Shane Meadows, director of 'This is England' is an inspirational director to me as his work depicts the same rough, harsh reality that I wish to replicate in our own short film. I have been studying his body of work as I feel his target audience will be similar to ours, to see how he appeals and relates to his target audience, and manages to very much show the perspective on society from youths.
Arguably his most successful film, Shane Meadows wrote 'This is England', the film that is the greatest inspiration to me as it contains the stylistic and narrative features I wish to use in our own production, with its gritty, blunt views on society during the 80's. The main character 'Shaun' manages to be both relatable and extreme in his efforts to fit in despite his bereaving over the death of his father. I found an interview with Shane Meadows discussing the inspirations behind his choice of 80's culture and his own personal experiences with it which I feel has enabled to me to develop a greater understanding of the reasoning behind the film, and how I can draw on perhaps not my own personal experiences, but use things I myself find shocking controversial and interesting like Meadows has done, because being young myself I feel I will be able to relate well to others my age.
Ranked 40th in the telegraphs 'most powerful people in British culture', Meadows included scenes that would provoke public debate in this is England, touching on very taboo subjects that our society faces issues with, such as racism and prejudice as shown in the video below. The way Meadows portrays harsh reality is something I wish to replicate in our own film, as its done in a very simplistic yet effective way, letting the actions speak for themselves. I found the video below exceedingly difficult to watch, but I decided to include it on here because it is the appitamy of the emotions I wish to create, it made me feel irritated, angry, distressed but most of all it made a point.
Saturday, 6 November 2010
Mood boards
I have created two video mood boards as I felt this was a more interesting way of displaying them, containing images that I feel summarise the two genres I wish to convey. I will refer to these as inspiration.
VIDEOS TO BE UPLOADED
VIDEOS TO BE UPLOADED
Chosen Genre
Genre
I have decided to combine two genres within our short film as it will primarily be a drama with elements of thriller. I have researched definitions of each genre below and then written my own, explaining what each means to me.
Drama: Drama is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, crime and corruption put the characters in conflict with themselves, others, society and even natural phenomena.
I think the essence of a good drama film is one that portrays a strong sense of realism, through its choice of actors, locations, costumes, props and narratives. Realism enhances the viewing experience for audiences because it allows them to become more involved within the narrative, feeling emotions such as sympathy for the characters. I like drama films that challenge the traditional conventions expected of their genre and that challenge us as viewers because I feel it allows audiences to be mentally stimulated, keeping them interested and involved whilst giving them something to think about when the film is over. Examples of dramas that I feel challenge stereotype are 'Slumdog millionaire', 'The Godfather' and 'Schindler's list'.
Thriller: Thriller is a genre of literature, film and television that uses suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements. Thrillers are mostly characterised by an atmosphere of menace, violence, crime and murder by showing society as dark, corrupt and dangerous, though they often feature a happy ending in which the villains are killed or arrested. Thrillers heavily promote on literary devices such as plot twists, red herrings and cliffhangers. They also promote on moods, such as a high level of anticipation, adrenaline rush, arousal, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety and sometimes even terror. The tones in thrillers are usually gritty, slick and lurid.
For me personally, I enjoy psychological thrillers with complex narratives leaving the audience guessing right until the end. I find the use of red herrings very effective because the most obvious suspects within a thriller are the estranged, eccentric and often ostracised characters of whom the narrative is sometimes based around. One of my favourite actors within thriller films is 'Johnny Depp' because he often depicts the crazed lonely main character, in films such as 'Sweeny Todd', 'The secret window' and 'Edward Scissor-Hands'.
Although these are the two main film genres my film will come under, I am going to combine some narrative and stylistic conventions of social realism, as I want to provoke controversy and emotion from my audience, as I believe these are the films that are most important and remembered.
I have decided to combine two genres within our short film as it will primarily be a drama with elements of thriller. I have researched definitions of each genre below and then written my own, explaining what each means to me.
Drama: Drama is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, crime and corruption put the characters in conflict with themselves, others, society and even natural phenomena.
I think the essence of a good drama film is one that portrays a strong sense of realism, through its choice of actors, locations, costumes, props and narratives. Realism enhances the viewing experience for audiences because it allows them to become more involved within the narrative, feeling emotions such as sympathy for the characters. I like drama films that challenge the traditional conventions expected of their genre and that challenge us as viewers because I feel it allows audiences to be mentally stimulated, keeping them interested and involved whilst giving them something to think about when the film is over. Examples of dramas that I feel challenge stereotype are 'Slumdog millionaire', 'The Godfather' and 'Schindler's list'.
Thriller: Thriller is a genre of literature, film and television that uses suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements. Thrillers are mostly characterised by an atmosphere of menace, violence, crime and murder by showing society as dark, corrupt and dangerous, though they often feature a happy ending in which the villains are killed or arrested. Thrillers heavily promote on literary devices such as plot twists, red herrings and cliffhangers. They also promote on moods, such as a high level of anticipation, adrenaline rush, arousal, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety and sometimes even terror. The tones in thrillers are usually gritty, slick and lurid.
For me personally, I enjoy psychological thrillers with complex narratives leaving the audience guessing right until the end. I find the use of red herrings very effective because the most obvious suspects within a thriller are the estranged, eccentric and often ostracised characters of whom the narrative is sometimes based around. One of my favourite actors within thriller films is 'Johnny Depp' because he often depicts the crazed lonely main character, in films such as 'Sweeny Todd', 'The secret window' and 'Edward Scissor-Hands'.
Although these are the two main film genres my film will come under, I am going to combine some narrative and stylistic conventions of social realism, as I want to provoke controversy and emotion from my audience, as I believe these are the films that are most important and remembered.
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.
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.
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:
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
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
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