Matthew Butcher

Essex Boys Case Study – How do aspects establish the genre?

General Information about Essex Boys

● Director - Terry Winsor● Genre - Crime Thriller● Release Date - 14 July 2000● Rating - 5.9/10 from 2,457 users on IMDb● A user on IMDb said “it was a compelling film” but they

didn't really enjoy the film much and rated it 5 out of 10 ● No awards received

Genre and Theme • The genre of this film is a thriller. The type of thriller it is, is a crime thriller.

• The theme of it is about revenge and daily lives of criminals in the place of Essex, London.

• To identify the generic aspects I will look at how the lighting, costume, location, storyline and

techniques make a successful thriller film. For example in this picture it shows isolation. An aspect

of the genre of Essex Boys. A dull and miserable atmosphere is shown.

Storyline • The film is based 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) being offered the job to help a small time hard man Jamie (Sean) get revenge.

• This storyline automatically gives a sense of crime and punishment with shady jobs being done which is perfect

for a thriller type film. It creates tension, mystery and suspense which will be shown throughout the whole film

and build up to a climax.

OpeningIn the opening credits, there are white lines which look like scratch marks which could be interpreted as someone being trapped and trying to claw their way out. They strike fear straight away and establish the genre of the film. Non Diegetic sounds play at the start which builds up tension and suspense. The scratches could be interpreted and knife slices which would suggest a thriller aspects because it inserts fear into the audience. The black on white contrast shows the classic noir interpretation of a thriller, also suggests the use of chiaroscuro lighting.

Lighting• The garage at the beginning is dark inside as there's little non ambient lighting. This lighting shows a sense of

danger and mystery which can make audiences think something bad will happen. This is important that the

lighting shows this because they are about to commit a crime. It builds up the scene and atmosphere. There is

lots of non ambient lighting to show that dim lighting is needed as it's nighttime so it's needed. It also so

undercover work and interrogation. Instantly establishes the genre of the film.

• Another effective piece of lighting used is when Jamie is standing in front of the car seen through the wind

screen by Billy. The light on the character's position shows that the light is shining upon Jamie to show his

importance or power over Billy. Thrillers normally have some characters stronger than others with feelings of

fear and dominance which is portrayed here.

• Chiaroscuro lighting (light on dark) is also used which suggests mystery, nightmare, suspense and isolation.

This is a key feature in noir thrillers because the darkness on the light establishes the noir of the film.

Costumes and Characters• A character named Jason is wearing a bright yellow shirt and symbolises his confidence and comfort when

doing his job. He stands out straight away because everyone else in the scene is wearing black and white

clothing and he is wearing a bright yellow shirt importance over the others as he is the character standing out

from the crowd.

• Billy’s costumes are mostly in black which makes him look normal and casual. This may show that he is weary

about being caught so tries to stay as normal as possible for his job and also looks very smart. He seems shy

compared to Jason because he wears black to fade in, while Jason wears bright clothes to be the centre of

attention which shows confidence. These characters profiles show the types of characteristics people play in

thrillers and they can be confident and up for the job but they can also be nervous with the fear of knowing they

are in a dangerous job.

Costumes/Characters Screen Shots

Jason stands out – shows importance, loud, angry vibes. The centre of attention. He's wearing yellow to the people in the background who are wearing white.

Billy blends in to the truck interior – looks like a normal driver. Face shows nervous and worried but hides it up as he'll be seen as cowardly to the others like Jason.

Location• In the opening of the film, there are a lot of cobwebs over the car and around the garage. This may suggest

that he is in an awkward and scary situation because cobwebs portray spiders which signify spooky situations.

The garage creates claustrophobia and that billy is trapped and cannot get out of this job.

• There is a long tunnel which Billy drives through with Jason and this would giving the impression of the driver

not being able to turn back and has to get through the tunnel there's and nowhere else to go.

• A muddy coast line is used to get rid of the suspects body. He is covered in mud and beaten up with acid

thrown over his face and they leave him and drive away, leaving him isolated in the mucky sand which looks

like a desert which goes on for miles and miles

• The location shows aspects of a thriller but the senses of isolation and claustrophobia and the destination

aren't the normal locations in other genres but mystery, tension and suspense is simply shown from the garage,

tunnel and coastline at the beginning of Essex Boys establishing the atmosphere and types of scene.

Location Screen Shots

The garage – dark, non ambient lighting. Looks old, deserted and unappealing. Point of view shot to instantly put the audience in the creepy perspective in a garage. Billy's accent relates the the title of the film as he's from 'Essex'.

Tunnel – looks never ending, mysterious, isolated. It could show the dark events which will arise later in the film. A point of view shot is used to place the audience in the position of the characters and genre. Claustrophobic senses and he cannot turn back now.

Beach – Isolated. In the middle of nothing but sand a sea water. There is nowhere to hide and the sea makes it look like the man is stranded.

These are the generic aspects of location within Essex Boys which fit in with the thriller genre especially with the mystery and constant feel of being in an isolated area.

Diegetic and Non Diegetic SoundsDiegetic sounds are what the audience can see and hear such as Jason who is a very loud and confident character who is well known for being the man you don't want to mess with. Also the sounds of the the windscreen when Billy uses the wipers to clear mud of of the glass creates and mysterious and builds up tension in the scene. Jason standing in front of the car, raises the drama and spookiness.

Non diegetic sounds are the music which begins at the start of the film when Jason is driving. The sound seems quite calm and relaxing which could be a build up to an action scene. Another form of diegetic sound is the narration from Billy at the start when Jason kidnapped a man who he used to know. The use of narration built up with story in the build up to Jason's plans and what he was going to do.

Techniques used• Billy is in the car and sees Jason staring at him from the outside. The windscreen is the only thing separating

them. This technique of separation is used to make Jason look like a psychopath because he is just staring at

him with no emotions being shown. Even though they're together, no one can be trusted in this shady business.

• The second part time this happens is when they are in the fishery and Jason is beating up someone called

Chippy, and Billy is watching it as if he has nothing to do with it. He looks like he doesn't want to interfere

because Jason is a strong character and he doesn't want to get in his way. He is the backing man in the attack.

• The car window is lowered by Jason as he stares with no emotion to what seems to be no mans land. This is a

very effective shot because his character is being revealed from the initial window separating him from the

outside.

• The techniques of the separation from glass sends of the aspects of a thriller genre through mystery and the

facial expressions from the characters behind the glass. Either looking nervous or having a poker face with no

emotion being shown.