British Social Realism / Production Log 2

kes

This week I learnt that actors in BSR films are mostly unknown actors who manage to get roles. Directors and producers do this to create a better sense of reality in their films and they're also on a tight budget. Most BSR is unscripted, to help the actors get into the role, say an argument scene would look more realistic and natural if it was unscripted. The producers and writers want the dialogue to be as natural and as real as possible. Ken Loach believed this as he wrote Kes. Also locations used to film are real houses/flats that have an already established 'home-ly' vibe, unlike hollywood films, which are filmed on a set. 

This will help my production by influencing me with locations to choose from, as I am very lucky to live in East London which doesn't have the best reputation for nice houses/areas to live in. And I'm also priviliged enough to have local public transport links which go into Central London, making it easy for me to find a proper stereotypical BSR location to film. 

This week we went on a Cinema trip to see 'Gone Too Far' in Hackney Picturehouse and were lucky to have a Q&A with the director and writer. Gone Too Far was written in 2007 by playwright Bola Agbaje. It has influence from her Nigerian background and living in London as a teenager. Bola then met director Destiny Ekargha who agreed to create the play into a film. The film explores the trouble of a Nigerian family who live in a Peckham council estate and the surrounding youths that aggrivate the main charachter, Yemi because of his Nigerian brother's way. This film has inspired me to do my two minute opening sequence on a council estate in the local area as the location is vast and has many different aspects to it. My favourite part of the film was where 4 kids of different races were rollerblading together showing unity on the estate. 

Also this week I watched Tight Jeans, also by Bola Agbaje. This short film is about 3 guys sitting on a wall of a council estate waiting for their friend to come down, who is always running late. Then a sterotypical 'emo' walks past wearing a pair of skinny jeans. This then sparks a conversation between the guys. This was very inspirational, as there is constant camera movement in the short film which means the audience are aware of everthing that is happening and going on in the film. It was aslo inspirational because it shows how effective short films can be, and how easily they can engage an audience.

Archetypes in BSR

• Lost Boy - A boy/girl who comes from a broken home, who has a good heart but a troubled mind.
• Failing Man - They have no hope and they can't provide for their family, and yet they carry on trying.
• Weak but Agressive - They usually bully the protagonist, and are of a low status, they're ever sympathetic for any character.
• Downtrodden Woman - Usually a mother who has not had the best experiences, she is old and haggered looking, who constantly struggles through life.
• Saviour - They turn up half way through the film, they seek to help and change someone's life.
• Follower - They go along with the main charachter.
• Female With A Concience - A strong woman, a matriarch, who is proud of who she is and doesnt take nothin' from nobody.