Sound Analysis of BSR

Train Spotting opening sequence

I annotated and analysed the opening sequence for Train Spotting, I had to detect the different sound terminologies and write why they were used and the effect they had.

Production log w/3

This week we have understood and learnt more about the commissioner we will be creating our film for which will be film4. We found out information about the commission and how they produce their own films as well as creating them, I have also found out that are owned by Channel 4 which is a big well known TV channel in the UK. 

As i now know more about my commissioner i can now recognize what is needed in my film to suit the work they produce. 
This week we also learnt about sounds in BSR. We learnt about all the different types of sound eg: diegetic and non-diegetic allowing us to see how essential sound is. 
We watched opening sequences without sound and realized how ineffective and non-impacting the scene were without one of the key ingredients, sound. 

After learning about sound I will now make sure to pay attention when making my own BSR using diegetic sound to make it as realistic as possible.

Commissioner Fact file - Film Four Productions

Who is the company? 

Film 4 is a  British film production, they produce films as well as distributing them. The company distribute mostly old films and the films they create themselves. 
They exhibit their films on TV with channels such as SKY anytime and Virgin OD. 

Film 4 parent company would be Channel 4 who own several other companies such as 4seven, E4, More4, 4music, Kiss and many more.

Having Channel 4 as a parent company of film 4 has advantages because this channel is a acclaimed channel watched by most people in Britain. When watching Channel 4 it helps the audience to discover other channels owned by them such as film 4. Channel 4 has changed from being a pay to view channel to now being a free access allowing more people to view it which is another advantage. 


What do the company produce?
As film 4 produce their own films, they also fund them as well  On 'Film4 FAQs' http://www.channel4.com/info/commissioning/4producers/film4-faqs it says Film4 develops and co-finances feature length films for theatrical release in cinemas. Although ultimately we are looking for films that will eventually play on both Channel 4 and Film4, (the digital channel), we do not develop films specifically for televised broadcast.

Film 4 does different genres such as action, horror/thriller and british realism films too.

Where is the company based?
As film 4 is owned by a Brtish parent company which is channel 4, they fund film production in the UK. 
They fund by using programme sponcer and advertisement.
The company target audiences are in the UK so they are also based here.

Why is the company important to the UK film industry?

The ethos of Film 4 is to show British talent and develop new talent. They want to be the leader of innovation in the film industry in Britain and make around £500,000 per film.

A key success in the British film industry would be the creation of films such as Harry Potter, Inbetweeners, Mama mia, The crying game and many more.

The directors who have launched careers of are Danny Boyle, Joe Thomas and James Buckley

Conventions of an opening sequence in BSR

Adulthood

I analysed the conventions of the opening sequences to Adulthood, click on the link below to view.

Production log w/2

This week we learn about the conventions and themes of british social realism. We have understood that conventions are like ingredients that creates the opening sequence and themes are there to show the audience the storyline that could occur later during the film.

 

 

 

We have also looked at the changes that have happened with British Social Realism over the past 50 years, it showed me how over the years the editing skills have improved and the situations become more realistic. By doing this task it has made me realise that the setting and props are one of the main aspects that can inform the audience about the theme. The conventions can make my film look more realistic and gritty.

 

In my opinion, watching the opening sequences of the BSR from the past 50 years it portrayed the different types of themes it could have which then gave me ideas on what my theme could be.

 

Conventions should be used in a unique way to make it different from other films. This way it will keep the audiences attention and keep them interested through out.

 

 

How British social realism themes are used

Bullet boy

 

 

In Bullet boy one of the key themes are violence and social class clashes.

 

The theme of violence is denoted when we see the main character being arrested for having a gun by several police officers, the connotation for this is that the character may be a threat to society and must be taken away. It is also clear that the theme is violence as the character does not get arrested by regular police officers but army men is full gear, the costume clarifies how serious the violence is in this film.

 

 

(0:13)

 

 

The theme of violence and social class clashes is represented through the different camera shots of the weapons used by the army men and the body language.

The body language is harsh and brutal against the family as the authority are seen pushing them on the floor and dragging them out of bed. 

 

In my British Social Realism film I will explore the theme  of social class clashes between a corrupt youth and a successful teen, this would show realism as it shows the difference in upbringing and how it has effected a person as they have grown older.

 

Train Spotting

 

The key theme in Train Spotting is about choosing drugs and drug abuse.

 

The theme of drug abuse is denoted as we see the main actor 'Renton' smoking heroin in numerous shots. In this mid-shot his facial expression suggests his calm and enjoying the experience of taking drugs and this denotation confirms to the audience that he is used to doing drugs.

 

 

 

The theme is represented visually as well as through the dialog. The audience can understand how important the theme of drugs are in this film when Renton says 'I choose not to chose life, I chose something else' which connotes he choose drugs to take over his life and how powerful the substance is.

 

If I choose to use drug abuse in my BSR I will show the negative effects of it and how it could ruin a persons life. I would want to show how the addiction can take over a persons life, the way it was shown in Train spotting. 

 

 

Football Factory

 

The key theme in Football Factory is violence and abuse.

 

In the first few minutes during this scene the two football managers are shown to be exchanging disrespectful words towards each other which automatically denotes the theme of abuse, this also denotes how inconsiderate the men are as they are swearing in front of younger children who see them as their role models.  

 

The theme is represented when the two men come together for a physical fight after their verbal fight, this shows how aggressive the characters are and the hatred they have for one another.

 

If I was to use the theme of violence and abuse in my BSR then I would use it between a group of gang members who despise each other to clearly connote the reverie between them.

 

 London To Brighton

 

One of the key themes in London to Brighton is the theme of neglect.

 

The theme is denoted when we see a mother leaving her daughter locked inside a public toilet, in bad condition. The child is seen to be in shock and quite disturbed and not in state to be left alone.

The theme is represented through the dialog when the little girl says 'Will you come back'. This connotes the lack of trust the girl has in her mother and is unsure if she'll be back for her. The girls facial expression also describes the fear and panic within her.

 

If I was to use this theme I may show it in the way they did in London To Brighton as they have succeeded in showing the theme clearly and the storyline is effective of a mother neglecting her daughter.

 

Adulthood

The key theme in Adulthood is rebellion.

 

The theme is denoted when we see the main actor running away from the police and pushing them out his way. When the officers asked him to open the door he blocks the door with even more force.

 

The theme is represented in the characters facial expression when he manages to run away from the authority and then smiles back at the police cars in their failure to catch him. He smirks to represent that his better than them and is smarter than they are.

 

Rebellion is a good theme for a BSR as it is very realistic and many teens nowadays rebel against the law, I would use it in my BSR with the same sorts of concept as this film.

 

 

This is England

 

Production design
We can see these characters in 'This is England' are not wealthy and would be described as the underclass, this is shown through the set which is a room inside a flat full of posters of nude women, England flag, and damaged curtains. The connotation for this is that they are bachelors who aren't sophisticated and would be working in places such as factories.

In the screen grab below we see the two main characters dressed in basic casual clothing for the costume. They are both wearing a white shirt, black trousers and black shoes. As the costumes are identical it suggests that it could be some sort of uniform which reminds the audience that they are working class people who must dress as they are ordered to.

 

 

Lighting

The lighting in this scene conforms to the situation that happens. We see dull and lifeless natural lighting as a way to represent the horrific fight scene that is going to happen, these depressing colours connote the death that occurs and helps creates a daunting atmosphere. The ambient through out cold and miserable.

 



 

Actors

The actors in this scene have accents which would be described as street talk, this connotes that they are not well educated, classy and formal British men stereotypically expected. It also represents their class in society. 

 

The main actors physical appearance denotes that he would be the tough and aggressive character in this film, we know this from seeing the tattoos, the bold head and the tough body language used by him.  His facial expression is full of rage and frustration when talking to the others, this outburst connotes what type of character he is so the audience are more aware.

 

 

Colour

The colour theme through out is mainly dreary and as the walls are blue it creates the ambient to feel blue, the negativity of the violent scene is shown through the colours here. The mournful blue of the walls connote the death and abuse during the end of the scene.

 

 



Era

In the picture below we can see that the props are quite modern items which we would have today, such as the cooker. Having these props denotes to the audience what era this film was created, so from this I know that this film was recent.

 

The language also hints towards the audience on what era this film was produced. As the actors use quite a lot of slang such as 'I got the munchies' this also explains that it was a recent film.

 

 

 

 





Defining British Social Realism

 

Examples of British Social Realism films

 

 

Production Log w/1

For our coursework of British Social realism I  was able to read and understood the mark scheme and brief to help me recognize what skills I needed to get the best marks. This also made me aware of what the examiner would be expecting in my piece of work.

We were put in the position of the examiner this week a we watched the work from the previous year and analyse it, we had to look into details and found the positive and negative features of the opening sequences.

 

 

We were asked to use the mark scheme to help give a mark and by using it we could deciding what mark each work deserved. By marking someone else's mistakes from previous work it allowed me to remember not to make the same mistakes when starting to film my own. This task gave me good ideas on what I might possibly base my social realism storyline on.

 

This will impact on my production as I have watched other peoples work in the audiences point of view so i now know how to grab the attention of my audience. I also now understand how important the camera language is as it represents the quality of the work.

 

I will try to avoid any type of storyline which drags as I watched some sequences that did and I automatically lost interest in watching the rest. I will also avoid using graphics that does not suit my theme as many past students made this mistake.

 

 

Past Students Work

 

 

                                         My opinion and grade on past work 

                                                                  

 

 

                                           Drained

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWI6E_LCKjw&feature=player_embedded

This is the first shot from the opening sequence of the film where they have used a establishing shot to connote to the audience where they are located, I think this is a good way to start the film as it clears out the fact that it is a film based in Britain.

 

 

 

When introducing the actors the graphic is written at the bottom so it does not intrude with the film. By making the text white it contrasts with the grey background catching the eye of the audience but not being too overpowering. The credit lasts about four seconds which is a perfect time as it allows the audience to read the text without being rushed. 

 

 

The second actor is introduced straight after the first and by doing this they have allowed the film to flow. He is presented in a mid-shot, straight on to show the facial expression and also the costume. As they have allowed us to see the costume it helps us have an insight on what role this character plays, for example we see he is a important as he is dressed in a shirt.

 

 

The editing here has been done in a great way, it has a sense of continuity as the shot of a clock changes to the shot of the washing machine. It flows well because the two props are similar, same shape and position. These shots are where the title of the film is displayed which is shown inside a washing machine to suit the theme of the film 'drained'.

Drained here connotes clothing being drained in a machine.

 

This mid-shot is a good way to represent the typical life of a British teen, this concept can be relatable to the audience who are 16-24 year olds since most of them use public transport. This idea goes well with the brief.

I think overall the 2 minute start to the film included the location numerous amounts in a appropriate way so that it way not repetitive, it made clear of where in Britain the film was created. The storyline brings a sense of realism as this is relatable, teens are not usually the best at being on time. I think because of these reasons I have given Drained this high mark.

 

 

Bridges

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8alfF2BESAw&feature=player_embedded

 

 

The opening sequence was not as successful as the sequence in Drained as the credits are very small, making it difficult to read and having to concentrate taking the attention away from the film. The credits at the beginning are quite fast and do not last up to four seconds which means the names are unreadable.

 

 

 

 

 The graphics here looks quite unprofessional as it looks like it suits a children's film. The transaction from the first shot to this shot is a big jump and has not got any sense of continuity which is always needed otherwise the audience will feel confused.

 

 



The shot reverse shot between the two characters is confusing as there is no dialog between them which is what shot reverse shots are usually used for. It is also confusing as we are unable to see the facial expression on the characters faces which would leave the audience muddle on the storyline.

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