Analysis: Fish Tank & How it conforms to a British Social Realist film.

A film which is "representative of real life" with all its issues and portrays British "everyday characters usually from a working class background" according to Michelle Strotzykow (2008) can be described as a British social realist film. One prime example of a film which achieves the objectives of a British social realist film is 'Fish Tank' (2009). Written and directed by the successful star Andrea Arnold, 'Fish Tank' explores the life of a troubled 15 year old teenager named 'Mia' who indulges in the life living in around the council estate in a working class society (most clips are filmed in Barking, Havering, Tower Hamlet). 



Mia - Protagonist is denoted here dancing.



One way we can outline this film as a British social realist film is by the use of the mise-en-scene. The protagonist (named Mia) is evidently represented as a deprived teenager just by the  grey tracksuit costume that can be denoted she is wearing in the film clip. This signifies that she comes from a working class background and is deeply rooted to the urban culture of life. In addition to this, by the use of ambient lighting it signifies that the harsh reality in these deprived areas. Like most British social realist films represent, it clearly gives us a gritty side to Britain that is not so fortunate and upbeat.

Tyler and her friend smoking and drinking.

Another way 'Fish Tank' sumbits to the British social realism genre is by the use of the props. A clear example is shown by Mia's sister, Tyler (played by Rebecca Griffiths) who is denoted to be freely smoking a cigarette with a little girl. Arnold uses this scene to connote to the audience the social issues, whereby, children are not being nurtured and cared for by their parents properly in a working class area, thus, becoming rebellious and unsafe. This is further emphasised by the rough location the two girls are drinking and smoking  where we can denote: torn wallpaper, small confined room which connotes that they are rebellious and poor. This is very typical of a British social realist film as it conveys the social hardships of people coming from a proletarian background.

Mia's "party" fanatic mother

The music, sound effects & dialogue also plays a key significance into setting out the conventions of a social realist film. By the use of dialogue, as the protagonist's mum (Joanne)  tells Mia "I don't know what's wrong with you!" and she replies  "you're what's wrong with me", it signifies that a mother and daughter in a working class society are usually turbulent. Therefore, it conforms to a british social realist film as it's  representing a typical everyday conflicts that working class  individuals face on a daily routine. The ambient sounds of teenagers playing football and the sound of police sirens also in the background noise adds to this sense of everyday aggression as it signifies to the audience the working class "chaotic" type of lifestyle.



Mia, dancing to some urban music.

 Another way we can gain an insight for how 'Fish Tank' conforms to the British social realism genre is by the sound editor's choice and use of sound perspective (diegetic sound) and the soundtrack (non diegetic sound)  as we can hear on numerous occasions urban music playing. It connotes that her life is very raw and serious. This is very typical of a British Social realist film as it displays the rough type of culture this brings about.

Similarly, the camerawork & editing is important for establishing to the audience, the gritty and authentic reality of British life. An obvious example is  the long shot of the protagonist drinking from the tap which signifies that her living accomodations are poor and harsh. This is a typical convention of a British social realist film as it portrays less fortunate individuals as living in poverty. The handheld camera movement adds to this feel, for example, when she is jumping over the fence to get into her house which signifies that she isn't well off but has to continue with her unpleasant lifestyle.

The long take of Joanne (Mia's single parent mother) casually having sex with her boyfriend  connotes that she is promiscuous and sets out the stereotype that working class mothers are more concerned about their love life than setting out the duty as a responsible mother. This is typically dealing out an issue in the film concerning society where it sets out public awareness of the unsatifactory conditions where children may be grown into (in a working class community).

As well as the camera work and editing conforming to the conventions of a British social realist film in 'Fish Tank', the themes and situations evidently do so too. Fish tank succesfully complys to the British social genre as it uses the "kitchen sink" ideology (meaning that every gritty details is left in the film to create a verisimilatude). Domestic abuse is a clear example shown as 'Connor' who is Joanne's boyfriend beats her when he finds out that Mia has been causing upset to her mother. This represents the grim treatment working class individuals face, everyday. Therefore, it conforms to a British social realist film.

Overall, Fish Tank (2009) is one of the most notable, successful British social realist films produced. It has followed all the conventions of the typical genre and has been able to allocate enough funds by the BBC Films and the UK film council to get an American distributer  named IFC films (an independant American film channel) to promote the film. As of June 2010, globally,  it has made nearly two million in revenue. It appeals to a majority of middle class individuals with a well educated background who want to understand more about the "real British lifestyle".

We can see this by the mise-en scene; sound; camera and editing; representations and themes & situations. One way we can see the gritty real working class lifestyle by the themes and situations is when Mia gets abused by a group of men when she is found to be intruding on private property which signifies her as chaotic. By the mise en scene of the wild-dog character (which chases Mia), it connotes that rough and full of tough experiences in Britain. By the sound perspective of the music coming from her cd player, it represents her as an outcast of society and by the use of  a close up of her legs walking with a bag full of cds and a hammer it connotes her wild side to being raised in Britain. Therefore, all these elements meet the requirements of a British social realist film as it represents what's happening in real life.

Pre-production: Scrapbook post of the promotional methods "Slum Dog Millionaire" uses..

MARKETING MATERIALS

Slum dog millionaire offers a range of different marketing materials to make the film successful; this includes a trailer, a newsletter, a film poster, social networking platforms but, most importantly, the official website which combines all these promotion forms because it draws the potential audience into wanting to go and watch the film.

USES OF NEW MEDIA TECHNOLOGY

NEW MEDIA TECHNOLOGY SUMMARY

Altogether, all these examples of new media technology are suitable ways of boosting promotion for the film as it creates a "word of mouth" scenario which ensures that it does well. In addition to this, it would be effective as it is cheap or free to do. On the other hand, it requires you to have an internet connection, therefore, not everyone is aware of what may be happening with the film and this also limits the age range because mostly younger people use the internet. Fortunately, as it creates an online hype which is most likely be discussed in real life, and so it makes this method very good.

EXHIBITION PLATFORMS

• Channel Four (Terrestial Channel - Company also owns film four)
• DVD (Film Four)
• Blu Ray (Film Four)
• Download: Itunes, Amazon, Lovefilms...

It is vital that the film companies release more exhibition platforms besides the cinema because people sometimes prefer to buy things online due to technological and social changes. In addition to this, it allows people easy access to film whenever they want to see/buy it.

Pre-production: Research Of The Film Industry

Information from: http://www.skillset.org/film/business/index.html

DEVELOPMENT - THE COMPONENTS NEEDED FOR FILM SUCCESS!

1) Idea

Inspiration plays the role in a film role in the film becoming reality. Film-makers can be influenced by the following:

• Real life events from biographies, newspapers etc...
• Remakes of existing films.
• Adaptations - Books often inspire successful film, eg, Harry Potter.
• Original Ideas - Film ideas from the director's own thoughts.

2) Producers 

• They look for something to attract audiences.
• They know what sells.
• Will acquire the right to a story, adaptation or original scripts. 
• Once they develop the director's vision it becomes reality. 
• Producer approaches the film production companies for development money.
• Producer works out how much it is to make.
• The market producer will need to use his or her networking knowledge and persuasion to attract investors (by bearing in mind that different countries offer a variety of tax breaks to those who fund films).
• Investments are made with the producer's lawyer

3) Directors

• Responsible for creative development.
• Will work with the producer to develop the idea.
• Important that the producer secures a reliable director.

4) Writers 

• Defines and clarifies the idea - Plot & Characters
• Producers usually approach the writer to stay in touch with what the film's about and to make sure it fits with the genre and budget.
• Most writers create a step outline to show what happens in each action in more detail eg. post it notes and cards.
• Writers must create their first draft - contains the dialogue, actions, events and sometimes transititions.
• Revisions - Once the writer and producer are happy with the draft it's sent to the financers. Script editors (if hired alongside the writer) help to overco me script problems.

5) Treatment (the writer has to write this)

• Description of key events and people, eg, a comedy film should be funny
• Portrays the film as unique and interesting.
• The producer uses this plus persuasion to get money to develop the script

 6) Pitch - Contains information the producer needs in order to sell the idea to financers.

This includes an outliner which is a one sentence description of the film; the genre which helps people understand the style/content of the film and the market who is the target audience based on age, sex education etc...

7) Packaging - Making the script into a full commercial proposition ready for financing

• The package is the selling tool to raise production money.
• Often to make it more commercial they attach well known stars which makes the package more valuable
• A top editor can transform a film because their credibility signifies the film is bound to be successful and enjoyable.
• Good production designer on board certifies the film will look right.
• An extremely important  creative figure in the film is the photographer because they translate the script into pictures.

Other things which needs to be considered when developing the film

• The rough budget which gives a reader an idea of the cost to make and the brief synopsis which gives  more detailed insight into the film's plot. 
• Some sales companies sometimes provide money for films they see are extremely marketable. 
• A broadcaster will ask for the right to show the film on certain TV channels in return for development money.
• Distribution company in return for development money ask for the right to distribute the film to exhibitors such as cinema outlets or alternative format.
• Public funding bodies (development grants) help improve the quality and variety of scripts in the uk.
• Some banks will invest in commercial film projects.

 PRODUCTION STAGES

There are three types of production: 

Pre-production

This involves identifying and casting actors; the storyboard is created in order to capture what's happens in each scene and video or sound effects are created to make the film more interesting - this can take months to do.

Production 

The shooting of the film begins where the camera department are responsible for getting all the footage that the director and producer needs to tell the story. The shot only begins once the lighting, sound and hair/makeup are sorted out. The actors must use their emotions to draw the audience into the film. The special effects are carefully constructed too and stunts are kept to the lowest risk possible.

Post production.

The processed footage is arranged into scenes for a narrative sequence by the editor. Then, the sound editor layers the audio track by creating every single sound. Later, the digital effect are added by specialist effects compositors where the credits and title is added. The final stage is when the colour of film clips are adjusted to establish the fine aesthetics of the film.

Distribution 

In order to secure sales of the film, the producer hires a sale agent who is a key importance in commercial success. They will estimate how well the film will do in the box office. A way in which the film can improve the sales is by making a trailer however, the producer must go through great lengths in creating a "Buzz" about the film by trying to get people in the film industry talking about it. Sometimes a high-profiled screening enables the hype to grow for the film until eventually, the producer seals a deal by signing a contract with a distributor.

The distibutor will obviously be expected a greatly executed film, therefore, the film companies often have a marketing team which allows them to focus on ways to grab the audience's attention. They do this by two methods called: "above the line" and "under the line". In other words, above the line means they market by making trailers, poster campaigns, and even material distributed via cinemas. On the other hand, below the line is more subtle and requires the film company to attend press meetings, make merchandise and do things which creates the "word of mouth" such as product tie-ins like when you go mcdonalds and get a toy which might be character from the film.

Exhibition

The film is premiered in the public scene with a swarm of media coverage to create a stronger hype about the film which usually includes high class actors. Distributors provides the exhibitors with the exhibitors. The more screens it's shown at, the more film prints needed. Then after the box office reciepts, the exhibitors take their share of the profits which the distributor recoups with their marketing costs.

Films are sometimes shown on hotel channels or flights which can bring in lots of revenue. The uk audience spend more on DVDS so usually a great deal of profit is made by releasing one.The final source of revenue: TV but the broadcaster must acquire rights to show it first. As a bonus, the film can be released as a game for more cash. Once the film makes lots of profit the producer and key creative people rake in tonnes of money. Lastly, the film might be re-released in the future for a special purpose such as a 25th anniversary since it was made.

Pre-production: Meet my audience member

Open publication - Free publishing - More media

Pre-production: Independent and Hollywood film - Comparison Task.

Compare the impact of the Production company on an independent and Hollywood film

The two films which I have chosen to compare both belong to the drama genre. One being an independant film and the other being a Hollywood instituted film. The first movie is called 'Fish Tank' and it is based around the story of a foul mouth fifteen year old who lives on an Essex estate. The other film is a popular film entitled 'X-men: First Class' which in addition to being drama based also includes elements of action, adventure & Sci-Fi to appeal to a wider audience hence why it becomes popular and well known. It is about mutants who help the government  to stop a new world war three commencing.

Here is a trailer to preview both films:

CHARACTERS/AUDIENCE

We can differientiate between the two film's production company just by the type of conventions used. In 'Fish Tank', the characters are unknown to us because they aren't famous like the characters in 'Xmen'. This can be because they are appealing to a niche audience or because they don't have enough money to pay for the high class actors but I think it's because they want the film to a broader audience as the film relates to realistic situations like a teenagers life in the ordinary. On the other hand, 'Xmen' offers us generic, un-realistic characters which most Hollywood films deal out. It includes in this case  mutants which makes the film seem more entertaining and pleasurable. This is because they are extraordinary and the special effects which are added to enhance/produce this make the audience feel more captivated by the unique characters. Therefore, it would relate to a mainstream audience, however, it would also appeal to sci fi, action adventure enthusiasts as it includes a lot of fighting and battle which secure that the film is a success.

                                                  

SOUNDS

The sounds used in both films are very different. In the first film, we can hear some basic sound effects such as, arguing and doorslams. It also uses a basic instrumental (rap-beat). This is clearly used because it is highly expensive to use other artist's music or high quality sound effects. Ironically though, this helps to add to the grittyness of the film's storyline. On the contrary, Xmen uses highly advanced technology to make the sound effects sound more dramatic and add to the intensity of theme of good vs evil.

CAMERAWORK/EDITING

In 'Fish tank', the camera work doesn't deal with much difficulties. For example, there are a lot of static shots and shaky movements. The quality of the camera's quality isn't that great either. Whereas, in Xmen there are a variety of camera shots which include some being the sky. Much different to 'Fish tank',  the camera movement is not jerky and therefore, more smooth. The editing clearly shows that it uses a highly advanced film software whereas, the first film obviously uses a basic film editing program.

MIS-EN-SCENE

In 'Xmen' there are way more props and clothes used to present the film. It helps add interest into the film. For example, the aeroplane battle scene and different outfits. Whereas, in 'Fish Tank' there aren't many props or clothing choices for the film because it has a solified storyline for a specific audience. It has to bring a raw feel to the film which relates to the harsh storyline.

CONCLUSION

Furthermore, both films share noticable similarities, for example, they have characters with a clear manafactured personality, locations which such as, homes and streets which help move the storyline and other much a like features. However, there are striking conventions used for the two films which seperate them as being an Indie film and Hollywood Film. The most obvious difference is that the production value are very different because where X-Men costs 160 million to produce, the first video is cleary more cheaper (maybe a couple hundred or less).

Pre-production: Continuity Editing Exercise - Evaluation

Edit Workshop Evaluation



I will be evaluating the different aspects of my media production that allowed me to finalise my video. I will be focusing on what went well, what didn't go well and what I'd change or improve in the future. By discussing this, I will therefore see how well I understood the knowledge of using a match on action, shot reverse shot and the 180-degree rule.

RULE OF THIRDS, 180 DEGREE RULE & MATCH ON ACTION

The following things which I had to put into my video to meet the brief was the: rule of thirds & 180 degree rule. I used the 180 degree rule to make the two characters seem engaged in discussion.  For example, the two over the shoulder shots which use this rule (shown above), help the audience feel more aware of the conversation whereas, by breaking the rule would result in the audience feeling drawn away from the conversation and confused. I also used the rule of thirds to make the clips seem more professional and in proportion (rule of thirds shown on the right - first picture).

I used the match on action (shown in the second picture on the right) to allow us to see the character opening the door and closing it in a natural way. I think it made it seem more realistic  because rather than using a fade in/out transition, we can just see her walking in as the camera follows the hand movement and the opening of the door.

What challenges did you face during production? 

The problem I faced during production was making sure that me and my partner was in agreement with the number of shots we had. For example, when we filmed, we would have a number of clips from different angles and shot types but if we felt we had to redo it, we had to be quick and very decisive.Another issue which I found difficult was filming the establishing shot. Me and my partner wanted to make sure we had a variety of clips for this because we both had different ways of introducing the shot in terms of how long it should be shot for. In addition to this, there were quite a few cars which drove by which made the process even longer.

        Establishing shot

What would you change if you were to film again?

I think I would try to use more shots because at the part where the girl is talking Russian, maybe I could have added more sound effects to create a funnier edge to it. I would also try and add some music at the start as well to introduce the theme of the storyline.





Challenges I faced during the post-production... 
When I was editing, the timing of the clips was a issue I had to tackle because if the clip wasn't placed at the right second of the timeline, the editing would not look smooth. For example, when the examiner asks "are you ready for the Russian Oral Exam", we see her hands move nervously at the right time (after calculating where it was meant to be placed).

In the future, If I was to edit again I would try to use more variety of clips that I recorded to make it more interesting. I would also record the noise on a voice recorder and get it at a balanced frequency which is the same throughout.

STRENGTHS

I think I had an interesting storyline which people can relate to in a humerous way. For example, this is shown in some of the shots like when the examiner says in a aggresive yet humerous way "Well whenever you're ready" and slams the table. At first I was going to make her come across as a typical examiner but I wanted her to be un-conventional to make her seem odd & stand out as a character.

Another strength is the fact that me and my partner planned our work on a storyboard sheet because it gave us a solidified what had to be done from, getting music - shooting a long shot.

Lastly, we managed to use the Apple Mac video editing software which is a natural editing software programme because it does not rely much on providing heavy video effects for the user. This was an advantage because it meant that I could focus on making everything just flow naturally. 

WEAKNESSES 

I think that the part when I used video effects to make the examiner seem shocked should have been better in synch with the Russian oral exam. I also feel that maybe we could have taken it to another level and had the examiner falling off her chair at the end to make it even more funny.

I think that maybe I could've shown a few more shot types for individual scenes. For example, when the girl is walking in the corridor, I could've shown her face looking nervous with a close up shot.

Overall Improvements

• Use a few more shot types for individual scenes 
• Better the synch with the dialogue & the (only) video effect I used to show the shocked reaction of the examiner.
• Use some music at the start to introduce the theme - School Exams.
• Use a voice recorder for general noise and then balance the frequency

Pre-Production: Continuity Video Editing Process

1) This is stage one of my project.
At this stage, I purely focused on  layering the clips in the order according to my storyboard. As well as that, I made sure that the transitions were flowing smoothly with the clips. 

2) This is stage two of my project. 

I started to add music, sound effects and transition effects to make my video more interesting and smooth.

3) Final media production (including my centre & candidate number)

I made a few changes for my final production. For example, I made sure the shots at the end appeared more in synch with the character walking and slamming the door.

Pre-production: Storyboard for my continuity task

My Storyboard

My storyboard consists of the following:

The shot type - Describes what type of shot I will be using for example, a close up shot.

Camera Angle - Describes how I will position the camera, for example, a high camera angle would be faced downwards.

Lighting - Describes how bright or dim our shots will be based on the effect we will use, for example, ambient lighting is the lighting  that is naturally present.

Setting - The place where we will be filming, for example, the location can be a school.

Sound - Describes the type of voice we will use in a scene, for example, dialogue.

Description - Refers to what our clip are generally representing, for example, a door closing or opening.

Duration - Refers to how long each clip is suppose to last for, for example, one second...

 

Me and my partner devised a storyboard in order to understand the order that the clips we were going to shoot were supposed to be in; also it helped us to understand how to use the different camera and editing techniques for each clip when it was appropiate. We will however as a guideline and not a permanent way in which we should develop our clips as we have different ideas on how we can portray the creative elements,

Pre-production: Representation of Britishness Blog task

BRITISH FILMS - REALISTIC OR NOT REALISTIC?

There are many ways we can classify how authentic a film represents itself to the British audience. For example, we can look at whether it includes British actors, if it's funded by a British company such as, film four and by the social representations such as the specific use of  habits, behaviour & symbols. These are a few things we take into consideration to see whether it's realistic or not.

I will be looking at two films. One which is realistic - Kidulthood (a film set in Nottingham which explores the lifes of troubled 15 years old) and in comparison, one which isn't as realistic - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

FILM #1 - Kidulthood

 

(does contain some graphic fighting scenes with quite a lot of swearing)

The first film I will focus on is Kidulthood. This film is quite clearly a genuine representation of the British life in some ways. Immediately, we can see a group of teenagers who are living a tough life in the most deprived areas of Britain which people can relate to just by the un-inviting settings such as the small, cramped room in the film clip above. There is also a lot of slang and swearing which gives us quite a realistic representation of young people today in contrary to the obedient, quiet children of the early 20th century. In this film, there is also a theme of loud behaviour and rage which most young people are generally like today (on the transport and playing sports in the park). Therefore, this film is obviously something which young kids can relate to.

Despite there being many conventions which fit the British representations/way of life for young people, you've got to ask the question, are all young people like this? Quite clearly, not all, but most certainly it is going to be a raw representation for youths with troubled experiences in life, for example, those involved in crime or living in urban areas because in the film, there is shop-lifting, fighting and ultimately death. Therefore, it is very realistic to a young audience from this way of life. In addition to this, as it is funded by a British company and all the cast are from Britain it gives us a more truthful representation for the British culture.

 FILM #2 - Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows (Part ll)

 The un-realistic representation of Britain obviously shown here is: Harry Potter and the  Death Hallows (Part ll). Set in hogwarts. With Three British wizards. And moving staircases. We can make out that the film is fictional in a lot of senses which young kids and families love to watch. The behaviour is obviously not of the British way of life because you would not come across wizards with wands casting spells to defeat evil. However, it does capture some essence of Britishness, for example, the three main characters, Ron, Hermoine and Harry have posh accents and some of the teachers like Hagrid have a Bristolian accent. Therefore, it shows a realistic representation of the British accents. On the other hand, most British people don't live in massive castles and wear wizard robes. Therefore, it is mostly unrealistic.

 Another reason why this film wouldn't represent Britain properly is because the film sets a theme of a good vs evil battle against Voldemort and his minions whereas, the most common good vs evil in Britain is with people commiting crime. As well as the fact that, the film is funded by an American company.

FINAL CONCLUSION FOR BOTH FILMS 

Both films offer an element of Britishness. In Kidulthood, we can see the diversity of society, for example, in the film you have different ethnicities and personas which is quite similar in Harry Potter. However, Harry potter is mostly an un-realistic representation of Britain because it does not offer a genuine storyline. For example, the characters are all wizards in this film and they don't deal with normal situations in British life. On the other hand, Kidulthood does present us with a genuine representation  of Britain because it focuses on the normality of everyday life and what really happens such as knife crime and fighting with young people.

Pre-Production: Social Realism Timeline Grid Table

Open publication - Free publishing - More british

British Social Realism Timeline - Notes Grid