism'. The video is posted below.



This video has allowed me to see what it is about social realism audiences enjoy which will be useful for creating my own short film as I agreed with many of their perceptions, about enjoying being challenged, irritated and often distressed yet a sense of satisfaction from the strong reality portrayal.

British new wave

This British New Wave is an era of film making that I have been researching, as I feel it holds relevance to the effect I want to achieve when producing our own film.
The British New Wave is essentially a trend in British film making that began in the late 1950's early 60's. They are commonly referred to as 'kitchen sink dramas' because they focus on the reality of life for working class people, particularly in the north of England with films such as 'Saturday night Sunday morning'. These dramas focus on the gritty, everyday difficulties of average people which relates to our own short film because our idea is based on representing an average boy from a working class family and the troubles he encounters. The British New Wave predominately focuses on the issues that society upheld, that create a situation for the characters, through no fault of their own, where they are stuck in a rigid mould unable to move out of their class division, the 'ideal' lifestyle already laid out for them regardless of intelligence or determination. Films such as 'Saturday night Sunday morning' began to depict something very unheard of, dissatisfaction with the system and a desire to break free which relates to our own short film, as our protagonist is in denial, seemingly leading a happy successful life but instead trapped by the situations around him.
In comparison to today's film making, British new wave is very mild as now, nothing is off limits. I feel this is an interesting comparison because it so clearly shows the progression of society that I want to portray in our film, as it seems that as freedom grows, society's guidelines shrink and so therefore rebellion is ultimately supported, as can be noticed between the two films 'Saturday night Sunday morning' and 'This is England'.
Below is a 'Saturday night Sunday morning' film poster:

One play that provoked controversy and is an example of British new wave that I have been reading, is John Osbornes 'Look back in anger' written in just one month in 1956. When first published many didn't like the harsh reality portrayed through this piece, and possibly found it exceedingly difficult to accept the realistic, unfulfilled fate of many working class people unable to break the mould society created for them. 'Look back in anger' focuses on a love triangle revolving around 'Jimmy', a lower middle working class man who is eager to be free of exactly what is expected of him, and instead achieve what he wants to do. This play was considered shocking at the time because it spoke very bluntly of the lifestyle troubles, one particular memorable quote being when Jimmy says unaware of Alison's pregnancy; “If only something—something would happen to you, and wake you out of your beauty sleep! If you could have a child, and it would die. Let it grow, let a recognisable human face emerge from that little mass of India rubber and wrinkles. Please—if only I could watch you face that. I wonder if you might even become a recognisable human being yourself. But I doubt it.”. Life was very much rose tinted during this era, so it was unheard of to talk of such issues in such an abrupt, blunt manner.
Howard Brenton, writing in the Independent newspaper at the time of Osborne's death in 1994, said, “When somebody breaks the mould so comprehensively it's difficult to describe what it feels like”.
Below is a scene from the 1989 adaption of 'Look back in anger' that demonstrates the difficulties that were portrayed.



Initial genre ideas

Based on my previous research and interests, I have made a chart of possible genres our group may wish use when creating my short film, to ensure I am fully exploring all my available options.

SPIDER DIAGRAM SCANNED IN

Film review page analysis 'Spiderman 2'

Here I have analysed some of the technical and stylistic features used in the review page 'Spiderman 2' which I feel will help me when designing and creating our own review page.

One of the first features I noticed was the even divided between image and copy, as the image is neither predominately more or less than the accompanying text. This could reflect the balance between the actual film; of narrative and visual effect, suggesting that both combined enhance the film rather than one or the other, which means readers flicking through this magazine at a glance develop an understanding of the film immediately. This is something I feel is very important because ultimately, a review page can be a form of advertising your film so with a well presented page you can sell your vision to readers who may not have heard of the film.

The image itself has been chosen to summarise the best features and emotions of the film, excitement, adventure, danger and mystery all portrayed through use of background, the impending danger of the metal machinery and the iconic character himself, spiderman. Spiderman is the main focus of the image because he is as said before an iconic hero, that will provide a guaranteed audience of people who have seen the previous film, read the comics, own the memorabilia etc.

TO BE FINISHED

Film review page analysis 'Avatar'

I have also chosen to analyse this movie review page, as I found it very visually interesting. I think the best and most effective movie review pages are visually exciting and colourful, with the text left sharp, witty and often to the point to maintain reader interest.

Most of this review page is predominately images, which at a glance inform the reader which film the review is for, allowing a person quickly flicking through a magazine to see that this is a review page for 'Avatar'. The images chosen depict interesting and exciting images from the movie, without being spoilers as the images are abbreviated quick glimpses and not shown in the order they appear during the film, allowing people who have seen the film to reminisce about the narrative peaks and favorite parts, thus forming their own opinions immediately before reading the actual review meaning they can compare their own thoughts to those of the writer so the piece is much more stimulating. For people who haven't seen the film a sense of suspense and hype is created, as the film is essentially being advertised to them, and through the use of these appealing images people are more likely to want to go and view the film. The biggest image of the two main characters, the 'avatars' immediately portrays the extravagance and quality of the film, as through this close-up we can see the incredible digital detail on the characters faces, an example of what can be expected throughout the rest of the film and its high standard. These images are reflecting the film in a positive way before the actual text has even been read.

The colour scheme has been carefully selected in order to create the most striking effect. Blue and orange, the predominate colour scheme, are known as 'complimentory colours', along with other combinations such as yellow and purple, red and green. Complimentory colours are colours found opposite on the colour wheel that contrast each other in the most extreme way possible, making each other appear more active and vibrant. The creator of the page has deliberately chosen orange next to the blue avatars in order to really highlight and emphasise the characters and titles, making the images really vibrant and the titles and text box stand out, informing the reader of the basics, the movie title, images associated with it and whats written in the other orange text box, further information on the film. Below is a picture of the colour wheel with the opposites used in this image highlighted. I have chosen to include this because this is something I am going to carefully consider when designing my film poster, and being aware of the colour opposites is something I feel will help me create a striking effect.

The actual fonts used on the page are kept very basic, sans-serif with soft rounded edges for ease of reading. I believe the designer has chosen basic font because its not the main focus of the review page, instead the copy is used as more of a background information and referrence. This choice also reflects the main selling point of avatar; striking visual effects where the narrative although good is not as extraordinary. Ease of reading means that those who are attracted to visual, interesting articles won't find this page too much of a chore to read because its kept brief, letting the images speak for themselves.

Layout
The predominate spread of images is well presented, each one defined by a black border that means the audience eye is drawn to each one indivudally, rather than confusion of looking at it as montage. The most important image is situated in the top right corner of the page, as all the text boxes are spilt up by images, representing the balance of visual effect and narrative within the film itself, as each part of the narrative contains stunning visual effects. A black border is placed around the whole image, collecting the text boxes and images together as almost a collage, making the whole page easier to read and examine because its clearly defined also making it look much more professional and presentable.

Movie poster analysis 'Fish Tank'

The second movie poster I have analysed is 'Fish Tank', directed by Andrea Arnold in 2009. I have chosen to analyse this poster because I have found this film to contain elements I would like to apply to our own film, with its shocking narrative and stylistic features that I found inspiring.

The colours used within this poster are very soft, and natural with pastel pinks, whites and gentle lighting. This immediately creates a harsh contrast - between the seemingly grown-up girl and the effect of a childish bedroom wall. Children's bedrooms are an iconic place of sanctuary and solitude during childhood, often depicting the age and mind frame of the child through colour scheme and design, so the fact that Mia's bedroom wall has scribbles and bright childish colours represents that despite her appearance and lifestyle, ultimately she is still a fifteen year old girl who needs a stable upbringing. Using something as personal as a bedroom also allows us the audience an insight to the real Mia, of whom nobody else sees because of her hard exterior and need to constantly defend and protect herself against her uncaring mother and local youths on her estate. The colour blue is also a visual link to what the text is saying, as blue is often the colour of deep water portraying the trapped position Mia's lifestyle has her in. The director hasn't chosen a conventional blue however, in favor of a turquoise shade, which could represent that Mia isn't in the stereotypical lifestyle for someone her age, creating a sense of sympathy for her.

The camera angle, a mid shot allows us to see the characters costume, straightened hair with lots of gold jewellery, a stereotypical image of youth that doesn't match up to her age, as she looks a lot older than she is which could represent the fact that she is living older than she is, trying to fulfill her dreams of becoming a dancer completely alone, and forced often to watch her mother lead the carefree life of parties and friends she should be. The mid shot also allows us to see what the character is doing, looking longingly out the window. This could depict Mia's desire to be free, as she is stuck behind the glass, both literally trapped in her home as she has no where else to go, and also metaphorically as she is trapped in her lifestyle unable to break-free of her family and class division. It represents exactly what the title is, Mia is trapped behind the glass in the 'fish tank', forced to watch others leading the life she longs for.

The lighting is natural, or the effect of natural lighting because it appears to be coming through the window illuminating part of Mia. This lighting is very soft, almost white which again adds to the effect the colour scheme creates, very innocent and sympathetic, almost angelic. The lighting could represent the outside world, as through the whitish glow it could be depicting how idealistic and perfect it is and whilst Mia can look at it and dream about it, she can't quite get to it. This makes me as an audience member feel sympathetic for Mia, as it isn't her fault shes trapped in the situation shes in and it almost has a claustrophobic effect as she is trapped so forcefully through many different aspects, family, education, class division, financial, that it seems like she doesn't have a chance as the odds are stacked against her.

The slogan below the title reads 'live, love and give as good as you get'. This slogan is the epitome of Mia, who treats others exactly as they treat her. Mia has never been shown love or kindness by anyone she knows, as nobody really cares about her so she does argue with her mother, fight with local girls and force entry into one of the empty flats for dance practice as she is so cautious and guarded against others, through how shes been treated, that she doesn't give anyone a chance to be nice to her and treat her well. This is shown through her relationship with her mothers boyfriend, as on their first meetings she is very rude and aggressive toward him, expecting him to treat her how everybody else does.

Layout

The layout for this poster is very different from the previous, there is less of a formal structure and instead almost a divide between the image and copy, as the copy is written on a bedroom wall while Mia looks out the window. This follows the basic rule of thirds, in that by placing Mia in one of the outer thirds they have given space more of a significance, in this case for bedroom wall writing creating the effect described above in my visual analysis. Along the left edge a border is left, as the text aligns short of the end of the image, again creating a professional, and well presented effect that is easy to read. The text almost has a metaphorical box around it, as its boundaries are set by alignment on one side, and a pink slick of paint on the other, almost keeping the text separate from the image and could reflect the idea of the 'Fish Tank', where all the information about Mia is inside it yet her true personality is not because she is unconventional. The image itself of Mia moulds into the bottom of the text, as there is no box around her, representing her desire to be free and making her part of image, rather than imposed on top giving the impression of her bedroom wall, which is again personalisation. The edge on the right side of the image has no clear structure, as it fades out into bright white light. The two halves of the image could reflect the 'Fish Tank' on one side, structured, formatted and Mia on the other, trapped in the Fish tank when she isn't what is expected of her. I really like the layout of this poster because it reflects so much about the film whilst being easy to read and looking professional and presentable.

Movie poster analysis 'Schindler's List'

Furthering my analysis, I have also decided to analyse movie posters as I feel they are key in setting the mood and tone of the short film. I feel the most effective film posters capture the essence of the message the film is tyring to portray or what it represents, its narrative and clearly depicts the films genre, perhaps foreshadowing latter events. The film posters I have chosen to analyse use stylistic features that I find interesting and inspiring, and following on from my research on dramatic short films I have chosen posters which also encapsulate this genre.

Schindler's List

I have firstly decided to analyse the film poster of 'Schindlers list' because I find the film to be so moving and inspiring, the way the film is extremely blunt and shows everything exactly how it was, without rose-tinting is something I want to apply to our film. The fact that the film is based on a true tragedy also makes it much more emotive and powerful because its so realistic.







Visual
The colours used are very desaturated, lifeless and cold, which could represent the sheer depression of the time, as the peoples lives had just been completely stripped of any kind of joy, amusement or emotion and they were forced to function almost mechanically, leading their lives in a strict fashion that was forced upon them with the bland colourings of the poster depicting the life metaphorically being drawn out of them. The slight hint of colour we can see is a pinkish-red of what appears to be a child's sleeve. This could represent numerous things, the fact that the sleeve is that of a child's could portray the fact that the generational disastrous lifestyle is set to continue; with red often symbolising danger, again emphasising the sense of hopelessness and depression as the next generation is sealed with the same fate unless somebody makes a stand.
The close-up shot depicting the joining of two hands is very powerful, symbolising unity and alliance as the Jewish people cannot make a difference on their own, and the bond between Schindler and 'his jews' is ultimately triumphant as he manages to save thousands of lives. The fact that it appears to be a child's hand joining with an adults could represent the vulnerability of the Jewish people, in the sense that they are almost portrayed and treated like children unable to defend themselves and inferior to the Germans, except for the one who decides to help them. This vulnerability immediately creates a strong sense of sympathy, as us the viewers want to reach out and help them and see the 'weaker people' triumph.
In the background a faded list of names is visible as 'schindlers list'. The fact that the poster has been designed to show names and numbers, rather than faces of the Jewish people could represent how they are depicted throughout the film and in the view point of the majority of Germans throughout this film, as just numbers with no significance or importance and not treated as individuals but instead as a mass work force. The list also emphasises the sheer amount of Jews who have had their human rights stripped and personally the list format makes me feel uncomfortable because of the way it emphasises that so many Jews have been treated this way. The list finally foreshadows latter events, as we discover later in the film that Schindler compiles a list of 'his Jews', the ones that have worked for him in order to save their lives. The efforts of Schindler are deeply moving, as although he manages to make a difference the audience are aware that it is not enough to save the majority.
The text used looks aged and almost hand-written calligraphy style, which immediately gives the audience information as to the time period the film is set in and adds personalisation to the processed, typed look of the page which could represent the actions of Schindler, in that he is the one person who is willing to stand-out and make a stand against the almost robotic format all around him as no one dares step out of line. The font also looks rather decorative, written with serifs which represent the importance of the character they are written about and the utter respect that is held for him, symbolising also the characters wealth as the lettering looks in places rather elaborate. The writing also has a slightly yellow tinge, again create the effect of aged and worn as well as looking slightly more authentic, creating a stronger sense of realism for the audience.

Layout
The layout of the poster is very much centralised, with the title, copy and image all place in the center of the page which creates a plain border around the edges, making the poster look much more professional. It also creates ease of reading for the audience, because the main thing that catches the eye is the images, and by placing the text over and in conjunction with the image in the centre, everything is together and organised, with the illusion of less copy than there actually is. The layout also compliments the style of the poster, as it is meant to appear almost like a hand-out, with use of the list in the background, so the audience are in a privileged position to be able to view what is meant to be a private piece of work. The layout could also signify being right in the center of something, as the film is very much an observation and exposure of the pain endured by the Jews so the layout with the list centralised could be reflecting this.
The image is right in the middle of the page, making it the main focus point as the image summarises the whole message of the film - unity, of Schindler joining together with the Jews to save them.
The title is at the top of the page, allowing the image to speak for itself and creating a clean, professional look that's neat and well presented.
This type of layout is something we may wish to apply to our poster if we want the images to be the main focus point, and the idea of personalisation and allowing the audience in on something private.