Comparative Textual Analysis

Comparative Textual Analysis

Half Nelson (2006)

1. Half Nelson was the first film I analysed. The Micro elements that were employed in this extract was Mise-en-scene.

2. The specific social type being represented is someone who is perpetrating substance abuse. The key representative area's that are being shown in the extract is physical, ability/disability.

3. There are many issues being explored in this extract, for example issues of mental health and personal hygiene which accompany the physical breakdown caused by prolonged drug abuse.

4. The technical elements being employed in this extract are: costume and make-up, set design, props, lighting and colour design are all employed.

5. The technical elements construct a representation of a type as its designed to betray the characteristics of a drug user.

6. The characters make-up-tired eyes, untreated bread and pasty skin are used to create the image of a hard-core drug user. This paired with characters costume-dirty undone shirt, yesterday’s underwear - calls lack of hygiene into caution as well. More evidence of drug use is shown by the camera slightly out of focus, moves on first couple of shots-that shows some of the effects of drugs and calls the characters mental health into question as well. More signs of an addiction problem can be seen in the colour and set design-dull pasty walls, sheets thrown over the sofa and mouldy floorboards-dirtiness and untidiness are all things we associate with drug use.

7. The micro element addresses the element of ability/disability.

8.All of these micro elements address issues around the key representative area of physical ability/disability, by delivering to us a harrowing visual rendering of a life in ruin and an environment in decay. Together with character codes such as the man-vacant stare and lack of any expression-make us pity him. Thee all communicate the mental breakdown of a capable professional and the physical consequences of addiction, lack of care for personal hygiene, laziness and having no energy which also calls into question his mental health as he no longer takes anything into consideration.

Kes (1969)

1. The micro elements employed in this extract is Mise-en-scene.

2. The specific social type being represented in this extract is young people in poverty.

3. The key representative in this extract being shown is class and status.

4. The issues of poverty are being represented in this area because in the extract it clearly shows that there is two people sharing a bed which shows they don't have a lot of money to afford two beds. Another thing is the wall is a very gloomy colour and is very worn down, they also have a very limited amount of room to move within the room as it is very small.

5. The technical elements being employed is low key lighting as it is telling the audience there is a gloomy and depressing tone to the scene. Cramped conditions which indicates the characters are poor and is living in poverty, and also the poor region of time.

6. The low key lighting in the scene indicates a very depressing tone. The cramped conditions because the bed is close to the window which indicated poverty once again.

7. These technical elements lead us as an audience to feel sadness, empathy and pity because of the lack of space and that they are in poverty, having to work in the mines.

8. The micro elements address the issues around the key representative area because they use the
mise-en-scene to tell the audience that they aren't a wealthy family and are living in awful conditions.

9. These representations articulate social and cultural values and create a meaning for the audience because they saw how these people have been living and it makes them feel very lucky to what they have and also have freedom.

Last resort (2000)

1. In this extract micro elements from the technical category of mise-en-scene are being employed.

2. They are used to construct a specific representation of a social type, a Russian woman and her son have come to England, and the social group being represented is single mum's.

3.The key representative area in the extract are immigration as the woman and her child have come to England from Russia, this is a key representative because it shows class and status and regional identification.

4.The issues being explored in this extract is immigration.

5. The specific technical elements being employed are: costume and make-up, set design, props, lighting and colour design are all being employed.

6. The characters costume clearly identifies who they are for example, the security guard is wearing a uniform.

7. Me as an audience viewer that in this extract it doesn't make me feel anything because the elements in this opening scene make me feel anything.

8. The micro elements address this key representative area by showing clearly they are immigrants coming into England.

This is England (2006) 

1. The micro elements of mise-en-scene are clearly shown in this extract.

2.  The specific social type being used in this extract is young people.

3. The key representative area being highlighted in this extract is poverty.

4. The issues being explored in this extract is being used through mise-en-scene.

5. The technical elements that are being used are; colour pallet because there is a dull gloomy colour on the walls and the walls are also flakey, There is high key lighting though which may show there is a positive mood to the extract and it must indicate they like their way of life. The costume and make-up shows the poverty clearly because the boy wakes up in dirty underwear which can indicate that they aren't very wealthy.

6, The walls clearly show that they are living in poverty or a very run down house that isn't worth that much, the lack of underwear can also show that they don't have a lot of money to afford more than one pair of pants.

7. I think these elements make the audience feel a bit of sympathy for the family because they are living in poor conditions without many options of clothing.

Fish Tank (2009)

1. In the extract micro elements from the technical category of sound are employed.

2. They are employed to construct a specific representation of a busy aggressive estate dominated by young youths in a low economic environment.

3. The representative area being explored in this category is class and status.

4. Issues of violence, neglect and underage drinking are being presented and explored.

5. During the extract costume, makeup and props are being employed.

6. The characters makeup- pale skin, dark hair, dark eyes and dark eye makeup- lead us to think that maybe the character is unhealthy even though she is dancing and keeping fit it looks like she may not be eating a lot and also represent her class, this makes the teenager come across as lonely. The costume- hoop earrings, track suit, saggy bag, hoody and trainers- are used specifically to present class and status; this also fits into her angry personality. Props- alcohol shows the issues of underage drinking and lets us as an audience recognise her troubled side from a poor relationship with her mum.

7. The arrangement of technical elements of low key lighting lead us to feel concerned and aware of the teenagers but also the props of alcohol lead us to feel pity and sympathy to the characters.

8. Micro elements of mise-en-scene present key issues by the issue of neglect are shown by the
girl’s room. Another issue represented is teenage violence; this is present
ed by the micro elements of camera and editing. All of this enables us to see the emotions wit in the teenager very clearly but also by using hand held camera it makes us feel like we are directly involved. All of this shows that the issues of neglect build her character into a troublesome teenager.

Form And Style Prezi

Practice And Politics, Issues And Themes Podcast

PowerPoint Presentation on Realism or 'realisms'; Realism and the Cinema; Defining Social Realism

Preliminary Task 180 degree Rule

Whole Film Synopsis For Introduction Sequence

Whole Film Synopsis For Introductory Sequence

Ben lives in South London. He has been dating Natalie for 15 years. On Christmas Eve 2014 Natalie ends their relationship. Ben takes the decision to end their relationship very badly as he drinks right the way through New Year, but makes a New year resolution to clean up his act and try to win Natalie back but unfortunately Natalie doesn't want him back as he is a complete mess and was very controlling in the relationship. Ben tries to so hard to get her back but ends up getting depression and the drinking becomes very excessive and starts to effect other aspects of his life. Ben excessively drinks because he's never had much luck with girls as they've always went behind his back and has cheated on him with other guys in the past which brings out the controlling side of Ben with Natalie. He doesn't show up to work and is on the verge of loosing his job, he falls out with his family and friends and is all alone. Natalie starts to see another guy, Ben doesn't like it and ends up loosing the girl he loves to another man and that takes a turn for the worse. Natalie realises that there are other people out there who are better than Ben and so she meets Cameron. Cameron has a well paying job and treats Natalie how she should be treated. Ben looses all hope with getting Natalie back as he knows he cannot compete with someone like Cameron as he's giving Natalie everything she wants but he cannot do anything about it. In the end Ben realises that he cannot get Natalie back and decides for certain that he is going to clean up his act and try and undo any wrong thing he's done to Natalie and his family, and also on top of that he tries to get himself out there to find another girl for him.

Target Audience Research

Form and style (Homework 4)

Form and Style

1. What is the term form in the context of form and style?

The term ‘form’ in the context of form and style is used to denote the shape or mode in which realist texts exist but also refer to the ‘arrangements of parts’.

2. What does the term style refer to?

‘Style’ refers to the aesthetic devices used by film makers and the artistic choices they make.

3. What are the four levels of social realist form to be considered here?

Social realism is a form of realism, it is different as in it focuses mainly on British cinema including characters that are linked to a place or environment. The next conception of form is the variety of artistic forms which employ social realist practices and techniques. Another conception is for some film theorists is that social realism is a ‘form’ is purely a way to distinguish from fantasy, experimental film, animation… The final form is social realist texts are structured in the way that makes them differ from mainstream texts for example the narrative structures ion social realist texts tend to operate episodically and that the future is rarely bright.

4. What do form and style refer to?

Form and style refer to elements within the texts, though they can be informed by practice, politics and content.

5. What is the main purpose that social realist texts work towards?

Social realist texts work towards extending the representations in art and popular culture of previously under-represented groups and deal with issues and problems mainstream cinema has shied away from or avoided.

6. What are the arguments for whether any distinction should be made between the television and film and social realism?

For some like James Park, British cinema has failed because its ambitions are too small, and too televisual. For John Hill any distinction between television and film might be abandoned since all cinema has become dependant on television and video for funding and revenues.

7. Why is television an important medium for social realist texts?

Some film maker see television as an important medium for social realist texts as television is a widely popular way of viewing the realist texts and gives the film maker a chance to show the newly growing realist texts. For Ken Loach part of the importance of the Wednesday play season was precisely because it was on television, directly after the news.

8. What was Loaches statement? 

Loaches statement was “we are very anxious of our plays not to be considered dramas but more continuations of the news”.

 

Style

9. What is ‘style’ in the terms of British social realism?

British social texts were associated with exhibiting a distinct preference for content over style , this might be considered ‘naturalism’ to some.

10. What is meant by the label ‘Kitchen sink’?

The ‘kitchen sink’ is a term to describe their perceived drab representations of working settings and characters. 

11. What are social realist texts described as?

Social realist texts are often described as ‘gritty’ a term which can describe the surface realism of the landscapes in which characters inhabit.

12. What is meant by the term ‘sociological realism?

Sociological realism privileges a documenting of situation of events and a style of social realism sometimes referred to as ‘poetic realism’.

13. What did film critic Roger Manvell call ‘industrial romanticism’?

According to Roger Manvell ‘industrial romanticism' was the poetic realism of the British new wave films transforming the scarred industrial landscapes of northern England.

14. What was the poetic realism of Anderson, Richardson and Reisz influenced by?

The poetic realism of Anderson, Richardson and Riesz was influenced by the work of Humphrey Jennings, whose own work is a good example of what Andrew Higson sees as ‘an undercurrent to the educative sociologistic tendency within the documentary movement which acknowledged and foreground the aesthetic aspects of the texts’.

15. What was the outcome of social realist styles becoming involved with film?

Social realist style has been employed across a range of genres, for example, horror, comedy, and science fiction, and some of the techniques are consequently part of mainstream cinema, such as hand-held techniques, exemplified and represented in the film Jaws.

 

Kieran's Preliminary Task