Weekly Production Log: Week 3

This week, we have learnt about our commissioner, Film Four and done research into their background with what they do and who they are. We learnt that film four are part of channel four and what movies they have contributed to and how much of a success they are.

This has had an impact on my production as i get a clearer insight into film four and i also understand what movies they made a success for certain reasons, for example how attack the block included British unknown actors and based it around an estate. Also i learnt about other movies, such as this is England and how the setting impacted how the actors would act due to their environment.

This week, we learnt about diegetic and non diegetic sound sounds in films and the purpose of them. We learnt how certain sounds, such as sound effects, dialogue and voice overs are essential to BSR movies. Also the characters mode of address is essential that it fits a typical BSR actor, which is usually informal, rude and disrespectful.

This will impact my production as i will  now be able to use what i have learnt about diegetic and non diegetic sounds and put this to use inside my production and make sure i use it correctly through the purposes i have learnt. Also using the certain sounds, will make a huge difference to my production if used correctly so learning more about sounds has helped me a lot.

here is a short example of diegetic and non diegetic sound.

Commissioner Factfile

Who is the company?
Film Four Productions Have been in production with such movies as "Attack the Block", "East Is East" and "The Last King Of Scotland". In most of these movies, they are co-producers which shows that they were not independent in the production of all of these movies. They have also distributed many films, but the majority of these films have been distributed onto TV and some have been sold as DVD's worldwide such as "The Inbetweeners Movie" and "West Is West" and these films are shown globally. Also They are exhibitors of such successful films such as "The Karate Kid", "Law Abiding Citizens" and "X Men" and are shown on televisions worldwide. This just means they are Vertically Integrated and are involved with production, distribution and exhibition. Film Four's Parent Company is Channel Four and they launched Film Four in 1998 but this was as a subscription channel that went free to view in 2006. It is a publicly owned company which means it is owned by the government and is based in London, United Kingdom. The advantages of Channel 4 owning Film Four is that they earn a lot of money thorough all the other channels they own so have big funding for film four. Also they are very diverse as the show a range of genres so this keeps a wide rang of movies to show they are very big and have a large target audience.

What do the company produce?
Film 4 fund around 20 films a year, at around £500,000 into each movie. They are co producers to many different company's and usually contribute between 15-25% of a films budget. They haven't made any recent movies but a couple of their successful films have been Four Lions, Attack the Block and Shutter Island. On average they contribute around £500,00 a year on films and they contribute toward the British Social Realism in a lot of ways. For example Attack the block was set in Estate Flats in England where the actors were young British unknown youths who looked like everyday people, but through their slang and the way they talk, we could see they were from a certain background. Another example would be Four Loins in which was also set in a gritty part of London, in a council flat. Film Four also produce movies with such genres as Horror, Action and many more.

Where is the company based?

They are mainly based in the UK and are known for their trademark in Social Realism genre based movies, they  have been contributing towards films outside the UK. These films include The Last King Of Scotland which won an Oscar and 37 other awards due to its success. The awards were given due to the actors, and the screenplay. Here is one of the many films Film Four have produced with the BSR genre included due to the settings and the characters.









Why is the company important to the UK film industry?
Their ethos is to develop new British young talent to the industry and also to be the leaders of the British film making industry. Their key successes have to be slumdog millionaire and last king of Scotland as these were among the many films that won a lot awards and film four got the praise for it and they made a difference tot their company. They made Riz Ahmed launch his career path to give him more opportunities after Four Lions and the director Stephen Frears produced the first movie for Film Four and from there, both have benefited as film four have become successful and and Stephen Frears has had more more successes since then with other movies and has won best director on a number of different movies.

This is Riz Ahmed, Now a successful actor

Opening Sequence In a BSR

For my opening BSR sequence, I will be analysing the opening sequence of Green Street Hooligans.

Weekly Production Log: Week 2

In this lesson we have learnt about the different themes and conventions in a BSR and how they have evolved over the years. We have learnt the key conventions that are used in a Social Realism and this can help us when we come to make our clip as we know what to include to make it a good BSR. In relation to the audience, Sound quality and camera language makes a huge difference so this is a key factor that is necessary to make the production look professional. This will play a huge part in my production as I would want for mine to look good so I would want to make sure the background noise is minimum and the camera is straight and not shaky. Also I would need to make sure that my actors are age appropriate and fit the general needs of a BSR actor. I particularly found the film kidulthood very influential as it was the best movie out and it had very good camera language and sound. The storyline wasn't complicated but a lot of kids would be able to relate to it and I think the actors used were very effective as the fit the BSR typical actor and this made a huge difference and made it such a good movie. I will hope to conform to conventions as this is what makes a BSR but I would like to subvert some of the areas so that I am able to create a production piece  with some conventions, like the actors and storyline to something new and different so it creates a buzz for the audience and could change the BSR genre.

BSR Timeline and Definition

British social realisms in films are based in urban gritty areas in the city where everyday people are used as actors and the themes are based on real life struggles and situations and the problems in an everyday lifestyle. They usually are action based themes with violence drugs ir power but can vary due to the movie.

Here below we have a social realism timeline where we look at conventions for the BSR genre from the 60's till now and see how it has evolved and in which areas in particular it has changed/ been improved.

How British Social Realsim themes are used

Racism
This is England:

In this clip we are shown the main key theme, which is racism. We are shown this with the white guys robbing the Asian man's shop. This denotes how the National Front were like in the 80's and how they would racially abuse people of other ethnicities. Another Key example would be The little kids language towards the shop keeper. He was shouting racist comments to him and this denotes kids very young get involved in such abysmal behaviour and such racist people. Also another example of racism as the theme is that the old white man tries to excrete over the Asian man's shop which denotes the level of respect they gave to coloured ethnicities and how they would be treated with absolute no respect.

The Theme is represented in the language used and the actions for how the actors are treated due to their ethnicities. This creates a big shock for the audience to see how certain people were treated in 80's. The language of how they talk to him with aggression and violence shows their "passion" for their country. this makes me think to add realism to our production, violence and anger needs to be shown to have the themes from the British Social Realism Genre. Also the way how they miss treat the shop keeper and take everything he has worked for, and show no remorse is absolutely disgusting but this is what is used to fit into the BSR genre. This gives me a chance to see what actions have a big impact on the audience to relate to them.

From watching this clip, I think I would need to make my clip around the violence/racism themes as they seem to create an effect on the audience and this creates realism through the emotions of each of the actors so I would like to explore this into more detail.

Violence

Football Factory:

The key theme in this clip is violence. We are shown this in this clip where the two rival gangs go to fight each other  and then get into a huge fight. The violence is shown with the actions of the actors, punching and kicking each other over football which shows how they feel about the sport and rival teams firms. Also another key example would be the amount of blood and gore shown when the guy on the floor is getting kicked so bad thats he's bleeding to death and they show no remorse to stop but carry on until he dies. This shows the seriousness of football hooligans and the aftermath of what happens when a violent breakout happens. Also another example of the violence would be the violent language used where they swear at each other and shows how even though all of the people are from the same class, they all treat each other differently due to football teams and over that, people are violent and offensive.

The theme of violence is represented in this sequence is the flare gun and batons used. These are very violent and harmful weapons that should not be used by hooligans as they use it for the wrong reason so these items represent danger and violence which is the key theme. Also another way the key theme is represented is the blood and bruises shown. This connotes danger and death and this blood is due to the violence and fights that happened over football.

From watching this, I don't think i would use anything in my trailer but one aspect i would like to try out would have to be the setting. this is a typical urban gritty setting and a very good place to have a key fight so if i base my trailer on violence or gangs, i would try and find a place similar to this to have my fight scene in.

Gang Culture

1 Day:

In this clip, we see the main theme as gang culture. we are shown this with the two separate sides of two gangs and how they start by rapping off against each other. This shows how people in urban areas get involved with gangs and therefore introduced to drugs, money and guns. Also another example would be the fact that they come from two different areas. The area is shown for both gangs with their road names and the gang they represent and shows what everyday lifestyle would be like in  a gang. Also another example would be how each gang individually work as a team, and act as one to stand their ground which shows how their gang culture is. If one gets involved in a fight, so will the others as they act like a family and keep each others backs.

Gang culture is represented with the dark outfits and matching bandanas to show that gang culture is taken very seriously and you need to represent your gang proudly so wearing a bandana will do this and this shows gang culture within a society in England. Also another item that represents this theme is the guns that are showed by both gangs. This shows the seriousness and the extremity that some people take gangs to. As they look at gangs like families, they feel like they're gangsters so carry round a gun to act tough and like thugs.

If I was to use this aspect in my film, I like how they have represented themselves with bandana's as this makes them stand out and will give the audience an idea of who is who and I think this is really effective and I would like to go more into this and use this in my clip.

Drug Abuse
Train Spotting

The main theme is this movie is drug abuse. We see this when we hear the voice over talk about only needing heroine as it is a pain relief but this just shows that using drugs gets you addicted which makes you a drug abuser. Also the fact that the guy climbs out of a toilet shows his imagination once he is on the drugs but these effects only happen when you over abuse them so he has caused the hallucinations through his use of drugs. Another example  would be the main actor taking heroine and we see his actions after like shooting a dog and other crazy things. This just shows what can happen once you overdose on drugs, it will lead you to make stupid mistakes which they didn't know they did.

The theme is represented with the heroine used. The heroine represents the danger associated with drugs and the addiction it can lead you to. Also another representation is the conditions they live in which indicate all their money goes towards heroine and they have no money to live and be clothed properly.

I like the idea of a story of close mates and day to day lifestyle of each character and i may want to use this in my clip as it shows life from each of their perspectives.

Corruption Of Youth
Kidulthood:

In this movie, the key theme is corruption of youth. We know this as the uncle pressures the kid to smoke weed even though he is young and it is illegal, the kid will try it and will become addicted to it. Also his uncle speaks about the boys work with guns and this shows his uncle makes him modify guns for him and this will lead to the boy thinking guns are okay and good so will then want to sell it himself. Finally another good example would be how he mistreats the women and grabs her by the throat and the boy will think its the right way to treat a women so will behave the same.

The things that represent this theme is the weed as that represents the corruption as it gets people addicted to do it and sell it. this is what makes them ruin their lives. Also how his uncle lives represents how drug dealers live and the benefits but they do not outline what the consequences of being a drug dealer are which is why it corrupts the boys mind into thinking this is the right way of life.

I think this would be a good theme to set my clip on and it would definitely interest me to base it around drugs, money and respect as it would appeal to a larger audience and I think people in general would find more interesting.

Mise-En-Scene in This Is England

This is a short clip from This is England and it shows one of the most intense clips in the movie and we are going to analyse the mise-en-scene.

Through the production design, we see that their costume style gives away the year this was set in. Living in a gritty flat of skinheads, it gives away that this movie was set in the 80's where the national front was a big movement and their clothing gives away the style of the 80's. Also, in the flat there are many England flags which show their passion and dedication to their country but they take it too far. Also it seems very run down and urban which shows the conditions and lifestyles they were living in.

0:14

There is no lighting effects used, as it is natural. We see this when combo stands ups and starts stretching and the lighting is normal as he is abusing milky. This denotes the struggle with life and the seriousness of the situation each individual is going through with the society they have been living in.

3:42

The actors have a very distinct English accent about them and this is what makes it clear and easy to understand the genre and themes of the clip. You can also tell by the slang they speak in, they are not very educated and are below working class which tells us a bit more about their background and what they have had to go through. Also we know about their backgrounds through the England flag in one of the shots where they are talking and throughout. This fits the the BSR genre as the actors all have the British accent.

0:19

There are no bright, jolly colours as the situation is very serious so the conditions and environment must be gritty and dull to represent the seriousness of the scene and we see this as they are all sitting and talking about Milky's family. This is to show the grim reality of their lives. The colours around the room are very dull and boring and this is to make sure it suits the situation. This emphasises combo's character as the big bully and abuser as the background is always dull when the camera is on him.

2:51

The Era of this movie is clear with the situation and dialogue. It is clear they have all gathered around to talk but it turns into a violent break out where combo beats milky till he dies and this is mainly because combo realises that he is part of the national front and only really cares about his white people and as milky is black so then therefore takes his anger out on him suggesting combos character represents the national front and shows his passion for it. This represents the BSR  genre as we see the social status and the real life situation of how it was in the 80's when the national front were growing and getting more violent.

3:44

Past Students Work

This is a table we wrote up to evaluate the positives and negatives of last years media products and then come to a conclusion of what grade we thought the would deserve.

I will now evaluate two trailers in more detail.

South Paw

Southpaw is a trailer about a young man who wants to become a boxer as it is his passion but his religion is in the way so we see he chooses his passion over his religion as she forgets the mosque to go training.

In this shot, we are given a clear sense of the storyline and leaving the clip on this exact scene leaves the clip on a good cliff hanger where we see a man go against his religion for his passion and this is shown clearly in this shot so i think this was really effective.

This shot was off the actor running but  think this was poorly shot as the camera was shaking constantly and if this was to be improved, a tripod would be needed to make sure the camera stay still.

I found this shot very effective as this gives the storyline a clear sense and he has to choose an option between religion or boxing and the fact that we see a long shot of the building in the background makes the audience think what will he choose so this really draws the audiences attention.

This shot of the boxing gloves gives us a small clue to what the film may be about. Also this gives away the themes that will be associated with this film so i find it very effective.

The typography was clear to see and read which was really good but i think a better typography could've been used to associate with the theme of the movie.

This mirror shot I find really professional and effective. We get to see the audiences reaction to what the other person says. we can see his actual emotions through the mirror whilst the other actor cant see anything.

Damaged Goods

Damaged goods is about a girl who has become a prostitute for money as she's struggling financially and we see her going out of her house over and over again to emphasise the struggle she is going through

In this shot, we get a point of view shot which shows the range of shots that have been used in this clip and this signifies her facial expressions of how she feels about what she is doing. I find this effective as it gives us an insight into her life.

The typography used is very attractive and gives the audience an idea about the genre just through the the titles. we can see it has something to do with women and judging by the image, a more sexual theme so the title plays a big part in what the clip is about.

This shot has been used over and over again and this shows her lifestyle as we see her going out of the house many times in different shots to see what she has to go though in her daily life which is living up to the British Social Realism Genre.

This shot is used at the start of the clip and is just a quick insight into what she does in her daily life. I don't find this really effective but I think the opening sequence with all the short shots of the actress getting ready is a good way to start this clip.

I thought this shot was poorly filmed of the girl walking down the street. The reason for this is that the camera was very shaky and unprofessional making it hard to see what was going on in the shot and also ruins this shot.

This mid shot of the girl near the car gives an indication of the storyline and how the girl gets her money. Through the way she dresses and goes into cars, we are able to understand that she is living a hard life where money is hard to get so she has to become a prostitute which makes the audience sympathise making it an effective shot.

Weekly Production Log: Week 1

In our first lesson we looked at previous pieces of work and the mark schemes and see what they were graded and why. From Looking at the Mark Scheme, I have seen that you must include good camera language, make sure that the production relates to the target audience, appropriate sounds and editing. This must be included to get the best possible grade and through what we saw, we could see huge differences in how the camera language was. For example, One of the productions "South Paw" was filmed hand held and this made a difference as the production was therefore tatty and not professional compared to "Damaged Goods" which was filmed using a tripod and this gave it a professional look and this is what gave it a much better grade.
This will definitely impact my production as it will make me think of what I should and shouldn't put into my production. This gives me clear ideas of not using hand held cameras but for the professional look, I should use the tripod to film my shots. Also this will impact the theme of what I will base my movie clip on. As it is going to be based on British Social Realism, we saw many themes, but only certain ones we found interesting so it made me think I want a theme that ill enjoy and that will be interesting.
I will try to avoid using hand held cameras as I said before as its not balanced so shakes a lot and makes the shot look really bad and will make a huge difference on the end grade as we have seen through the mark scheme.Also I will also try to avoid getting a lot of background noise because it ruins conversations and any other dialogue going on so we must make sure of this before filming.

Here is an example of bad camera language in which the shot was hand held and very shaky making it seem very amateurish

The Continuity Editing Video

This is my preliminary exercise.