Monday 18 May 2015
'Choice' Evaluation - A2 Film Studies
Film Studies evaluation
In this
evaluation I will be self-assessing my creative realisation, looking at how my
research led to the construction of my film as well as how I linked my creative
realisation to my textual analysis. The main focus of my creative realisation
was to create a representation of teens similar to that seen in contemporary
British cinema. I attempted to do this through using certain aspects of
mise-en-scene, cinematography and editing techniques. Within my topic of teen
representation, I particularly focused on how males where mostly represented in
a negative light. I feel that I was able to achieve the messages and themes
that I wanted to portray in my short film inspired by British contemporary
cinema in a way which made my aims clear to the audience.
In my
textual analysis, I discovered that throughout British contemporary cinema, it
was common that teenage males from the lower class were often represented in a
negative light. They were portrayed as selfish, violent, intimidating and
arrogant, which is a general stereotype of teens in Britain even outside of
cinema. In my short film, I wanted to ensure that my actors suited the roles as
it was vital that it was made clear to the audience which group I was targeting.
I wanted to ensure that I had a cast of young males who could in some ways
relate to role they would be playing, with the hope that it could give a more
natural performance. I wanted to make sure the appearance of my cast also
matched casts of other teen based films, using Kidulthood and Harry Brown as
inspirations. As well as this, I also wanted to recreate the type of costumes
and clothing used in the two aforementioned films. With my protagonist
character Jamie, I felt the
low-maintenance haircut and the wearing of a hooded jumper* made it clear to my
audience that this character was someone from a low-class background and trying
to conform to societies stereotypes of the rebellious male teen. When creating
my antagonist, Olario, I wanted to make a new type of character that has not
been seen in British contemporary cinema. The idea of making Olario a power
figure that wears a suit and appeared wealthy and successful was to further
explore the way that some teens are left powerless once involved with people
who far exceed their power in a society where respect is key, as was the case
for my main character Jamie. My third and final character, Tyler, who played
the victim in my short film, was represented as an innocent character that
seemed completely unaware of being in the danger that he was in. Through
Tyler’s character I wanted to demonstrate the idea even the innocent people can
be victims in a violent and cut throat society where people will do anything to
ensure that they can survive.
When
shooting my short film, I wanted to ensure that the cinematography would
reflect the dramatic style I was attempting to achieve. I felt the use of
various shots was important in order to ensure each moment was captured
correctly, from the emotions on the characters faces, to the settings and
locations used. In the opening scene, I felt that the fast paced, high
intensity cinematography reflected well the scenario that was occurring. The
use of extreme close ups* were used to portray the range of emotions that was
being shown by my actors, from fear to anger and pure adrenalin. When editing
this scene, I decided to back up the diegetic sound with a fast paced, high
octane soundtrack in order to fully create a sense of rush for the audience. I
felt that the opening scene was the most successful scene as it had a range of
different shots, and gave a clear statement to the audience of the style of
film I was trying to achieve.
In the
central and final parts of my short film, I wanted to continue the
cinematography style seen in the opening scene, however I did find it difficult
to recreate this particularly in the scenes where Jamie was the only character.
Although I feel the level of cinematography did slightly drop, I still feel
that it was good enough to keep the films message and style of the film clear
and consistent. The second half of the film has a more deep and dramatic tone
to it, which I was able to create through editing. The use of longer lasting
shots, as well as the use of a dramatic, slow soundtrack for non-diegetic sound
helped me to represent the characters and storyline the way I aimed to.
Overall, I
felt that I was able to critically evaluate my creative realisation effectively
and fairly. By using my research I feel I successfully conveyed the stereotypes
placed upon low class male teens in British contemporary cinema. I ensured that
the textual analysis I constructed had a large effect on the outcome of my
work, meaning that the research I had undertaken was used to good effect. I
believe the planning towards my short film was of a good quality and helped me
to complete my short film in an organized and effective way.
Research essay - A2 Film Studies
The representation of teens in British
contemporary films
In this
research I will be looking into the way that teenagers are represented in
contemporary British films. British films produce a distorted representation of
British male teenagers, in particular those from lower class urban areas.
However, female teens with a middle class background are represented positively.
In my research I will be looking at various sources of information and analyzing
films that are represent a clear view on the topic. The films I will be looking
at are Kidulthood (2006), Harry Brown (2008), Angus, Thongs and perfect snogging (2008) and Bend It Like Beckham (2002). As well as this, I will also be taking
into consideration the social influences and impacts that have changed the film
industry and introduced the stereotypes that are shown throughout these films.
In British
contemporary cinema, lower class male British teens are represented to be
intimidating, aggressive and terrifying. This reflects some of the negative
representations I stated in my thesis. An example of this is identified in the
opening scene of Harry Brown, where
the director uses low key lighting and effective mise-en-scene to reflect ideas
that male teens are represented in stereotypical ways such as taking drugs,
being rebellious and being violent. A large group of male teens use peer
pressure and aggressiveness such as pushing and getting into his face to
intimidate another male into taking part in illegal activities. The use of low
key lighting in this scene straight away informs the audience that something
negative is happening, as well as showing that reflecting how the people in the
shot don’t want to be seen properly. However they do want to prove that they
have power and control and they show this through the way they act towards the
individual who clearly looks uncomfortable. This desire for power is a
reflection on the way society views male teens, and this view may have been affected
by social influences such as the London riots, where (by the majority) male
teens started a destructive riot over the death of criminal and gang member
Mark Duggan. The riots lasted for days as teens terrorized the streets of
London in an attempt to prove that they are a dominant force in society. The
riots had both an impact on the way teens were perceived by elders as they were
labeled with words such as ‘out of control’ and ‘a lost generation’ as well as
this, the way that teens reacted added to this as some felt they had become a
victim of a new prejudice, which unfortunately for some only led to worse
behavior. Kidulthood also reflects
ideas that male teens are threatening and contentious, particularly when
involved in groups rather than when alone. Similarly to Harry Brown, a group of older male teens wearing identity covering
clothing such as Hoodies surround a younger group of teens and bully them
physically and verbally, the verbal abuse seems to effect the younger group
more (than the physical bullying) which shows how important male teens place
their pride and ego. The characters in Harry
Brown and Kidutlhood are very
similar in many ways, for example they both show how male teens cluster in
groups when taking part in deviant or illegal activities, and they also are
shown to attack others who have no form of defense. This behavior confirms the
stereotype that male teens are intimidating and aggressive as they target
vulnerable, weaker people in order to show that they are the powerful force in
society. Gender roles are ‘cultural and personal’[1]
and they play a huge part in why male teenagers are perceived to and actually
do behave in the way in which these films represent them. This is mainly
because as infants males and females are treated differently by their elders.
An example of this differential treatment is the idea that’s young boys will be
expected to take part in aggressive activities such as play fighting and
playing competitive games such as football or rugby, on the contrary girls are
brought up to be caring and friendly, the complete opposite to a male. In an
article from The Guardian, they
suggest that teenage males ‘strike fear’[2]
into the people of Britian, and that films such as Kidulthood and Harry Brown
reflect the ideas that these characters are so fearsome, they will make
effective film antagonists. I believe that social influences are a reason for
the up rise in the ‘Lower class gangster male’ antagonist due to things such as
a rise in the awareness of teenage gangs, especially from areas that are deemed
lower class. The Guardian states that
people are ‘defined by their class’[3]
which backs up Karl Marx theory which suggest that ‘the history of all hitherto
existing society is the history of class struggles’[4]
which means that ‘ever since human society emerged from its primitive and
relatively undifferentiated state it has remained fundamentally divided between
classes who clash in the pursuit of class interests’[5].
The class differences are obvious to the audience watching films such as Bend It like Beckham and Angus, thongs and perfect snogging. In
comparison to these with the two other films, there are clear representation
differences. An example of a representation difference is how female teens are
shown to be affectionate and approachable, shown when Jesminder from Bend it like Beckham is approached by
Juliette while playing football. This type of stranger interaction would be
deemed as perilous if done in a situation where lower class male teens are
involved. This shows how male teens from lower class areas are reflected in a
negative way, whereas female teens from a middle class background are represented
in a positive light.
The theme of
negative stereotypes is also key to the distorted representation of lower class
teenage males in British contemporary cinema. An example of a stereotype from
British contemporary cinema is a scene from Kidulthood,
where three teenage males enter a designer clothes shop and are making a
bit of a nuisance while looking at expensive items. The security guard of the
shop immediately makes the prejudice that the boys are going to attempt to
steal from the shop. The guard made his prejudice due to the clothes that the
boys were wearing, items such as tracksuit bottoms which were pulled down,
hoodies covering their faces and ironically one boy was wearing a hat from the
same designer label. These items of clothing could be deemed as stereotypical
of lower class males. The guard made an assumption that the boys, due to there
costume, wouldn’t be able to afford the items in the shop due to the prejudice
they were from a lower class area where money income would be small. This
stereotype is part of the new theory, which suggests that male teens ‘have no
respect for any other part of society. It’s all about me, me, me.’[6]
Young males are a very commonly stereotyped group, and this is due to the fact
that ‘it is adults who create media texts and as a result of this younger
people… are given simplistic representations’[7].
I agree with this statement as the media is dominated by adults, giving teens
no chance to voice their thoughts and opinions on social matters and therefore
are constricted to having to take action in order to make a social statement. Harry Brown stereotypes ideas that male
teens are drug dealers, violent physically and also through the use of fatal
weapons such as guns. These
types on negative representations from Kidulthood
as well as Harry Brown also
affect the way that male British teens are seen in the British society. British
directors such as Daniel Barber (Harry
Brown) and Menhaj Huda (Kidutlhood) are
taking advantage of the fear of that the public have on the new gang culture
that is now ever growing in the UK.
The
Inbetweeners (2011) give a counter typical representation on teenage
males, they show the life of middle class white males who live in a suburban
area of England where they have very different aims in life compared to the
males seen in the lower class, for example Will (Inbetweeners) is desperate to gain a place in university and
therefore prioritizes his school work over his social life whereas in Kidulthood there is a complete disregard
for school life. The teenager’s represented in Kidulthood live in a completely different area to that of the males
in The Inbetweeners, they live in
council estates, flats based in extremely urbanized areas of London that are
considered dangerous places to be because of the fact that they tend to be crime
ridden areas. The idea that ‘the smart money in British cinema is going on
those films that prey on our fear of urban youths and show that fear back to
us’[8] suggests
that the media are exploiting teenage males as a character base for films. This
type of media based stereotype is a complete contrast to the stereotypes seen
in Angus, Thongs and perfect snogging.
An example of a stereotype shown is the idea of females battling over boys and
one of them not feeling attractive due to the lack of male attention. This stereotype is one that feminist in
particularly dislike as it shows males to be the more dominant sexuality as
they are shown to hold a clear power other the female. Although this is a
negative stereotype, it is a much less dangerous and damaging one compared to
that seen in Kiduthood and Harry Brown in terms of its effect on
society. Other less dangerous stereotypes are seen in Bend It Like Beckham where the one of the females in the film is
stereotyped by her own judgmental mother to be a lesbian because of the fact
that she plays football and shares a close friendship with another girl. This
is a common stereotype and there have been many recent campaigns in football
such as the ‘Rainbow lace’ campaign to help eradicate homophobia in football.
Professional female footballer Grace Stoney discusses the difficulty of being a
lesbian football, and explains how ‘I've
never hidden it within football circles because it is accepted, but to the
outside world, I've never spoken about my sexuality’[9],
this portrays why films such as Bend It
Like Beckham give us an insight into the difficulties of social stereotypes
on female football players. Stereotypes of young people are shown throughout
all the films I have looked at, some stereotypes could have more effect on
society than others, but I feel all of them have at least some effect on
society and the way that society views different genders and social groups. As
long as, especially male teens are represented the way they are, they will feel
under more pressure to actually conform to those stereotypes and it will
eventually become of vicious circle of stereotypes, media representation of the
stereotype and then the reaction to the stereotype.
Another aspect, which may be viewed in a negative way,
is the idiolect used by the youth in Kidulthood
and Harry Brown. The use of slang
by youths from particularly the lower class is quite a controversial subject.
People, particularly those who are from middle class and upper class
backgrounds may deem slang to be rude, disrespectful and a sign of someone
unintelligent; whereas people from lower class areas would argue it can give
people an identity and also give young people a type of freedom. Both films use
very similar terminology and also use it in similar contexts. Words such as
‘Fam’, ‘blad’, ‘bruv’ ‘ting’ and ‘buff’ are some examples of commonly used
slang terms throughout both films. Both films are London based films, and
therefore some of the slang used may not be used in Manchester for example,
however these areas still do have teens that use slang terms similarly to
London teens. The use of slang from these youth could be seen as a way to
express himself or herself as an individual and also could be seen as an
attempt to rebel against society by refusing to use the Queen’s English but
instead almost making their own modification on the language of English itself.
The use of slang could also be used as a way to be socially accepted in their
own society, where younger males may feel pressurized into using slang terms to
conform to expectations of elders. This is a change to the type of dialect used
in Bend It Like Beckham and Angus and Thongs and Perfect snogging where slang is non-existent, which
again reinforces my thesis that lower-class males are shown to be rebellious
and unintelligent whereas middle class teens are shown to be intelligent and
socially accepted. Similarly to other comparisons, the major difference between
the two groups being represented in the films is class differences, this is
another form of stereotype that middle class youths speak what is deemed
‘properly’ whereas the way that lower class youths speak is deemed as
‘improper’. The use of slang by young
male teens is another stereotype which is portrayed negatively by this
urbanized gang genre of films, the use of slang doesn’t always mean that the
person speaking it is a violent, dangerous and unintelligent person however the
films portray it in such a way that the audience wouldn’t know otherwise. The
use of slang is being misunderstood by the older generation due to the fact
that the media make it out to almost be dangerous.
The expectations that society have change massively
when it comes to the lower class and the middle class. Lower class males
particularly have a desire to rebel against the constraints that society places
upon them because they feel that society has been unfair to them, and that they
are actually owed a chance in life. Ethnicity could also be a factor in this
rebellious behavior, as unfortunately the majority of people living in lower
class areas are ethnic minorities, which could suggest that it is harder for
ethnic minorities to become successful and escape the lower class. Social
theorist Robert Merton uses the ‘self fulfilling profiecy’ theory which
suggests that ‘a false definition of the situation
evoking a new behavior which makes the originally false conception come true
to reflect ideas that people of a certain ethnicity are just going to fulfill
the stereotype placed upon them’[10]. This
lack of confidence in their ability to succeed the right way (getting a
education, good job etc.) leads to these males taking part in activities that they
think has a negative effect on society but in reality the only ones being given
a bad name are themselves. Females in Angus,
Thongs and perfect snogging and Bend
It Like Beckham however have the complete opposite reaction to social
expectations, they have a desire to fulfill them expectations and are
disappointed when they can’t achieve this, for example Georgia desires to have
a boyfriend, and this plays a part in her desire to get into a relationship
with ‘sex god’ Robbie. Jesminder faces a different type of social constraint to
that of Georgia, as she aspires to be a professional female footballer while
her parents would rather her concentrate on school and what they see as a
proper career such as becoming a doctor. This desire to achieve and become successful
in a morally right way represents middle class females as inspirational, hard
working and independent, which are all positive representations unseen in
teenage males from the lower class. Although in a way Jesminder does rebel as
she continues to play without her parents’ permission, but this is a very
different type of rebellious behavior compared to the characters in Kidulthood and Harry Brown. Altogether, social expectations and constraints play
an important part in all the films I have analyzed mainly due to the fact that
they lead the individuals to do the actions that they do.
In conclusion, I believe that teenage males are given a
false representation in contemporary British films; however they do target the
small percentage of teenage males that take part in negative activities, which
are portrayed in the films. Lower class male teens are shown as an intimidating
and aggressive group of people who are fearless to the consequences that could
potentially happen to them. They are also stereotyped to be disruptive,
unintelligent and violent which are all extremely negative stereotypes that
effect societies views on that particular social class. This all leads to the
social expectations placed upon teens from lower class areas as they are always
told that they will end up nowhere, following the trend set by other lower
class males who rebel against society and defy all rules. This is a stark
contrast to the positive representation of middle class teens where they are
represented as intelligent, obedient and will do anything to make sure they
meet the positive expectations society has of them.
Word Count: 2,828
Bibliography
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/nov/05/british-hoodie-films
http://users.ox.ac.uk/~sfos0060/prophecies.shtml
[2] http://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/nov/05/british-hoodie-films
[3] http://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/nov/05/british-hoodie-films
[4] http://www.cf.ac.uk/socsi/undergraduate/introsoc/marx6.html
[5] http://www.cf.ac.uk/socsi/undergraduate/introsoc/marx6.html
[6] http://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/nov/05/british-hoodie-films
[7] http://www.slideshare.net/smcmediastudies/harry-brown-age
[8] http://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/nov/05/british-hoodie-films
[9]http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/12/sportswomen-stereotyped-gay-coming-out-casey-stoney
[10] http://users.ox.ac.uk/~sfos0060/prophecies.shtml
'Choice' Production aims - A2 Film Studies
Production Aims
The aims of my production
For my
filmed sequence, I am aiming to recreate the gritty realism of the life of
lower class male teenagers shown in ‘Kidulthood’ and ‘Harry Brown’. As well as
recreate, I also wanted to put my own personal ideas of how I feel that low
class male teens should be represented. Here are some key aims I will be aiming
to achieve…
·
To Recreate the gritty realism of the life of lower class teen males
shown in other contemporary British films
·
To add personal touch/ideas to how I interpret the representation of
lower class teen males
·
To successfully edit and correct my film in order to use my shots to
there full potential, giving overall success to my film
Ideas I have taken from films I have studied
To make
my filmed sequence as clear as possible, I will be attempting to use ideas from
‘Kidulthood’ such as the use of low-class locations, also I want to use the
idea of peer pressure as I feel this is a key influence for young males in a
society where having power is very important. The characters in the films I
watched has inspired me for my own character ideas, as I felt the films
provided a solid character type/s for this genre. In terms of narrative, I am
particularly interested in the style of ‘Kidulthood’,
and the way the lives of young teens are shown. I also wanted to recreate the
serious tone of the two films I researched as I feel that this suits the
narrative style of them and my own film.
Style of my production
In terms
of recreating another director’s style, I don’t intend to do that however I do
have an idea in terms of how I want the film to be shot, for example I know
that I want to make it a very harsh and emotional piece that will reach out to
audience hearts. I wanted to ensure that I make my piece dramatic and full of
tense build ups, making anticipation high for viewing audiences. I would argue
my style will more be aimed towards the director of ‘Kidulthood’ Menhaj Huda as I have planned to follow a similar
narrative structure and a similar character type.
How I’m going to communicate my ideas
In order
to communicate my ideas clearly, I will be using various micro-elements to help
to achieve this. For my mise-en scene, my film will be
located in a lower class urbanized area where alleyways and flats are visible,
making it clear what type of area I am trying to portray to the audience. With
my character costumes I wanted to recreate the style of clothing seen in the
two respective films I watched. For the cinematography of my film, I want to
make sure I use a range of shots that reflect the emotional battles that I want
to show in my film. I will be attempting to use a dark lighting in order to
portray the serious tone and the ‘dark’ feel I want to achieve. I don’t feel
that I will need to use any special effects for my production, as they wont be
necessary for the completion of my production. The editing of my production
will be done over a two week period which will give me time to evaluate and
ensure that my production has a good level of continuity, ensuring I don’t
break the 180 degree rules and use my shots in a way to successfully give my
film a good flow. The sound in my film will be majority non-diegetic using
music in order to set the tone of each scene.
'Choice' Shot list - A2 Film Studies
Shot list – ‘Choice’
|
Shot Number
|
Description
|
Length
|
|
1
|
Jamie gets pushed up against a fence
|
3 seconds
|
|
2
|
Olario is shouting into Jamie’s face
|
4 seconds
|
|
3
|
Olario grabs Jamie’s throat
|
4 seconds
|
|
4
|
Olario continues to shout in Jamie’s face
|
5 seconds
|
|
5
|
Continued shouting in Jamie’s face
|
6 seconds
|
|
6
|
Olario steps away from Jamie
|
5 seconds
|
|
7
|
Olario pulls a knife from his pocket
|
3 seconds
|
|
8
|
Olario speaks to Jamie
|
3 seconds
|
|
9
|
Jamie reacting to what he is being told
|
3 seconds
|
|
10
|
Olario speaks to Jamie again
|
2 seconds
|
|
11
|
Olario hands out the knife
|
2 seconds
|
|
12
|
Jamie takes the knife
|
5 seconds
|
|
13
|
Olario begins to walk away
|
5 seconds
|
|
14
|
Olario walks away
|
5 seconds
|
|
15
|
Knife on bedside table
|
5 seconds
|
|
16
|
Jamie sitting on his bed
|
4 seconds
|
|
17
|
Jamie crying
|
6 seconds
|
|
18
|
Jamie reaches for the knife
|
2 seconds
|
|
19
|
Jamie takes the knife
|
2 seconds
|
|
20
|
Jamie toys wife the knife
|
3 seconds
|
|
21
|
Continued toying with knife
|
5 seconds
|
|
22
|
Jamie practices using the knife
|
2 seconds
|
|
23
|
Continuous Knife jerking/slashing
|
3 seconds
|
|
24
|
Jamie places the knife back on the bedside
table
|
3 seconds
|
|
25
|
Jamie reaches for the jacket on his bed
|
1 seconds
|
|
26
|
Jamie starts to put the jacket on
|
2 seconds
|
|
27
|
Jacket on, Jamie picks up the knife
|
10 seconds
|
|
28
|
Jamie zips
up jacket in the mirror
|
8 seconds
|
|
29
|
Jamie leaves house
|
3 seconds
|
|
30
|
Jamie leans against tree
|
5 seconds
|
|
31
|
Jamie takes a look at the knife in his hand
|
6 seconds
|
|
32
|
Jamie walks towards alleyway
|
5 seconds
|
|
33
|
Jamie puts the knife into his pocket
|
4 seconds
|
|
34
|
Tyler walking towards alleyway
|
5 seconds
|
|
35
|
Tyler looking at his phone
|
3 seconds
|
|
36
|
Jamie walking towards Tyler
|
10 seconds
|
|
37
|
Jamie stabs
Tyler in the stomach
|
1 seconds
|
|
38
|
Tyler struggles to breath laying on the floor
|
3 seconds
|
|
39
|
Jamie walks away
|
7 seconds
|
|
40
|
Jamie crying in the bathroom
|
4 seconds
|
|
41
|
Jamie looking at the blooded knife
|
6 seconds
|
|
42
|
Jamie crying again
|
5 seconds
|
|
43
|
Jamie falls
to his knees
|
3 seconds
|
|
44
|
Jamie sinks his head into his arms, weeping
|
10 seconds
|
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