Representation
The representation of the (2) mother is not one we are used to seeing everyday, the fact she is very young and is violent towards her daughters e.g. by calling Mia a 'cunt' and slapping her across the head is shows that she is not maternal and has a very similar attitude to as teenager. The mother also wears very revealing clothing signifying that she would like to be young again and her daughters are preventing her from doing so. This representation of a mother challenges the ideologies that all mothers are caring, loving and supportive. The fact that the mother doesn't show any care to the daughters and is constantly drinking has a bad effect on them, it conforms to the Social realism movement as it shows how these average people live their lives and is transferable onto real life. Another representation constructed by the film is (2) Mia who at times can be an average 15 year old as she likes boys and enjoys dancing, however she is portrayed as a character who does not take care in her appearance as an average teenager would and she also has a soft side, this is evident when she is stroking the horse and comforting him/her. I believe that the representations constructed in the film are accurate and have validity as they challenge ideologies in an attempt to educate people, this is a way that I believe it shows how Britain is. I personally would aim to drift away from stereotypes as Britain is full of diversity and I believe that the more I attempt to breakdown these stereotypes the more realistic and representative my opening sequence of British social realism will be. Mise En Scene
The location of the film is in (3)Barking which is an urban, working class area, and majority of the film is shot in the area an example would be when Mia is walking around to the shops, this and shows the audience how and what real life is, the film is not set in a huge studio that been man made, its real life which contributes to the aesthetics and heightens the verisimilitude.
The location contributes greatly to British social realism as we able to see how run down and raw these areas are and how they are very boring and mundane. Throughout majority of the film a natural lighting system is used as this emphasises what is going on. An example of where a low key lighting system is used and plays a vital role is when Mia and Connor are in the living room and there is a streak of light coming through the blinds which looks very artistic and gives an impression that what is about to happen is very dark and sinister which once again fits in with the social realism movement. The actors used in the film are not famous and some have been especially casted due to their posture and manner of talking and example would be the protagonist Mia who was casted when she was spotted having a row with her boyfriend. This appeals to a niche British audience who enjoy watching a film with a well developed and written storyline as opposed to a high concept film loaded with special effects. The colour pallet used in the film is varies from setting to setting, when we are in the home there is a lack of colour and it is very bland and simple, however when we are in the more rural areas there is a more natural colour pallet. In my opening sequence I would like to use some of the colours as seen in the movie as it reinforces how gritty, bland and mundane some parts of Britain are. The location is key as it will set the atmosphere and ambience for my audience and will be an indication as to what to expect.Music, Sound and Dialogue
The music used in the film is a variety of songs such as Eric B. & Rakim and Ja Rule. The music used in the film is not mainstream music majority of these songs were previous number ones on the charts. Having said that a majority of the music was made in the late 80's and mid 90's. It can be said that the music is what fuels Mia and gives her hope she even carries around CD's a cassette player and speakers with her. This tells us how important music is close to her. She listens to very upbeat music that is very outgoing but as the film progresses she begins to listen to romantic and calm music, this is due to the influence of Connor. One song that stands out for me and underlines British social realism would be Bobby womack- California Dream as it is about a dream, one can say that it is about how mundane life is and how it seems to pass us by, others have suggested that it is about how we do not cherish life enough, taking these ideas in to consideration I believe they tie in with the idea of British social realism. There is lot of diagetic sound of people swearing and children shouting which is an indication as to how educated the people who live there are. It is an accurate depiction of how life is in these areas, an example would be when Mia is on the balcony drinking cider and you are able to hear voices of children and boys talking to each other. The dialogue is important as it ties in with the British social realism movement as the language is rough as there is constant use of the word 'cunt' , 'fuck' and 'slag'. This is an indication as to how they are unable to express themselves properly and lack that eloquence which is realistic.
Camera Work & Editing
The (4) camera work in the film is very simple and basic and there is a very handheld effect throughout the film. An example of this would be when Mia is being harassed by the free runners there is only one camera that is constantly moving and capturing the action. There is a use of continuity editing which heightens the verisimilitude, the editing is very basic and simple once again, there is a frequent use of eye line matches which makes us feel like were looking through the characters eyes. I would use simple camera techniques as it would give my opening sequence a raw, gritty and unvarnished look which I strongly believe will look fantastic.
Audience
The audience that would find this film intriguing would be a highly intellectual person who understands the issues raised in the film and would be able to absorb the information and form their own opinion, they would be British and would watch the film in a different perspective they wouldn't watch it as a spectacle but more as a piece of art. This audience would employ the uses and gratifications theory as they will use the film to gain information about life in other places of Britain and for personal identity as they may compare their lives to the characters.
Institution Background
The film is funded by BBC films, The UK Film Council, Limelight Communication, Content Film and Kasander Film Company who were responsible for producing and distributing. The film was shown in 47 screens in the UK and made £103 and in the US is was showcased in 2 screens and it made $373. The fact that there were so many companies funding this film suggests that they were unable to get their budget from one film company as they were not confident they were going to make a profit and therefore only gave a limited amount of money.
Marketing Strategy
One way that the film was marketed would have been by taking the film to various festivals and has won many awards and won the Jury prize at the Cannes film festival, it also won a BAFTA and was nominated for best actress, best director and best film at the European film festival and has been featured in many film festivals e.g. Jerusalem film festival.
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