Commisioner Factfile

Film 4 Productions

Film 4 productions is a British film production company owned by Channel Four Television Corporation. The company was responsible for producing a large number of films in the UK. Channel Four Television Corporation is also a parent company to Channel 4, 4seven, E4, More4 and 4Music. Over the years, Film 4 productions have produced and distributed many films. They have also exhibited films such as the Film4 Summer screen at Somerset House. The BFI is a charitable organization established by Royal Charter to encourage the development of the arts of film, television and the moving image throughout the UK, to promote education about film and their impact on society, to promote access to and appreciation of the widest possible range of British and World cinema and develop collections reflecting the history and heritage of the UK. As well as it's work on films, the BFI also devotes a large amount of it's time to the preservation and study of British Television. 

The BFI film fund are the largest public film fund in the UK. Each year they invest over £26m of lottery funds to support film development, production and distribution activity in the UK and the budget is set to rise to £30m by 2017.Film4's annual investment in developing and financing films is £15m. The aim of the company is to produce around 20 films per year. Film4 co-produce with other organizations most of the time in order to support the companies as well as gaining some profit. 

One of the biggest successes of Film4, is the worldwide known film 'Slum dog Millionaire', which won the Academy Award for the Best Picture. The film was projected to cost $15m. The genre Film4 usually focus on is British Social Realism, which denote everyday struggles, however some films are hybrid films with a hint of horror in them.

Film4 Productions is based in England hence focusing on British Films, however there are some films that have been produced with other countires such as India and America. Again, like Slumdog Millionaire. The fact that the company base is in England connotes the target audience to be British people.

The Film4 Ethos is to develop new British talent and lead innovation in the British Film Industry. Also to invest around £500,00 per film at the rate of 20 films per year. They also aim to support independent film makers by co-investing in their films. Another ethos of Film4 is to offer a platform for British and Independent cinema on terrestrial television by committing to show each one of the Film4 Productions on TV.

Tessa Ross, Controller of film and drama at Channel 4 says that With Steve McQueen's '12 Years a Slave' receiving 10 nominations and so much recognition for British talent, this is certainly a proud moment for British film.

Steve McQueen himself thinks he has come a long way in his career

The London Film Critics’ Circle first recognised Steve McQueen’s work in 2009, when his first Film4-backed film and feature debut, Hunger, was nominated for five Critics’ Circle awards, winning British Actor of the Year for Michael Fassbender’s performance, Breakthrough British Filmmaker for Steve and British Film of the Year. Film4 went on to fund and develop McQueen’s second feature, Shame, which was nominated by the Critics’ Circle for four awards, winning British Actor of the Year for Michael Fassbender’s performance. - See more at: http://blog.film4.com/category/actors-and-actresses/#sthash.nyDSnMnK.dpuf

Tessa Ross, Controller of Film and Drama at Channel 4, says: “With Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave receiving ten nominations and so much recognition for British talent this is certainly a proud moment for British film.  Congratulations to all of our nominees, Film4 is privileged to have supported them on their journey.  The very best of luck to everybody.” - See more at: http://blog.film4.com/category/actors-and-actresses/#sthash.nyDSnMnK.dpuf

Definition of British Social Realism

British Social Realism through History

In this powerpoint, I will show how British social realism films have denoted these following conventions over time.

• Themes and situations
• Characters
• Locations and setting
• Sound
• Camera work and Editing
• Other mise-en-scene

British Social Realism through History from Zuhak14

By researching about these films, I have learnt many ways in which British social Realism has evolved throughout history. The themes have generally stayed the same. As British Social Realism denotes the struggles of everyday lives, the films have shown many negative themes such as poverty, I noticed was shown throughout the years as well as Violence. The way the films had denoted violence had changed. for example in the past, violence was denoted quite graphically by showing blood and stabbing whereas now the violence is shown the same but with less details. Also the theme sex come through alot and it mostly had to do with promiscuity through woman and this was how woman were represented throughout history of this genre. The films also showed that men were the people who worked in the house in the past but as the films aged, woman began to work aswell. Regarding locations, I noticed that mostly every shot was filmed on location to make the film look realistic and that is what I will do when I film my own work. The lighting used was mostly natural, again showing realistically. The sound changed alot over the years. Before there was really less music and it was mostly slow music with no beats and only instrumental. Whereas the films now use the music in a way to connote themes and the lyrics have a meaning to them. The films editing have improved over the years and you now see many cuts and fast shots and this is what I will try to include in my own work. The mise-en-scene has not changed that much but the costumes has evolved as time evolved and again, the characters wore their everyday clothing so I have to make sure I do that too. Overall, British Social Realism has not changed mostly genre wise as it always shown the everyday struggles in everyday working class people lives.

British Social Realsim Themes

The bullet Boy trailer conveys many themes but the one that stands out the most to me is the theme of Violence. This is denoted by the graphics as they say "There are many guns on our street" and this connotes that the area they live in is not safe and the people know there are guns but are not doing anything to change it. Another graphic denotes "This is the story of one" and this connotes that there will be a lot of shooting and killing in the film. The mid shot at 1:14 denotes a boy smashing the window of a car door and this connotes the theme of violence as it is very dangerous. The graphics represent the theme negatively as it makes the audience think bad about the area that the film is set in. However this is a good way to represent British Social Realism as Violence seems to appear in this genre and it relates to other themes as well. I will defiantly try to explore the theme of Violence when I produce my own work as I feel that Violence is a good way to show everyday problems are everyday grind. One of the ideas I have to convey the theme of Violence is through the props. For example I will try and use a knife and a fake gun in my opening to show violence. This will be a good idea by starting my production with a Smash Mouth opening.

Part 1 of the British Social Realism film called Yasmin conveys many themes such as Poverty, Racism and Religion. The main one I will be talking about is Religion. The clip denotes a man and his son walking on the streets. The dad is wearing his cultural Muslim clothes whereas the son is wearing jeans and a thick winter jacket with layers of tops under. This connotes that the father takes his religion proudly. We also see at 0:33, the father lifting up shutters and in the background you can see Arabic writing which connotes that they live in an area that the Muslim community have space in. In the extreme close up of the man and his son taking off their shoes, this reveals later on that they are entering a Mosque. This connotes a major sign of respect for the Religion. The high angle at 0:50 denotes the father and son walking across the mosque and you can see prayer mats laid down and this connotes that they are going to pray. The clip also denotes the boy announcing the Call to Pray and this connotes the theme of Religion as he is spreading the word in the area that it is time to pray. At 1:16, the shot denotes 3 woman standing on the street wearing head scarves and also in cultural clothing and this connotes that as well as the males, the females also take their religion seriously. Whilst this is all connoting Religion in a positive way, there are also ways that Religion is conveyed in a negative way. For example you see a close up of the shutter going up, you can see the words "Paki Go Home" written on it, which connotes that racism links to the religion in this film in a negative way. Another way religion is shown in a negative way is at 1:43 and this shot denotes the girl changing out of her cultural clothes into English clothes. You see her putting jeans on and pulling her long top off to reveal a small top. She also takes off her head scarf and this connotes that she is rejecting her religion. I would like to explore this theme into my own production as, as a Muslim myself, I know there are people who find it hard to follow their religion and I think I can show this theme really well. One way I can show the theme of Religion is by focusing my own British Social Realism film around a Muslim household. I think this  is a good Idea as I can easily incorporate other themes inside this like Domestic Abuse.

The theme I will be talking about with "This is England" is Racism. This scene denotes a young boy walking into the shop and demanding the shop keeper for a few items that is not suitable for his age such as 'whiskey and wine'. The man replies saying he should not even be in the shop and the boy ends up arguing calling him a 'Paki B*stard'. This connotes that throughout the film, racist remarks are used in everyday language. In response, the man chases the boy around the shop until an older man walks in encounters the shop keeper with a large knife. The clip denotes the man telling the boy and his friends to take whatever they want from the shop and calls the shop keeper racist names. He walks out the shop saying "Fu*king sinks of curry" which some people would argue to being racist. This clip connotes that the film conveys racism as something not serious as the young boy also is racist which connotes that he was under the influence that racism is okay. I will try to include the theme of racism as it is something that everyone goes through at least once in their lives, whether it be casual or offensive. The idea I had was to show children in a school and show how hard it is for a particular child who is the victim of racism everyday as his part of the daily grind. With this idea, I can connote many other themes such as corruption of youth and Aspiration and escape.

The theme I will be talking about with "Fish Tank" is Aspiration and Escape. This trailer denotes Mia running up the stairs screaming "You're whats wrong with me!" and slamming the door shut. This connotes that she is fed up. Also the clip denotes her getting into a fight with a few people and this connotes that in her life, she is isolated and feels alone. At 0:57, the clip denotes Mia gently stroking a horse and this connotes that it has an important significance in her life if she is handling it with care. This also foreshadows the film. The clip denotes Mia saying to the other group of dancers "You're terrible dancing is my problem" and later on you see behind doors that Mia is dancing herself. The trailer reveals that she is entering a dance competition and the fact that it is one thing she enjoys connotes that she is doing it to escape her life and all the problems she has. The clip denotes at 1:44 an extreme close up of Mia's face and you can see tear stains on her cheek and then this shot contrasts with the next mid shot of her taking a deep breath after dancing and walking towards the window and this connotes that dancing is her goal to keep going and to escape. The trailer conveys the theme of Aspiration and escape really well and represents it in a way that makes the audience feel like they can find an escape to all the struggles they have in life. I think I will try to include the theme of Aspiration and escape in my own production as it is a good contrast to other themes and also it represents a way to get out of the everyday daily grind that British Social Realism films all tend to show. I have an idea of showing a lost child, not physically but emotionally, trying to find their way back into life. For example, they may want to commit suicide as they are fed up of life but meet someone that finds a hobby that keeps them going. Just like the dancing did for Mia.

The theme I will be talking about that is shown in "My brother the devil" is Success and Failure. This clip denotes a girl in a head scarf wearing headphones and the diagetic sound is music from a rap artist. The boy asks what she is listening to and she gives the headphones to him. You can then hear what the lyrics are of the song. The lyrics denotes: "But I'ma stay strong till the day that its over" and this connotes that the boy is going through struggles in his life. The song also denotes "They're hating cause' I'm elevating, Dedication is what I'm demonstrating." and this connotes that the boy is making something of his life and is trying his best to achieve something. The mise-en-scene also relates to the theme as with the music playing, the shot denotes the girl playing with sparks and this connotes that either she is the one that is helping the boy succeed or it connotes that this is the turning point in his life and anchoring the music, it connotes that the feeling of failure in him is ending and is motivating him to succeed. I think this shot represents the theme well as it gives the feeling of hope and not a lot of music and mise-en-scene work well together to do so. I will try and incorporate the theme of Success and Failure in my own production as either one, I feel that they are the basis of a British social realism. The failure connotes that someone is going through struggles whereas the success connotes that they are trying to do something of their life. The idea I had for this theme was to denote someone who is failing in school and because so, they are receiving a lot of pressure from peers and family aswell as teachers. I think this is a good idea for my work as it shows the everyday grind of a student and includes other themes such as Childhood and Parenthood.

Analysis of Mise-en-Scene

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Color Design

Time : 0:04

This mise-en-scene denotes a yellow filter with natural lighting, showing the main character riding her bike into a clear street. The yellow filter connotes the freedom. This means that as the little girl is riding her bike, this shows an innocence and holds a childhood significance towards her. The lighting also connotes that even though she is still a child, there are problems of her own as the lighting is not fully clear. This displays the generic conventions of British Social Realism as it shows that she is living an everyday normal class life.

Era

Time : 0:28

This mise-en-scene denotes a blue old fashioned car going backwards towards another beige old fashioned car and a green school bus. You can also see trees and a road. This connotes that the film is shown to be set around the 90's as the colors of the cars are quite dull and also the fact that we don't use school buses now also connotes that the era of the film is in the past. This displays the generic conventions of British Social Realism as it shows that good cars are not what everyday people use and have realistic ones.

Production Design

Time : 0:42

This mise-en-scene denotes a high angle shot that shows clothes hanging outside on a washing line as a girl rides through the street on her bike. This set connotes that not many people had a washing machine or a tumble dryer hence washing their clothes by hand and hanging them outside to dry. Also the props used in this shot, (the clothes) are normal every day clothes that normal everyday working class people own, not designer clothes. This displays the generic conventions of British Social Realism as it connotes the theme of poverty which is typical of the genre.

Actors

This mid shot denotes an Asian family posing for a family photo. They are standing outside their house and their facial expressions of the adults are exaggerated to look happy. This connotes that the actors are showing that the family is not a happy family but try to get along. The fact that the man of the family is crouched on the ground in front of the family connotes that hierarchy is not something important in the family. And this is typical of British Social Realism as they often show that no matter how old someone is or how much status they should have, they are all the same. This also represents the British Social Realism characters well as the fact that the family looks like they're forced to take a picture together, which connotes that they have normal everyday problems which each other.

Lighting

This mid shot connotes the dad of the family taking a photograph of the family. The lighting used in this shot is Natural as the shot is filmed outside using a natural light source. However even though the film has many scenes using Artificial Lighting, the natural lighting is used effectively. This is typical of the British Social Realism genre as it is filmed to look realistic.

Characters

This long shot denotes three boys standing on a field working with a few vehicles. One of the boys are wearing red jeans with a black leather jacket. The middle boy is facing the camera and is also wearing grey jeans with a red vest jacket. The last boy is wearing grey pants with a pink flannel shirt. These costumes connote that the era of the film is quite a while ago as the boys in the modern times do not wear clothes as such. However this is typical of British Social Realism as it is something the boys would wear everyday then. Also, the shot denotes of three white boys and no black boys which is typical of the genre as it connotes that the society then had a big difference in class and status.

Production Log Two

This week I went to a preview of a British Social Realism film called "Gone too Far" and after that, we had a privilege to attend a Q&A with the writer and director. We also got a surprise visit from Malachi Kirby, the starring actor playing as Yemi.
Gone Too Far is a 2007 play written by Bola Agbaje. It draws on her ethnic Nigerian background and her London upbringing. After becoming a successful play, it was converted into a feature film directed by Destiny Ekaragha. The team shot for 5 weeks in Bethnal Green and the films spiritual home, Peckham. The budget was low therefore they faced a lot of challenges. The team camped out at Met Film Post at Ealing Studios for 4 months, emerging in April 2013 with the finished film.

"Yes, we're new to this industry, and yes, we haven't made a film before. But we know what we want to watch, and I believe that we've created a product that - whatever happens to the film - we can be really proud of!" Bola Agbaje

I also watched another British Social Realism film called "The Selfish Giant" which is about two boys   who get suspended from school due to Arbors hyperactivity disorder. They end up seeing scrap to a guy called Kitten.
The film had really good muse-en-scene and you can clearly see the way the features of the film relating to the genre.
For example, the film shows an everyday struggle for Arbor and Swiftys family and this is one of the major conventions of British Social Realism films.



During lessons we watched Tight Jeans which is also directed by Destiny Ekaragha. It is really funny and used good use of camera movements.

In relation to the audience and conventions I have learnt that British Social Realism films use unprofessional actors to make the film more realistic as possible. Only a few actors would have some experience in acting but not that much. For example in 'A room for Romeo Brass', most of the actors have been picked out randomly and this makes the scenes look more real. The actors turn up wearing whatever clothes they would normally wear during their days and this would be what they would wear during filming. Again, this makes the film look more realistic.

I also learnt that the films use lighting in a way to show a particular theme. For example a blue light shows how cold the atmosphere is and the struggles of life. They could also be seen in a dangerous scene. Also street lights and yellow lights show a theme of crime as streets lights are on in the night and that is when most crimes in films take place. This picture is from 'My Brother the Devil' and the yellow filter in it makes the shot look more dangerous than it actually is. The light could also connote the theme of freedom like it does in 'Anita and Me' where the yellow filter is on the shot of the girl riding her bike in the street.

I have also learnt that the use of wide shot safe really important in British Social Realism.

I will use these conventions in my work by filming on location and using people that are not everyday actors. This would make my opening of a British social Realism film more realistic. I will make sure they are wearing normal everyday working class clothes and nothing too fancy as this is what the films usually show. I will also use a blue greyish colour on my mise-enn-scene to connote that the film is about an everyday struggle and it is not a happy film. I will also make sure I film at the right time so that I can incorporate the idea of crimes and street lights if it fits my plot. 

The texts I found very influential are; A room for Romeo Brass as the opening sequence does a good job portraying an everyday working class family that struggles somehow and shows some violence in the first few minutes as I found out that if you don't have something interesting in the first few minutes of the film, the audience will not be interested. I liked the way they showed Romeo walking home through the alleyway wearing his clothes like a norma teenager does. 

I think it is important that I conform to these conventions as they are what makes up British Social Realism as a whole and this is what will get me marks when producing my own work. 

An Analysis of Representation of 'The Selfish Giant'

About the Film
 'The Selfish Giant' is a 2013 British Drama film directed by Clio Barnard.

The film is about Arbor and Swifty, who are two teenage boys growing up in Bradford. Arbor suffers from hyperactive disorder which leads him to unintentionally get into trouble. The boys decide to start earning money after getting suspended from school. They sell scrap to their local scrap dealer called Kitten.
For todays post I will be discussing the representations of Regional Identity, Age, Disability, Social class, Gender and Ethnicity.


Regional Identity:

7:29

This establishing shot denotes a grey cloudy sky which takes up most of the mise-en-scene. You can also see horses and abandoned trees in the back and dry grass. This shot connotes that as the horses are on their own, this foreshadows Arbors and Swiftys situation. Also, the weather connotes that something big is going to happen as the start of the film showed the same establishing shot, but during the night with stars in the sky, which connotes that the film does not have a happy story line.


47:07

This establishing shot denotes a street with houses on the right, and a horse straddle on the road. There are trees behind the houses and houses look very big. The houses connotes that the people that live there are everyday working class people as they are big but don't look very expensive. This is a convention of British Social Realism. Also the horse carriage connotes that even though the era is quite modern, people are still living in poverty and have to travel on horses.  In the shot you can also see a car parked next to a house and this connotes that even though there is a horse on the road, there were people that were a higher class in the time  and also hints that the film
has an urban side to it.


Age:
25:17

This mid shot denotes Arbor encouraging Kitten to let them work more so they get more money like the older men. This already connotes that even though there is a massive age gap between them, Arbor thinks everyone should get treated the same. Also the fact that Kitten says to him: "You should be in school", connotes that even though it is not normal that these young boys are not in school, the grown ups are not really concerned about it and this shows that no matter how old someone is, they can still be irresponsible, like Kitten who is letting the boys work for him.


Disability:
 31:30

This over the shoulder shot denotes Swiftys mother talking to Swifty. She looks tired and worn out. Her hair is always messy and her bare face looks fed up. All which leads to depression. As a mother, she wants her son to do well and go to school but as he gets excluded, her depression connotes that she feels like she has failed her job as a mother. Her facial expressions connote that she is hopeless and can't deal with any more problems. Her condition is said to be a disability as a disability is known to be a physical or mental condition that limits a persons movement, senses or activities and her depression limits the way she lives her life.

18:00

This high angle shot denotes Arbor getting angry and encourages Swifty to punch the boy. The angle of the shot connotes that in his unstable state of mind, Arbor is a weak character due to his disability. Arbor suffers from hyperactivity disorder meaning he has anger issues. This leads him to get excluded from school which effects the people around him. The fact that people give him a hard time shows that the disabilities from that time were treated as nothing serious.




Social Class: 
11:31

 This long shot denotes Swifty's family all trying to eat their food in one room and are shouting. The dad is making the children stand up and eat as he is making a deal to sell the sofa for money, whilst the mother is trying to give everyone their food. This connotes that the family is struggling to live properly with a lack of money. Also one of the kids shout "I'm so cold" and they are wearing their jackets at home and this connotes that they cannot afford to put their heating on and pay their bills. The fact that the dad is doing all the business about the sofa, this represents the archetype of men doing all the business work and the woman staying at home looking after the children and working at home.This is typical of the British Social Realism genre as the family is going through an everyday struggle in life.

Gender:
12:47

In this shot, the father is screaming at the mother saying "You're useless arn't ya, you're supposed to put money aside for the electric". This connotes that the woman are treated as lower than men and are degraded by men. Also the fact that she was supposed to put the money aside herself connotes that she has to do most, if not all the work in the house with no help from anyone. This contrasts with the fact that throughout the whole film you only see men working in the factories and industrialized jobs and this connotes that most woman stay at home looking after the house.

Ethnicity:
25:43

In this shot you can see that all the workers there are white and also throughout the film you see that majority of the people are white and this connotes that the target audience for this film was white people. Also the fact that the way the white people talk to each other is mostly swearing and using rough language connotes that the white people are living in hard struggles and uneducated.

Past Students Work

'South Paw'
I think 'South Paw' had a clear story line as the mosque had a good contrast with the music and it showed the main boy running past after looking at the mosque. Also the typography of the graphics had an edgy look to it making it fit to the music which also suited the theme of the work. However some of the weaknesses of the work was that the camera zoomed in several times whilst filming and this made the scene look very unprofessional. Another weakness is that the audio level was really high. Also during the whole work, there was not a lot of things going on and they had less camera language. I gave the work a level 2, with a score of 24 out of 60. The real score was 34.

'Fast Life'
'Fast life' chose the right music for their work as it related to the starting shots, however the audio levels here were also very high. The graphics were hard to read as they appeared on the screen for only a quick second. The good thing is that the scene started with an establishing shot however there was a limited amount of shot types which is why I gave this work a level 2, 30 out of 60. The real score was 32.

'Damaged Goods'
I think this work was an overall good production. The graphics were on for a fair amount of time and the typography was suitable. Also the music suited the story line which was clear. The costumes, which is included in the mise-en-scene, was also very good and suited the story line well. The only downside to the work was that the production has very bad lighting, making it very hard to see clearly what is happening in the shots, as well as very loud music overlapping the dialogue. I gave this work a level 3 with 36 out of 60. The real mark was 57.

'Suffocation'
I think suffocation had a really clear good story line and this is shown really well. I think the strengths of this work was the lighting, the music choice, and I liked the way they added the graphics to a building pile of work. This relates to their title well. Nevertheless, I think the cast could have been rethought as the person playing the main man, looks really young to be working. I gave this work a 45 out of 60 which is a level 3. The real mark was 42.

'Bridges'
I think bridges had a lot of weaknesses, such as the graphics were too small, the editing didn't really make sense and also how the music stopped. This showed that the work was incomplete. Therefore I gave this work a 20 out of 60, being a level 1. The real mark was 29.

'Drained'
I think this work was one the best ones from the previous years. The graphics were done really well. The location was chosen wisely and the story line was very clear. However there were a few things I thought let the production down. This is the dialogue of the work and also the casting. The main male actor did not suit the role of the scene. I gave this work a 49 our of 60. The real mark was 58.

'Maze'
The graphics in Maze was really good and suitable for the genre. Also the story line was clear and this was shown through the good range of camera shots. However I think the music was too loud and too upbeat which did not suit the work at all. I gave this work a 40 out of 60 making it a level 3. The real mark was 56.

Further Analysis of Drained

This mid shot is successful as the graphics are in the corner and not interfering with the image.
I would improve this shot by using a low angle instead. This would connote that he is a powerful character in the film.

I would change this shot as I think the work overall has too many mid shots. Instead, I would use an over the shoulder shot from a high angle so that you can see her from the mirror and you can see her facial expressions and so that you know she is a weak person in the film. This would make the shot look more interesting.

I think this would be a great way to use match on at ion instead of showing her just coming down the stairs and opening the door and going outside. I would show her opening the door and then she her from the other side locking it. This would look more professional.

As much as I think the lighting in this shot reflects the mood of the boss, I think the shot should have lighter lighting. Also I think to show that the boss is angry, I would show him very angry through his actions like make him throw things aggressively.

I think this is a good shot overall as the two shot connotes that the relationship between the boss and the worker is not very good as they are standing with a distance between them. I would not improve this shot.

The last thing I would improve is that in this shot, I would show some people already working in the factory as then it would look more professional rather than showing that theres only the boss and the girl working here.








Further Analysis of Bridges

I think this was a good starting shot as it shows a lot of things such as the location, the era and the type of main character. I would to change this shot.

The thing I would change about this shot, as well as the others, is change the graphics to black. This makes it easy to read.

This shot is not an over the shoulder shot. The film so far consists of only mid shots so I would change it to a long shot. Also I would show an extreme close up of what the boy is showing the man. I would also turn the audio level very low when he is talking so you can hear what he is saying.

This shot is really confusing as you don't know why the man is coming to them. This is because the story line is not clad enough. To improve, I would show that the boy is saying something or doing something to the girl and she doesn't like it so the man goes to them.

 I think this is a good shot as it shows the theme of the film and also the location. I think it is also good as there are people inside the shop to show that it is an everyday thing.

I like the typography of this film as it connotes that the film is a crossover about culture. Also the writing is bold and big. I wouldn't change the title.

Production Log 1

This week, I learnt about Mise-en-Scene and how it is looked at when making a British Social Realist Film. To help me understand what that is, I found some examples of some films.

I learnt that all films from this genre have a specific guideline.
They all are about everyday working class people.
Majority do not have a happy ending.
And also they have an urban look to them.




I also learnt a mnemonic to help me remember what is included when looking at miss-en-scene.

P-production design (sets, props,costumes etc)
L-Lighting (Artificial/Natural)
A-Actors (performance/Screen time)
C-Colour design (through production)
E-Era (how is time and place represented)

What have you learnt this week from looking at the mark scheme and peer assessing previous work?
This week I watched the previous years work and gave them a mark according to their strengths and weakness and what I think relating to the mark scheme. I then found out what mark they actually got from the teachers. Some of the marks I gave were close to the real mark and some were far off. This means that I had a slight idea to what key conventions get you marks. However I also learnt that petite things such as the location and the lighting is on of the key factors into getting marks.
For example 'Damaged Goods' only lost a few marks due to lighting but their story line consisted of going out in the night so this made me realise that this will not be as easy as I thought.

How will this impact on your production?
By finding out the strengths and weaknesses of the previous years work, and by finding out what they lost their marks from, I will refer back to them in time when I do my film my own work in order to prevent repeating the mistakes they made. This is so that I can achieve the highest marks possible. I will try and use their strengths to inspire my my own idea. For example some of the work we looked at had a clear story line such as 'Drained' and 'Suffocation' and I will use this to see how they reveal their story line without giving away too much information about their film to inspire my own ideas.

What will you try to emulate/avoid?
By looking at the strengths of previous years work, I will make sure that the music I use relates to the theme of the film and not too upbeat. However I will avoid making the music too loud as this will overlap the dialogue like shown in most of the work done previously. Another thing I will try to emulate is the graphics. I will make sure that they are on the footage and not on a blackout shot. This is because it is one of the BSR conventions. I will also try to emulate the various of shot types and try to avoid too many long shots. I will defiantly avoid too much happening in my work as I have learnt that most BSR films start of simple and that not a lot happens and I think some of the previous work done shows this really well!