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.