Analysis of Camera & Editing in British Social Realism

The film I will be analysing is Ae Fond Kiss which is set in Glasgow. The Pakistani parents of Casim have decided he is going to marry his cousin. Casim has fallen in love with his younger sister's music teacher, Roisin, who is an Irish Catholic. The film is directed by Ken Loach. I will be analysing the first half an hour of this film.

Camera

7:00 - 7:09

In this scene, the camera movement is jagged, showing the audience this is a hand held camera shot, which is common in many British Social Realist films. The movement of the camera creates a sense that Casim watching in through the classroom window, connoting that he is in love with Roisin, as he is staying outside for a while after he said goodbye. This shot establishes, the juxtaposition between Roisin and Jacqueline, shows the respectful attitude towards a teacher, and the line between teacher and student is not crossed, connoting the respectful barrier between them. This establishes location for a BSR film as this part of the film is set in a school, which one of the main character's workplace is, further exploring role of Roisin as a teacher. The themes that are explored through this shot are the culture clash, as Roisin and Jacqueline are both white British characters who are the predominant race in Scotland, and Casim and Tahara are British Asian, which connotes there will be culture clash between the two as the film progresses.


13:51 - 13:59
 
In this shot, there is a close up of Roisin's piano and her hands playing the it. This represents Roisin's character as the 'downtrodden woman' type, as she has just recently got divorced, and the fact that she plays piano, and loves music is the only escape she has. There are no close ups in this scene of her face, which means shows that the love of music Roisin has flows through her hands, telling the audience that playing her piano is the way Roisin escapes the daily grind of her life. This connotes Roisin as a very passionate woman, and the fact she plays so beautifully, connotes she has worked hard to be at a level of high talent. The fact that she owns a grand piano connotes she is of wealth, therefore enforcing a theme of social class clash, as Casim comes from a working class family. Another theme explored in this scene is aspiration, as this scene could represent Roisin would like to be a professional musician and not just teach music in the local Glaswegian high school.

14:54 - 15:28 

The camera shot in this scene is a tracking pan, as Casim leaves Roisin's appartment.  This pan explores the neighbourhood where Roisin lives, connoting the wealthy part of Glasgow she lives in, reinforcing her wealth. At 15:10, the scene's focus is Casim listening, and the rest of this shot is blurry, showing that Casim is paying close attention the the girl he's fallen deeply in love with's music. This scene allows the audience to explore Casim's facial expressions and body movement / reactions to the music Roisin is creating, which is the first real scene in the film that allows the audience to have one on one interaction in a way with him. The themes establishes in this scene are love, which is shown as Casim is leaning on his car looking up at Roisin's window and smiling, showing he has affection for her and that she makes him very happy, and she is a distraction from the family life he has to endure at home.

Editing 

6:57 - 7:40

As the scene switches from the school to and establishing shot of Casim and Tahara's household, the music that's playing is Jacqueline singing Ae Fond Kiss which is a poem by Robert Burns, a famous Scottish poet. The lyrics '' Ae fond kiss, and then we sever; Ae fareweel, alas, for ever! Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee, Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee'' are sung diegetic-ally, and then as the scene cuts to the establishing shot of house, the sound becomes non-diegetic. The song fills the silence between scenes, and helps establish the setting of the film, as it's set in Glasgow, and the poem is written by a Scottish poet, helping to reinforce setting. The singing fades out slowly as the gardeners in the shot begin to have a conversation which the audience hears. This re-inforces the theme of aspiration, as Roisin says to Jacqueline that they have a competition to win. The cut in the middle of the scene shows that time has passed in the scene, and the location of the film has changed.

21:21 - 22:00

This part of the film is based in the house. There are guests over, and from this part of the scene, there is a long take of 39 seconds, with no cuts or reaction shots. This long take which is also a pan is effective for the home to be established. The typical Asian household with lots of gold in the room. This also helps to establish the parents of the children in the household, such as the mother who when Tahara says she wants to be a journalist, her mother says 'you're going to be a doctor' connoting the aspiration she has for her own children. This comes into themes, as the culture clash between Casim and Roisin, is very versatile as Roisin lives in a free-er world than Casim, connoting the cultures they are influenced by are at different ends of the social scale. The long take helps the audience to focus on certain characters, and also helps the scenes agenda unfold.

 25:51 - 27:39

In this scene, Casim and Roisin are kissing and taking there relationship to the next 'level'. The music begins to increase in volume, as the two become more intimate. The music enhances the scene, as it sounds like a forbidden type of song, which reflects their relstionship. The editing in this scene is minimal, and it is mostly the camera panning that is used, so there is not really any edits. The music fades out at 27:49, when Casim is in bed looking at his watch, which tells the audience that the sexual encounter has come to an end. This scene explores the illicit relationship, and sex is a key theme. The mininal editing creates a flowing atmosphere, which relfects the relationship of the two.