Pre-Production paperwork

production log week 11

Throughout this week me and my partner created a script for our opening sequence. This included the; Location, Shot type, Camera angle, Camera movement, Duration, Dialogue, Graphics, Music & sound effects, Description of action, Actors and Equipment; all of which we will need within each shot of our opening sequence. 

Creating a script is a good way on keeping our production organised so that when we are filming, everything goes to plan. The script will also help the Actors in our film because although we will be directing them ourselves, for them to get a better understanding they can also look at the script as it is very specific on each shot.  

When making the script we found it difficult to divide each section of our opening sequence into each individual shots because the duration of each shot had to be very specific, as it had to add upto two minutes in total. Me and my partner both fixed this issue as we made sure all shots were reasonably long for the total of our opening sequence to add upto two minutes long. We also had to think very carefully about the music and sound effects we included as we want to make the sound flow fluently on top of the composed soundtrack. 

These were the Do's and Don'ts for the script we had to create this week.

Fake ID script

Production log 10

Throughout this week we mainly concentrated on our target audience. We were told to create a power point slide which was basically based on how our target audience are going to be portrayed. The title of it was; 'Meet my audience' and it was purely displaying an example of the audience which are going to watch our bsr film, It included general/basic information about the person and their lifestyle. This helped me become more familiar with the interests of my target audience, reminding me to produce something which will appeal to them.

We were set another important task, which was to do primary audience research. We had a choice to do this research through three ways, which were either; focus group video, Vox pop or questionnaire. Me and my partner both agree'd to do vox pop because we thought it was the best way to demonstrate evidence of our research as it's shown very clearly and obviously. 

From the audience research I got to learn many things about what the general public think about 'British social realism' and also what they thought of my own bsr narrative. Majority of the public were familiar with the concept of 'BSR' and had a good understanding of what it actually is, this allowed me to receive some solid feedback. The responses I got for my initial idea were quite positive as I found that my storyline is relatable to the target audience, connoting that it will appeal to them.

This primary research influenced my planning as it formed the basis of my initial idea and made me very aware of the audiences expectations.

Link to my vox pop

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Vt_6RL-Sj0

Data Presentation and Qualitative data analysis

Clicking the link below, will display the 'audience research' me and my partner done, through a; 'Vox pop' video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Vt_6RL-Sj0


Stated below is the feed back i received from majority of the public.
(similar answers have not been repeated twice.)

1.What comes to mind when you think of British social realism?

* The other side of Britain
* A lot of violence
* "Kidulthood."
* Gangs
* Drugs (drug dealing) and alcohol
* Real life situations such as; kids getting into fights
* Estates and stabbings
* Knife crime and corruption
* Sexual acts

2.What British social realism films have you watched?

* Adulthood
* Kidulthood
* Shank
* 4,3,2,1
* This is England
* Topboy
* Fish Tanks

3.What themes and situations come to mind when you think of BSR films?

* What generally goes on within streets
* Drug associated fights
* Drugs and violence
* Killing and drug dealing
* Alcohol
* Fights
* Problems between teenagers
* Corruption

4.What do you think of our narrative, where a young teen goes against her religion and family?

* Good story-line as it happens a lot, but not shown in the media often
* Good narrative as it's seen in other films such as; 4,3,2,1
* Powerful narrative
* Good narrative
* " Not right shouldn't be doing it."
* " Sounds like it may make quite a good film."
* " Admirable sometimes, as it's quite tough to do that."
* " Really interesting storyline."

5.Can this narrative relate to you and how ?

* " Yeah because my sister use to wear a scarf but she doesn't want to wear it anymore."
* " My sister's goes against her religion."
* 2/10 people can relate to this narrative.
* 4/10 people have heard about similar situations.
* 4/10 people said "No."

Qualitative data analysis

1. From the feedback within my vox pop I found out that when my audience think of 'British social realism' majority of them understand the genre quite well and have a good understanding of it, very similar to what it actually is. This connotes that my film will appeal to my target audience as majority of them are familiar with the idea of 'British social realism' and also highlights the fact that they're perhaps interested in this genre.  

2. I found out that my audience tend to watch British social realist that are more recent such as; Adulthood, Kidulthood, Shank, 4,3,2,1, Fish Tank and so on. This connotes that perhaps the Era within my film has to be portrayed "modern", obviously so that the audience appeal to it. I've also noticed that the main characters in most of these films are seen to be quite young, mainly teenagers, Connoting that if I include similar aged characters within my film, my target audience will be able to relate to them better and their lifestyle (uses and and gratifications of personal identity). 

3. The themes and situations my target audience think of when they hear of the genre 'British social realism' are often; Drugs, violence, Alcohol etc. By identifying this we have found out the expectations of the audience, this way we can include the situations that the audience want and expect. 

4. One of the most important bit of information i received from the vox pop is what the audience thought of my initial idea. I asked the audience what they thought of my narrative and majority of them replied positively, for instance; "Powerful narrative", "Good storyline" and so on. This connotes that my target audience will appeal to my film and are interested within the storyline. Knowing this encouraged me to keep my idea how it is and made me much more confident on carrying the project out. 

5. Overall this feedback was most definitely helpful to me and my partner as it allowed us to sum up our final idea and base it on what the audience want, this way we can please their expectations. 

She is my audience

Production log 9

This week i have studied a lot on narratives. I have explored the types of narrative structure, I've learnt that there is a Linear narrative; where the story has a start, middle and end in that order. A non-linear narrative; This is where the narrative is not in chronological order, for instance in BSR films a non-linear narrative could be identified when we see flashbacks, like shown in the starting of the film 'Adulthood'. A Restricted narrative; A narrative from only one character in the story, (usually the protagonist), This is displayed in the bsr films; 'Fish tank' and 'Yasmin'. A Omniscient narrative; A narrative from more than one character, so the audience has access to more narrative events (sometimes knowing more than the characters). 

This information helped me along the week as it gave me different narrative ideas when it came to making my treatment and whole film narrative. It also made me realise what type of narrative structure suited my bsr film best, as my film is from one character's view which is the protagonist Ayesha, I chose to go with the 'Restricted Narrative'. 

Mckee's Classic Narrative Structure

Mckee's 'Classic Narrative structure'

Exposition Protagonists -
The protagonist is a young girl who is living in two very different lives, Her name is Ayesha, 18 years old, Her ethnic background is an Asian (Pakistani). Ayesha got sacked from her old job as a retail manager, due to poor attendance. This was very coincidental as her parents were struggling to pay off serious debts at the same time, Her family slowly reached a very low point of their life's were they needed every single penny to make a living for themselves. Ayesha became extremely desperate for money, to a high degree that she got influenced into prostitution, this soon turned into a permanent job for her. The prostitute job is a massive secret, as her family is excessively religious there is no way that they can find out about it, she lies to them; saying she works at a retail shop. Ayesha is represented as a secretive, disloyal, lieing, cheating young girl, she has basically decided to choose money and wealth over religion, faith and family.

Agents of change-
Poverty within the family is the disruption of normality as it is the reason for Ayesha going against her religion and parents to earn money through prostitution. The family is suffering from poverty as Ayesha's fathers corner shop goes 'out of business' which leads them into debt. The disruption ruins a young teens life so it is a very strong turning point in the narrative. Poverty is a key disruption point because it wrecks the relationship between her and the family because they become depressed, low and miserable being blinded by her daughters lies and actions. As we do not have an antagonist in human form we decided to include the antagonist to be one of the key theme of poverty and prostitution.

Conflict complication-
Ayesha tries many attempts to find a suitable job after loosing her job in retail to provide for the family and keep a roof over their heads, but as she fails to do so she turns to the dark, dangerous and desperate road trying to earn money as soon as possible through prostitution.However Ayesha is blinded by her parents state in poverty that she neglects her parents upbringing, the rules and regulations and does what she believes is seemingly right. 

Elaboration-
 Ayesha and her very religious family (two children and parents) face serious debt problems, this changes all of their lives to an extremely low point, as they severely suffer from poverty. Considering that Ayesha lost her job as a retail manager recently, in desperate terms she gets easily influenced into prostitution by a hooker she met on the bus. She ends up going to this secret prostitute house were she can earn 'easy' money. After experiencing it for couple days this Soon becomes a permanent job for her, she socializes and mixes with different people that are troubled and up to no good which manage to change her as a person. As Ayesha's entire family are extremely strict religious Muslims, in-front of them she portrays herself to be this;'innocent, honest, religious kind loving girl' that would never disobey her parents as she reminds them almost everyday how much she's focusing on carrying out a 'successful business' which would make her parents proud. There is no way that she lets them find out she is a prostitute, everything is done secretly. The problem is that it doesn't stay a secret for long at all, her true colours come out as she realises she isn't this 'religious' young women her parents (Nina and riad) force her to be. Instantly this prostitute job has an effect on her lifestyle and the person she is as she turns to drugs, changes the way she dresses, openly smokes and drinks in public. Her parents become aware that she has developed into a terrible person, but are still not fully aware of the full situation, the fact that she is a prostitute. It became regular that Ayesha and her parents would argue at the fact that she needs to fix up and go back to the religious, good person that she was, but she did not seem to care.
Themes of; poverty (The family is suffering from money problems), Religion (A very religious family), Drugs (Ayesha turns to drugs), sexuality (Ayesha becomes a prostitute), isolation and exclusion (Ayesha is living a separate life alone, that her family are not aware of).

Climax & Resolution-
It came to a bad point were both parents had no choice but to confront Ayesha and give her a serious warning. This confrontation led to a deep argument, Out of anger Ayesha reveals all; 'GUESS WHAT MUM AND DAD I DON'T NEED ANY OF YOU'SE! YOUR BOTH SHIT PARENTS ANYWAY, I BET YOU HAD NO IDEA MY NEW JOB WAS ANYTHING GOT TO DO WITH PROSTITUTION' At this moment both of the parents had a sickening feeling in their stomach, out of disgust and hatred towards Ayesha they told her to leave the house with all her belongings and made it very clear to her that she is; 'Completely disowned from today on wards'.

Coda- 
Couple months later Ayesha falls in love with an elderly man ( named Rob) that she met through prostitution. She's in a relationship with him were she is supposedly happy and has freedom as he provides her with a home and reasonable amount of food.
The ending will show Ayesha living in a better condition with her boyfriend although its still a dull and boring life, which again emphasizes the reality.

Treatment

TREATMENT

Title;

Me and my partner have decided that our British Social Realism film should be called 'Fake ID', we decided to use this as our title because it helps to connote the theme and narrative of our film which is about a teen who is living two separate lives one of which she is seen as a  religious girl and the other as a westernized prostitute. The title connotes confusion, enigma and mystery as the audience would want to know more into the story line to know about the fake identity. 

Fake ID connotes the theme of drugs and this is because underclass people frequently use fake age or names to forge drugs without being caught by the authority.

The theme of religion is also shown in the title because fake identity can be used to access different types of places based on your ethnic/religious background.

Our title 'Fake ID' also shows the theme of isolation because people would fail to recognize the real side of our main character meaning she would be isolated from friends and family. 

Sexuality and Sex as a theme can be recognized through the title seeing as teens suffering from poverty often go into prostitution and use fake identity to get them started in the job. The use of fake ID grants entrance into places such as club, strip clubs or bars.  

The title is conventional for BSR as it is short, simple and sharp and in most of these genres of films they include a short and catchy titles such as 'SCUM'. The brief title is an effective way to catch the audience eye and also to make sure  they remember the name of the film. Our title may be short but it connotes numerous themes which are isolation, religion, poverty, drugs, sex, sexuality and exclusion. 

We analysed and gained our inspiration from the film 'Yasmin' which is about a women living two different lives, the title from this film is also abbreviated and memorable as it is the name of the main character.

Fake ID will appeal to our target audience as it includes a puzzle, secrecy and thrill which would encourage the audience into wanting to know more about the narrative and ways the mystery is created.

Target audience; 

Our target audience is starting from teenagers 16 to 24 year old following the brief.We thought that this age is suitable because one of our themes is sex and this may be inappropriate for anyone under age 16 because it is quite a intense and strong topic. Fake ID is targeted at both male and female audience but would mainly appeal to the female side because of the main character being a women, this would appeal to them because of personal identity relating to females and their lives or situations they may have gone through.The target audience will likely be middle class or an underclass audience as the themes in our film would not be relate-able for a working class audience such as poverty or drugs and would not appeal the way it would to a underclass audience watching. 

Our audiences media consumption would be on television programs such as Eastenders or Waterloo road because these shows involve situations which will be occurring in our film such as the struggle for money or problems with parenthood. Eastenders and Waterloo road also contain real life situations which is one of the conventions of BSR. These television programs are also set in the more gritty and rough part of Britain which is where my film will also be set making it another reason why these shows fit into my film and relate to the same audience.

The narrative of the media consumption do relate to our film but what makes our film unique is that we included a combination and a contrast between religion and prostitution adding a twist into our narrative, by doing this we believe it will be distinctive from any other BSR film.

Technology;

When planning our film (pre-production) we used blogger to analyse and research numerous types of BSR films such as Fish tank, Bulletboy, Adulthood and many more. We then will be using a video camera and a tripod to produce/create our own BSR film. The tripod will be used to give us a more professional and smooth looking film allowing us to get long shots or establishing shots without using handheld. Finally for post-production we will be using Imovie to edit our film adding the final touches eg; changing lengths of the film or adding music on top. For typography in post-production we will most likely be using fireworks as it has been used by us before and we believe that it gives us a positive result allowing us to create typography which suits the theme or our BSR film. The use of fireworks guarantees that the typography we will create defiantly is going to be original and unique.

We would like to use better quality equipment such as HD cameras, we would also like to film in a more gritty location and have props that are more realistic. Due to being students we are limited to access these types of equipment as we are on a budget.   

Representations;

The key characters in our film will be Ayesha who is the protagonist and the antagonist. Ayesha will play both roles as the character goes against her religion but only to provide for her family who are suffering from poverty. Ayesha's parents will play the antagonist roles also as they force her into becoming religious without her intentions making her do actions which she is not fond of. 

We have applied Propp's character types in our narrative, we did this by having our main character Ayesha as the hero and villain. Hero because she is the lead narrative trying to sort her life our and solve problems. Villain because she has two different sides one of which she is involved in prostitution and drugs. We have made sure to include a helper in our narrative who will plays the role of a man Ayesha meets through prostitution who helps her to receive the aspiration and escape she needed removing her away from the dark and depressing lifestyle.

Fake ID will subvert from the typical Asian family representation, this will be due to the fact that the main character is westernized and disrespectful of her religion. However we do not subvert from the fact that the underclass living condition is cheap and harsh.  

Narrative;

Brief summary of the film; Our film 'Fake identity' is going to have a restricted Narrative as its mostly going to be based on one character's point of view, the protagonist Ayesha.
Ayesha and her family turn from a fairly positive way of lifestyle to an awful low point as they struggle to pay off serious debts. While Ayesha tries to make a living for herself and an extremely religious family, she goes against her religion, in desperate measures she gets dragged into prostitution and along the way faces other negative situations as she approaches life on the streets.

Detailed summary of opening sequence; The opening sequence of our film will have a non-linear format and smash-mouth beginning. It will start off with Ayesha stripping her religious clothes off into a revealing, tight fitted outfit, This will be taken place in a narrow, gritty alleyway. The camera will switch shots between Ayesha's mother praying whilst she is getting changed into hooker clothes ready to start her day off as a prostitute. On her way to a secret house she hears boys scream out 'Oioi sexy'. This makes her extremely nervous and intimidated, as she tries getting away from them, across the road she spots her Dad as he is on his way to mosk for prayer. At this moment Ayesha panics and quickly hides behind the closest object to her, which is a car. The camera is quite shaky here, as it's seen from her perspective. She peeks through a gap waiting for her dad to be out of sight, It is very intense as we are able to hear her heavy breathing. As soon as her dad is out of sight she gets up and quickly makes her way to a secret house (Brothel), where a odd looking man lets her in. At the end we see her come out this house in a rush, looking extremely messy. This storyline relates to the bsr genre as it involves typical conventions and themes seen in a British social realism film.

Conventions;

To conform conventions of an opening sequence specifically those displayed within the BSR genre me and my partner will make sure the mise-en-scene and other editing seem rough, gritty and unprofessional which will give out a sense of realism and also emphasize the troubled lifestyle of underclass people. We also decided to include a smash-mouth beginning, which is a good way to create enigma aswell as an adrenaline rush for the audience, this will enable them to feel more involved and perhaps more interested within the film. A smash-mouth beginning like the one seen in the film 'Trainspotting' influenced me and my partner to include one in our own opening sequence. Although our smash-mouth beginning is not going to be as hectic as the one shown in trainspotting, it will still be shocking for the audience as we will subvert the stereotypical role of a religious person, So they're perhaps not expecting to see someone that looks 'extremely religious' change into the complete oposite, an undercover prostitute. We also decided to conform to the convention of minimal dialogue, due to the fact that we dont want to give too much away in the first two minutes.

Style and Iconography;

In the process of filming our opening sequence I will use alot of basic shots such as; mid-shots, close-ups and long-shots. Mid-shots and close-ups will be used to convey the representation of Ayesha and also to emphasise what she is wearing or how she is portrayed. Close-ups will allow the audience to visualise the characters facial expression or how she is feeling in a much clearer way. Long shots and wider shots will be used within my film to enable the audience with a distinct understanding of what is going on along with establishing the location of the film. The reason why we are quite confident in using these basic shots is because its incredibly typical of a British social realist film. 

Mid-shot

Close-up

Long-shot

Whilst filming we will use hand held camera work so that its shaky and less professional. Jerky camera movement gives the film some verisimilitude which definitely makes it seem more believable and realistic. We will use camerawork that shows the audience from Ayesha's (main character) point of view, this will allow them to feel more involved with the film, sort of as if they're actually in her position,This also creates a buzz rather then just watching it without any excitement on a tv screen! Unsteady camera work is commonly seen within BSR films as it goes well with the themes and highlights the grittiness of the underclass/working class people living in rough, urban areas. We will also make sure that the rule of thirds is included in our shots, as it's quite important for the eye contact of the character to be the same level as everyone else in the scene. Slow pans or tracking shots will definitely be used in our opening sequence as it's a way to follow the character at his pace of movement and visualize the locations accurately. We will use editing that creates an effect for the audience and represents the British social realism genre appropriately. We have decided to use simple/minimal editing due to the fact that we are trying to make it seem as realistic as possible. Minor edits such as strong, shaky camerawork used in a running scenes are well suited in a bsr film as it makes it less fluent and more convincing for viewers. We will most definitely not use special effects or transitions like; Glow, twirls, wipes and swirls as they may make it seem unreal or artificial and our main aim is to keep it very realistic! 

We will use specific costumes/props as visual signifiers for the audience. Her costume will represent the working class lifestyle she is living in, it will be basic but also related to the the themes and situations. She will be wearing costumes that are appropriate for the main theme of 'Religion' such as; Hijab and burka although she changes into clothing which represents her role. She will be changed into revealing clothes which expose body parts as her job is to be a prostitute. The clothes worn by Ayesha will be rough, creased and dirty this is able to display the theme of poverty clearly and assert the audience that she is struggling through life. Props such as make-up will be used often within the film alot as it plays a big part of her life it also alerts the audience that she has to look her best at all times due to what she does for a living (prostitution). 

We have decided to use minimal sound effects. We will involve Diegetic sound such as; Birds, pigeons, transport, and the general sound of people's chatter quite frequently as it is able to create atmosphere and add that extra sense of realism. The typical diegetic sound used in British social realism films are; Gun shots, slap, punch, blurring music out of cars, screaming and shouting. Within our film we won't need to use all of these, but we may include few such as; the sound of a lighter, screaming and shouting. Considering that the brief tells us we cannot use any sort of copyright music me and my partner will have to come out with our own composed music that is also relatable with the bsr genre and themes that are taken place within our film. The music will most likely be urban, R&B or rap as all three genres in music are quite commonly played in bsr films because people living in Britain, mostly teens often listen to this type/genre of music.

Institution;

The production company in the brief is film4 which will make a great impact on the type of film we will be producing. As film4 and its parent company are both British companies, they contributed to the development of the British social realism genre hugely. Most films that are produced by them or shown on their channel is highly expected to be British. Film4 is an extremely successful company which produced many popular bsr films such as; 'Trainspotting' and 'East is East' this puts real pressure on us and makes us want to produce something that would meet the high standards and match upto the viewers expectations. Trainspotting is a film produced by film4 which had an impact on the way we want to start our film as it inspired me and my partner on the smash-mouth beginning for our opening sequence. One of the main impact film4 has made on the type of of film create has to be the fact that we must include similar conventions to what the viewers have already seen within the bsr films produced by the production company before. The production company will effect the distribution of my film, considering the fact that film4 is an independent company they will have a restricted amount of money for distribution to cinemas. As their budget is low for bsr films I will have to use cheaper marketing strategies such as; social networking advertisement and posters meaning that it can only be distributed in few independent cinemas within Britain as they usually show films within this genre. Film4 is a vertically integrated company so its likely that our film is going to be exhibited through one of the companies owned by the parent company such as; Channel 4, film4, E4 etc.  

Production log week 8

This week i got to develop the concept of my BSR film. I made three initial ideas that had to include four key things, which were; Themes, Narrative, setting/location and the protagonist. For each idea I made sure that the conventions, themes and situations would directly relate to the British social realism genre. The representation of the protagonist was also thought about very thoroughly as it plays quite an important role for the audience to understand and perhaps connect with. The themes I used were typical of what is expected to be seen in a BSR film such as; Poverty, Violence, Petty crime and so on, this was also important because it is vital that it relates to the genre. To expand on this I also thought about realistic, working class locations that I could potentially use within my film. I got places such as; Ilford and barking which have specific run down parts to it that can emphasise the theme of poverty and the harsh reality of underclass/workingclass people.

The key influences on my BSR ideas would have to be all the BSR films I have been watching recently. By watching various types of BSR films I got many ideas and combined them together with my own twists to it. This gave my some impressive results as I came out with different ideas such as; subverting stereotypical roles, which will allow me to make my film original and uncommon. 

I decided to work in the group I am working in due to the fact that me and my partner have similar ideas and interests. We both want our film to be based on themes such as; religion and poverty this will enable us to input both of our different ideas and hopefully create something amazing. I think this partnership could be quite successful as we are both ready to motivate eachother and work to our full potential. 

Our initial idea

The representation of the protagonist in my initial idea was inspired by the main character in the film 'Yasmin'. 

Initial idea presentation

Production Log week 7

The key issues I have researched this week were Britain's current affairs. Looking at BBC, Sky news, Newspapers and Google news we had to find three news stories that would make a good basis for a British social realism film and write one paragraph explaining why. 

When looking for a story in the news I had to consider appropriate themes, Locations and situations that may relate to a BSR film, For instance Murder, Cruelty, Poverty, theft, Crime and violence that take place within Britain. 

From looking at current affairs in Britain I got ideas on what themes and situations I can include in my own production which is also able to relate with the current society. Some storylines that I researched are quite unusual, this can make a positive impact to the ideas that I already have as it will allow me to make my opening sequence more unique and different to typical British social realist films.

During this week we also put together three initial ideas for our BSR film. This had to include the possible; Themes, setting/Location, Journey/Narrative and protagonist. This task was incredibly beneficial as it gave me a head start on what my production may involve. It also allowed me to think carefully and get feedback from people on which idea out of the three is best suited for My British social realist film (opening sequence). 

Initial ideas for BSR

Idea 1

Unfinished business

Protagonist

Gender - Male

Name - Haider

Age - 17

Representation of Haider = A Determined young boy who tries to change his rough way of lifestyle. Living in the Rural part of England, especially with a bad reputation due to his past it is hard for him to escape from gangs and violence.

Journey/Narrative -  A damaged boy who is wounded from his dark past and tries to change his way of lifestyle. His family abandoned him, meaning he had no choice left but to move into a trashy youth hostel. He see's a better vision of life and decides to mature up and change into an adult. This all went wrong when two of the boys from his past life, he tried avoiding move into the hostel with him. They have unfinished business with him and want payback for what he has done. The two boys trick Haider into being friends with them, peer pressure him into drugs and alcohol which result in wrecking his life completely. After all this damage they have caused, The two boys leave haider hanging in a dreadful state.

Setting/Location - London/ Ilford - gritty parts.

Themes - Drug experimentation, violence, Aspiration and escape, Petty crime, Neglect and Poverty.

Idea 2

Fake Identity

Protagonist

Gender - Female

Name - Ayesha

Age - 18
Secretive young girl living in two extremely different lifes.

Journey/Narrative -  Living through a struggle Ayesha has two very seperate lifes. She's had a fairly positive way of lifestle, being braught up in an excessively religious family. This all changes for her as she faces an awful, gritty way of life on the streets. As her family are unable to pay off debts they unexpectedly struggle from serious poverty. She has no choice but to turns to drug dealing and prostitution to make a living for herself and the rest of her family. Ayesha's family do not know she does this for a living as she puts on an act to be an intelligent, religious, wise young girl.

Setting/Location - London / Ilford - Ilford lane -gritty council estate area.

Themes - Religion, Poverty, Drugs , Sex, Sexuality, isolation and exclusion.

                 

Idea 3

Isolated

Protagonist

Gender - Female

Name - Laura

Age - 10

A Little girl living in a disruptive, unstable household. This has a very bad effect on her childhood.

Journey/Narrative - Laura's parents have an extremely abusive relationship which she has to witness on a day to day life. She feels depressed, lonely and neglected as she gets no care or attention from her parents. Laura struggles through a tough childhood which almost led her onto committing suicide. 

Setting/Location - London/ Barking, council estate.

Themes - Childhood, violence, corruption of youth, Domestic abuse, Neglect, isolation and exclusion.

What's in the news?

News story 1

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24767981

 A young mother and two men were found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a 17-month-old boy known only as Baby P. He died in London after suffering more than fifty injuries over an eight-month period, during which he was repeatedly seen by Haringey Children's services and NHS health professionals. 

This news story would make a great British social realist film. Possible themes which may be included for this storyline are; neglect, violence, mental illness, corruption of youth, abuse, isolation and exclusion. All of these themes are extremely typical of the BSR genre and is able to represent the lifes of underclass, disruptive, troubled people quite clearly. This story is set in North london, haringey which is a possible setting of a BSR film as it is a working class environment with rough areas around. Based on this tragic news story of Baby P, A possible British social realism storyline which can relate to it with a few twists may include situations such as; the childs Mother and step dad being mentaly disturbed/ill. Which led to neglect, unacceptable behaviour from the parents and an unsafe environment for the baby to live in. The child ends up being starved and abused on a daily basis and even fed drugs and alcohol which results to his death.

News story 2

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-23911381

A vigil has been held for a nursery worker shot dead as she celebrated her birthday in north-west London. Sabrina Moss, 24, died from a gun shot wound to the chest in Kilburn in the early hours of last Saturday while out with friends.

This news Story can make a good storyline for a British social realism film. As possible themes such as; Violence, Racism, Rebellion, Crime and death may be involved, all of which are typically seen in the BSR genre. Gun crimes and shooting are relevant to a bsr film as it is able to emphasise the reality/danger of troubled, underclass people living in rough, urban areas who are involved with this quite often. The location could possibly be set in London, Hackney a gritty, urban area where crimes like this may occur.
Based on this news story a possible British social realism storyline could be about a girl that is the victim as well as the protagonist who was involved in gangs and petty crime couple years back. She tries to change her way of lifestle but on the process, her enemies try and get payback. At her Birthday party she is shot by someone annonymous.

News story 3

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-24987953

A woman has pleaded guilty to murdering three men whose bodies were found in ditches in Cambridgeshire. The bodies of the victims were found in March and April. All three had been stabbed.

The possible themes in this story may include; Violence, Crime, Poverty, and death. All of the themes mentioned would make a good British social realism film. This could be set in a gritty,rough urban area which is a typical location of bsr films as its usually where brutal crimes like this take place. This news story would make a suprising and extraordinary storyline for a British social realism film because its extremely unusual for a women to be committing such serious, violent crimes as their usually portrayed to be loving, gentle and warmhearted. A bsr film based on this storyline could be about a depressed Girl living a troubled life full of struggles which turns her into a disturbed young women. She kills three random men off the streets as she was not enjoying life, this was a way to release her misery. The protagonist could be a private investigator who catches her out before she can kill more people. 

Production Log week 6

This week I have learnt about the three essential devices in an opening sequence. These were the; Camera conventions, Editing conventions and Mise-en-scene conventions. We were told to analyse the fast half hour of three British social realist films based on the three conventions stated above. The films I chose to analyse were; 'Shank', 'Offender' and 'kidulthood'. The analyses of these films were presented on a powerpoint with detailed writing and pictures.

The conventions written in the images below are typical to be seen in a BSR film.

From analysing the three aspects I have learnt the typical conventions of the BSR genre. For instance I now know that the Camera conventions in a BSR film would most likely include Slow pans or tracking shots, Medium/Closeups of the main character and Hand held shots. Ive learnt that the Editing conventions in a BSR film often contain; Long takes, Simple/minimal editing, Audio Overlap and many more. Mise-en-scene conventions in a BSR film consist of; Natural lighting, Real locations, Dull colour palate, empty sets and so on. I have realised that all of these conventions are included in a BSR film to match the genre and fit in with the realistic theme. 

Gaining all this knowledge on BSR conventions will have a great impact on my production. I now have a better understanding on what to include in my film to suit the genre and create that extra sense of realism. Within my opening sequence I am quite certain to use specific conventions such as; Natural lighting, Jerky camera movements, Simple/minimal editing and most definately Real locations. I want my opening sequence to be extremely realistic and believable for the audience.

Beachcombing for Inspiration

Beachcombing for inspiration

Themes 

Dysfunctional families - I would like to include a theme like this in my film as it is truthful to the audience on how a underclass family behave and communicate with one another.

Violence - Violence is a common theme used in British social realist films, this theme may influence my work because it portrays the typical lifestyle of teens and young adults living through poverty in run down, urban areas.

Drug abuse/Drug experimentation - Is a theme I would like to use within my film as it gives out a clear message to the audience on the bad effects it has on people and their life. 

Typography

Typography that is quite big, basic and simple may influence my work as it is clear and obvious to read as well as understand. The basic font may be reflective to the normal lifestyle of people from the working class/underclass that are living in poverty, this will represent the theme of my film also. The colour will be appealing to the audience as white is usually eye-catching and sticks out from the background unless the background is white or cream. This way if the audience are too emerged in the film, they will also be able to note and familiarise the opening credits at the same time.

 sounds

Urban music similar to this certain song may influence my film as it suites the genre and location of the film. The lyrics in the song such as; 'Life's a Bitch' may relate to the life's of characters in a British social realism film, these lyrics also emphasise the fact that they live in a lack of hope. 

Costumes

In my opening sequence I would like to use similar costumes to the characters in kidulthood. They are seen to wear baggy oversized clothes, hoodies and tracksuit bottoms. I think young adults and teens living in rough, urban areas are usually stereotyped to be be dressed in this type of basic, scruffy clothing as they are typically portrayed as tacky, unwealthy people. 

Actors

This actors name is ' Kierston Wareing' she plays a subverted mother role in the film Fish tank, she doesn't seem to follow the stereotypical role of a mother. Kierston wareing is Mia's mother in Fish tank, she plays a corrupt, rude, uncaring role which also neglects her children. In my opinion she plays this bad example of a mother extremely well which emphasises harsh living conditions in a dysfunctional family. Here character is very believable to watch which is why i would want an actor like her in my film.

Locations

The locations shown on the images above are similar to where ide like to set my opening sequence. These run down areas represent working class people as they are likely to be seen in local chicken shops, parks and live in council estates. They're usually portrayed as people living in poverty and less educated.