This Is England production practises question
12:08
Provide an analysis of the film ‘This is England’ explaining how the production practises appeal to the target market.
As the film of choice has been assigned its budget by an independent film company its main genre is realism, this is because throughout the making of the film the budget would have determined the range of props, lighting, camera shots and actors. Because the budget was so small, in this case, the film director Shane Meadows will have most likely opted for cheaper methods of filming, however this actually helps achieve realism more effectively and easily than other more expensive product practises.
Firstly the title sequence for the film was comprised of many clips from the 80s (the era of which the film is set) this is extremely effective in getting the audience in the correct frame of mind but will also appeal to the target audience of working class 40 year old men and women who will have experienced the footage before and will be able to relate to the clips more. This montage of clips would have saved money and improved the budget of the film. Also the camera work throughout the film was mainly handheld which helps get the most realistic look because of the natural bumps and nudges of the camera which is similar to that of our walking and movement, the overall look is that the scene being watched is coming from the perspective of someone part of the scene. For the more gullible viewer this will seem like they are actually part of the film, this is also fitting for the target market that can see themselves repeating their past in the shoes of the actors.
As the budget played an important part, the actors were unknown at the time of release and most likely had very little experience, this is ideal for the film which is trying to achieve realism, because the audience will have never seen the actors before they can imagine the film as being more real.
This is England is based solely on the issues of 80s Britain and concentrates strongly on the Skinhead culture which produced most of the issues at the time and had a great influence on the current social status we all have. This means that a more specific target for the film are men and women that were part of the Skinhead culture and found their lives being controlled by it or influenced heavily on it. To do this the film was produced in largely ‘untouched’ areas of cities and countryside that still have the essence of the 80s culture, this meant Shane Meadows directed the film in parts of Nottinghamshire that have yet to be developed since the 80s. However this meant that to fill the now abandoned buildings with 80s merchandise Shane Meadows had to buy items he remembers from his past from bidding websites such as EBay, this allowed him to buy the items at lower prices and have the items delivered to him. One extreme example is the cars used in the film which were all bought from EBay for as little as £50 and used to place on street pavements to give the same 80s effect.
Often in mainstream films the lighting used can look too artificial and give the film a perfect light balance which is noticeable and ideal for filming but reduces the realism of the filming. So for This is England very little extra lighting was used and most scenes were lit by either natural outside lighting or indoor lighting integrated into the buildings. Overall this made every shot seem natural and viewed as if from us if we were in the film however in certain shots inside buildings a murky effect was achieved that combined the lighting with the dark and faded colours used in the 80s.
As the film of choice has been assigned its budget by an independent film company its main genre is realism, this is because throughout the making of the film the budget would have determined the range of props, lighting, camera shots and actors. Because the budget was so small, in this case, the film director Shane Meadows will have most likely opted for cheaper methods of filming, however this actually helps achieve realism more effectively and easily than other more expensive product practises.
Firstly the title sequence for the film was comprised of many clips from the 80s (the era of which the film is set) this is extremely effective in getting the audience in the correct frame of mind but will also appeal to the target audience of working class 40 year old men and women who will have experienced the footage before and will be able to relate to the clips more. This montage of clips would have saved money and improved the budget of the film. Also the camera work throughout the film was mainly handheld which helps get the most realistic look because of the natural bumps and nudges of the camera which is similar to that of our walking and movement, the overall look is that the scene being watched is coming from the perspective of someone part of the scene. For the more gullible viewer this will seem like they are actually part of the film, this is also fitting for the target market that can see themselves repeating their past in the shoes of the actors.
As the budget played an important part, the actors were unknown at the time of release and most likely had very little experience, this is ideal for the film which is trying to achieve realism, because the audience will have never seen the actors before they can imagine the film as being more real.
This is England is based solely on the issues of 80s Britain and concentrates strongly on the Skinhead culture which produced most of the issues at the time and had a great influence on the current social status we all have. This means that a more specific target for the film are men and women that were part of the Skinhead culture and found their lives being controlled by it or influenced heavily on it. To do this the film was produced in largely ‘untouched’ areas of cities and countryside that still have the essence of the 80s culture, this meant Shane Meadows directed the film in parts of Nottinghamshire that have yet to be developed since the 80s. However this meant that to fill the now abandoned buildings with 80s merchandise Shane Meadows had to buy items he remembers from his past from bidding websites such as EBay, this allowed him to buy the items at lower prices and have the items delivered to him. One extreme example is the cars used in the film which were all bought from EBay for as little as £50 and used to place on street pavements to give the same 80s effect.
Often in mainstream films the lighting used can look too artificial and give the film a perfect light balance which is noticeable and ideal for filming but reduces the realism of the filming. So for This is England very little extra lighting was used and most scenes were lit by either natural outside lighting or indoor lighting integrated into the buildings. Overall this made every shot seem natural and viewed as if from us if we were in the film however in certain shots inside buildings a murky effect was achieved that combined the lighting with the dark and faded colours used in the 80s.
Analysis of editing and camera work in a video clip
01:14
For this analysis i chose a recent TV advert from Visa called the evolution of football, this advert tried to have consistent continuity whilst filming chronologically.
The first shot was a still of the character we are following and in the first few seconds we understand this person is most likely extremely lazy and bound to his chair most of the time because of his position and the stae of the room he is in. But as the character gets up we notice his passion for football as he celebrates vigorously unlike how we would expect him to move. Editing then kicks in when a cutaway of a close up on a visa card (which the man picks up) is used, it then cuts back to the shot of the man starting to run and the advert continues with the same angle shot from the same distance away.
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The first shot was a still of the character we are following and in the first few seconds we understand this person is most likely extremely lazy and bound to his chair most of the time because of his position and the stae of the room he is in. But as the character gets up we notice his passion for football as he celebrates vigorously unlike how we would expect him to move. Editing then kicks in when a cutaway of a close up on a visa card (which the man picks up) is used, it then cuts back to the shot of the man starting to run and the advert continues with the same angle shot from the same distance away.
object width="640" height="385">
The book of Eli
12:24
At first glance the Book of Eli looked to be well filmed and carry a strong storyline, however in a period of film releases that concentrate on the fall of human kind in the future this particular film seemed to be overshadowed by the Road and Avatar. But I was drawn to the film for the reasons that it was obviously an action film (this was gathered from the guns and knifes showed in the trailer) but also because its back drop seemed to be a world in struggle. This was ideal for using as inspiration because of how realistic it looked even with the most complex of settings, the post apocalyptic earth.
The film is set in a time period roughly 30 years after a global war that saw the earth's population turn in on its self and conduct in massive nuclear Armageddon. this caused a revolt against religion which was blamed for the mass destruction of billions of people. In this revolt all religious texts and books with any references were destroyed. This gave cause to Eli to guard the last remaining bible and start travelling west for reasons which Eli gives as a voice telling his heart what to do. During the film we follow Eli who passes a town ran by a ruthless leader in search of the last bible so he can give the people he rules over hope, however Eli determined to travel west fights back against the leader and all his men. This obviously means several fight scenes entail where Eli kills almost all his enemies with brutal accuracy and impossible feats of skill.
The film is largely set in sand ridden places covered in a dust that ruins everything and gives the best representation of a world torn apart by nuclear destruction. The realism, however, comes in the desperation we see in every person throughout the film, this is best shown by the weariness each character has other people and how even the strongest of morals can be broken to survive. The most shocking feature of this is the cannibalism often mentioned.
Overall I will use the film's outstanding realism and gritty dialogue to enhance my opening scene's gritty nature.
The film is set in a time period roughly 30 years after a global war that saw the earth's population turn in on its self and conduct in massive nuclear Armageddon. this caused a revolt against religion which was blamed for the mass destruction of billions of people. In this revolt all religious texts and books with any references were destroyed. This gave cause to Eli to guard the last remaining bible and start travelling west for reasons which Eli gives as a voice telling his heart what to do. During the film we follow Eli who passes a town ran by a ruthless leader in search of the last bible so he can give the people he rules over hope, however Eli determined to travel west fights back against the leader and all his men. This obviously means several fight scenes entail where Eli kills almost all his enemies with brutal accuracy and impossible feats of skill.
The film is largely set in sand ridden places covered in a dust that ruins everything and gives the best representation of a world torn apart by nuclear destruction. The realism, however, comes in the desperation we see in every person throughout the film, this is best shown by the weariness each character has other people and how even the strongest of morals can be broken to survive. The most shocking feature of this is the cannibalism often mentioned.
Overall I will use the film's outstanding realism and gritty dialogue to enhance my opening scene's gritty nature.
Researching the Soloist
10:56
The Soloist was a film directed in 2008 by Joe Wright, previously the director and adapter of Pride and Prejudice and Atonement which were critically acclaimed for their accuracy to the books original narrative. The film was released in April 2009 in the US and then released in September in the UK, proving an average success the film managed to place itself 4th in the most popular films that month however at the end of its showings only $31 million was made which is just over half its budget of $60 million. The reason for this what put down to the release date which was set back continuously, but many different film review websites had shown its popularity as mediocre, this was due to its unusual narrative and inability to follow the true story.
The film follows the true story of Steve Lopez, a Los Angeles times columnist, searching for a new article and something fresh to write about. When taking a look around the famous skid row of LA he stumbles upon Nathaniel Ayers, a homeless man which an extrodinary talent for playing his 2 string violin. Taking this into account Steve Lopez writes a series of articles on his life as a homeless person on the backdrop of his musical talents, however when fans of the story respond to his plight Steve finds himself building a relationship with the artist which takes him and the musician on a struggling journey to battle Nathaniel's schizophrenia.
The film was made by Universal studios and Dreamworks, financed by Working Title and produced by Krasnoff Foster Entertainment and Between Two Trees production groups. While filming the director used over 500 local homeless persons to help with filming and to gain a deep understanding of the life and struggle the main character would've had to face. However being out of place in an American setting Joe Wright struggled to define the differences in race and social rank, unlike his previous films which excelled in deeply describing struggles between two people in different worlds.
My opinion of the film is that it has been well developed and the research conducted by the director and production teams was more than enough to grasp the story but because of the lack of experience director Joe Wright had in this area the film lacked the essence of struggle.
The film follows the true story of Steve Lopez, a Los Angeles times columnist, searching for a new article and something fresh to write about. When taking a look around the famous skid row of LA he stumbles upon Nathaniel Ayers, a homeless man which an extrodinary talent for playing his 2 string violin. Taking this into account Steve Lopez writes a series of articles on his life as a homeless person on the backdrop of his musical talents, however when fans of the story respond to his plight Steve finds himself building a relationship with the artist which takes him and the musician on a struggling journey to battle Nathaniel's schizophrenia.
The film was made by Universal studios and Dreamworks, financed by Working Title and produced by Krasnoff Foster Entertainment and Between Two Trees production groups. While filming the director used over 500 local homeless persons to help with filming and to gain a deep understanding of the life and struggle the main character would've had to face. However being out of place in an American setting Joe Wright struggled to define the differences in race and social rank, unlike his previous films which excelled in deeply describing struggles between two people in different worlds.
My opinion of the film is that it has been well developed and the research conducted by the director and production teams was more than enough to grasp the story but because of the lack of experience director Joe Wright had in this area the film lacked the essence of struggle.
