ESSEX BOYS CASE STUDY –

HOW IT ESTABLISHES THE GENRE?

BY THOMAS CUTMORE

THE STORYLINE. • THE FILM IS BASED LOOSELY AROUND EVENTS IN DECEMBER 1995 THAT CULMINATED IN THE

MURDERS OF THREE DRUG DEALERS IN RETTENDON, ESSEX, UK. ON 6TH DECEMBER PATRICK TATE, CRAIG ROLFE AND TONY TUCKER, THREE DRUG DEALERS WELL KNOWN TO THE POLICE, WERE LURED TO WORKHOUSE LANE, RETTENDON. THERE THEY WERE BLASTED TO DEATH WITH A SHOT GUN WHILE SITTING IN THEIR RANGE ROVER. THEY HAD BEEN LURED TO THEIR DEATHS ON THE PRETEXT OF A LUCRATIVE DRUGS DEAL. THE THREE BODIES WERE FOUND THE FOLLOWING MORNING, 7 DECEMBER 1995. THE START OF THE FILM IS ABOUT A YOUNG TAXI DRIVER (BILLY – CHARLIE CREED – MILES) BEING OFFERED THE JOB TO HELP A SMALL TIME HARD MAN JASON (SEAN) GET REVENGE. THIS THEN PROGRESSES AND JAMIE BECOMES DEPENDENT ON BILLY AS BILLY WAKES UP ONE MORNING TO FIND A RANGE ROVER PARKED OUTSIDE HIS HOUSE AND THE DUTY TO THEN BE THE DRIVER OF THE GANG.

THE THEME AND GENRE OF THE FILM

• THE THEME IS A THRILLER, BUT ALSO A CRIME THRILLER

• THE GENRE OF IT IS ABOUT REVENGE AND ALSO THE JOBS AND THE LIVES OF CRIMINALS

THROUGH COSTUMES• JASON (PLAYED BY SEAN BEAN) IS WEARING A BRIGHT YELLOW SHIRT, WHICH IS VERY

“LOUD”, AND WOULD SYMBOLISE HIS CONFIDENCE IN HIS ACTIONS AND HIS JOB. IN THE FISHERY SCENE, HE ALMOST STANDS OUT STRAIGHT AWAY AS EVERYONE ELSE IS WEARING BLACK AND WHITE CLOTHING AND HE IS WEARING A BRIGHT YELLOW SHIRT, WHICH MAY ALSO SHOW HIS ANGER AND IMPORTANCE OVER EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING ELSE.

• BILLY’S COSTUME HOWEVER AT THE START IS MOSTLY BLACK BUT CASUALLY SMART. THIS MAY SHOW THAT HE IS DEDICATED TO HIS JOB TO LOOK SMART, BUT YET ALSO DOESN’T SYMBOLISE A LOT OF IMPORTANCE COMPARED TO JAMIE AS HE ISN’T BRIGHT OR LOUD, POSSIBLY SUGGESTING THAT HE IS ISN’T AS ‘RADICAL’ AS JAMIE IS.

COSTUMES OF THE CHARACTERS

Jason Billy

Stands out – important, loud, angry.

Blends in to the truck interior – not that important/not recognisable

THROUGH LIGHTING• IN THE OPENING OF THE FILM, AFTER THE CREDITS, IT STARTS WHERE BILLY IS GOING INTO THE

GARAGE TO FIND THE CAR. THE GARAGE IS VERY CLAUSTROPHOBIC AND ALSO VERY DARK AS THERE IS ONLY VERY LITTLE NON AMBIENT LIGHTING. THIS SHOWS THAT HE IS IN A BAD SITUATION, OR ABOUT TO START OFF SOMETHING BAD, SUCH AS THE CRIME THAT THEY ARE ABOUT TO COMMIT.

• ANOTHER LIGHTING TECHNIQUE THAT IS ALSO USED AND IS IN THE SAME GARAGE SCENE IS WHERE JASON IS STANDING IN FRONT OF THE CAR AND HE IS VIEWED THROUGH THE WIND SCREEN BY BILLY. THE LIGHTING AND THE CHARACTER POSITION ALMOST SHOWS THAT THE LIGHT IS SHINING UPON/ONTO JASON TO SHOW HIS IMPORTANCE OR POWER OVER BILLY, OR THAT HE IS BLOCKING THE LIGHT FROM BILLY AND NOW THAT THEY ARE IN THE CRIME TOGETHER, THEY WILL ALWAYS THEN BE LINKED TOGETHER.

THE LIGHTING SCENES

THROUGH THE SURROUNDINGS THE CHARACTERS ARE IN• IN THE OPENING OF THE FILM, WHEN BILLY DOES TURN ON THE LIGHT, THERE ARE A LOT OF COBWEBS ALL OVER THE

CAR, HANGING OFF THE LIGHT AND IN HIS PATH. THIS MAY SUGGEST THAT HE IS IN AN UNCOMFORTABLE SITUATION OR THE SITUATION THAT HE IS ABOUT TO TAKE PART IN AS THE COBWEBS ARE A SYMBOL OF UNPLEASANTNESS. AND AS IT IS ALSO SET IN A GARAGE, IT CREATES A CLAUSTROPHOBIC ATMOSPHERE AND THAT BILLY IS TRAPPED IN WHAT HE IS DOING AND ABOUT TO DO.

• ON THE WAY TO THE FISHERY, THE TWO CHARACTERS DRIVE THROUGH A LONG TUNNEL, AND THIS WOULD SYMBOLISE THE IDEA OF THE DRIVER BEING “TRAPPED” WITH JASON AS HE HAS NO ESCAPE FROM THE CAR AND NO WHERE TO REALLY GO.

• ALSO DURING THE FIRST CRIME THEY COMMIT, THE SAME TECHNIQUE IS USED SE THEY DO IT AT A FISHERY, WHICH REPRESENTS HOW UNCOMFORTABLE IT WOULD BE FOR CHIPPY (PLAYED BY GARETH MILNEY) AS HE IS BEING BEATEN UP BY JASON AS HE WOULD BE COVERED IN THE GREASE AND THE SLIME FROM THE FISH.

• THE FINAL PART OF THE CRIME AFTER THEY HAVE CAPTURED CHIPPY USES THE SCENERY AGAIN TO REPRESENT THE UNPLEASANTNESS AS THEY USE A MUDDY COAST LINE, WHERE THEY DUMP OFF THE SUSPECT, ALL COVERED IN MUD AND BEATEN AND THEN DRIVE AWAY, LEAVING HIM ALMOST WHAT SEEMS TO LOOK LIKE THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE.

THE SCENES OF THE SURROUNDINGS/LOCATIONS

THROUGH TECHNIQUES THAT THE DIRECTOR USES• THROUGH 2 PARTS OF THE OPENING PART OF THE FILM, PARTS OF THE SCENE ARE VIEWED FROM BILLY

WHO IS SITTING IN A CAR/TRUCK AND VIEWING IT FROM BEHIND GLASS. THE FIRST SCENE WHERE THIS OCCURS IS WHEN HE FIRST STARTS UP THE CAR AND USES THE WIPERS TO CLEAN THE WIND SCREEN TO FIND JASON STANDING IN FRONT OF THE CAR LOOKING AT HIM. THIS TECHNIQUE IS USED TO MAKE JASON SEEM ‘PSYCHOPATHIC’ AND THAT HE IS DERANGED AND NOT ATTACHED TO HIS REAL EMOTIONS, AND THAT THE GLASS IS ‘SEPARATING’ THEM FROM EACH OTHER IN SAFETY. IT ALSO MAKES JASON LOOK AS HE WAS “FULL OF MESS” AS THE MUD IS ‘WIPED’ OVER THE AREA OF THE WIND SCREEN WHERE HE IS STANDING.

• THE SECOND PART IS WHERE THEY ARE IN THE FISHERY AND JASON IS BEATING UP CHIPPY, AND BILLY IS WATCHING IT AS HE WAS SEPARATED FROM THE CRIME AND HE IS IN HIS OWN WORLD WATCHING IT AS THE SOUND IS ALMOST MUTED FROM WHEN YOU HEAR IT WHEN IT IS VIEWED FROM INSIDE THE TRUCK AND ALSO THAT JASON DOESN’T INTERFERE WITH BILLY DURING THE PROCESS (I.E. ASK HIM FOR HELP).

THE SCENES WHERE YOU VIEW IT FROM BEHIND THE GLASS.

THROUGH THE CHARACTER’S VOICES

• IN THE FILM THE CHARACTER’S USE AN ESSEX ACCENT, WHICH MAKES THEM SOUND LIKE THEY ARE GANGSTERS. THE DIRECTOR ESTABLISHES THE GENRE THROUGH THIS AS IT GIVES THE FILM A VERY GRUNGE LIKE TASTE AS IT MAKES IT SEEM AS YOU ARE WATCHING THE WORLD OF GANGSTERS, WHICH IN MOST CASES, THEIR WORK WAS VERY UNPLEASANT BUSINESS.

THROUGH THE POSITIONS OF THE CHARACTERS• AT THE START OF THE FILM, WHEN BILLY WAS SITTING IN THE CAR CLEANING

THE WINDSCREEN BY USING THE CAR WINDSCREEN WIPERS, JASON IS STANDING IN FRONT OF HIM, AND ALSO LOOKING DOWN ON HIM BECAUSE THE CAR MAKES BILLY SEEM LOWER TO HIM. THIS REPRESENTS POWER AND THAT BILLY IS NOW WEAKER THAN JASON BECAUSE OF THE CONFIDENCE JASON HAS IN HIS JOB, AND THE WAY THAT BILLY IS DIFFERENT FROM JASON IN HIS JOB AS HE DOES NOT COMMIT CRIMES OR IS A HITMAN. IN THIS WAY IT PRODUCES THE FEELING OF FEAR OF JASON AND THAT THE AUDIENCE IS NOW WEARY OF HIM AND WHAT HE WILL AND DOES DO FOR A LIVING.