Pre-production: Production Log/Reflective Analysis [Week 2]

This week involved me looking at generic conventions used in social realist opening sequences and how they allow the audience to relate to the production of the film. Many have a gritty storyline or and the cinematography is very raw which helps engage the audience into the progressing narrative. Moreover though, these codes and conventions help to create to setup the enigma and subtly get the audience to understand the topic/subject of the film.

By looking at the codes and conventions in British Social Realist opening sequences, it has enabled me to understand that my production should introduce the storyline in brief and focus more on the characters in the film. This will help to setup an enigma, which means that the audience will be challenged in many ways, which helps attract interest for my sequence/film. In addition to this, I have observed that the technical codes such as the camera techniques use a lot of basic transitions like cuts which helps conform to the gritty style of British Social Realism films. The symbolic codes such as the setting in 'Happy Go Lucky' (the film I observed for my opening sequence) uses a very ordinary and raw setting is also typical of this genre and style to British social realism sequence. This conforms to the everyday British life which these type of films use to create a verisimilitude for the audience In doing so, it makes the film seem real which is also another typical trait for this genre (in opening sequences).

The type of text which have influenced me is 'Happy Go Lucky' as the opening sequence is has a very unique way of introducing the protagonist. She is made to look like an everyday type of person yet we aren't given much information about how she plays a significant role in the plot. She becomes mysterious as she can denoted riding a bicyicle and this sets up an enigma as we don't know where she her journey is going to end at. Therefore, it has influenced me by setting out what is typical of a realist opening sequence in terms of what to expect - codes and conventions.

By doing this task, I have decided that I should conform to the typical conventions of a British Social realist film by making sure that there are titles, some insight into the storyline however, Id like to subvert to the formulaic way of introducing my film titles. For example, I would like to create my own designs which conveys my gritty style to British social realism films for the actual title of my film or production logo which help my sequence appear unique and artistic.