Location

We have decided to film locally, and have decided that we will need the following settings:

• Streets
• Office Building (exterior + reception area)
• Messy Bedroom
• Tidy Bedroom
• Office Interior
• Hospital Interior

However, some problems we identified were that a hospital will be very unlikely to allow us to film inside, and use one of their beds for the scene, as it is a place of emergency. For this reason, we have decided to blur the background to the scene, and simply make a hospital-like setting with popular colours and tints, such as whites, blues and greys, along with sounds such as heart monitors, murmurs and other sounds of hospital equipment.

We have also decided not to film in the streets around Christmas, as it will be too busy, especially as we would like a main street within a town.

Decisions & Updates

So, a quick update on the decisions we've made so far:

• We've chosen Social Realism as our genre
• We're making a Theatrical Trailer rather than a Teaser Trailer
• We will approach the social issue of Class & Status
• We will have four male actors - two children, and two adults
• We will create a strong, emotional atmosphere to extract an emotional response from our audience
• We will be filming after Christmas, as our actors/possible locations/settings etc will be compromised by the Christmas shopping, celebrations and other elements of this holiday

Why We Decided To Do Social Realism

We chose to make a production in the genre of Social Realism for these reasons.

1. We were inspired by previous examples of A2 Media Studies productions, and at how much they could show.
2. We wanted to create a production which would encourage a strong, emotional response from our audience.
3. We felt that the codes and conventions of Social Realism were easy to follow without straying too wildly off of them, and felt that with these, we could create an effective atmosphere.
4. As we do not have an extensive budget, we felt the simplicity and stark reality of the genre of Social Realism would be far easier to create than that of another genre, such as Sci-Fi or Western, which would involve extremely specific characters, props, settings etc.
5. Social Realism uses the lives of everyday people. We felt this was best as it would make casting, location, narrative etc far easier, as it would be based on a realistic and believable situation.

As you can see, this genre certainly struck us from the onset. We were particularly inspired by a trailer in this genre made by students in the year prior to ours, called In Headlights. I have included it below for reference.


We thoroughly enjoyed how this simple, and somehow beautiful, trailer drew such strong emotions from us, and we felt the use of such realistic settings made it extremely relatable.

In Headlights - By Evangeline Smith, Olivia Norman-Reade, Harry Crotty and Oliver Endersby

Social Realism Themes Explored - Class & Status

Class and status is a popular theme to use in Social Realism films, as it is a constant source of conflict in many different social environments - From conflict between different towns to conflict between different countries.

A Social Realism film would explore this divide, and will often show at least two characters (one from each side) joining together. This highlights this particular social issue with the audience, and shows an example of cooperation, suggesting it is possible.


In the following clip from In Time (2011), the character of Henry Hamilton (played by Matt Bomer) is from one of the richer zones. In this movie, the setting is a world where time literally is money. Once a character runs out of time, they die. I chose this clip as it is the scene in which Henry Hamilton explains to Will Salas (played by Justin Timberlake), who has just saved his life, that there is a harsh reality to the divide between the classes in their existence. I believe this clip highlights the social issue of class and status using an abstract, non-fiction universe to provide more understanding.

Social Realism Themes Explored - Sex

Not only can the binary opposites of males and females be shown in film from the theme of sex, but the topic of sex and sexual acts can be used to reveal more about a character, as it is a deeply personal and private piece of information. Whether this is through internal monologue, or extraction by other characters in the scene, the audience can feel a strong emotion for the character if their sexual acts are revealed.

In this clip from The Breakfast Club (1985), the group are discussing sexual acts, and from it we learn more about the characters, especially the two female characters. This shows how the theme of sex, sexual actions, and the peer pressures related to them at various ages in life (not just adolescence) can be used to highlight a social issue.

Social Realism Themes Explored - Alcohol

Alcohol, as a theme, often features alongside themes such as drugs. The ideas and struggles of alcohol addiction/abuse, as well as the consequences of intoxication, are often explored within Social Realism films. Unlike The Hangover (2009), which is a Comedy film using the common effect of amnesia which alcohol stereotypically has to provide humour, a socially realistic film would more likely look at an individual's struggles against the addiction, or may display their negative experiences with an abusive member of their family who drinks substantially. These kinds of real-world problems are atypical of Social Realism productions, as it opens a window into the life of working class people in these conditions.

The clip below, from Smashed (2012), shows the main character Kate's first experience at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, and shows her sharing her feelings for the first time. This kind of scene would certainly fit well into a Social Realism film about alcohol abuse, and would most likely show the progression through the addiction, and the eventual recovery (or death) of the character.

Social Realism Themes Explored - Drugs

In modern films, the theme of drugs is often used in connection with adolescence, due to the increase in legal highs, as well as adolescence providing issues such as peer pressure, boredom, stress, uncertainty, change (both physical and psychological), new situations, life-changing decisions etc. This is often used in combination with the theme of drugs, as it is a popular social issue in modern day environments.

Within older films, the theme of drugs has more connection to large criminal organisations such as the mafia.

The clip below, from Ray (2004), shows some of the negative effects of drug abuse, including conflict with spouses and family members, and shows how it can affect more than just the abuser.
This kind of scene, showing a difficult moment of tension between close people caused by abuse of drugs, could certainly fit in well within a Social Realism production.

Social Realism Themes Explored - Money

This theme tackles the idea of both the loss and gain of money, as well as the importance of it in society. It also explores how lack of it can seriously affect an individual's life.

Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) is a film which shows how money corrupts and pressures people. It is about a Chicago Real-Estate office, where the employers must close sales or lose their jobs. This film explores how far individuals will go for the sake of earning that money.

This clip from Promised Land (2012) shows a girl at a Lemonade Stand refusing to accept more payment for her lemonade than the sign dictates. This shows how an adult uses money to determine the value of something, whereas a child is more likely to find value in their, or someone else's, enjoyment of something. A Social Realism film would explore this difference further.

The Diegetic Sound

Our trailer contains a climactic moment involving a car crash. However, due to our low budget, lack of software and other limiting factors, it would be very difficult for us to realistically fake a car crash for our production, without destroying cars and potentially endangering people.

For this reason, we have looked into, and decided to use, Diegetic sound. This type of sound is that which the character themselves can hear in the situation they are currently in.

Our Dilemma:
> We need to suggest a car crash, and make it climactic/realistic in order to provoke an emotional (rather than cynical) response from our audience.

Our Solution:
> We have decided to show no visual (a black screen) at the point which we wish this moment to occur, and use purely Diegetic sound effects to create the soundscape of the accident.


We will use a selection of the following sound effects, which are most often heard/associated alongside a car crash or vehicle/road accident:

• Smashing Glass
• Screeching Tyres
• Car Horns
• Distressed Sounds of People
• Crying
• Grinding Metal
• Crackling Fire
• Smoke Hissing
• Car Engine

These we will obtain from www.freesound.org, as the sounds provided from this website are copyright free and available for our use without breaking copyright laws.

The Soundtrack

In order to find out what kinds of sounds and instruments we would most like to use for our soundtrack, we created a Sound-Board, which combines clips from various different songs, artists and trailers. By doing this, we have decided that we would like some percussion to create a beat, however we believe the emotional sound of a piano or guitar, and the technique of using broken chords, are the sounds in which we would like to focus on, as these will create a strong, emotional atmosphere within our production.

Narrative Theory

Before we began plotting a narrative for our film, we looked into narrative theory, and below I have shown what each person theorised about the narrative of a media production.

These will help to influence our narrative, and can also act as a guide for its construction.

Narrative - Coherence/organisation given to a series of facts. Connecting events, constructing meaning.

SYD FIELD

"In any good film, the audience will be grabbed by the first 10 minutes."


Believed: Film makers need to interest the audience whilst alerting them to what the film is about, and give them a sense of what film they have let themselves in for.


Key Narrative Requirements:

• Characters
• Plot
• Genre - Codes, conventions and signifiers

The 3 Act Plot Structure: A typical Hollywood film can be separated into 3 dramatic "acts":

• Set Up
• Confrontation
• Resolution

ARISTOTLE

The Theory of Unities: A narrative should be created within a 'unity' of time, place and action. AKA it should all take place within the same time, place in real time, with all action moving towards a logical conclusion.

FREYTAG

The 5-Part Dramatic Structure Theory:

• Exposition - Setting
• Risking Action - Can be more than one
• Climax - A pinnacle moment
• Falling Action - Repair of issue
• Denouement/Catastrophe/Resolution - End

LEVI-STRAUSS

Binary Opposition Theory: Narrative tension is based on opposition or conflict.


Eg. 2 characters fighting, or on a more ideological level; Cowboys and Indians, Middle Earth and Mordor, Jedi and Sith, Good and Evil, etc


Essentially, one cannot exist without the other.

BARTHES

The Enigma Code: Narrative establishes enigmas or mysteries as it progresses, then the narrative functions to establish and solve these.

VLADIMIR PROPP

Characters take on the role of "Spheres of Action" or catalysts.


List Of Narrative Spheres of Action:

• The Hero - Usually male, restores equilibrium.

                              Victim Hero - Villain's Focus
                              Seeker Hero - Aids Villain's Victims

• The Villain - Creates the narrative disruption.
• The Donor - Gives the Hero something (eg. An object, information or advice, etc), which helps to resolve the narrative.
• The Helper - Aids the hero in resolving the narrative.
• The Princess - The victim, most threatened by the villain, who needs to be saved.
• The Dispatcher - Sends the Hero on his/her task.
• The False Hero - Appears to be good, but revealed at the narrative end to be bad.

Storyboarding

Why Use A Storyboard?

• Becomes a catalyst for new, creative and interesting ideas
• Helps with organisation
• Shows how a production has progressed (initial vs final storyboard)
• Shows which scenes are needed
• Helps to list equipment needed for shooting
• Provides a way to explore alternative shots

What We Need To Include:

• Basic sketches to show framing/mise en scene
• Directions of movement (using arrows)
• The order of shots and transitions
• What sound/dialogue is present within each shot
• Duration of each shot
• Type of shot
• Short description of narrative within each shot

And What Are Our Options?

We could use a digital storyboard, as it would be easy to use and edit, as well as being easy to access through multiple platforms. However, storyboarding software can cost a substantial amount, and be difficult to use without a graphics tablet or other artistic aid, which can also be expensive to acquire.

Trailers: Teaser vs Theatrical

Teaser? Theatrical? What's The Difference?

For our AS production, we had the choice of either producing a teaser trailer, or a theatrical trailer. So, in order to make this decision, we needed to research the differences between the two.

This table shows the vital elements within each one, and by putting the lists next to each other, we were able to see what each one would require from us.

Theatrical Trailer	Teaser Trailer
Shown just before release Uses more footage (as more is available) Film production is in the final stages Longer than teaser trailer More likely to contain a soundtrack	Shown a considerable time before release Shows a hint of the production (not much footage available to use) Can be original footage (AKA. Footage which does not feature in the actual production) Creates mystery Usually used for larger budget films 1min 30s max. length

We also defined a "trailer" as "Footage advertising a film, edited in a certain way, which contains exciting and funny scenes/events without spoilers, as well as drawing an audience's attention by showing a unique selling point or hook, and remains concise (usually no longer than 2mins 30s)"

As a group, we felt that a theatrical trailer would allow us to be more creative, and to learn far more techniques than a teaser, due to the longer length. We also felt that it would be difficult in a teaser to avoid the temptation of the narrative, as a teaser is only a brief hint, whereas a trailer will display the basis of the narrative.

Films That Have Inspired Our Work

This list will be updated as we progress through our production, and will show the films and existing media productions which have influenced us throughout.

Trainspotting - Cold Turkey Scene

We wanted to pay homage to this movie, as it is a popular and well-known example of Social Realism, and also will help to link the theme of drugs and their effects to our production.

The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas - The Boy's Bond

This film shows an extremely close bond between two boys, without too much physical touch. We decided for this reason to avoid too much physical comfort between the boys, as holding hands, hugging etc reflect romance more than strong friendship.

The Shawshank Redemption - Strong Bond Between Two Men

We were inspired by this film due to its effective portrayal of a bond between two adult males. A strong emotional bond between two adult males is surprising difficult to come across, most likely due to the danger of the audience assuming that their relationship is homosexual rather than simply a close friendship. However, we feel that this film portrays it fairly well, and so were inspired to look at the ways in which they show this bond.

Close-Up - Trailer Music

The soundtrack of this trailer is a good example of emotional background music, and we felt that the use of the slow tempo and gentle wave pad sounds were effective in creating emotion within the trailer. We decided to look further into these kinds of sounds, and felt the part where it uses a beat and guitars was also extremely good for the atmosphere. 

Social Realism

We decided on Social Realism as the genre of our film, and found the following information on codes and conventions:

While browsing the internet for information regarding this well-known genre, we came across this SlideShare file, documenting the codes and conventions for British Social Realism

Codes and Conventions of British Social Realism from hannahmedia123

It details the following codes and conventions:

• On-Location Shooting
• Wide Shots
• Unknown/Non-Professional Actors
• Partially Improvised Scripts
• Comedy and Tragedy Combined
• Erosion of Identity
• Exploration of Social Issues Through Emotional/Dramatic Individual Stories
• Triumph Over Adversity

It then goes on to detail each point, and describe how the genre of Social Realism contains films that aim to look "genuine" and "relatable," often as if the audience is literally watching the character's life, and standing with them through the trials they face throughout the film. The audience are shown the surrounding settings through shots such as Wide and Establishing shots, as this gives them a good understanding of the character's situation.

One of the reasons unprofessional actors are used is because they are not easily recognised, due to their lack of fame. This is beneficial to the atmosphere of the film, and keeps it within a socially realistic standard, as the anonymity of the actors increases the feeling of reality within the film, as if the audience saw a famous actor, or one seen in various media productions, it would subtly remind them that they are watching a fictional creation.

The scripts of Social Realism aim to be as natural and realistic as possible, and try to incorporate both the detail and hardships of everyday social issues within someone's life, and the lighter sides to it, and these films often make use of tasteful, lighthearted humour.

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HISTORY

The genre of Social Realism is thought to originate from the Italian Neorealismo film movement, which arrived as World War II ended, along with Benito Mussolini's government. The Italian film industry lost it's propaganda and censorship-fuelled centre, and therefore new steps had to be taken.

The Neorealism Movement represented change and progress in Italian culture and society, and due to many studios being damaged during the war, filming began on the streets. There were also many film critics who wished to go against the false propaganda they had been subjected to, and so a new wave of films were born, which captured the lives of the working classes in new detail, taking place right in the centre of this point in society that had so often been overlooked, and often depicting their activities as heroic.

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In conclusion, the aim of the Social Realism genre is essentially to hold up a metaphorical mirror to society (ie. the target audience) in order to increase their understanding, our understanding, of the everyday lives around us, and the many issues an individual will face within society.