The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner Trailer Analysis

Darcia

Looking For Eric Trailer Analysis

-Lauren Abbott

Total Film Magazine Analysis

Jack

Empire

- Darcia

Filming Diary

27/01/2014

Today is our first filming day, we arrived at our shooting location at 9:30 and began filming at 10:30 after setting up vital elements for our social realist trailer. This involved creating a Facebook account for our female protagonist, Faith Brookes, and altering the appearance of a bedroom to make it look more feminine. We were then able to film the first few bedroom scenes with our amateur actress Naomi Porter.
Our next port of call was to create and film the breakfast scene; Jack Breckell, the art director contributed most to the set up of the scene demonstrating his role. Alongside this, within the group we all had an opportunity to film various pieces.
Today we also managed to achieve the scene of our amature actor, Jed Koonin, receiving the text correlating to the plot line.
Today's filming was completed by 14:00.

03/02/2014

After reflecting on what we had filmed the week before we went back to the same shooting location at the same time of 9:30, this time we were off to a more abrupt start because we did not need to prepare a Facebook page or any other scene in particular. We began by filming the scene involving the actual incident that is responsible for our social realist film, the set-up of an intimate picture being sent from character to character. For this scene we experimented with a fish-eye camera lens, this was to convey the personal thoughts of this character of what she see's in the mirror, however this was not as successful as we had hoped. The cinematographer explored different shot types including close-ups and mid shots.
Another scene we achieved today was our character, portrayed again by Naomi Porter, leaving her home and listening to music. This has proved to be the most challenging shot yet because we had to deal with avoiding the crews shadows in the shots and consider the wind (for this scene, the sound was not an issue with the wind because we plan to use a soundtrack throughout the trailer) for elements such as the actress' hair blowing across her face etc.
Today's filming was completed by 13:00.

13/02/2014

We decided we needed more variation of shots, outside of a house. Therefore, we stayed in school to film more shots involving the ex-boyfriend character. Our idea was to get a shot of a dispute in the corridor just between the main female and male, therefore in keeping with the social realist genre. After shooting a couple of these scenes we wanted to experiment by involving another character; a male peer from school who would walk past looking disgusted at the girl. This portrayed how the female protagonist was being treated around school and also showed that she had now been further excluded from social interaction.

3/03/2014

Today we continued filming at our original location in the house so that we could achieve the intimate scene how we wanted it to look because up until this point we were disappointed with the shots when we came to edit them. The lack of a flash resulted in the audience being confused that this was the main focus/ subject matter of the film because it was unclear that our character was taking a private photo of herself.

We began filming at 10am and finished at 2pm.

-Lauren Abbott

Mise en scene

What we need for our trailer scenes;

Props

• Breakfast supplements; cereal, coffee, mugs, bowl, cutlery, jam, butter
• Laptop with Facebook account
• Earphones
• Mobile phone
• School folder

costume

• Faith Brookes; casual clothing (hooded jumper, top, leggings), pyjama top at one point, coat, boots.
• Hugo; casual clothing also, checkered shirt, chinos 

Location

• Sturry
• Interior and exterior of home
• School scenes at Chaucer school

Donny, Lauren, Jack & Darcy

Researching and Planning Main Task

After receiving the results from our questionnaire we sat down together as a group and studied the results, we passed around a lot of ideas with very different themes and approaches but ultimately we settled on focusing on eating disorders and mental health conditions.

Film Synopsis

Our Social Realist film involves themes of cyberbullying, blackmail and eating disorders. Our story features a teenage girl, Faith, from a middle class family dealing with social issues inflicted on her by her peers.

During a brief relationship with one of her classmates, Hugo, Faith is pressured into sending an intimate photo of herself to her boyfriend.

Faith feels uncomfortable in this relationship and regrets ever sending the photo, resulting in her breaking up with him. Although the relationship ends with both Faith and Hugo acting civilly towards one another, Hugo is pressured by his friends to share this photo around.

This results in her humiliation received from peers at school and consequently Faith begins to get cyber bullied and begins feeling self conscious of her body and starts to believe the insults that are being thrown at her.

This leads up to her fight against Anorexia, a more than common issue in teenagers.

By approaching this subject matter in our social realist film we intend to make the audience aware of the consequences cyber bullying can have on impressionable young people.

Our film fits into the social realist genre because it faces real life problems, even though it lacks the raw and gritty effect that we see in many social realist films such as Fish Tank and Shifty, our influence was the film Love Actually. Although this film is unconventional and is Hollywood produced it has taken social realism from a different angle, one that is not seen regularly in this genre of film. However it is still fitting due to the fact that the film revolves around ordinary peoples lifes and their stories.

This is how we have gone about approaching our social realist film.

Themes of our film

Cyber Bullying/Blackmail

Main character: girl being emotionally abused, boyfriend blackmailing/peers bullying her

Intimate picture, holds it against her. Writing abuse on online photos

Middle class parents are ashamed, peers laugh along and don’t care

POSSIBLE: ex-boyfriends friend; anonymous texting. Messages on social networking sites

Girl peer pressured by boy to take photo...  boy gets peer pressured by friends to share photo.

Develops eating disorder – gets called ‘Fat/Disgusting’ by ex-boyfriend and friends: Stressed.

Hoards chocolate > binge > sick.

This triggers a series of emotional and stressful events that lead up to the development of an eating disorder.

Character Descriptions

Main character – Faith, 17, female
Middle class, good family life, supportive parents, healthy relationships. Outsider at school, no true friends, gets taken advantage of by peers.
Short (5ft2), long blonde hair, petite, attractive. Self conscious of figure.

Ex-boyfriend - Hugo, 17, male
Middle class, enjoys skating with his friends, good family life, unlikely match for Faith
Average height (5ft7), short blonde hair, casual clothing.

Possible Shot Types

·         Focus on bare back – bra, undoing clips, pans out to side – camera on tripod

·         Toilet door – throwing up sound

·         Sitting on laptop – surrounded by empty wrappers (junk food)

·         Going into the shop and buying lots of junk food

·         Over the shoulder – laptop on social networking site (private mail)

      Close up of carrier bag filled with chocolate/junk food. 

-Lauren Abbott

Mindmap

As a group we discussed possible themes of our social realist trailer and this is our mind-map to show evidence of our thought process. We have decided to incorporate various elements into our film such as cyber bullying, peer pressure, blackmail and a middle class situation. Our reason for doing this was to identify that there are social issues in other classes besides working class; alongside this we discovered that filming in a working class environment would be too challenging as none of the group have access to a home environment portraying working class and we wanted the trailer to sample a bedroom scene therefore working class was not feasible.

- Mindmap presented by Lauren Abbott 

Everyone contributed ideas for the mindmap.

Social Realism Questionnaire/

Here is a copy of our questionnaire that we handed out to a group of people aged between 14 - 30

Questionnaire

Are you male or female? (please circle)

Female          Male

How old are you?

14-18          19-23          24-28         29-33         34+

Are you familiar with the Social Realist genre?

Yes          No

Do you like this particular genre? Why?

______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________

When watching trailers do you prefer that they include a lot of scenes from the film or that they are more graphics based and do not give away too much of the plot? 

______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________

What do you like most about Social Realist films?

Shock Value            Realistic Issues          

Other (please write below)

________________

We are looking into producing a film trailer for a Social Realist film, which of these topics do you prefer?

Domestic Violence          Eating Disorder          Peer Pressure          Cyber Bullying          Poverty

 

 Results

1.    Males - 6  Females – 9

 

2.    Age

 
Seven people were 14-18

Two people were aged 19-23

One person was aged 24-28

Three people were aged 29-33

Two people were aged 34+

 

3.    All fifteen people who completed the questionnaire said that they were aware of the social realist genre. Their reasons for liking this specific genre were that they can relate to certain topics that social realist films portray.

 

4.    Two people preferred a more graphics based trailer.

Nine people preferred the type of trailer that included more scenes from the film.

Four were not really fussed on what they saw in the trailer.

 

5.    Eleven people said that they like the realistic issues in social realism films the most.

Three people preferred the shock value shown in social realist films.

6.    One person said that they would prefer a domestic violence topic in the trailer

Six people said that they would prefer to an eating disorder based trailer.

Three people said that they would like to see peer pressure in the trailer.

Five people said that they would like to see cyber bullying involved in the trailer.

Zero people said that they wanted to see poverty involved in the trailer.

- Darcia Kopycka-Wright

Looking for Eric poster analysis

-Lauren Abbott

Sound

Many social realist trailers always tend to include non-diegetic, diegetic and ambient sound. The non-diegetic is usually the sound track. The sound track is key in social realism trailers as it hooks the audience as it always tends to be in contrast to the trailer and seems to reflect the mood of the story and the characters feelings making the audience feel empathetic and sympathetic for the character, the reason for this is because many audiences can relate to the subject of the trailer as social realist films always focus on relevant issues in today’s society.

In our social realist trailer we don’t want to use a lot of diegetic sound this is because we feel that it will be more effective to use non-diegetic creating more of an emotional atmosphere, also because we think using the sound track will work better on its own however we will use ambient sound for example tapping on a keyboard and a ringtone of a phone, which will be heightened to make it stand out more.

If we didn’t include any background it wouldn’t make sense as social realist films always include atmospheric sound, as it wouldn’t make sense having the trailer in complete silence.

Some websites/programmes we will and have been looking at are listed below:

https://www.feltmusiclibrary.com/Default.aspx

http://www.mobygratis.com/

 

Garage Band for Mac 

When looking through these different music programs we came across over a variety of different non-copyrighted sound that we were able to use in our short trailers, out of the three we have looked at felt music library was one of the best ones as the sound quality was a lot better then the others and was more straightforward to use. The track we have decided to use in our short trailer is called "A Brave New Girl".

The track "A Brave New Girl" that we found on felt music library is very flowing and rather calm, even as the track plays on and builds up slightly. The track fits in pretty well and works well in the trailer following the story of our main character through a journey, where the track builds up the emotion of the character increases.

- Darcia Kopycka-Wright

Codes and Conventions

Codes and Conventions

Below are some conventions for social realism films, as we’re making a film trailer we will be challenging some of the usual elements seen in the social realism genre.

·         The plot usually tends to involve characters from the working class/poorer members of society.

·         There are always social issues included affecting these characters, for example, gang culture, violence, narcotic abuse, murder, bullying, or a loss of some kind, be it house, job, or a bereavement. The social issues are included to show it from a working class perspective so people in Britain can relate to these surrounding issues.

·         Economic factors play a huge part as the audience tends to get the impression that the characters would not be in their situation if they had more money, for example, take the character of Shaun from This is England If he had more money, he would not have worn flares to school and therefore not have come in contact with the skinhead culture.

·         There are several establishing shots to show the area, adding to the grittiness of the film, for example it is rather common that many social realist films will show poorer areas in society, like in Fish Tank we see a very run down council estate, with derelict areas.

·         When new equilibrium is established, often the equilibrium is entirely different to the original, or something important has happened to ensure that the situation will not happen again, for example, at the end of Trainspotting, Renton vows to live the life he decided he would never live.

Target Audience

Over the last 60 years audiences have changed. Old social realism films focus on the more middle class adults as they were shown in small art house cinemas making it affordable, as they want to see how the lower class live there life’s whereas now a days more recent social realism films appeal to the younger generation as there is more of an urban feel to them.

In our short social realist trailer we will be targeting young people of the age of 15, as the issues in the film will relate to them a lot more and the contents is suitable for this age group.

15 Certificate Analysis 

How much strong language can there be in a 15?

There could potentially be a great deal of strong language however at 15 there is no upper limit on the number of uses of strong language for example the word ‘f***’.

Although though continued or aggressive use will not normally be passed for a 15.

Are discriminatory or offensive terms acceptable?

There may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory language, and the work could explore themes relating to this.

However, at 15 the work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.

How much sex and nudity is allowed at 15?

At 15 sexual activities can be portrayed, as long as there is no strong or graphic detail. Some sex scenes can be quite long at this category and may involve some nudity and movement. Though nudity may be allowed in a sexual context there should be no strong detail.

There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.

There can be strong references to sex and sexual behaviour, but especially strong or crude references are unlikely to be acceptable unless justified by context.

Heterosexual and homosexual sex and sex references are treated the same.

Can there be strong violence?

Violence may be strong. It should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury, however, and the strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable.

Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also unlikely to be acceptable.

Easily accessible weapons may not be glamorised.

Is there sexual violence in 15’s?

There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence (for example descriptions of rape or sexual assault in a courtroom scene or in victim testimony) but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification.

Can you see drugs in a 15 rated film or video?

At 15 drug taking may be shown but the work as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse.

The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances like aerosols or solvents is unlikely to be acceptable at 15.

What about dangerous behaviour or things teens might copy?

We consider the risk of potential harm to impressionable teenagers. For example, dangerous behaviour such as hanging, suicide and self-harming should not dwell on detail which could be copied.

The information we have found will help us to classify our film in the appropriate age category and will also tell us what sort of things we can and cannot use.

All the information on this document was found on the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) website: www.bbfc.co.uk

- Darcia Kopycka-Wright

Love Actually poster

- Darcia Kopycka-Wright

Social Realism Timeline

Rescued by Rover, 1905.
Directed by Lewin Fitzhamon and Cecil M. Hepworth.
The first social realism film noticed in Britain, the story follows the tale of a dog leading a man to his kidnapped baby.

The Happy Breed, 1944. Directed by David Lean's.
This film follows the lives of an ordinary middle-class family
between the two world wars.

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, 1962.
Directed by Tony Richardson.
Rebellious youth sent to boys reformatory after robbing bakery. Solitary runs allow him to reflect on his privileged status as the Govener's prize runner.

Kes, 1969. Directed by Ken Loach.
Young working-class, troublesome boy finds a happiness in caring for and training his pet falcon.

Life is Sweet, 1990. Directed by Mike Leigh.
Deals with a working-class family and portrays how they interact and play out family conflict, involving a daughter with bulimia, depression and unemployment.

Raining Stones, 1993. Directed by Ken Loach.
Focuses on a poor family with a loving father devoted to his family and religion, his goal is to get his daughter a costly brand-new dress for her first communion but this raises more financial struggles.

Nil by Mouth, 1997. Directed by Gary Oldman.
London working-class family. Raymond's brother-in-law is a drug addict which results in him being kicked out of the house however it is evident Raymond is a violent character and this leads to family hardships.

The Full Monty, 1997. Directed by Peter Cattaneo.
Six unemployed steel workers form a male striptease act known as 'the full monty'.

A room for Romeo Brass, 1999. Directed by Shane Meadows.
Two twelve-year old boys' friendship tested when a stranger comes between them, befriending them both and becomes increasingly more violent when one of the boys' older sister rejects him in a romantic way.

This is England, 2006. Directed by Shane Meadows.
The story of a young troubled boy, set in 1983. He comes across a few skinheads on his way home from school after a fight. The skinheads become his new family, based on real experiences of the director.

Happy-Go-Lucky, 2008. Directed by Mike Leigh.
An insight to the life of Poppy, a cheery, colourful, North-London schoolteacher whose optimism tends to exasperate those around her.

The Selfish Giant, 2013. Directed by Clio Bernard.
A contemporary fable focusing on two working-class 13-year-olds' who seek fortune by getting involved with a local scrap dealer and criminal which leads to tragic consequences.







-Lauren Abbott