Pre-Production - Analyzing Fish Tank

Themes and Situations

One of the first and most obvious themes is a 'working class' family. Mia, her Mum and Sister live in a flat in Barking without a stable father figure. This is typical of a British Social Realism film as it helps to highlight the struggles of the poorer families life's in Britain.

Views of bottles of cheap Vodka and Cider are constantly put across to the viewer. This adds to the idea of the struggle in working class life's, for example when Mia is becoming an alcoholic where she gets drunk every day. This also portrays social injustice where Mia is not being helped out by the government through Education or Doctors.


The film displays a scene of Mia trying on make up for the first time which comes under the themes of societies influence on females and how females portray themselves - ultimately dealing with social problems through coming-of-age which is a vital factor is classifying the film as British Social Realism.

-The theme of coming-of-age is something I will consider including in my opening sequence as it is something that relates to me and others around me as I am 17 and others around me are of similar ages. I beleive I could use accurate representations to create this theme as it relates to me.


Representations



The male travelers in the film who live in caravans are first represented as inconsiderate and immoral men when they are throwing Mia, a 15 year old girl around like an object when they are all 19 or 20. From this can connote the men are poor as they live in caravans and have also had a poor childhood upbringing as they have no manors/consideration for women.

Mia's little sister takes the stereotypical role of bringing back childhood memories by reminding us of out annoying little siblings. Except in this case Mia's little 7 year old sister smokes occasionally, swears constantly and even charges her her Mums boyfriend £2 to leave the flat. This character role emphasizes on how kids can be effected in working class families with relation issues and stability in the household. We see the more realistic side to parenting and why it might be hard for Mia's mum ultimately confirming the key conventions of this British Social Realism film.

-I would consider using this stereotype as it is something that everyone in British society is aware of or has come across. It would increase the realistic effect of my opening sequence as viewers would recognise the realistic stereotype of a younger 'annoying' sibling.


Mise-En-SceneMia's choice of clothing ranges from anything to a grey tracksuit (as seen in the image above), to a black tracksuit. Not the most fashion conscious girl we would have come across, but this only connotes the idea that the family are poor and she comes from an area in Britain where tracksuits are fashionable, such as the big suburban council estate she lives on where everyone else is around the same level in terms of social status.


We see her little sister denoted smoking with her friend in the living room in front of Mia, acting quite casually and looking as though they are enjoying it. This could be a result of the screenshot below as it connotes the influence that smoking parents have on their children which is an issue in terms of child safety and is also seen as a moral issue which not everyone will agree on. Some will say it is not acceptable to smoke in front of kids whereas others (some smokers) will say it is, depending on their own personal upbringing. Ultimately we see the film play with moral issues that arise in Britains society.

-This is something I would consider not concentrating on so much in my opwening sequence as I want to avoid having a cliche opening seuquence - from doing research into the unit by viewing the cheif examinors blog about opening sequences. I found that the idea is to be creative in your work, therefor avoiding cliche is vital in acheiving a high quality opening sequence.


The estate in Tilbury where Mia's mums boyfriend lives is more colorful, elegant, modern and consist of new built houses instead of flats. This connotes the difference in social status in Britain which is another moral and controversial issue that the people of Britain are concerned about which would attract a large target audience to view this British Social Realism film.


Music and Sound Effects

The song 'California Dreams' is used as the theme tune which represents the dreams that the working class hold as an escape from real life. It represents those of our working class who grew up listening to this era of music which connotes the conventional theme of age and growing up which allows us to recognize 'Fish Tank' as a British Social Realism film.

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


Mia's Mum also listens to 'Life's a Bitch' by Nas which is a 90's hip hop song which changed the perception of Hip Hop. The song connotes a pessimistic approach to life which is reflected through the lives of the characters we meet in the film such as Mia who has no real friends or close family that she can go to when in trouble. It also connotes the gritty side of life about just 'getting by' instead of enjoying yourself.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEwSfbE9IXc


-Hip Hop music could be perfect as it provides a somewaht gritty approach to introducing your characters when being played as a soundtrack which would make it good in creating the right atmosphere in my opening seuqence. Also, 90's Hip Hop such as the song above by 'Nas' is a genre of music that I particularly enjoy which would aid me in finding a song that is relevent to my work.


Camera Work and Editing


The director uses a slow track to follow Connor carrying Mia to her bed when she is asleep. This is done using a low key lighting system to connote the perverted thoughts that could possibly lay dormant in his mind that we are waiting to see exposed and also how he is hiding his thoughts from his girlfriend. The slow camera movements represent his strategic state of mind which will eventually lead to him having sex with the young girl and creates an anti-climax where we think he is going to make his move in that scene but does not.


The film consists of a range of artistic footage which resembles paintings and pictures that people would take of nature and real life.





The mid shot connotes the idea that this girl feels stuck in a world that she does not belong in. It shows the struggle to understand why life is tough and also belittles her by having machines towering over her making her look small. She is wearing a tracksuit which, when compared to the other elements of the image such as the surroundings, has a massive difference is value for money. Her social status influences how she feels in the world and therefor connotes another convention of British Social Realism.





This mid-shot denotes two young people drinking together, just 'chilling' out. The age difference is denoted through the young males facial hair which connotes the confusion that may influence a young girl to have relations with older boys. This may also connote the influence she has taken from her mum dating older men. It also connotes problems such as drinking which may also be down to influence from older generations. Yet again we are dealing with gritty and realistic situations, confirming the British Social Realist genre.


-Creating an artistic effect is something I definetly plan on doing for my film trailer. These images have all been given artistic effects to help create thought on specific issues concerning the film which is a typical issue of the genre, British Social Realism. By doing this myself, I would be able to help the viewer recognise the style of the film. I would also be able to trigger thought in the viewers mind as to what they understand from the artistic effects such as using still shots with intriging props in the background such as the first image with the lifts in the background.
Dialogue

The dialogue shows us urban, cockney accents that we would see across many towns in London such as Dagenham, Tilbury and Barking. From this we recognize the social status of the characters as their accent reflects on where they grow up. It is typical of the genre to do this as it reflects the poorer part of the community being concentrated on.

Mia: "Can you give Keely a message for me?" ... "Tell her I think her Dads a cunt!"
This language enforces the ideas that Mia has no manors which could be through a lack of school, education, parenting etc - all vital factors to describing her life and social class which is yet again a typical convention of the genre.

-Having working class accents in my work is a must, as it portrays the idea of the poorer British community, emphisizing the gritty effect that I plan on using in my opening sequence."I said sorry didn't I?"
From this we see that the young girls speaking do not actually know the meaning of sorry, from poor parenting they might have just learned to use the word as a way of getting round people and not actually recognize that this word means you are really sorry and wont do it again. Or maybe this is even just a typical factor we would see in some of the youth of today which means 'Fish Tank' might be exploiting this idea as it could become a bigger problem in years to come.

Institutional background
The production companies who helped to create 'Fish Tank' are as follows:

• BBC Films
• UK Film Council
• Limelight Communication
• ContentFilm
• Kasander Film Company

Audience Breakdown

The film would be marketing and targeted towards a slightly older audience than 15 years old even though this is the age limit for viewing. The audience would have to be interested in raw coming-of-age movies which might reflect on their own personal youth's which is why those that are anything from 20-30 years old would watch this. They might be British working class as it would remind them of their own personal youth. They might even be from international countries and trying to learn about British Culture.

Marketing Strategies
-Posters in urban towns such as Brick Lane and Camden
-Trailers in Independent Cinemas/Online/Some major cinemas
-Presented at various film festivals
-Newspaper reviews - e.g. The guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/may/14/cannes-film-festival-andrea-arnold-fish-tank-review

Official Trailer

Open publication - Free publishing - More audience

Open publication - Free publishing - More audience

The Film Industry

Development


There are two main sources of inspiration, the first being you own original ideas. This is the most commonly used idea and probably the most successful. Unthought-of, unique and untouched is the most important part of this source of inspiration. The second is through real life stories. This can come from the news, word of mouth or anything else that gives the story an element of truth which automatically draws interest from the potential viewers.


The producer will then evaluate the idea that you might have thought up. It is down to their skill and knowledge of the business to ultimately asses whether the idea is eligible for production. Once they have found the right idea, it is their job to breathe life into the idea and make it a reality.


It is then usually the producer’s responsibility to find a well-known director that can help take over the creative aspects of the production and put the idea onto the screen.


Once this has happened, the rapidly growing team will find a writer who will be able to put the narrative onto paper and make the idea tangible, ultimately clarifying the idea they have in their minds, by putting it into something that can be looked at, imagined and created. The writer does this by creating the treatment which is similar to a brief of what the film will consist of. This may include character profiles, the plot, settings and other various elements that we would include in the actual film itself.


From here the idea will then be pitched to financial advisors who decide if the film idea, which has ultimately become a business proposition, is good enough to actually be made. The pitch includes such details as a one liner, where the plot is summed up in less that 25 words, the genre of the film, the target audience and a list of all the people to be involved in the production. Also on the pitch is a rough budget of how much they plan to spend on the film. This is vital as once the budget is set they all agree to work around that specific sum of money and no more. Finally on the pitch will be a brief synopsis which will expand on the one liner that originally opens the pitch.


Development finance


The idea will be pitched to the investor who hopefully will provide the money to create the film. The producer can invest their own money but this is a risk as it does not provide external verification of the idea.


Depending on how much the production company like the idea, they will then create the script and invest what they think the film is worth into it. As only around 1% of films pass the development stage, companies will often look to invest in many films around the same time and hope to have 1 success that will pay of for the rest that failed.


The sales company will provide money for the film if they feel it is marketable. In return, they will often receive the right to sell the film to distribution companied and also take an allocated amount of the profit.


Also, in return for developing money, the broadcaster will ask for rights to show the film on certain channels that link with certain target audiences.


Once these steps are complete, there is a lot more chance of the idea actually happening. For example, other investors will see that certain steps have been taken in the right direction and hopefully act upon them.


Another example of some one to invest in the idea is a private investor. However assuming they agree to do so, so early on in the development usually results in a large sum of the final profit going back to them.


Script Development


In the synopsis, the writer and producer work closely together to create an idea that is specific in terms of its target audience, narrative and most importantly the budget. The more experienced the writer, the more specific they can make this script.


Resulting from this is the script outline where each scene is briefly described giving us an idea on how characters and the plot will evolve. This takes a lot of re-adjustment which is why writers have been known to use post it notes to do it. This enables them to change around the structure until they have found the perfect sequence of events.


Once this is complete the writer will create the first draft, which will then be sent to the financiers who will have their own opinion on what should be in the draft and how it can maximise profits.


Once everyone has had there input and the script has been adjusted accordingly, the final draft will be created. This is usually the end of the writers work in the film which means this is where they get paid their sum of the money they have been promised. The work that was in the writers hands now gets passed onto the director.


After this point the sales treatment is created where by the unique selling points of the film will be dramatically emphasized to entice the potential financiers.


Packaging


The producer then takes the treatment and script and will find a final budget that they will have to stick to from then on. This gives them the opportunity to organise suitably priced talents – e.g. film crews, actors etc.


The stars are the commercial assets that can make or break the entire film. Once they have a fee negotiated the producers assistant will add them to the ultimate package that now includes the sales treatment, the script, the rough budget and now the stars included in the film.


But there’s still a lot more to be done. The editor needs to be taken on board and must be professional and well known in the trade in order to create the high quality film that you would be trying to create. Also, the production designer must be taken into account. He or she will design the set which will potentially sell the film convincing financiers that the film will ‘look right’. Now it is up to the producers assistant to add these elements to the package, as well as the set photographer who adds a creative elements to the package.


The next stage is where the producer will employ a line producer who effectively keeps control of the budget by ensuring everyone is spending the right amounts of money.


Now, the finance plan which lists organisations the producer plans to approach and the recoupment schedule which is a prediction of how the film will make money must be added to this package being made by the producer’s assistant.


Now that the package is completed, the producer can now approach financiers and hopefully be accepted in order to get the film going.


Financing


The producer will now travel the world in the hope to find a relevant financier who is both up to the job and prepared to take the job on.


Once they have found the appropriate investors, the lawyers for each side will draw up the conclusions for the investments.


Now that the contract is completed, each person will be looking to get as much profit as possible out of it. The sales company will want the right to sell the film to distributors and take a specific amount of the profit. The sales team will want rights to show the film on one of their TV channels after the film has been released in the cinema and has been through the rental period. The distributor will want the rights to the film before it has actually been completed. However due to the complex terms and conditions of the contract they have the right to turn down the film if it is not up to the standard they had hoped for.


There will probably be completion bonds involved which is basically insurance for the film in case it does not get completed. This money will provide what is needed to get the film completed in the case where they run out of money.


At this stage where things are looking to conclude in terms of development, it is up to the producer to ensure all agreements are stuck to and everyone is kept happy before production begins.


Production


At this stage the script will be clarified by all of the heads of the departments. After this, the script is locked of and no further major changes will be made to it.


Now it is up to the cast director to find the right cast for each role. This is a complex job as their choices of cast must show what the characters in the film will be trying to show. The character description needs to match the actual actor. As you can imagine, doing this for thirty to fourth people may be as complex job.


Now, the storyboard artist is hired to draw up the plans of each scene and make them clear. The Director of Photography will usually be present to ensure the film is being constructed into what they planned on and nothing different. Also, the director and editor will want the storyboard to enable them to mix the scenes about to find out how to tell the story most efficiently. It is cheaper to do this now that after.


The production designer will look at this and now be able to plan every aspect of how the film will look on each set. At this point, the visual effects designers will begin creating the relevant scenes which can take months.


The production accountant will now organise the payments for everyone that is employed.


The Shoot


Now the set has begun, a huge sigh of relief from the producer. However the shoot is a long and tedious process requiring a lot of effort. For example the set must be constructed, the actors must be dressed and have the appropriate make up on, taking deliveries etc.


Now that the film is being shot it is up to the director of photography to ensure everything is looking like it should. Also, the hair and make-up artists must be ready to perform fast to ensure everything is running smoothly. The lighting team who has been hired is also at work at this moment in time.


Once the actors are ready, they must ensure they are at their best as they are the only people of the whole film and all productions, development etc. that will actually be seen by the public. The whole production relies around them so the stresses of any other departments must be kept away from them.


If there are any special physical effects, stunt people will be higher to take risks, e.g. being as close to an explosion as possible. Health and safety is very important at this stage as there is a lot of risk involved, however this is what the stunt man is paid for.


Post Production


As each scene gets shot, the editor and his or her assistant will begin creating sequences and scenes with the editor and producers input at the end to clarify on what they think is a marketable product.


Now, the Foley artists, the sound dubbing and the soundtracks are prepared and taken care of. These are all small parts of the process that actually have a massive effect on how successful the film will be. For example, who would watch a film when they cannot hear or see what the characters are actually doing?


Now that the film is starting to come together it is time for the titles and credits to be added in the composting suite. Also, this is where the special effects may be added in which do not come cheaply. However, they are usually worth it.


The colourist will now ensure each scene has a similar colouring effect in order to add a certain mood or even just make sure it looks as though it runs smoothly with similar tone.


The sound editor will then make the film suitable for viewing in cinemas and also ensure that the sound in general sounds high quality and that there are no defects in the sound.


Now it is up to the director and editor to give what they have spent months on end preparing, to the investor. That is right; the final cut goes to the financiers who ultimately have the final say on the film.


Sales


To help secure the sales of the film the producer will get a sales agent. A sales agent ultimately acts as a middle man between producer and distributor. He or she would know the market very well and give a value to the film based on his judgement.


To help build a potential market for the film, a trailer is made showing the most exciting bits of the film to draw in viewer’s attention.


At this point the ‘sales pack’ which includes all that is needed to sell the film to distributors is prepared to the best of its ability to ensure a sale to distributors.


At this point the distributor knows they must ensure the potential market for the film is excited for it. This creates a buzz that spreads like a wild fire out of word of mouth. Usually a high profile screening at a film festival is a good start in the right direction in terms of promoting the film.


Marketing


The distributors sales team will then find the hook on the film that will make it stand out in a crowded market place in its promotions to ensure the film is promoted to the best of their standards.


A way of doing this is showing the film to a test group and seeing how each different type of person reacts to it. This way they can gather information on how the film will sell and who it will sell the best to.


Another form of marketing that is slightly obvious in terms of every day life is posters at bus stops and other large posters being put around towns where by the target market is most commonly seen.


Also, to increase the word of mouth of the film, newspaper and magazine articles are done to give the film a good name.


Again, word of mouth is vital; however similar to this is viral marketing. Using the internet and social networking literally puts the film on a network of different types of people. From this niche marketing has been made realistic and we can target certain markets on the internet.


Now, the programmer who works for the exhibiter will decide if the film is appropriate for their audience. Sometimes it is down to the programmers like for the film although sometimes it may be purely down to whether the film suits their market or not.


The Exhibition


Finally the film will be released at a venue where lots of high profile celebrities will be invited, not because the exhibitors like them, but because they attract attention from the general public which is what the promotions aim to do.


The exhibitors make most of their money out of selling confectionary so it is vital that they only take on the best selling films to ensure they do not make a loss. This is why it may be hard to get a independent film into a British Mainstream Cinema.


The exhibitor will organise the film to have many prints made to ensure they can provide the right amount to ensure everyone can see the film. This may be done for different countries at different times to prevent printing too much and then having loads left over. This would be a waste of money.


At this point the producer can get an idea of the profits that will be made of the film from the box office gross.


Also, the financiers payments can now start to ensure they get their money back as agreed in the contracts.


Other Windows


Hospitality is a massive opportunity for extra views and there for extra revenue. For example, the film may be shown on screens in aircrafts for holiday commuters.#


Also, the primary source for sales of the film is now through DVD’s and not the actual cinema. The U.K. is the best market in terms of DVD’s in the world which is a big advantage for British film producers.


Next in line is the terrestrial TV, where the film will be sold on pay per view from various different companies. Distributors tend to sell large packages of films on the back of one big hit.


Surprisingly enough, once all of the profits have been collected, the producer must ensure everyone in the chain of command has been paid their allocated amount of money before they can take anything at all! I find that hard to believe considering they are the ones who pretty much made this happen!

Independent Vs. Major Production Company

For my comparison I have chosen Attack The Block which is a Film4 Production, with a budget of nine Million pound. Film 4 is an independent company which ultimately means they are not part of the big six Hollywood companies. For the other half of my comparison I have chosen the all time famous Harry Potter - Deathly Hallows, Pt 2 which had a whopping budget of a 250 million pound. That is nearly 28 times more than Film 4 spent of 'This is England' and there is plenty of evidence to show that. Harry Potter was produced and distributed by Warner Bros who are part of the Big six Hollywood Majors who have befitted massivley from the distribution of this film now collecting a massive 18% of the market.

Actors/Characters
The main character of Harry Potter is quite evidently, Harry Potter. As an Actor Daniel Radcliffe has had a wonderful start to a career in acting. The world wide promotion of this film has enabled the world to recognize Harry Potter all over the globe. As the Harry Potter collection of films started of small, Daniel started of unknown, which meant Warner Bros took a huge risk in agreeing to distribute the film. However the world wide promotion of the film has now produced one of the most well known actors the world has ever seen. How? Warner Bros have the money, the knowledge and untimely, the power to do so. This has resulted in a huge fan base being build over the years not only of the films but of Harry Potter himself. Day by day the scale of variety in this target audience grows, varying from young British children aspiring to be magicians like Harry, to American Mothers loving the looks of the magician himself.

Sound
The Harry Potter film collection has create yet another world wide recognized icon. This time, i speak of the theme tune which I'm sure we are all familiar with. Considering an entire orchestra was needed to produce this, we can assume that the production companies money has allowed such a successful soundtrack to come so far.

Technology/Sophistication
With a budget of 250 million pound for one film, we can automatically recognize the scale of technical ability that has been put into this film. at 0:38 in the trailer we can see a shot in mid air tracking some sort of transport that we do not commonly see in normal films. Only through the creative, rich and talented production company. The camera work alone must of come to a sum that we can only imagine.

The editing of the film is fast, exciting, modern and sophisticated. This is pure evidence of a major production company as it shows us they have put time, effort and money into the creation of the film via the editing. This shows us the film is based around excitement and fast paced action as much as it is about narrative, again being evidence to prove this is the product of a very rich production company.

Mise-en-sceneThe props used in this film go beyond our imagination, from having to produce literally thousands of wands to having to provide 100's of make up artists for each scene. In fact I would guess that the Mise-en-scene of this film cost more than many independent companies spend of the entire production of there films today. It is quite evident that the production companies influence on the detail of costumes and make-up etc was vital in creating such a successful film.

Target Audience
The Target Audience varies through quite a lot of us. The fundamental fan base would be for anyone who enjoys the themes of Magic, Action, Love and Fighting. Which brings us to the point that the target audience, should not really be any where near childeren. But actually, a fair share of audience is based around family viewings, groups of teenagers, couples and well, the list goes on. In conclusion we can finish by saying that the  distributor (Warner Bros) plays a massive part in building the target audience and have done very well.


Attack The Block




Cast/ActorsWith actors such as John Boyega and Nick Frost, Attack the Blocks cast isn't so spectacular. They are not amazingly well known but still managed to create a good atmosphere in some scenes in the film. They would attract a fan base of young black males and females in urban areas which is untimely who the film was aimed at. Nick Frost added the element of comedy to the film and also spices the target audience variation up, potentially drawing in audiences from films such as Shaun of the Dead. Because of the independent film label, the actors are all standard and create a tension that the film is not going to be anywhere near the scale of Harry Potter.

SoundThe music in the film is fairly well presented, including peices from artists such as Basement Jaxx which, in favour of the old independent film company, Optimum Releasing, is a decent attempt in adding famous elements to the film. 

The dialogue is urban, cockney, south London accents. This shows us who the film is directed at and also shows us the film is not for world wide distribution as not everyone can relate to the film. Words such as 'Mandem' and 'Blud' are commonly used giving the film a very modern and urban style. The production company gives the characters stereotypes of what you'd expect to come across in south London. This is cheap but effective in gaining the right audience, providing us with evidence that they are an independent label.

Technology and sophistication 
The Camera work is similarly fast paced and invites us to enjoy the action provided through out the film. However it is quite evident that the scale of the project in terms of editing and recording the film is no where near the scale that Harry Potter is on. This is evidence of a independent film production company as it shows that not as much money has been invested in the complex elements of the editing.

Mise-en-sceneThe costumes used are fairly simple including urban street wear such as Nike tracksuits, hoodys and other various urban accessories that you would see many teenagers around London wearing today. Not the most expensive form of costuming which shows us that not a lot of money was spent on this. Other elements such as make up artists are not particularly vital all though they were most probably used. Because the film is produced by an independent film label it is evident that the mise-en-scene was not low budget but not particularly expensive in terms of money.
Target AudienceThe target audience of this film would be based around youths living in urban and somewhat deprived areas such as south London where the film is set, Birmingham, Manchester etc. The producers done a good job of building the target audience as they produced an effective trailer that showed all of the evident themes that the target audience would want as viewers to go and watch this film such as being set in London, including aliens, violence, police and another vital convention of the film which is humor. In my opinion the fact that the target audience is not anywhere near audiences such as Family's shows us that the film is not produced by any of the big 6 Hollywood majors and consequently, an independent label.

Continuity Editing Evaluation

180 Degree Rule

To start of, I used the 180 degree rule for two reasons, because it was required and because it creates a realistic effect and avoids distortion of eyesight when viewing the video.

An example of this is shown below the following paragraph.

Here, as we can see the 180 degree rule is clearly demonstrated. As you can see, both characters keep on the same side as the first shot, even when the camera is recording from two different sides of the room which creates a natural viewpoint for the human eye.

Rule Of Thirds

We also ensured there was use of the rule of thirds contained in the video production.

The rule of thirds is applied by aligning the two characters in the following shot in particular, so that there view of eyesight is in line with one another. When this rules is being used, the view comes more natural to the audience as the compositional elements are placed along these lines.

An example of this is demonstrated below.

.

Normal shot

Rules of thirds applied

Match On Action

This shot supplied my video with a great form of continuity. The match on action shows someone in the same moments of action as the previous shot, only from a different angle. It creates a sense of flow and changes the tension of the camera shot. I used this shot to emphasize the victory of 'Zephyrus's' victory in my video.

Low angle of the victor celebrating

Then a mid shot of the same thing happening, this time allowing space for the  lose of the battle to be seen standing up and approaching him.

Production Challenges

The main problem during this phase of the production was thinking of an effective/creative plot. After nearly three hours in total with partner in creativity, Robert, we managed to come up with an idea so simple yet it somehow met with all the required criteria of the brief. During the process we went through at least 20 different ideas varying from affairs to psychologist interviews with mad men. Who would of known that a thumb war fits in so well with such a concise criteria.

If I were to do the production again I would make sure we recorded all of the footage at least three times. Instead we recorded each shot twice at most. Other than that the technical aspects such as using the camera went well. The practical aspects such as recording all of the footage on time went even better and luckily the creative aspects such as thinking as a plot ended up going perfect as our plot was the result of an effective idea.

Post Production Challenges

Post Production went quite well considering it had been a long time since I used I-Movie, but my previous experience enabled me to quickly learn the basics needed to edit the video. However there was one problem that resulted in an defect in the work. We lost a certain part of the footage - the moment where I (the losing character) says: 'Are you ready,?' - Recorded in a two shot. Instead, we had to improvise in what was the last lesson of the  Post Production. We instead recorded a close up of the same dialogue and character but as a close up. This way we avoided getting any background footage in the shot that was not in the original.

The improvised Close-up

If there were anything I was going to improve for the video I would have added in an initial song or soundtrack to set the themes of the video. Although the starting sounds are quite bland they do make the following sounds more effective in their role of exciting the audience. However I believe if there were to be a starting song this would set the ideas of the video up for the audience.

Strengths and weaknesses of my workCreative

I believe the strengths of my work is the humor it is given from the sound effects. For example, when my character says the wrong thing in the heat of the moment at 0:53 seconds (shown below).

The weakness of the creative side of this project was that it took more time than expected to actually come up with a creative idea. It seems we got sucked into the world of creativity and amazing plots. So stuck into the though of good ideas we forgot that there did not actually have to be a lot too it which is what made us resolve this problem and finally begin the project properly with a good idea.

Plan and Research
During this phase the strengths certainly relied upon the research into the continuity editing. I looked out for TV programs that made use of certain shots such as match on action and the 180 degree rule. For example, Eastenders makes common use of the 180 degree rule which gave me a better knowledge of what it is and how to use it most effectively.

The weakness of this side of the project was that the only real plan was the storyboard. I think we should of spent more time looking into how to plan out a video that only needed to be 1 to 2 minutes long. Believe it or not I think more time to actually think about it was required instead of rushing straight into making the idea.

Digital technology 

The digital technology we used such as the HD camera worked to our advantage. The camera was great quality which ended in a result of a crisper looking film to post. In my opinion the better the quality the better we perceive the video to be even though this is not always true as someone can have an amazing peice of work and the poorest quality camera.

A high quality image screenshot

A disadvantage of the digital technology was that somehow we lost part of the footage on the memory stick and had to re-record certain shots whilst we had the time. However we then realized some of the shots had certain background footage in them that was significantly different to the original footage we had.

Post Production

During the post production I think that the editing went well. With a couple of tips from the helper for I-Movie, I quickly picked up the techniques to edit a video effectively. I managed to finish the editing and sound effects before the deadline which was a great relief considering this meant the video was complete.

I think I should of added some sort of extra music/sound effects into the video that would of participated in the effect of entertaining the viewer. For example in my partners video he used the song, 'Power,' by Kanye West which really built tension in the beginning of the video.

Overall Improvements
In conclusion to this evaluation, I would recommend that if I or any other person had the opportunity to start the project again I would say to put more research into the idea of a one minute move and continuity editing.

I think that the research side of things was pretty weak considering the first lesson on this project was spent coming up with an idea to the film. It seemed as though we jumped into it quite quickly.

I think that some practice of continuity editing would of been vital in terms of adding to our experience of this type of editing and recording. This would of added to the quality of my work.

In conclusion I think the work resulted in a good and interesting video that made good use of continuity editing. I've had good feedback from it on Facebook and hope you enjoy it just as much.

Final version of continuity editing.

This is my final version. Please enjoy.

First attempt at continuity Editing

This is my personal first attempt at continuity Editing. This was the first session of editing and another improved version will be uploaded soon.

Representation of Britain in British Social Realist films

Snatch written and directed by British filmmaker Guy Richie set in London's underground crime world. One side of the plot follows what ultimately becomes a deadly chase for one hell of a big diamond. The other side follows a small-time boxing promoter named Turkish who finds himself under the thumb of a mad gangster names known as Brick Top. Its cast varies from cockney white blokes to Irish Travelers and Crazy Russians.

Richie represents our culture through bizarre and ruthless stereo types such as Brick Top who likes to feed his victims to the pigs! At one point London is even summed up as "Fish, Chips, cuo'o'tea, bad food, worst weather, Marry Fuckin' Poppings!" which is familiar to us in some perspectives but does not give a realistic interpretation of every day London life.

Although Guy Richie does manage to create a glamorous humor as us Londoners love it, Snatch does not conform to East London, London, or even anywhere in Britain as we know it. Although many similar crimes are committed in real lifeas what is in the film, the crimes are decorated with humorous speeches, funny phrases, fast pace editing and glamorous and electric sounds which takes away the real authenticity of London street crime.

 

So although the characters in this film are not completely realistic, lacking the elements of darkness and real thuggish behavior, we can still relate to the core of the characters personality's and see the typical British humuor which attracts the Urban British audience of young men. However the stereo types and actual lack of British Social Realism in the film could also attract a non British audience. People who love to hate Britain and also love to love Britain might take an interest in this film.

This Is England is a British drama film written by Shane Meadows. the story is based on skinheads in the 80's illustrating how their sub-culture become adopted by white nationalists. This was a period where immigration was rising, racism was still a part of British culture, society and consequently common within the skinheads views who are focused on in the film. Meadows adds his own gritty but authentic style to the racism in the film. It represents Britain with all of the grittiness is had back in the day of the 80's from hardcore racism to alcohol and cigarettes.

  

This is an unfortunate realistic representation of Britain in the 80's. The vulgar language and anguishing racism is as realistic as it gets. Well maybe not the part where the white man is almost using the shop floor as a toilet, but this represents the hardcore and appalling disrespect of the skinheads in this day and age.

People that have one day or maybe even still share these views would be an audience of this film as part of the British Social Realist genre. Parents who grew up around this nature of violence and racism may relate to the film as they may recognize previous experiences of similar actions in their youth. Even children today that are easily influenced by what is left of our racist culture in Britain today may conform with this genre and film in particular. Lets hope it does not influence the British any further into the depths of racism, but in the opposite direction.