We were asked to set up a Youtube account for the same purpose as the blogs, so I've finally set it up with the addition of the video shown below:
This video was made to get us familar with using the equipment and editing softward, you'll have noticed I posted some things on Final Cut Express earlier in the blog and that was during the creation of this video.
We had about 2 hours to go out and shoot footage for this project, and came back with around 40 minutes of actualy footage which then we crammed down into this 3 minute video clip, which is set to 'Hurricane Drunk' by Florence and the Machine. I hope you like it :)
Continued from down below. This part will be covering Representation.
8. To what extent do you think the audience is expected to be 'comfortable' with this portrait of two teenagers?
First and foremost I believe that you're not supposed to feel too comfortable with the portrayal of these two teenagers. They are both 'lost' and they both are certainly neglected. Our Polish teenager has a father figure but one his main storylines in the film is about how his father is a drunk and hardly ever there. We see his fear of his father which would most likely make parents, and children alike, reasonably uncomfortable with the situation that this teenager has been put in. Our teenagers in the film are very young but they're having to face some pretty grown up things throughout the course of the film and I think this is what could make the audience uncomfortable with what they are facing.
9. A sign on the estate reads 'children playing on these grounds is prohibited'. In what different ways do Tommo and Marek seek to amuse themselves within this environment? Do you think the film encourages us to judge any of their actions?
During the film I did actually notice this sign and find it quite amusing. Our underage teenagers near the end of the film amuse themselves, and drown their sorrows over the loss of Maria a French waitress, but getting very drunk. We see childish behaviour come out of these teenagers and see that they are very immature even though they've seen and been through so much. We're not encouraged to judge these actions if not sympathise with them, we're feeling sorry for this lonesome teenagers.
10. What messages about childhood and adolescence do you, or could you, take away from the film?
As I've said our two characters have seen much that I'm sure many people in the audience wont have experienced at such a young and tender age. Especially not on their own. I think this film has a message about childhood in it. How it's changing. A lot of people currently believe that 'childhood' has disappeared, I think this film could reflect these comments in that we see Marek and Tomo being forced to grow up so fast.
11. Do your reactions towards the boys change at different points in the film? Which moments in particular: a) encourage you to sympathise with the boys;
I think we really sympathise with the boys after the incidents when the boys get very drunk. We see both the boys left with almost nothing, confused as to what has happened. I also feel sympathetic when Maria returns to France we're shown the immaturity as they believe they were something really special to Maria. We see their dismay as they believe she's left without saying goodbye because she does not love them. Also another high point of sympathising is when Tomo is attacked after arriving in Somers Town
b) make you unsympathetic towards them?
I don't think there are any particular points where we're unsympathetic towards these teenagers. I think throughout the film we're understanding and empathising with Tomo and Marek rather than feeling unsympathetic towards them.
Notes from Lecture
What is British Film? - Low Budget Quite often British film do not have massive budgets and big explosions or CGI etc- Ordinary People We find many British films have ordinary people in the films.- Intimate More often than not British Films are very intimate in their approach. It's very focused on the character and their character development.- Focus on Class Just like Somers Town which focuses on the working class we see realistic films which can focus on changes in middle class etc. British New Wave 1958 - 1963 British New Wave is what we learnt to be the overall title of films made during the time period above. British film ended up in a trend which was used often, this was used to show realistic types of film to differ from the 'happily ever after' stories that cinematography had so expressively seen before the 'New Wave' Look Back in Anger (1958)
Look Back in Anger is one of the first of these 'New Wave' films and is about a love triangle including the aspect of class. I've added this film to my LoveFilm list (DVD rental) and will post something about the film once I have watched it as I am very eager to see some similarities from the selection of New Wave films and Somers Town. Other films included: Room at the Top (1959), The Entertainer (1960), Billy Liar (1963), A Hard Days Night (1964), Kes (1969)
We learnt that without British New Wave and the rise of realistic films there would've been no chance of seeing things like Coronation Street and Eastenders on our tellys.
I am hopefully going to carry out my own research into these new wave films and will post things in the future on my findings!
We went to the recently refurbished (and very nicely too!) Cinema City in Norwich on Thursday just gone to see 'Somers Town'. They'd put on a special screening for National Films Week and Media students in Norfolk were invited to come watch the film for free, and listen to a short lecture about the film.
4. How would you categorise this film in terms of genre? Does it remind you of any other films you have seen?
I have to say, Somers Town was very unique. It was unlike almost everything I had seen before. However it did spark connections in my mind between this film and This Is England however this could be because Shane Meadows carries over his stylised icons into all of his films, or it could simply be the young actor Thomas Turgoose who also plays the lead role in the latter. The film in my opinion is quite similar to This Is England as we see a young boy in both films (both portrayed by Turgoose) both lonely and both finding their way in the world. They both get helped out by strangers who eventually become their friends and family. I think this is mainly what sparked off connections with the film. I'd probably put this film into a Coming-Of-Age Drama film, just because it is reasonably dramatic, fits their usual conventions. As it does with a coming-of-age film, a young boy who finds his way etc etc.
5. What do you think is the film's appeal for audiences?
The film features a group of characters all of which are lovable, I think most people could sympathise and relate to these characters. We have the lost boy, who is looking for help, the one who feels like he doesn't fit in etc. Most people could connect. Also the film is hilarious in places and everyone needs a laugh at times, I think if this film had taken a completely serious tone and gone for a more realistic approach it could've been very uncomfortable to watch for some people. The humour breaks this up and makes it almost suitable for everyone.
6. As well as being in black and white, the film is subtitled during the conversations in Polish between Marek and his father; there are also sections in French. In what ways do these factors affect your responses to the film, the situation and the characters?
7. Shame Meadows' 2006 release, 'This is England', won a number of awards. Research and explore the film's critical reception and suggest what similarities and differences you can identify between 'Somers Town' and 'This is England'.
As I noted above in the 4th question on Somers Town I've seen This is England, I thoroughly enjoyed it and have already pointed out some similarities. As for the film itself it was widely popular, it has won many various awards including 'Best Film' at the Independent Film Awards and Best British Film at the British Academy of Film Awards. The film was so successful Channel 4 and Film4 (who I think funded the film, not quite sure on that) have planned a 4 part television series following on from the end of the film. The film is absolutely fantastic in my opinion and really showcases Shane Meadows' talent.
Part 2 Coming Soon! (Including notes from the lecture!!!!!!!!)
1.Why do you think a modern director would choose to produce a film in black and white, rather than in colour? What effects might they be hoping to achieve?
Although I feel that shooting in black and white in modern times isn’t really to my particular taste there are many modern films that use this technique.Each to their own, but the reasons behind Shane Meadows shooting entirely in black and white I will hopefully successfully explore below.
Since the invention of movies in colour in film and television, around 1950, it has become the Hollywood norm.It’s a standard in the entire industry and is seen quite prominently to be a risk by the distributer to produce a film solely in black and white. One example of this is shown through Frank Darabont’s adaptation of the well known Steven King novella ‘The Mist’ it was intended to be shot and shown in black and white (perhaps to add an eeriness to the film) but was eventually pushed by the production company as a full colour film. It’s massively common to find many black and white films among student and independent film (as Somers Town is) Because of this black and white is now seen as a rare artistic choice by the director. This is seemingly true as many modern black and white films have been chosen as black and white solely for artistic purposes which help visually back up the narrative. One reason that is common among modern black and white films is it helps visualise and establish a time setting. One could see this as the reason in which Shane Meadow’s reason for filming in black and white because as I am aware it is set around 10-20 years ago. Although this technique could be seen as the idea that it was shot around the time it was set, which would exclude Somers Town, I’m sure black and white helps give the feeling it is set in the past if not much has changed (which indeed it hasn’t since the 90s)
The choice to shoot in black and white could also be to show the tone and the mood of the film. Parts of films can also be shot in black and white to establish the same feel, a notable one of these is ‘Casino Royale’ the 21st James Bond film which begins in black and white. Dream sequences are quite often shot in black and white which I think runs parallel to the fact that humans are supposedly only to dream in black and white. Linking to this, a side thought I’ve just had. If we dream in black and white then films could be shot in black and white to give a dream like feel to the film.
2.From the list of modern films shot in black and white you were given. Choose three and find out their release date, their genre, the director’s reputation and the critical reaction to the film.
Clerks (1994) – Clerks is an American Comedy film penned, produced and directed by Kevin Smith. The film was a surprisi
ng success and made over $3 Million and was made on a budget of only $27,000. This movie describes a day in the life of two clerks in New Jersey. It covers their various mishaps and misdemeanours, which include drug dealers, a wake, a dead customer, and a lot of abuse of customers. The use of black and white on this film was only used due to budgetary restraints (the film was funded wholly by the director) the budget that they were working with didn’t have enough money to rent daylight sources. It won a handful of awards and is features on many lists including ‘The Cult 25’ in which it performed at number 13.
Sin City (2005) – Sin City is a film noir styled action/crime/thriller film. The film is based on a graphic novel from Frank Miller and it is shown in the picture to the right that the use of film noir was purely to duplicate the artistic design and vision from the original graphic novel. It uses the visual black and white with colourised elements that work as
direct representations to the graphic novel.The film itself was filmed in colour and then transferred over to high quality black and white, it literally uses a shot for shot technique (as shown in the picture) The film was opened to hugely popular reviews and the film was compared favourable to other comic book films released around the same time.
Schindler's List (1995) – The film is directed by massively known Steven Speilberg. The film is about how one businessman saved the lives of over a thousand Polish Jews during the Holocaust.This is arguably the most famous black and white piece of modern cinematography. The film uses black and white and a slight documentary style to create a horrific sense of realism and the period the film is set in. The film was shot completely exempt from modern techniques such as cranes, zoom lenses and steadicam, many of the moving shots were even hand-held, all this adds to the gritty realism of the film. The film notably caused problems for the set designers who were used to working with colour, they had to darken and lighten aspects and the costumes to stop things blending in to the background. They used colourised elements (as Sin City did) with one little girls red coat to symbolise blood on the hands of the allied forces. The film is widely critically acclaimed, it won seven Oscars and features on many Top 100 films lists.
3.The film is named after Somers Town, the part of London in which it is set. Most of the filming also took place on location in that area.
a)Given the London location, what iconographic sights and sounds might you expect from the film?
I expect a lot of classic London digetic sounds, such as London busses passing etc. I expect the sight of the big red London bus (although the film is in black and white) I’d also expect many sight-seeing areas to be shown on the film around London such as the famous bridge which looks over the parliament used in a lot of film and television such as Doctor Who and 23 Days Later. This may sound reasonably stereotypical but I’m aware the film is set around an low class estate so I would expect to here digetic background noises of people arguing etc.
b)What are you expectations about character and narrative based on this setting?
I wouldn’t say I have any real assumptions purely based on the setting. But many poor people are from this area and the film is based around a young homeless boy I believe so I’d probably expect an unruly lonesome child figure. Looking for his place in the world, a ‘coming of age’ narrative is probably what I’d expect. I’d also figure that discrimination would fit into the narrative somewhere, as the time and setting of the film lower classes would’ve been highly discriminated.
