(Pre-Production) Opening Sequences

Football Factory (2004)
- Directed and written by Nick Love
- Production companies: Vertigo Films, Rockstar Games
- Themes: crime, drugs, violence
- Gross: £623,138 (UK)



Kidulthood (2006)
- Directed by Menhaj Huda
- Written by Noel Clarke
- Production companies: Stealth Films, Cipher Films
- Themes: teenage drama, bullying, guns, gangs, drugs
- Gross: £100,056 (UK)



Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)
- Directed and written by Mike Leigh
- Production companies: Film Four, Summit Entertainment
- Themes: comedy, drama
- Gross: $3,494,485 (USA)



Bullet Boy (2004)
- Directed by Saul Dibb
- Written by Saul Dibb and Catherine Johnson
- Production Companies: BBC Films, UK Film Council
- Themes: ghetto life, gangster, prison, violence, sex
- Gross: £297,735 (UK)

(Pre-Production) Production Log - Week 1

As part of preparing for the opening sequence coursework, we looked at few examples of previous candidates work. This has helped me to give an idea of what needs to go in my coursework in order to achieve high marks and reach the Level 4 grade boundary. We were also given a mark scheme as shown in the image below to mark two candidates' work from last year. One of the candidates was a Level 2 example and the other was a Level 4 example. We wrote notes for the strengths, weaknesses and gave it an overall mark. This has been a useful task as it will help me with my own coursework of what I need to do to get the top marks.

By looking at the difference between the Level 2 candidate and Level 4 candidate, I have learned that you need to explain things in more detail, research and analyse films and have organized planning.

This will inform my production because I will have a good and better understanding of the task set, have good time keeping since a lot of work is involved and there are several things I should avoid which could cause me to lose marks.

Below is an example of a candidate's opening sequence from last year. He has used various shots, dramatic sounds/music, lighting and appropriate props. It is an excellent opening sequence for a film and would take all these things into consideration when producing my opening sequence.



The things I will avoid is bad time keeping because I'd need to catch up with previous work since there is a lot of work involved and it will also cause me to be stressed out. As part of the construction process, I would need to avoid poor quality of graphics which looks over the top for an opening sequence as shown in the image below which was part of a thriller film:



Another thing I would avoid is poor grammar and unclear graphs/charts. In the image below, we can see that this candidate has not included a key for their pie chart and has overlapped text. These kinds of things is what loses marks, so I would definately avoid this. The analysis reflecting the survey is good but lacks appropriate grammar and punctuation marks.

(Pre-Production) Themes Of Social British Realism

Growing Up & Aspiration
Definition: Maturing, going from kids to adults, getting an education, get out of their current situation, to be more than what you grew up with, change who you are, having dreams of a better lifestyle
Example: Billy Elliot (2000)
How it explores the theme: Billy dislikes sport but has a passion for ballet dancing. He is aspired to become a professional ballet dancer when he is older, but it is not accepted by the people around him.
Further Info: The film was set against the background of the 1984 Miner's Strike. Billy Elliot is an 11 year old boy who is torn between his passion for dance and the disintergration of his family to become a boxer. The message this film gives out is "Inside every one of us is a special talent waiting to come out. The trick is finding it." Jamie Bell, who stars as Billy in the film says he wanted to "prove that it wasn't just for girls". The film had a budget of $5,000,000 and made some success in USA with a gross of $21,994,911. Below is the trailer for the film.



Race, Ethnicity & Cultural Tensions
Definition: Racism, tensions between two cultures - they do not always get on
Example: East Is East (1999)
How it explores the theme: Mixed race children are confused between the two cultures they come from and find it difficult to keep both in balance. Their father tries to control their lives by getting them married to Pakistani girls because he wants them to follow his culture.
Further Info: It is directed by Damien O'Donnell and tells the story of a Khan family living in Manchester during the 1970s. George (a Pakistani immigrant) and Ella's (a native Anglo) marriage and children face racial prejudice and struggle to find a place for themselves because George wants them to follow his tradition. O'Donnell says "We're dealing with racism...we do it in the film with humour because I think it's a great way to make a point". Thes use of humour in a film is effective in getting a message across because people are likely to watch it anyway for entertainment. East Is East was a little popular with USA and had a gross of $4,170,647. Below is the trailer for the film which shows the lives of children who wish to follow their own British lifestyle.



Social Class
Definition: under class, working class, live in council estates, no job, ordinary people
Example: The Full Monty (1997)
How it explores the theme: It is about 6 men who are unemployed who decide to become strippers to gain enough money to get somewhere else. The working class are just ordinary people like anyone else as a man says "you're just like the rest of us...scrap".
Further Info: The film had a budget of $3,500,000 and it's gross was $45,857,453 in the USA. It was distributed by Fox Searchlight and the comedy involved is what made the film successful. The director Peter Cattaneo was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Direction and won the Academy Award for Best Director. The film was set in Sheffield which is seen as a grimy, dominished locale and the script reflects the loss of status for individuals and the community. Below is trailer made for the film for an American audience because the comedy involved in the film would appeal to them.



Violence
Definition: Emotional scenes, a reason for violence, impacts on dialogue with swearing, fighting, bullying, guns
Example: Kidulthood (2006)
How it explores the theme: Three boys who are sixth formers bullying three boys in the lower year, punches one to the ground to show their dominance. Boy under pressure by his uncle to cut someone's face with a knife. A boy beats up his girlfriend for cheating on him.
Further Info: Noel Clarke wrote and starred in the film Kidulthood as well as it's sequel, Adulthood which was later released in June 2008. According to the director, Menhaj Huda, the film cost only just £600,000 to  make. The film was shot in the actual areas of inner West London and the London Underground of Ladbroke Grove. Noel Clarke wanted to show the lives of actual teenagers growing up in these areas and pass on a message to the audience. He mentions in an interview that many people who watched Kidulthood, miss out the moral message it was giving out. He also says "If you behave like this and get involved with these sorts of people...you could die" and that it wasn't just about "another young black man getting killed on the street". In the video below, Philip Saunders interviews Noel Clarke.



Sexuality
Definition: Homosexuality, bisexual, transgender, others around people may not accept the way they are
Example: My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)
How it explores the theme: Two men who like each other of different ethnicities but the Pakistani man is being dominiated by the white ethnicity. The Pakistani man's father tries to set him up with a girl so he is not attracted to men.
Further Info: The film's budget was £650,000 and it's gross was $2,451,545 in the USA. Channel 4 Films/Film Four was the first production company to produce films of extreme themes. It was directed by Stephen Frears and written by Hanif Kureishi. Homosexuality was a major issue back at the time during around 1985. The film also involves comedy to push the issue forward and give out a message to show the lifestyles of ordinary people. Below is the trailer for the film.



Gender Roles & Relationships
Definition: Pedophiles, mother/father figures, expected to be a man/woman, friendships can change your life, relationship between husband and wife
Example: One Upon a Time in the Midlands (2002)
How it explores the theme: A man who acts feminine as he hides in a cupboard, he intimidates a tougher man than himself and tries to run away from his troubles as he says "Where's my suitcase?!". A man also calls him "You're not even half a man".
Further Info: The gross for the film was small in the USA which was $171,830. The director Shane Meadows, who also directed This Is England, was nominated for the Best Feature at the Gijon International Film Festival 2002. The film trailer portrays the roles of men and women as shown in the trailer below.



Addiction
Definition: Drugs, alcohol, self-harming, thieving/shoplifting
Example: Trainspotting (1996)
How it explores the theme: Strange scene when the person drops a pill in the toilet and goes down inside it to get it, this gives us the idea that people are addicted to substances and are willing to take big risks which seems unrealistic. The guy also nearly gets runover by a car and starts laughing at the screen.
Further Info: Trainspotting had a budget of $3,500,000 and was successful with it's gross $16,501,785 which shocked critics. The film shows the "Edinburgh heroin culture" and portrays the fantasy and urban life that heroin addicts face. In the video below, the director Danny Boyle describes his intentions of the film.



British Politics
Definition: Explores how the government doesn't care about the society or people, anti-government films made to represent this
Example: Hunger (2008)
How it explores the theme: This film is about the last six weeks of the life of a hunger striker, Bobby Sands. It is based on the 1981 Irish hunger strike. A man sacrifices for what he believes in.
Further Info: Michael Fassbender plays Bobby Sands, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) volunteer and led the 1981 Irish hunger strike. Critics say that the film dramatizes these events rather than portraying what actually would've happened. Hunger was turned down by the Irish Film Board, but still had gone down to be one of the most successful Irish films. The film was also named as the 'Best Film Of 2009' by the Toronto Film Critics Association Awards. The director of this film, Steve McQueen, wanted to show people about events which occured in the past which they don't know about. McQueen talks about this outside the London Film Festival in 2008.

Immigration
Definition: Moving from one area to another area, trouble fitting in with the society, they are taking away our benefits
Example: Somers Town (2008)
How it explores the theme: It is about a lonely Polish boy who makes friends with someone already within the society. Football is a common sport in Britain and a man gets the Polish boy to wear an arsenal t-shirt so he supports that football team.
Further Info: It's gross revenue was £566,616 and is directed by Shade Meadows, who was also the director of This Is England. The film studies the social environment in Somers Town in London which was shot in black and white. It was set around Pheonix Court, a low council property which reinforces the social realism in films of the working class. New Of The World describes the film as 'Hilarious, heartwarming British film-making'. Below is the official trailer for the film.

(Pre-Production) Social Realism Timeline

1950s
Key Films: Look Back In Anger
Social Realist Conventions: Black/white, British accents, in a house, white ethnicity, mainly mid shots and two shots, unknown actors, rainy season, looking down at the working class
Appeal to a niche, British audience: the generation which lived during the 1950s because they are probably familiar with the lifestyle and the accents are British so it is easier for a British audience to understand

1960s
Key Films: Kes
Social Realist Conventions: set in a school, white ethnicity, football, white ethnicity, working class, unknown actors
Appeal to a niche, British audience: an older generation, those who are into sports, football in particular, working class can relate to the lives of ordinary British people


1970s
Key Films: Quadraphrenia
Social Realist Conventions: poor sound and quality, natural lighting, violence, working class home, white ethnicity, relationship between father and son
Appeal to a niche, British audience: British families who have children, interesting to see what lives of other people are like

1980s
Key Films: Scum
Social Realist Conventions: set in a boarding school/university, working class, racism of white ethnicity and black ethnicity, swearing, extreme violence
Appeal to a niche, British audience: may come from a similar background, those who are working class would understand the context of the film

1990s
Key Films: A Room For Romeo Brass
Social Realist Conventions: poor quality, violence, fighting between teenage boys, located at a park, shot in colour to show more recent times, mainly mid shots and some long shots, swearing
Appeal to a niche, British audience: British teenagers because of slang used, park as a hanging out location and fights between the group of boys

(Pre-Production) Evaluating Previous Students Work

As part of our task, we had to mark two candidates coursework blogs from last year using the mark scheme. One candidate was an example of a low grade and the other candidate was an example of a high grade. This has been helpful and given me an idea of what needs to go in my opening sequence.

Candidate 1: http://amanveermediacw.blogspot.com/

Candidate 2: http://jbchandler1.blogspot.com/

(Pre-Production) Beachcombing

This my digital scrapbook of things I find inspiring and could help me with my opening sequence.



(8) I can live without money n if everyday was sunny I can live without the rain n if I ever went up to heaven I will fall rite bk dwn, tht life wudnt b livin cuz ur the 1 I cudnt live without (8)
This is a song lyric and it interests me because someone is describing their life through their rap.

(Case Study) British Social Realism - Fish Tank

Social realist films give us a representative image of what life in Britain is actually like. They usually portray characters in their everyday routine, the difficulties they face and their struggles to cope with their lives. Fish tank is a film about a teenage girl (Mia) who lives with her single mother and little sister in a council flat in East London. She doesn't have much friends or goes to school, but she is passionate about street dance.

The film uses ambient sound which isn't always in the field of vision such as police sirens, birds and engines. This makes the film more realistic and gives us the impression that there are other actions happening in the setting even if it is not seen. The sound volume is quite low so that we focus on the current action which is in view. The film hardly uses any non-diegetic music because they want to make the film look as realistic as possible by showing what life is actually like for ordinary British people.

Dialogue through diegetic sound is important in social realist films. The main character (Mia) speaks in a cockney accent which is commonly spoken in Barking & Dagenham. Words such as "butterz" and "rank" are used in the film which is usually used by teenagers in Barking & Dagenham area. People from other regional areas would never have heard of these words before and find it difficult to understand because it may only apply to that specific area. This can give a negative stereotype to teenagers in Barking & Dagenham and represent them as uneducated. Mia's mum's boyfriend has an Irish accent. He says "You need sortin' out you do' and Mia replies "...You don't know nuffin' so why should I listen?". This contrasts with Mia's cockney accent and shows that he does not fit in the regional area and his opinions are not important. It also shows Mia has bad attitude and represents teenage girls as rude and gives negative stereotype of them.

There's a tracking shot as we see Mia walking, the camera is also shaky. This creates a dramatic effect allowing us to follow the character and make the scene more realistic. The shaky camera draws the audience in as if we are in the actual scene watching Mia. For the same reason, it may be why there are not much editing shots in this particular scene.

We see a match on action cut of Mia running up the stairs away from her troubles and her mum's angry reaction denoted by her facial expressions. We see a close up of Mia shouting "You're whats wrong with me!" which represents her as argumentative which gives a negative stereotype to teenage girls. The shot cuts to a low angle of her mother to represent her as weak and vulnerable. He facial expression is blank which connotes that it may be her fault that her daughter has got a bad attitude as a response. This gives a negative connotation of the woman and it can also signify that she isn't being a good mother. It is an accurate stereotype that single mothers living in council estates are unable to take good care of their children and be good role models.

We see a few jump cuts as Mia is dancing to an R&B/grime song on the TV. This is to show her fast action in dancing and so we pay attention to it. This gives a positive representation of Mia because she has an interest and has talent in dancing. We see a mid shot of Mia's mum's boyfriend saying "You dance like a black...it's a compliment". This gives us the impression that black people in Britain are the best dancers and gives a positive stereotype of them and it is an accurate stereotype that they are best at street dancing.

We see a long shot of Britain's environment which looks quite dirty with rubbish on the floor of cans and wrappers. This represents Britain as unhealthy and British people as careless which gives off a negative representation. It is common that a few places usually have rubbish on floor and the environment isn't completely 'perfect'. The lighting is also natural which reinforces the realistic view of Britain.

There is also graffiti on a fence. This is seen as an iconic sign which connotes teenagers are able to cause crime and damage the environment. This gives a negative stereotype to teenagers that they are criminals. This may only be accurate for the working class who mainly live in council estates.

Info about Fish Tank:
- Written and directed by Andrea Arnold
- Katie Jarvis, who plays Mia, was spotted at Tilbury station arguing with her boyfriend which caught the casting assistant's attention to put her into the film with no acting experience
- It was funded by the UK Film Council
- It was released in the UK on 11th September 2009
- It had a gross of $373,060 in the USA
- Won the 2010 BAFTA for Best British Film

 Notes for Fish Tank: