Production Log One

Today I have learnt from looking at past student's work that the quality of acting doesn't need to be great to receve a high mark, instead the technical details are what count, such as the camera language, continuity and narrative as it must be british social realism. Also the attention to detail is key, such as the music chosen/created for the composition.
This will help help my production as I will already know what errors to look out for, such as framing, shot types and to put as many conventions of british social realism as possible- issues, minimalistic style and locations, such as estate blocks, and poorer areas.
I may avoid using still images for my logo's and emulate using a animated or moving institutional logo, I will avoid showing the credits on the corresponding character, when they appear on screen as this makes it look like a trailer rather than a opening sequence, therefore I wil have the credis appear in a certain order, to avoid the credits showing on the correstponding character.

Opening Sequence Analysis

Past Student's Work Part 2

Battered and Bruised:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT3uB9RTvuw

In Battered and Bruised the logo that was made does not match the theme of the the opening sequence as it has a skull, and guitars, which you would associate with rock music, and not a british social realism opening sequence about bullying. To improve this I would try to link the logo to the themes and issues depicted in the sequence/in the companies productions.

In this shot the characters are denoted to be playing guitars with a heavy metal type of music played, but the framing of the shot was not thought about as they have not thought about the rule of thirds as the characters afre placed in the middle of the screen. To improve this I would use the rule of thirds, and maybe use a grid on the camcorder to ensure the framing is correct.

 In this shot we see the same two characters playing music, but over the shoulder of someone else, the shot has again been poorly framed. Also this mysterious character is wactching the two play music, and is not shown again, so why is he watching them? So the narrative is currently unclear. To improve this I would try to keep the narrative clear, but try not to reaveal too much so that the audicence would want to see more.

The next shot that we are shown is a group of ordinary people on a bench, their heads are down and look like they're minding their own business. The camera cuts to close ups of each of the characters and their heads are down so we do not know who they're are, in fact they're meant to be the antagonists, but have been portrayed as quiet and calm? I would improve this by showing they're antagonist's through their actions, and maybe introduce them earlier into the sequence.

The graphics that have been chosen, match the theme, as the typography is broken, which has connection with the theme of the opening sequence- "Battered and Bruised". A problem with the way the typography appears is it is typed on screen, this doesn't have any significance to the sequence and the typography in the screen shot isn't centred, to improve these issues I would use trial and error to choose how the typography will appear on screen, and I would enlarge the title of the movie to give more emphasis.

In this shot there is diagetic music playing, and it is a rock/heavy metal genre. The music selected is very fast paced, and doesn't feel natural to the sequence. To improve this I would have a range of music selected and try out different soundtracks and see what had matched the composition best.

Here we see a continuity error we see the taller male walk through the door then in the next shot we have the second character walked out- this disrupts the flow of the composition making it less smooth. To improve this I would try to pay attention to smaller details, such as who walks through the door first, to make the piece flow better.

This shot is meant to be aggressive and intimidating as the main characters are about to get beaten up and jumped, but this shot seems too happy, and doesn't feel intimidating, to improve this I would use the over the shoulder shot but use a low angle view so that the bullies are shown to be more powerful in this scene.

In this shot the two characters at the start of the opening sequence are getting jumped, the shot is handheld and is giving the effect that they're in a brawl, but the shots could have been improved as this is simulated and is meant to look exaggerated, but we see alot of grass and not much of the characters, to improve this I would try to keep the camera on the rather than having the camera on the grass.

Wasters:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ7Ji71wqdo

The institution logo instantly is linked to the themes of drugs, as the text is made out of a powder that is meant to look like crack, the "half ounce" name is also relevant as this is how drugs is weighed, this shot is good as it tells is the topics of the movie/opening sequence before we see the actual footage. 

This shot introduces the main character straight away, we see that he is anxious/nervous as he is tapping his fingers on the table and seems to be in a hurry or is waiting for something, this shot works well as it makes the audience also feel anxious and we make a bond with the character instantly.

This shot is shocking as we see a student acting aggressively towards a teacher, who seems to care about one of her students, this shot works successfully as the student seems to have the power in this current situation as the teacher is closing up and is more defencive, this shows that the student is fearless, and doesn't respect the teachers- telling us that he may be disobedient.

This shot shows us what he has been doing, as he has been out late, with his mates who all seem to be wearing hoodie's, and swearing. Thia shows us that they're not good company for him, as this could be the reason why the teachers are worried about him.

This shot is effective as it has a strong impact as we see a group of teenages doing presumably class A drugs caually in a hallway, and look like they have done this before and this is normal for them, it shows british social realism as it is unvarnished and has verisermilitude as it shows a gritty image.

This shot has worked well as we can see a person in a Rabbits outfit, adding onto the effect that the characters are high and are seeing things, pulling us, the audience, into the movie and we are feeling what they feel, and this is starting to make us as questions, such as "Is there someone in a Rabblits costume there, or are they seeing things"

The credits in the opening sequence of Wasters, is sheets of rizla with the names of the cast and crew. This is a very unique idea, but I do not think that this was appropriate for the opening sequence of a movie as this had made the whole sequence feel like a movie trailer.




This typography matches the themes and genre of this movie as it isn't neat, and is rough. It adds to the emphasis of the title "Wasters", as it looks like graffiti, rather than standard font.

British Social Realism

British Social Realism shows real life. It shows the harships of normal people, often working or below working class, with all of the challenges they face in everyday situations, the style of a BSR movie is often minimalistic to add verisimilitude to the composition. The themes are often "grimy", and set in urban locations. British Social Realism shows Kitchen Sink Drama, and shows "unvarnished" pictures. The themes shown are real issues, such as abuse, gangs, drugs, bad homes, alcohol and is often based on issues that are relative to the time of the filming.

Past Student's Work Part 1

British Social Realism: Fish Tank Case Study.

Themes and Situations:
The themes and situations of the movie Fish Tank conform to the conventions of British Social Realism as the issues that are portrayed are realistic, and really happen. For example; Binge drinking, Bullying/Sexual harassment and adultery.

• Bullying/Sexual harassment is shown in the movie when Mia returns to release the horse, and is challenged by two older males, they begin to violate her, and she breaks free and escapes leaving all of her belongings behind. This is British social realism as it has verisimilitude, and actually happens in our modern society, where women are taken advantage of, and sometimes don't escape, and this shows Mia's struggle as she it getting herself into situations; for instance when she had broken another girls nose.
• Adultery is one of the main factors in this movie. As Connor O'Reily, is married with a  young daughter, in a relationship with Joanne, and also has feelings for Mia(a 15 year old girl). Mia may have felt feelings towards Connor as she is treated very badly by her mother and is constantly called a "Cunt", and physically abused by her mother, and Connor treats her with respect, but also shows hints that he likes her, eventually leading to Connor raping Mia. This is a convention of British social realism as rape is a very serious action and is shown in reality, as we are shown this, and this is a convention of British social realism.
• In the movie we see Mia, getting one of her friends to buy her alcohol, throughout the movie we see this, when she is training, at home, and at any opportunity she has. This links to British social realism as this is a big problem with teenagers. In Mia's situation, she may drink to drink away her problems at home, with her mother, not treating her adequately. The drinks that she has are very cheap drinks, this is realistic, as Britain has some of the lowest alcohol prices in Europe. 

The issues that are shown in the movie are serious and realistic, I could use a strategy like this so that we can have realistic problems/issues people face, to add to show the "unvarnished pictures of life's struggles".

Representation:

• The representation of the characters in the movie Fish Tank are working class or below working class, as they live on a estate block in Barking, near the A13. This is not a ideal place to live as they're living on the edge of an A road, where it is noisy and generally more "run down". This shows British Social Realism as they do not have a choice of where they can live, and shows the places where people actually live with absolutely nothing. 
• Also we see Mia and Billy playing in a Wickes car park on a trolley, where they come to get money from Connor for alcoholic drinks, this is shocking as most teenagers at this age would go to the park, and maybe play sports/social activities, but Billy and Mia go into scrap heaps to find engine parts, and drink medicine and cheap beers/cider. This shows British social realism as they have not have better facilities in their area, so they must entertain themselves somehow, and this is through drinking.

The film is mainly shot in urban locations, such as areas that would usually be avoided, and are usually out of commission for a reason, I would use a strategy like this because it would show hardship in the characters lives and having to entertain themselves, in places that they shouldn't be.

Mise-en-Scene:

• The props in Fish Tank are cigarettes, and alcohol. Throughout the film we see Mia, Joanne, Connor, Billy, and even Mia's little sister and friend drinking and smoking. This shows us that they are not cared for adequately as they're getting into bad habits at such a young age, and this is how they entertain themselves, we even see Mia and Billy drinking medicine for a 'buzz'. This has used the stereotype of british social realism to be rough and 'hard hitting' as when we see people of such a young age smoking or drinking, it shocks us- making the audience think. 
• The costume in Fish Tank is very informal, as most characters wear tracksuits. This matches the setting and locations, as people living on the estate block wouldn't have money to spend on more expensive, nicer clothing, Mia's mother, Joanne, wears very revealing clothing, and this doesn't set a good example for the kids that are living with her. This is a convention of british social realism as, we are looking at her through her kids eyes, and shows us the "unvarnished" truth. 

In my composition I would try to match the mise-en-scene to the financial status of my characters, to add verisimilitude to my opening sequence.

Music and Sound Editing:

• The type of music that is shown in Fish Tank is a mixture of old and new music, as we see Mia listening to artists such as Ja Rule and Nas - They both black/american rappers, and rap about drugs, alcohol, gangs and crime, that would all relate to many of the situations and issues that the characters in Fish Tank would face, in Fish Tank we mainly see alcohol and smoking consistently throughout the movie.
• The sound in Fish Tank is mostly diagetic, as every sound matches the corresponding scene, such as when we see Mia walking near Billy's caravans, we hear crs crossing on the A13.

I would use diagetic sound in my opening sequence as it is a convention of british social realism, by showing only what should be in the scene.

Camerawork and Editing:

• The camerawork uses a wide range of shots, such as close up's, mid shots and longshots, but i would pay attention to the use of point of view shots throughout the film as each time this shot is used we are looking through the characters eyes, and we become the character, putting us, the audience, in the current situation. The continuity in the film is very smooth, and time passes like a normal day.
• The lighting used in the movie is natural lighting, as the british social realism stryle is minimalistic, as they try to keep it as naural as possible so that it is more realistic and we can feel more grounded and pay more attention to detail, as this is aimed at at an active audience.

I would use this strategy of natural lighting and point of view shots, and minimalistic style in my compostion, so that I can make it as believable as possible for the audience.

Dialogue:

• The dialogue used in Fish Tank is very rude, and not suitable for a young certificate, yet in saying this Mia's younger sister, Tyler, is very shocking, as she is swearing calling her mother a "tramp", constantly cursing using the word "cunt", this shows that she hasn't been cared for as she has learnt this from somewhere, or someone, such as her mother, as we repeatedly see Joanne curse Mia. The accents that the characters have are all cockney, as they all maybe from Barking.

I would use this strategy of using actors from the filming location so that the accents match the area of Britian, this is a convention of British social realism as they tend to use actors from the specific area, as Mia's character is played by Katie Jarvis, who is from dartford- I would use this to make the character relatable to the target audience. 

Secondary Research:
Institutional Background:

The movie Fish Tank was produced on lottery funding, and had a production budget of approximately £2000000, and had been produced/supported by institutions such as BBC Films, UK Film Council, these institutions support independent movies and due to a proliferation of hardware we are finding that more independent movies are being made each year, as it is cheaper and easier to film and edit. These companies appeal to a niche market, and do not appeal to a mainstream audience, this could explain why they had only made $32,619 on their opening weekend.

Audience Breakdown:

The movie Fish Tank is an Independent movie, and is aimed at a niche market, therefore the movie would relate to people who live in a similar environment, but this would also aim at a active audience as this is not a movie that will entertain an audience, but would require more attention to watch. The music genre would attract more people to come and watch the movie as it has Hip Hop/R'n'B, one of the songs was Ja Rule- Down 4 U.

Marketing Strategy:
The marketing strategy of this movie was they had followed the ethos of an independent movie, where they use unknown actors. This movie had won the The Grand Jury prize at the cannes festival in 2009, this would invite more people to watch the movie as it has recieved recognition at a known film festival.