This week I had to create some ideas for a BSR film. In creating them I had to think of four things which were a protagonist/main character, narrative, setting/location and the themes that may be included. When creating my three ideas I will admit I went a bit over the top. I had created some silly ideas that did not necessary link to the BSR genre so I had to think carefully and create three ideas that can be seen as a BSR and can be as realistic as possible.
I think the news stories and other BSR films influenced my creations. I picked out my favourite BSR films such as Fish tank, Trainspotting, Yasmin and Bullet boy and I picked out themes, plots, charcater types and mixed them all together to come up with an initial idea.
I picked my group myself and am working with Damanjyot. She is my best friend so I am comfortable working with her, and we both have a wild imagination so we can come up with good ideas together. I believe that Damanjyot and I will make a great team and will produce a great piece.
Title- The title of my film is called 'Cornered'. The title cornered has many connotations. For example the word cornered means being forced into a situation or place from which it is hard to escape. This could connote that in the content of the film Becky the main character may want to escape her mothers abuse and drug addiction Also it connotes that she is being pushed into the corners of society and not being able to be set free to reach the middle and that thoughts and her journey will be hard. The title connotes themes of neglect and abuse. The word Cornered also connotes struggle so instantly it creates a feel of sympathy towards the main character. I believe that my title choice of 'Cornered' is definitely conventional of the BSR genre. The title is short, simple and sharp. Most BSR film titles are short and are usually one word. However some BSR films have very abstract film titles that don't really seem to have any connotations or relevance to the film for example; Fish Tank and Trainspotting. I believe my title will appeal to my audience because it is so abstract it will confuse them and make them ask questions. Ultimately it will intrigue them to want to watch the film. It is very different to any title of a film and is short and snappy so it can stay on their mind easily. Representation-
When creating my film I had to ensure the characters I created were as realistic as possible however I wanted them to have a sort of rough edge to give them a unique identity. My main character is Becky who is also the protagonist. She is aged 16 and is an aggressive, hot headed, violent girl who is not afraid to start a fight. She is however withdrawn from the society and gang culture so is very quiet. In the start I want to represent her as violent but in fact further in the film the viewer will start to discover that the cause of Becky's aggressive nature is due to her mothers abusive behavior. She starts the film as an immature girl but grows up to be a strong, mature woman. Another key character is Becky's mother who is also the antagonist. She is a very aggressive, rude and abusive woman towards Becky and her baby bump. I wanted to represent her as a cold and stone hearted woman so the viewers feel disgust and anger towards her, therefore emphasizing the sympathy towards Becky. Another key character is Roy who Becky meets later on in the film. He is 17 years old and looks like the generic urban, street guy with his tracksuit and over sized chains however when him and Becky start talking the viewer see's a different side to him. He has realised his mistakes in the past and he is also on a journey to rectify it and create a better life. He helps her with her addiction and her journey with her pregnancy. I can apply Propp's character types to the characters in my film. Becky the protagonist is the heroin of my film as she is a victim of the villain and she has an aim and story to fulfill. Becky's mum is the villain in my film as she struggles against the heroin (Becky). This is easily represented through her aggressive nature and is seen to stop Becky from finding happiness in her pregnancy. Becky's baby can be seen as the princess as she is the reward and positive outcome of Becky's troubles and journey through abuse. The aim and quest for Becky is to overcome her drug addiction to be a good mother to her baby, and to be a better mother than her own so her baby is her prize. However one could argue that in fact Becky is the princess because in Roy's eyes Becky is the prize that he needed to start getting his life on track and have a family of his own, Roy is the doner/helper as he prepares the heroin by helping Becky on her journey with drug addiction and her pregnancy. I believe that including Propp's character types makes my film more professional as I have a good base of characters that all have an aim and role to play in the film. When creating my film I wanted it to easily fit intro the British social realism genre however I wanted it to subvert some character stereotypes yet still remaining realistic and believable. Firstly even though it exists there are not many BSR films that have the protagonist of a girl. Some of a small number include Yasmin and Fish tank. However I thought using a girl as the protagonist will make the film more interesting and also realistic as BSR films apply to all the underclass people who live in the gritty urban areas of Britain. Also the girls in most BSR films are represented as 'sex seeking' girls who have to sell their body for money, and are loud and mouthy however Becky subverts this representation. Even though she is loud and mouthy at times and has some aspects that fit into the representation, she has an aim in her journey to become strong and be able to raise her child well. She also dreams to have a stable future with a family which many girls in other BSR films lack. Their aim is to either become a prostitute, marry a footballer or become a pole dancer. Her mother also subverts the usual representation of how a much should be. In usual society a mother is usually, loving, caring and understanding towards their children however Becky's mother is the exact opposite. She is cold, violent and abusive towards Becky. I think the subversion of the stereotype makes her a more interesting character as it creates a shocking attitude that a mother can be like this. Even though it's a dramatic change in the usual representation it does happen and is real, so I believe many people can relate to it as kids do get abused by their parents. Roy is another character who subverts the stereotype. Ib BSR films, the guys who wear baggy tracksuits, with tattoos and chains are seen as aggressive, rude and thuggish. However even though Roy was like that he has changed his ways and what we see of him in the film is that he is caring and understanding towards Becky and is willing to help her. This is very different and something we wouldn't necessarily expect however again there are many guys in Britain who are deceived by their looks and I think the film would be a great example to show don't judge a book by it's cover. Narrative-
I will aim to make my narrative as engaging and informative as possible. As we are only filming the first 2 minutes of the film I need to aim to not reveal too much but to allow the viewer to understand the situation. I want to create some enigma for the viewer to feel as if they are interacting with the film and ask questions. My opening sequence will be linear and in order without any flashbacks to make my film more realistic and believable. It will also be a restricted narrative as the story is only from one characters view (Becky). This allows the audience limited access to narrative events. A brief summary of what will happen is that Becky the teenage pregnant 16 year old will find out that she is pregnant. Throughout the film we will follow her life and her decisions where she has to balance her drug addiction with her pregnancy and domestic abuse from her mother. Her mother becomes increasingly aggressive towards Becky as her bump gets bigger as she can not afford another mouth to feed. Becky attends a drug addiction class and meets a guy called Roy aged 17. They both help each other to cope with their addiction and become close. Becky feels like she can confide in Roy and they get together. Becky's mum is very unhappy with Becky's decision and in a burst of anger pushes Becky down the stairs. Roy takes her to hospital and pleads her to stay with him. A more detailed description of what will happen in my first two minutes of the production is a dramatic scene of Becky finding out that she is pregnant through her 'positive' pregnancy test. She flies out in a violent outburst chucking her pregnancy test away and swearing and cursing loudly 'This is the last thing I fucking need' to connote Becky as an aggressive person. This scene will be set in her dirty, small room with very dim, dull natural lighting. She storms out the house taking a bottle of alcohol and smokes cigarettes and drinks to drown her anger away. The deep, mysterious music drum beat starts to create a dense atmosphere.This will be set in the gritty graffiti area in a park. This next scene She stumbles her way home, aggressively drunk. The next shot will be Becky waking up in her bed in the morning in a flood of tears. Her abusive mother in anger storms into the room, slamming her door open. She will shout "Shut up you slag, Get the fuck up". Then I aim to finish there. I had to ensure that when creating my opening sequence that I include as many opening sequence conventions as possible. I will include super imposed graphics of the director, editor and actors name. I aim to make the graphics engaging and powerful to match the style of the film but not to take away the actions from the scene. I will include the production company Logo to give an identity for our production company.I will include music that will create an atmosphere to match the action but not something that is too loud and 'messy' which will make the film look less interesting for example just a solo dramatic drum beat. I will also include minimal dialogue because I believe including a full blown conversation in the opening sequence will spoil the story and make it boring. Minimal dialogue teases the viewer and allows the actions and shots to tell the story, ultimately making them pay more attention to what is going on in the shots. I will also include my themes that are portrayed in my film. For example the theme of corruption of youth and drugs will be shown through Becky smoking and drinking. The theme of domestic abuse and violence will be portrayed through her mother trying aggressively to wake her up. The theme of poverty will be shown through the state of the household. I will also introduce the setting with an establishing shot of her house, the characters through a bit of dialogue and long shots to see their clothing, and introduce the narrative by displaying her finding out she is pregnant, and taking drugs right after. I will also include a smash mouth beginning. This will be evident when the first shot will be of Becky finding out she is pregnant and flies out in a violent outburst. I think the use of a smash mouth beginning creates a dramatic start which engages the viewer more instead of it being boring.
Conventions In order for my film to fit into the BSR genre I need to ensure I conform to the conventions that are common in the films. Mise en scene- This includes everything that is in the shot, from lighting to costumes and props. I aim to include as many conventions as possible. I will include as much natural lighting as possible to make my film more realistic and believable however if the lighting is too dark to film I may use dim ambient lighting. I will use a real location, maybe the estate area in seven kings or Barking because it is very gritty and vandalised with graffiti. I aim to use a dull colour palate, with unsaturated colour to create a tense, glum atmosphere to emphasise the poverty and struggle of the characters in the film. I will definitley use authentic props and costumes. For example my main character Becky will wear either a tracksuit or a hoody and jeans to connote the theme of poverty. This will emphasise the reality of the film because this is how underclass girls dress. I believe I have chosen good working class locations to shoot my film, such as grafitti covered garage shutters, vandalised parks and maybe the odd off license. The actress I chose to act out Becky's character is Charley. She is an A* GCSE drama so I believe she has the talent to adapt to any character I throw at her. I have watched her perform as a similar character to Becky in another performance and I can't think of anyone else who will pull it off as good as she could. I believe she will make the performance realistic.
Camera Conventions- I will aim to use a handheld effect to the camera shots to give the film a more gritty documentary effect. I may use some jerky camera movements to connote the harsh living conditions of the characters and to emphasise the action. I may use this at the dramatic start to my opening sequence when Becky chucks her positive pregnancy test. I will also include some establishing of the location to introduce the setting of where our characters live, The location will be in horrible conditions so it will emphasise the theme of poverty. I will also include many mid shots and close ups of the characters. I believe that close ups are a good way to express the emotion of the character well so the viewer has a clear idea of how the character is feeling to clear up any ambiguity. I aim not use any 'flashy' camera work because I want to make the film seems as real and documentary as possible. This image of the protagonist in 'Fish Tank' is a close up. This shot allows you, the viewer to interpret the characters emotion. For example in this shot, we can see through her facial expression that she wants to escape the life she is living now. I intend on using many close ups. Editing Conventions- I aim to use a lot of long takes without editing. I think a high use of editing will take the reality away from the film so I want to keep it to a minimum so I will use simple editing such as abrupt cuts. I might use camera movements such as tracking instead of editing to keep it at a minimum. If there is a moment in my film where it is action packed I 'might' add some music to add to the tension and drama to emphasise the action. I don't think my BSR includes any hybrid elements. Even though many films including 'Attack the Block' have a hybrid genre of sci-fi. However I believe creating the film with a hybrid genre will be much harder as it would take time and skill to design effects. Also even for a hybrid genre of comedy is difficult to achieve. It is hard to be funny and comical for the audience. An example of a film is 'Anuvahood'. So I think to make my film as real and believable as possible I will not have any hybrid genre elements.
Style and Iconography When it comes to the camera work I want to make the shots as simple and basic as possible because it is a common convention in a BSR film. In my film I will use a lot of rough, handheld holds to connote a realistic and documentary feel to the film. This will make the film seem more believable towards the viewer. Again as said before I also want to make the editing as simple as possible because in the generic BSR films they do not have a lot of budget to splash out on fancy special effects. I will use a lot of cuts when transitioning shots. I will make sure that these cuts are abrupt and sharp to connote the harsh lifestyle of these characters in our film. Therefore making our film more believable towards the viewer. I will use my costumes to represent the type of person the characters are. Most characters will be wearing a plain, casual tracksuit. This already connotes the poor wealth of the characters. It also gives the idea that these characters are not very friendly but a bit thuggish and violent. The characters won't be wearing anything fancy, just casual, basic clothes to connote their poverty and emphasise the reality of our film. We are considering on using a deep, mysterious drum beat very similar to Lorde- Royals (Click video below to play).
I believe that this beat is simple so it won't divert the viewers attention from the action in the shots. It is deep and dense which creates a tense atmosphere making the viewer more interested in the film and wanting to know what happens next. It's not a completely Urban sound but I believe that it matches well with our film and emphasises the emotion we trying to portray well. Me and my partner considered using a voice over like in the opening sequence in Trainspotting but we thought a lack of dialogue would keep the audience thinking and wanting to watch more, creating enigma.
Target audience.
The target audience for our work is British 16-24 year olds as it has
been written in the brief we receieved. The gender we have chosen is both
females and males as both of them can relate to what we are planning on
showing. The audience will be British as it has been stated within the brief.
Their interests would be violence, and BSR films. Class would be working or
underclass as it relates more and BSR films are made around the average
working/underclass life. Other media consumption the target audience would use
would be the radio to listen to music and also the T.V to watch programees such
as Eastenders.
Our film will appeal to our target audience as it is different compared
to all the other BSR films. As in most of them it is about boys doing drugs and
containing the common theme of violence. However our one is about the main girl
suffering from abuse from her mother which is not as common as abuse by the
father or a male man. My film will also appeal to them as some may watch the
film as personal identity and can relate to it.
Technology.
Too make our production realistic we will use a camera without a stand
and make it seem shaky because in most BSR films the footage is shaky but also
makes the film seem even more realistic as it seems rough and fits in well with
the genre. Also using very basic cameras as it would make it realistic and
rough. This technology would be suitable as it would create the film to seem
more rough than perfect and make everything seem even more realistic. There are
no limitations.
Representations.
The key characters are Becky who plays the role of the protagonist the
main girl and the antagonist is the mother who abuses her daughter and is
always out to get her. I can apply Propp's character types for the characters
in the film. Becky is the protagonist the main girl and the antagonist is the
mother who is ruining everything for her daughter. Roy is the helper who later
in the film helps Becky and they fall for each other. The blocker is the mother
as she ruins many things for her daughter. Our film will subvert typical
reprsentations of society as the father figure has always been portrayed to be
the abusive family member however in our film the mother will be the abusive
one not the father.
Institution.
The production company is Film Four which is a leader in British cinema
so the films musical style, editing and graphics must conform to the
conventions of the Social Realist genre and meet all the exceptions for the
type of film. This also impacts our film as all Film Four films are original.
This will effect the distribution of my film as it is a British film so
it should be distributed in england as well. This will effect the distribution
of my film as the company will produce, distribute and exhibit everything but
also will only shown within England as it will not be a mainstream film.
Our film will be exhibited in independent cinemas such as Piccadilly cinema,
west-end cinema and also the independent cinema office. The film will be
exhibited in independent cinemas as the film will not be as mainstream but will
also have a low budget so many mainstream films will not agree too play such
films in their screenings. This will also be shown on the internet such as
youtube as anyone can access it but it is also free so anyone can watch it
without money being an issue.
I think some of the key issues I have researched is looking through current UK news. I think that looking at what happens in the UK everyday game me ideas of what I could include into my own film. It also gave me the idea that even though I want it to seem real and believable I want to subvert some stereotypes to make my film as original as possible.
I had to also create 3 initial ideas of films I could create. At first I created the most silliest, imaginative ideas. I had to ensure and make sure that the film is believable, something that would typically happen in a BSR film.
1st Idea Protagonist- Pregnant teen names Becky who takes drugs. Narrative- Drug taking teen mum who has an abusive single mother towards Becky. Following the daily life of pregnancy, abuse and drug taking. Setting/Location- London/Barking in the rough estate area. Themes- Drug abuse, violence, domestic abuse, corruption of youth, poverty, neglect.
2nd Idea
Protagonist- Black youth from Rural England named Trenae.
Narrative- Coming to stay with family in the urban street. They teach Trenae the ways of the the street, through petty crime, drug taking and gangs.
Setting/Location- London/Ilford in the parks and outside chicken shops/off licenses.
Themes- Social class clashes, drugs, violence, gangs, petty crime.
3rd Idea
Protagonist- A group of youths (aged 17-18) named Trey, Rick, Rod, Fro, Emanuel.
Narrative- The gang/group has a rival gang where they are fighting to run the state.
Setting/Location- London Gritty area like parks, chicken shops, off licenses and bus stops.
Themes- Gangs, violence, drugs, corruption of youth, petty crime, rebellion.
A man found dead in a well had been tied up and his body left there for about two years, police have said. This would make a great film because it includes themes of death, violence. This crime has been set in Warlingham which is in a countryside, landscape area. this would not work in a typical BSR film because it would usually be set in a gritty, urban street. I think setting a crime like this in an urban street area will emphasise the reality and believability of the film. The protagonist could be the criminal who killed this victim or we could twist the plot and make the protagonist the person who has been killed. A storyline could include the person killed could be a drug dealer and might of killed someone due to the drugs that they sold. So the family of the drug abused guy go and hunt down the main guy. he attempts to escape but ends up being killed.
Woman admits murdering three men found stabbed to death in ditches
Joanna Dennehy, 30, also pleads guilty at Old Bailey to attempted murders of two more men.
This would also make a great BSR film because it includes themes of death, violence, rebellion. I think that this would make a good film because it is a woman who has committed the crime which is not that frequent so she is subverting the generic stereotype of women. I would like to include a character like this violent woman in my production. This could be set in a gritty urban area because crimes like this do happen frequently in them areas however it's rare that a women has committed such a violent crime. The protagonist could be a teen girl being abused by her violent mum. The storyline could be about the girl living her life but viewing her struggles through her violent abusive mother who takes drugs and has just been released from jail.
Tony Abrahams, 47, suffered serious injuries after he confronted intruders at his home in the early hours of Saturday.
This crime news will also make a great BSR film. This includes themes of violence, corruption of youth and rebellion. I think that this this would make a good film because the fact the such a young boy has committed the crime emphasises the struggle of how bad their life is. The storyline of the film could be of the boy showing his struggles of his life with abusive parent and gang life. The gang tells him to commit comes that he does not want to but ends up getting caught when trying to rob a house.
This week I have learnt about opening sequences. There are three aspects to to mise en style in the films. They are camera conventions, Mise en scene conventions and editing conventions. I learnt what the typical conventions that are displayed in a BSR film. For example some camera conventions would includes hand held shots, medium/ close ups. Some typical mise en scene conventions include natural lighting and real locations. And finally some typical editing conventions include Long takes and simple/minimal editing. Learning about these conventions have greatly impacted what I will do on my work. I now know what to include in my film to make it as realistic as possible and for it to fit into the BSR genre. Some examples are that I want to just use natural lighting and a real location to make the film more believable and relaistic. I would also want to have the sort of hand held, Documentary effect.
In this section I am using my knowledge of BSR films to pick out aspects that I would like to include in my own film. An example I would like to use is the location of Shifty. I like the effect of the rough estate and vandalized walls filled with graffiti. It gives the film a more gritty and realistic effect.
I would also like to include some characters that subvert the general stereotype like the mother in Fish Tank. As a stereotypical mother you would expect her to be loving, caring and sweet, However she is violent and cold towards her children.
The football factory had a major theme of violence and I would like to include the theme of violence in my film. There is a funny fight scene that is a bit more light hearted and comical which I would not like to really input, I would like to use the sinister, dark violence.
Trainspotting is a film I would like to take a lot out of as it is a good example of a BSR film. There is a major theme of drugs where the main character is a heavy drug taker. I think drugs play a big part in a typical BSR film.
I would also like to include the theme of aspiration and escape. Even though it is a typical theme in a BSR film, it is not show a lot. I think I would be able to make a good opening start using aspiration.
I would like to have a similar typography that KiDULTHOOD has. I really like the 'childish' effect of the title being uppercase letters with the 'i' being lowercase. The colours are basic, a contrast of black and white which is simple, like the bold font.
Another think I would like to use in Kidulthood is the costumes of the characters. I think that they represent the characters well. They all wear baggy tracksuits, baseball caps and thick jackets. I would definitely include this type of costume in my film as it is typical of a BSR film. I think the use of this type of clothing emphasizes the realism of the BSR genre. So I would definitely include characters wearing these type of clothing to make my film more believable and real.
I want to make sure that I use natural lighting throughout my film. Bullet boy is a prime example of a film that does this. I believe that natural lighting makes the film more believable and realistic
I would use the soundtrack for Kidulthood because the songs in there are Urban and youthful. In particular I warmed up to a track (The instrumental video is below). It is by Klashkekoff- It's Murda. I like the urban vibe, with subtle piano playing which makes the song more tense and adds a sort of sinister feeling.
Another songs that I would not mind using is Ruff Squad- Together. From both of my soundtrack options I haven't chosen generic, basey, noisy dirty songs. I want to use a clear urban track with subtle instruments to add a tense atmosphere. (0.20- 1.00)
I also would like to typography similar to the film Shank. I think that the typography of it displays that the film is of a BSR genre because it is gritty. I like the effect that they have used the silhouette of the man on the letter A.
Generic locations that I would like to include is a grubby chicken shop for example like the one below. There are a lot in the gritty Urban areas and seeing a lot of the sort of people we see in BSR films hang around and eat in there because it's cheap, good, fast food. This gave me the inspiration to maybe involve a chicken shop in my shots when I a displaying the location.
This is another great location that I think would look great in my BSR movie. It is a run down street, with the windows boarded up and the street looking grubby. I think that this will emphasize the reality of the film as it is the sort of run down building that you would see in the urban gritty areas that could be used as a hide out for a gang.
This is Ashley Walters who plays the main character in Bullet boy. His character is very good and someone that I would like to input in my film. He plays the generic thug that you see in a BSR film. Through him being released from prison and the way he dresses with hoodies and tracksuit.
I would also like to include a sort of gritty looking police station. The theme of authority would be a good theme to play on in my film so including a police station would emphasise the realism as the police are seen a lot in the urban gritty street areas.
During this week I have been doing a lot of work, perfecting and finishing off the coursework and meet the deadlines.
I think that everything I have learnt this week has helped me develop my idea on what I may do in my film. Some of they key things that have made me think is sound. I did not think that sound had a major part in the production of a film. However I now believe that the sound can create an atmosphere so I think I will use a mixture of dialogue to get across the characters mode of address and also maybe a soundtrack to give a sense of era. Ultimately I want the sound, both diegetic and non-diegetic to represent the location and characters well.
By researching these issues I now know what should and should not be included in a BSR film. I do not think that they need a lot of opening credits because it is not a heavily funded film, it is very basic and most of the roles such as 'special effects supervisor' will not need to be included as there wouldn't usually be special effects in a typical BSR film.
