Film Review

In a country of “democracy” and power, this film opens the reality to living in a preconceived environment with the illusion of success. From the streets of riots in the recent summer, to the broken cry of the Saxaphone; this film expresses and explores what is really achievable in an idealist country. With money and happiness in your face. Living in poverty constringed conditions, with at just the flicker of an eye, surrounded by materialistic idealistic materialisation. It gives an exquisite visual snapshot of 2012’s economical crisis within the controlled streets of Cameron’s southeast constituency.

There is fear, uncertainty, less jobs, less opportunity and university is becoming harder to get into, this film shows the struggle and frustration of the mind and society.  Many don’t find it surprising that people who feel they have been failed by society decided to loot and this film portrays this through a character who shows potential and passion, contradicting the assumed profile of a rioter. The film is a social realist film showing the struggle and the result of it. At one end you have a great musician but circumstances not due to him are stopping him from fulfilling his real potential.

Pre-Production and Planning

Pre- production planning

Research task

‘About a Girl’ By Brian Percival 2001: Genre – Social Realism

·      The music in the film is very clever, I believe the lyrics reflect the girls mind and how she feels in her life. The music is by Britney Spears ‘Stronger’  the lyrics I’ve picked out in the song; ‘I’ve had enough, there’s nothing you can do or say’ this suggests that all of the underlinging problems she has going on in her life have cause her to do what she’s done. Another song used is ‘Opps I did it again” which consists of the lyrics ‘I’m not that innocent’ this is ironic to the film as the audience is deceived into believing the girl is innocent but by the end of the film It is clear she’s not that innocent.  

·      The opening shot is the siluouet of the girl dancing against a skyline of clouds above a field, this is the first shot of the film. The use of the siluoet against the setting in the opening shot, immediately suggests the girl is insignificant, alone and lost In a huge world. She seems to hide this and deceive the audeience that she is happy with the body language of dancing which is very affected with the use of the sileout. It also indicates the audience that she is.

·      The second shot then abruptly jumps to a close up of the girl talking to the camera in a strong accent he language used creates surprise for the audience and the way the girl was previously presented in the opening scene is more sweet and peaceful, then the audience are chucked into thi shot with a confident, almost threatening young girl. maybe did not expect the girl singigng and dancing would sound like that. The setting behind her is a rundown Manchester industrial landscape creating deprivation in the girls life.

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There is a monologue used that the girl tells to the camera throughout the film it becomes more aware to the audience that the effects of her experiences do not match her casual, happy, and flippant stories of her life. This creates an uncomfortable and uneasy tention for the audience.

·      The film is aimed to shock the audience. Every time the girl talks about something, which is clearly affecting her eg. Her farther, her mother, the camera cuts to shots with a depth of feid shot out focussing her and focussing on her mum scratching a scratch card, this shows that this is her mums only hope in life, which reinforces the sadness of her life and how she seems to be in denial of this. The bag she throws in the canal at the end of the film shows she can hide anything from her mum like she’s says “I’ve got good at hiding things”.

‘Six Men Getting Sick’ By David Lynch 1966: Genre – Experimental

·      It’ a one minute colour animation loop repeated six times of six men getting sick. It consists of what seems, their stomachs growing and therefore their heads catching fire then being sick.

·      The sound used is harsh and disturbing, the noise has connotations of danger and panic which creates an erie unease to the audience.

·      Although this is a colour animated film black and white are the dominate colours throughout. He uses colours of red and purple which creates a pick colour which is not typically associated with sickness and illness, which therefore heightens the unusual distortortion of the film. 

·      The first colour introduced is a deep red, abrubtly  appearing on the screen, the use of red reinforces the danger and panic the audience feels. The colour then goes and the men’s stomachs begin to build up with this deep colour of red, showing this colour is now inside of them. There heads then exploid before an intense coulour of purple appears as the men are sick. 

My poem for the short film

For my short film i've decided to write a poem expressing the characters emotions and delevering the social realism of today.

Looking through the destruction of enduring madness, through eyes that only new sadness,

words flow from the tongue but fall from my chin.

Like a broken iris the illusions became clear, Can they hear me? Can they see me?

I smoke marijuana everyday keeps my thoughts at ease from the mind to decease.

Can’t get a job, loot and rob. Give the community a scare when lives not fair

Blame it on Cameron, Brown and Blair, who are you kidding they don’t care!

I spend my time on a quiet street as corruption falls amongst my feet, flames raw with terror; Mother Nature awakes, like an erupting volcano the riots break.

Go on my fellow, take what you need this is the hour of lawless greed.