evaluation. Question 2- How does the opening represent social groups?

We tried to challenge the stereotypical idea of what social class experience social problems. Many other films which are about dysfunctional families and domestic violence are about working class people e.g. This is England whereas our film would be about middle class people. Some people compared our introduction to This is England in which one of the characters, Lol is abused. The house shown in the introduction probably suggests what social group is being represented. We challenged stereotypical ideas because we wanted to suggest that domestic abuse could affect anyone.

The introduction only shows one character, Amber a 17-year-old girl. She is represented as being quite vulnerable which is typical of a lot of tv programmes and films. We noticed that in other films and tv programmes high angle shots are used to make people look vulnerable so we included some in our film. For example Matilda includes lots of high angle shots of Matilda because she is a vulnerable character.

There is a part in our opening when Amber is walking down the stairs which we filmed from above. We used the same shot of her in the bath twice, the first is reversed so it shows her going underwater and the second is the original so it shows her sitting up after being underwater. These shots make Amber look vulnerable because she is naked.

This is similar to the painting of Ophelia in water by John Everett Millais.

Our introduction also challenges how young people are portrayed in films because they are often represented negatively with aggressive and threatening characters. The character Amber is supposed to be the victim which is the opposite of most other media products. I played Amber because apparently I look fragile so the audience wouldn’t think of Amber as being an intimidating teenager. Amber has a nice friendly group of friends which is different from many other films about teenage girls for example Mean Girls.

In this respect our film is similar to Attack the Block because the group prove that they are good people really by saving everyone else from the aliens. It is different from this film because initially the characters are portrayed negatively because they threaten a woman whereas in Amber young people would be portrayed positively throughout the film.

In Kidulthood young people are represented negatively because they are involved with drugs and violence. All the characters in this film dress like stereotypical ‘chavs’. In Amber, Amber and all of her friends would dress individually which challenges the thought that all young people are the same. Amber wears feminine clothing in the introduction which emphasises the idea that she is vulnerable.

Yeah I have an attitude… Misfits representation, analysis and screeenshots.

Extreme close up shot of Alisha’s lipgloss whilst she takes the lid off, therefore without any knowledge of her character previously we would assume that she values her appearance. We can hear slightly muffled diegetic voices in the background, the other characters are discussing the murder of their probation worker. Alisha is obviously not interested in the other people’s conversation which shows she is self obsessed and thinks her appearance is more important. In the first few shots of the make-up, the make-up is in focus and Alisha’s hands and the surroundings are blurred suggesting Alisha considers the make-up or her appearance to be the most important thin/what she is concentrating on.

Extreme close up shot of Alisha’s lips whilst she applies the lipgloss, the shot is in slow motion which creates a sexualized image.

Another extreme close up shot of Alisha putting blusher on her finger, our idea of her being obsessed with beauty,self obsessed and a sexual character becomes stronger. The other characters are still talking without her acknowledgement, she doesn’t seem to care about their conversation.

An extreme close up shot in slow motion of the blusher being applied to Alisha’s cheeks.

The final extreme close up shot of Alisha holding the make-up, she is holding a tube of mascara and unscrewing the lid slowly. The characters have continued talking and their voices have become less muffled.

The last extreme close up shot of Alisha applying make-up, we see her applying the mascara to her eyelashes. We have been showed parts of the face which are associated with beauty, (lips, cheeks and eyes) which supports the idea the audience is supposed to have that Alisha is beautiful or concerned with appearance.

A close up shot shows Alisha’s face when she has finished using the make-up, the audience is supposed to feel disappointed because we expect her to look very beautiful and glamorous but she is chewing gum, wearing large hoop earings and a community service jumpsuit. We see her reflection in the mirror, an over the shoulder shot is used but Alisha’s shoulder is blurred so we focus on her reflection. We can also see Curtis in the reflection but he is very blurred which shows Alisha is more interested in her own reflection than Curtis. When Alisha looks in the mirror she raises her head which gives the impression that she is confident and considers herself to be more important that the other characters.

The camera pans towards Curtis, away from Alisha and he is the focus rather than her, Alisha’s face becomes blurred so the audience knows Curtis is the most important character now. Despite the audience’s attention being focused on Curtis rather that Alisha, Alisha continues to look at herself in the mirror whilst he asks her a question and she answers, this supports the idea of her being self absorbed and obsessed with her appearance. She looks very pleased and smiles when she notices Curtis looking at her which shows us that she likes the attention and could be quite a sexual character. When Curtis is looking at Alisha he is grinning which suggests he is attracted to her and there could potentially be a relationship between these characters in the future. However, when he speaks to her he is looking at himself in the mirror rather than her which shows us that he is similar to Alisha because he is self obsessed and concerned with his appearance. After Curtis has asked Alisha the question and she has replied he challenges Simon to turn invisible but whilst he talks to Simon he continues looking at his reflection, implying that he doesn’t consider Simon to be important and doesn’t have much respect for him.

An establishing/ master/ long shot of all the characters, establishing who is there and where they are. The colours in the room are neutral so the bright orange jumpsuits the characters are wearing makes the audience focus on them. The orange jumpsuits show that they all have something in common however they all wear them differently which gives us clues about what their personalities are like. Curtis has the shirt part of his jumpsuit tied around his waist so it looks like he is only wearing orange trousers, this separates him from the other characters and suggests he is different. The groups’ body language suggests (e.g. crossed arms, slouching etc.) they don’t value Simon, have little respect for him and want to make him feel uncomfortable. They are all facing towards him and staring which puts him under a lot of pressure and makes him feel uncomfortable, the camera zooms towards Simon which makes the audience concentrate on him.

There is a close up shot of Simon who looks scared, uncomfortable and embarrassed because of the attention he is receiving from the other characters, this makes him seem like quite a shy character with low confidence and this makes us feel sorry for him. The background is blurred so we concentrate on him and his reaction.

A close up, over the shoulder shot shows Nathan’s reaction, he raises his eyebrows as if he is mocking Simon or doesn’t believe that he can turn invisible. He doesn’t seem to care about Simon’s feelings, he is more interested in impressing the others and making them laugh, he seems to crave their attention. Simon’s shoulder is blurred which might be to represent how he is insignificant to Nathan.

Another close up, over the shoulder shot showing Curtis’ reaction, he looks unimpressed and doesn’t seem sympathetic with Simon despite his obvious discomfort.

Then we see another close up shot of Simon who still looks scared, uncomfortable and embarrassed. Alisha begins to speak whilst we can still see Simon’s face.

A close up, over the shoulder shot of Alisha shows her reaction, she gives a similar reaction to the other characters. She decides to leave which shows she can be an unkind character and she is impatient. After she speaks someone slams a locker which emphasises the groups’ harsh and unkind behaviour.

The camera pans and follows Alisha to show she’s leaving and to show a final close up shot of Kelly’s reaction. Kelly frowns then abruptly turns to leave without saying anything to Simon, this makes her seem unkind, disrespectful  and rude. Behind Kelly we can see the other characters leaving, this shows that Simon isn’t very involved with the other characters in the group. Whilst the characters are leaving the camera is positioned so it shows a long shot of Simon and his reaction, he inevitably looks upset.

Simon is alone in the locker room and the camera shows a long shot of him standing by himself looking sad whilst all the other characters are leaving. He is looking towards the other characters which suggests he wants to be included in their group, feels isolated and lonely.

Simon begins to turn invisible, the close up, low angle shot of his face whilst this is happening is taken from the side of his chin looking upwards, this is an unusual shot implying that something unusual is about to happen. Simon makes groaning noises which shows us that he is uncomfortable and makes us sympathise with him. There is a close up, high angle shot of Simon and his face violently shakes causing the image to blur. Simon’s groaning noises are combined with strange non-diegetic sounds which create an uncomfortable atmosphere.

There is a close up shot of the side of Simon’s face as he recovers after turning invisible.

There is a medium shot of Curtis from behind as he closes the door and walks away, following the group. Simon shouts after them but they have already gone and don’t hear, the door slams showing the rejection Simon feels. The door closing represents the separation between Simon and the other characters and how he feels isolated and lonely.

There is another long shot showing Simon stood by himself in the locker room. The camera zooms away from him, showing the rest of the room and emphasising that he is alone.

There is an establishing/ master, long shot of the characters except Simon walking towards the camera. They are following a man who is talking, we haven’t been introduced to him previously, he is wearing a black and white checked shirt and jeans which distinguishes him from the group. The characters look unenthusiastic which gives the impression that they are lazy. The camera is positioned the other side of a window facing towards the characters, it is positioned in the room they are walking towards.

There is a point of view shot showing a large pile of clothing which has been donated, the group is going to organise the clothes, this makes us sympathise with them.

Then the camera changes position so it is in the room with the pile of clothes facing towards the characters coming in. The man explains that the group have to organise the pile of clothing so the clothes can be given to people in Africa, Alisha says “Just another day in paradise” in a sarcastic voice, this supports the idea of her being selfish. The man replies that the people receiving the clothes will appreciate it so he seems more kind and concerned about other people.

There is a long shot showing all the characters except Simon, they all look grumpy and emphasise that they don’t want to do the job by throwing the bin bags containing the clothes on the ground. Nathan is carrying his bag of clothes on his head which establishes him as the ‘joker’ in the group. Curtis is staring at Alisha which suggests he is attracted to her, Alisha looks annoyed that she has to do the job so she seems like quite a lazy character.

The camera is positioned behind the group but the man who is talking is facing towards it, the characters’ body language shows that they don’t feel enthusiastic and are annoyed they have to work.

After the man asks if there are any questions Nathan immediately puts his hand up. The camera position changes again so it is behind the man and the group are facing towards it. Alisha and Kelly look impressed by the man, because he is the only other male Curtis seems jealous, he looks angry and is frowning.

There is an over the shoulder, close up shot of Nathan and he asks a silly question, attempting to make the others laugh, he seems more childish than the others and constantly tries to impress them. He points at the man which implies he is quite confident. The man is blurred and Nathan is in focus to show that he is the important character in this shot.

There is an over the shoulder, close up, reaction shot of the man who looks unimpressed with Nathan’s joke, he makes a joke in response then laughs at himself showing he is confident as well.  In this shot Nathan’s shoulder is blurred to show the man is the most important character in the shot.

There is an over the shoulder, close up, reaction shot of Curtis who looks very unimpressed by the man’s joke, he looks towards Alisha and sees her looking at the man, he could be jealous because he seems to like Alisha but Alisha seems to like the man. The music begins and the first lyrics are ‘yeah I have an attitude’, the lyrics are suitable for the characters because they all have strong personalities.

There is a close up of Alisha when she sees Curtis notice her looking at the man and realises he is jealous, she looks happy which shows she enjoys manipulating and controlling people and the attention she is receiving.

There is another close up of Curtis who looks very irritated and jealous, he turns away from Alisha which could mean he is upset, annoyed or angry. Then we see another close up shot of Alisha who looks very pleased, this makes her seem cruel, she turns to watch the man leave.

Alisha finds a jacket she likes in the pile of clothes, she is mostly interested in finding the nice, fashionable clothes which supports the idea of her obsession with appearance. The other characters mess around in the pile of clothes which make them seem more relaxed and fun because they don’t take themselves too seriously.

Kelly and Nathan jump into the pile of clothes, they seem to be getting on and are both behaving in a childish manner. None of the group are doing the job which shows they don’t really care and aren’t very interested in helping others although they are enjoying being together because they are all laughing. The music gradually becomes louder whilst the characters get more excited.

Curtis and Alisha are being playful and flirty together, Alisha throws something at Curtis and they are both laughing.

The group are all laughing, making jokes and having fun together, there are a lot of short quick shots which creates an exciting atmosphere for the audience resembling the atmosphere the characters are experiencing.

Kelly tries on some silly pyjama bottoms so she doesn’t seem to be taking herself too seriously unlike Alisha, she doesn’t seem to bothered about the way she looks either.

Nathan tries to make Curtis laugh but Curtis gets frustrated and threatens him which shows he can have a temper and has a low tolerance, Nathan looks surprised and frightened and quickly walks away.

The characters continue to mess around, they are laughing and shouting, Curtis pushes Alisha into the pile of clothes.

There is a long shot of Simon sat by himself in the locker room, the silence in this room contrasts with the non-diegetic, loud music, laughing and shouting in the other room and emphasises Simon’s feelings of isolation and loneliness.

There is a close up shot of Nathan when he makes another joke, he constantly tries to make the others laugh and seems to really want their attention.

The Misfits/ This is England <— Representation of youthhh.

I am sooo happy that we are analysing Misfits in media because it is currently one of my favourite tv programmes! The new series recently started which is still really good but I wasn’t as impressed with this as the 1st and 2nd series… maybe because Nathan has gone 😦 Although I have just watched the most recent episode (episode 4) and thought the concept was really interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ud8AJDaAW7c

I think the representation of young people in both Misfits and This is England are very similar. They both represent young people in a negative way, both groups of young people don’t really contribute to society and are unemployed. Both the characters from This is England and Misfits are working class. The group in Misfits are doing community service which gives the audience the  impression that young people break the law, This is England features the characters breaking the law for example smoking weed.

However I think both tv programmes are aimed at a younger audience, I think the majority of people this age would like the characters because despite their reckless behaviour and lifestyles they all have positive and attractive attributes. In both tv programmes I think it is likely that there would be one character the person watching would like or  be able to relate to. Misfits features a wide variety of stereotypical types of young people; Kelly, the ‘gobby chav’, Alisha, who is confident and promiscuous, Simon, who is shy and quiet but intelligent, Nathan, who is confident and funny and Curtis, who is ambitious, intelligent and arguably more mature than the rest of the group.

Overall I think both tv programmes present a fair representation of most of young people, inevitably the characters are going to be exaggerated because the programmes are both dramas. It is impossible for any tv programme to create a perfect representation of any generation although I think Misfits and This is England manage to represent groups of young, working class people quite accurately.

Children of Men

After watching a scene from the science fiction film directed by Alfonso Cuaron, Children of Men I really want to watch the whole film although I’m not usually keen on this genre I think the idea is very interesting and different .  The film imagines that humans can no longer procreate which inevitably results in chaos, although a former activist decides to help a pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea. Alfonso chooses to use actresses and actors which aren’t well known so we don’t already have expectations of what their characters will be like.

Alfonso uses one continuous shot so there is no editing, this makes the scene more realistic and therefore it has more importance to the audience. Regular close up shots of the characters faces are used to show how they are feeling and their reactions to events.

Alfonso has managed to create a sense of familiarity despite the film being set in the future which makes it more realistic. The weather is typically British, the sky looks dull and the grass and plants are damp which suggests it’s been raining. The first shot introduces us to the surroundings, Alfonso doesn’t use a setting which looks typical of a science fiction fim instead he uses an enviroment which most people would be familiar with, although the car suggests that the film is set in the future.

The characters are in a car on a road near a forest, the surroundings are desolate which makes them seem more vunerable so the audience expects something bad to happen to them. However the characters are behaving in a relaxed manner which gives us a sense of security and makes us feel relaxed as well. They are casually swearing and use language which is familiar to most people.

The characters are wearing average clothing so they don’t distract the audience from the dialogue and the events included in the film. This also implies that all the characters are equally important because there isn’t one person who we particularly notice. The group of people who attack the characters in the car are dressed in clothing which looks old, they are mostly dressed in black which makes them look threatening and dangerous.

Representation of gender in Gigantic <— (the first 20 minutes)

Gigantic (2008)  is a quirky comedy directed by Matt Aselton.

Overall Gigantic represents men as being the stronger and braver gender, who are expected to look after women. The women are represented as being weaker and more vunerable for example in the first scene Larry, the man studying the mice says that women are more than 20 times more likely to develop depression. The first female character we meet is pretty and has long blonde hair, Larry obviously finds her attractive and this is a generalisation of all women. The film implies that men should be strong and brave, which contrasts with timid, 28 year old, single, matress salesman Brian, (Paul Dano) who is on the waiting list to adopt a chinese baby. When he is walking down the street, he is listening to hardcore rap music although the music doesn’t suit his appearance, he is tall, thin and nerdy looking, this could show that he isn’t happy with himself and would like to be more manly.

The music stops when Brian is attacked by a homeless man, this adds to the tension, the man is very violent and brutal. The man buying a bed also gives the audience a negative impression of men because he is very rude and makes homophobic and rascist comments. The man’s daughter, Harriet or ‘Happy’, (Zooey Deschanel) is wealthy, eccentric, quiet and polite, she is much more likeable than her father. When she falls asleep, it makes her seem vunerable, Brian puts a blanket over her which makes him seem protective and caring.

This is England

This is England is set in 1983 and is about a group of mods, skinheads and new romantics, living in shabby coastal town in England. The film begins with clips of videos from the 1980’s, this adds a reminiscent quality for some of the audience and creates an atmosphere. The first character we meet is 12 year old Shaun, we immediately feel sorry for him because he gets teased about his flared trousers, which were given to him by his dead father and is then told he isn’t allowed in the local shop. We also admire him for his courage when he challenges a bully, Harvey who jokes that Shaun looks like Keith Chegwin’s son. It is his last day of school, the beginning of his summer holidays and friendship with a young group of skinheads.

The audience thinks Shaun’s day is going to improve when he first meets one of the skinheads, Woody who notices that he looks upset and checks he’s alright and further on in the film adopts the role of a father figure to Shaun. Shaun’s first impression of  Gadget, another skinhead in the group isn’t so positive because he also bullies him about his flared trousers. Shaun then runs away and this is followed by an emotional scene when he tells his mother he’s being bullied, the music in this scene adds to the emotional impact.

Woody proves to care about Shaun when he invites him hunting with the rest of the group to apologise for the other day. The eccentric costumes in this scene make it comical and the short, quick shots of the characters and the music makes it exciting. They are all having a good time until they decide to shoot Gadget, although we feel sorry for Gadget because he is targeted, he reacts inappropriately and punches Shaun, who is the weakest and most vunerable of the group. Shaun behaves very kindly and offers to leave because Gadget feels like he’s been replaced.

After the incident Shaun and Gadget resolve their problems and Shaun is accepted into the gang but first he needs to look like a skinhead. He gets new boots, new jeans, Woody buys him a Ben Sherman shirt and Lol shaves his hair off, we feel pleased that Shaun has made friends and the music in the scene is cheerful. This contrasts with the silence when Shaun arrives home two hours later than he should have and his mother discovers his shaved head. Luckily, Cynthia recognises that the gang are friendly and protective of Shaun despite their intimidating appearances.

The next scene is at a house party, the atmosphere is relaxed, everyone is happy and chatting and the music is loud, the camera shows close up shots of everyone’s faces to show they are all having a good time. Shaun is staring at Smells and Milky notices, him and the others encourage him to talk to her so he asks her if she wants to go in the garden with him and she agrees. When Smells and Shaun are outside the other characters hear a banging at the door, this doesn’t worry them much because they assume it’s the police. Gadget goes to answer the door and Banjo runs into the room with a knife, the music stops and everyone goes silent which adds to the tension and focuses the viewers attention towards Banjo. We soon discover that Combo, (who has just been released from prison) has arranged this, this shows he is desperate for attention. Woody is thrilled to see him, unlike the other characters who look unimpressed.

When Smell and Shaun are sat in the garden shed the silence adds to the awkwardness and tension between them but it also adds to the awkwardness and tension the audience feels, I felt uncomfortable when they were kissing because of the age gap. Another uncomfortable scene follows, when Combo is telling a story and makes racist remarks, such as describing a black man as a ‘wog’, Combo is trying to intimidate Milky. The camera shows close up shots of the characters again, which shows most of them look unimpressed by Combo and uncomfortable in his presence.

When Smell and Shaun enter the room everyones attention is distracted from Combo and focused on them, the camera shows a close up shot of Combo’s face who looks angry because he isn’t the centre of attention. Combo behaves childlishly when he is introduced to Shaun, he tries to make him feel uncomfortable by not shaking his hand and teases him about his clothes. This scene ends emotionally, the music is sad and the fading of voices manipulates the audience to focus on the characters expressions.

The next scene proves that the characters feel threatened by Combo because they are sat in the cafe talking and when he enters the room everyone goes quiet. Combo soon manages to upset the characters by asking Woody to go outside with him and then slapping Shaun. Shaun seems surprisingly confident around Combo and shouts at him. The next morning Combo arranges a meeting and encourages the gang to join him protesting against ethnic minorities coming to England. Combo manages to brainwash some of the characters including Shaun, probably the most easily influenced of the group.

The next time we see all the gang together after Combo’s meeting is at Smell’s birthday party, Woody is obviously not pleased to see Combo and leaves immediately with most of the other characters. Although, Combo proves he has a more sensitive side when him and Lol have a chat in his car, he tells Lol he loves her and she rejects him. Combo is obviously distraught and starts crying. In the final scene we begin to think that all the characters are resolving their problems with each other, in particular Milky and Combo until Milky is talking about his family and Combo gets jealous and attacks him. The film ends with footage of the Falkland Islands.