analysing british social realism- generic conventions

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Hannah-Mae Dixon.

Analysing British Social Realism- Generic Conventions.Kidulthood.

Theme 1: Gang culture. A group of boys, hanging around at school looking as though theyre up to no good reflects British social realism because they were dressed in hoodies which is seen as casual wear, nothing expensive and what the working class would often wear. Also, the way they talk in slang is relative to working class British societies today, especially in London. Also in the first two minutes, one of the main characters, Trevor is seen modifying a gun, this reflects British social realism because it shows gang culture upfront and how violence has been taken further and now weapons are used quite often, indicating how serious the issue is.

Theme 1: Unique British Appeal. British working class/under class audiences can relate to the issues of gang culture because its common in most run down areas. Also, some may relate because they are involved in, or know people involved in gangs, so it becomes realistic for that particular audience, whereas most films issues of gangs are often over exaggerated. Oi pussyhole, you seen Claire?- Aggressive way of addressing someone, using the type of slang that only appeals to a British audience because they understand it and speak it themselves, others wouldnt understand.

Theme 2: Sex. Kidulthood explores the theme of underage sex which has a unique appeal to British audiences because its not just sex in general, its underage sex which is common in Britain and therefore the audience can relate. In the school playground under a tree a couple are engaging in sexual activities casually in public without any worry of being seen. This reflects British social realism because the careless attitude shown reflects British society in terms of the increasing rate of teenage pregnancies. One of the main characters, Alicia also falls pregnant, not in the first two minutes of the opening sequence but it shows British social realism because its an accurate reflection of the unexpected pregnancies in working class societies. Brush your teeth after you lick me out, dont try and kiss me proper grimey! I know, proper ghetto!

Theme 3: Drugs/Addiction. Becky and Alicia have an addiction to cigarettes at the age of fifteen which is underage, this reflects British social realism because working class/underclass often take up drugs/cigarettes/alcohol as an emotional release or escape from the troubles of their lives. Im giving up- she is only fifteen, its as if she's been smoking her whole life. This has a unique appeal to a British audience because its upfront about the issue and is not glamourizing it or hiding it, British social realist films often deal with gritty/controversial films. In terms of uses and gratifications drugs is probably informative as it educates the audience on young peoples addictions and also personally the audience could identity with the issues, been there themselves.

Theme 4: Bullying. Two girls in the playground are being bullied by a larger group of girls theyre watching us, did you finish the coursework for them!? This reflects British social realism because it shows bullying does happen, and it doesnt glorify it, its in your face and therefore realistic. also, the fact that the group bullying the two girls is quite big suggests that bullies pick on groups seen as weaker them themselves which is also accurate and realistic. Bullying being a main theme has a unique appeal to a British audience because they want to see an accurate perception of reality in terms of British society, and showing positive and negative themes does this, generally the negative aspects are shown more suggesting the stereotype of working class people being bad/poor/living in non-luxurious conditions. In terms of uses and gratifications, this theme is probably seen as informative for the audience as it shows how bullying does occur in schools, or the audience could personally identity with the issue.

Mise En Scene. The set is simple in the first two minutes basically the school playground is used. People are playing football, talking to their friends, talking on their mobile phones etc, this reflects British social realism because its an accurate view of an average British schools playground nowadays and nothing looks unrealistic or too fancy for a working class society. Also, everyone is dressed in the same school uniform which could be seen as uniquely British as in Hollywood films, schools do not usually have uniforms, uniforms is a way to make everyone look the same, no one looks better then anyone and should prevent competition between pupils.

Camera. Simple camera angles are used to make it more realistic within the genre, basic shot types such as long shots and mid shots are common in the first two minutes. A long shot is used when the bullies are shown, to show their body language and posture, basically introducing their characters. A close up is used when Trevor is modifying the gun, showing hes focused on it and is serious. These basic camera shot types reflect British social realism because it portrays characters realistically, a film that focuses on the working/under class with basic shots is more realistic then one with a large amount of special effects, they basic shots allow the themes to be taken seriously.

Editing. The main editing technique used is a cut, its simple and low budget and again therefore makes the content of the film more believable and realistic to the genre. Another technique used quite a bit is a wipe, wiping the previous scene off the screen and being replaced with a new one which is effective as it shows the film has a lot of action and is eventful just from the opening sequence. When Sam is looking for girlfriend-Claire, it cuts from him asking after her, to what she is up to with another boy, showing the action.

Dialogue.

Are you girls coming to my party? this line of dialogue can be related to the hedonistic lifestyle of many working class British people, Parents are away, so anything goes! the party will have drink, drugs and sex, this reflects British social realism because the party is symbolic of freedom, and in this case freedom to do whatever they want with their lives. Listen yeah, brush your teeth after youve licked me out, dont try and kiss me, you get me!? This way of talking is uniquely British as others may not understand what the characters are talking about and therefore wont follow the storyline. It is seen as conforming to the genre because the slang is up to date and relevant in British working society. Mooney's buff yanoe! You gotta come to my partyits gonna be heavy! In terms of uses and gratifications, the dialogue is most likely seen as entertaining because the audience members can relate to it and also social relationships, they can discuss the films content with their friends.

Sub Genre. Kidulthoods sub genre could be teenage street crime as it explores gang culture where the boys are wearing hoodies and hanging around schools causing trouble, the girls often have a chavy appearance and will do anything for attention from the boys. Kidulthood is mainly set in West London, Londons working class society has a lot of street crime by teenagers and this is reflected in the film. In terms of receptions theory, the audience will relate to the content of the film if they are familiar with London and everything that happens on London's streets, therefore they will interpret the film in the way the producer intended and will get the same reading as everyone else. Another sub genre could be teenage lifestyle/drama because the characters are all teenagers, a key location is a school and themes such as bullying, sex, violence and drugs are all included which is relevant to the typical stereotypes of working class British teenagers.

What impact has this research had on the development of your ideas? This research has impacted the development of my ideas for my two minute opening sequence because the Kidulthood trailer has shown me some themes I could use that will conform to British Social Realism and how those themes should be depicted. The dialogue used by characters should generally have some British slang in it also to conform to the genre, most likely will be London slang. The camera angles need to be quite simple as this will make the film seem realistic and not laughable and will make it seem realistic and serious. The mise en scene shouldnt be over the top, simplistic is best as British social realism targets working class people, a lot of expensive looking items wouldnt be realistic within this genre.

Receptions theory. Noel Anthony Clarke (born 6 December 1975) is an English actor, director and screenwriter from London. Clarke studied Media at the University of North London before going on to take acting classes at London's Actors Centre. As Clarke is from London himself, the film is written from his point of view of life in London as a youth, what he experienced or what he sees nowadays from teenagers. The audience will understand more if they can relate to the themes of Kidulthood as they will interpret the intended reading and wont be confused or misunderstand what the film is showing. Clarke began his writing career in 2005 when he wrote the screenplay for the film Kidulthood which was released in 2006. He also directed and starred in the sequel, Adulthood, which was released in 2008. On directing his first film, Clarke described his experience, "Directing for the first time was definitely a challenge and tiring at times. It was a steep learning curve and if youre willing to do stuff and go with it, then it pays off."