Analysis of generic conventions of the British Social Realism genre.

Camera LanguageThis is a close up of the girls face however it is shot in a rear view mirror which reflects only the top half of her face, this is quite an unusual and arty shot, conforming to the arty feel of British Social Realism films. This connotes that the girl is lost or broken, representing vulnerability in

young girls in 1960ʼs Britain.

Camera LanguageThis scene, where the girl is walking down the street, is filmed either handheld or with a

steadicam. The footage is shaky, not smooth and flowing. This connotes that the film was shot on a low budget as big camera rigs and tracks wouldnʼt have been available but also represents the story as true to life, realistic. The rough and ready camera work connotes the documentary

feel of the film as the camera is just following them as if it were a person looking in on the conversation.

Camera LanguageThis shot is an example of on-location shooting. This hasnʼt been filmed in a studio with

expensive set designs and big camera rigs, the location has simple been found by one of the films creatives and then the scenes been shot. This on-location shooting connotes the rough and ready feel of this film, representing the themes as honest and everyday. The location for

this shot isnʼt glamourous and doesʼt look particularly appealing. It could easily be a section of you daily drive to work, this connotes the documentary style of the film.

The characters in this shot have authentic detailed costumes/props. The woman on the rightʼs glasses frames are the style of glasses that were very common during the 1960s. Also the broach sheʼs wearing is very on her lapel is very 1960s and the woman with the patterned

headscarf is conforming to a fashion typical of 1960s Britain, this connotes that this film is set in 1960s Britain.

Mise-en-scene

The actors/actresses are all very normal looking, this man for example isnʼt glamourous or strikingly handsome, he is just an average looking older gentleman who you wouldnʼt look twice

at if you passed him in the street. This connotes a real sense of naturalism for this film, representing the themes of the film as true and honest, not made up or condensed in order to

look pretty.

Mise-en-scene

Mise-en-sceneThis whole opening is shot with natural lighting (Iʼm pretty sure). Iʼd say at most there was a few reflection sheets used but no vast, expensive lighting rigs. This natural lighting again reinforces

the natural feel of the film and signifies the documentary style, which the audience then trust and take the issues raised seriously as documentaries are usually based on fact. High key lighting would take away the realism, whereas naturalistic works well in easily letting the

character believe in the world of the film.

Mise-en-sceneThe locations in this opening scene are working class and urban, also the motorways and

junctions are associated with the working class as they are a means to get to work. In this shot above behind the two characters we see dilapidated, cheap, corrugated iron workshop/

warehouses and a half built brick shed. This connotes hard work and the lack of aesthetic appeal but high practicality which is what the stereotypical working class person is all about.

This imperfection connotes the imperfections and on going struggles of the working class people.

EditingThe first 30 seconds of the opening sequence is all one shot, this is therefore a long take,

taking up a whole quarter of the opening. This is conventional of a British Social Realism film. It connotes that the film has a slow pace and also, once again signifies the documentary style of the film as if we were to see this girl standing across the road we would see her in the same

way as weʼre shown in this shot, not from the left and right, up down and panned. This adds to the verisimilitude of the film.

EditingThese four shots have a duration of 2 seconds each and collectively last 8 seconds. Each shot shows a different typical character of the setting for the film. The editing is very simple and kept minimal, just basic cuts between each shot. One reason is that the movieola needed to edit the film together would have most probably been hired by the hour, so the editor couldnt afford to spend a lot of time doing fancy edits. But this simple editing again connotes the documentary

style of the film, signifying the realism and naturalistic feel of the film.