“Explore how the narratives of the films you have studied influence your response to key characters.”

Plan

Below is my plan for the essay:

Version One

In order to fully comprehend the key characters within a film, an understanding of the narrative drive is vital. Differing narrative functions, such as: montage, a manipulative score, story & plot, zeitgeist, narration, visual styling and continuity editing are enforced within both films to influence audience response to key characters. In This Is England (Shane Meadows, 2006), a multiplex of interconnected narrative functions are employed by Meadows to develop a multifaceted audience understanding of Shaun, a 12-year-old boy from the midlands. Combo, a heavily racist convict trying to indoctrinate others into his nationalist cult, is seen to take advantage of Shaun’s naivety and desperation to fit in. In Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 1996), audience expectations and the theme of stereotypes are tackled through a myriad of narrative functions, specifically in the case of the main character, Renton. They unravel and explain the reasoning behind the choices and behaviours of Renton as he explores life as a heroin-addict living in poverty-stricken Edinburgh in the 1980s.

In the opening sequence of This is England, a montage consisting entirely of newsreel footage from the 80s brings the audience into the world of the characters, establishing both time and place. It is a montage set to Scar music, which the youth culture depicted in the film clung to. It edits between pop-culture and newsreel footage and is a very particular way to open the film, firmly establishing time and place. It roots the audience in a particular year and a particular place and the manner in which the film effectively ends with a matching montage bookends the film via narrative functions. However, the ending montage has a very different tone, Meadows ensures that the opening sequence is somewhat upbeat in comparison to the final montage to create contrast in the development of the characters.

Within the montage, there is a long, crabbing shot from a car depicting the reality of northern urban life through use of graffiti, showcasing the worst of British post-war life. By the 1980s, estates built in the 1950s appeared uncared for and unkempt, representing the state of the population. There is then a cut to multiple shots of differing youth cultures, these young people found an identity through likeminded hobbies; Meadows gives us a glimpse into the realities of skinhead youth culture. The more you place people into an unfamiliar environment, the more they will group together to create a sense of belonging. This positions the audience to understand the journey of the lead character, Shaun, and create further contrast from his initial character to his final stance through the opening narrative function of montage.

In keeping with Shane Meadows’ directorial style, Combo’s story sequence consists of music following the end of a scene. This is done to largely portray British social realism, with the realistic Mise-en-scéne, on location filming and combination of professional/non-professional actors, improvisation all enforcing British stereotypes. On the face of this film, it appears to communicate a story aligning with British social realism. The forms of narrative taken over within this film are montage and the highly manipulative non-diegetic composed score that often feels cheap/cheat-like purposefully evoke a reaction from the audience to Shaun’s character, marking significant moments in the film that will effect Shaun’s character arc or development, moments that the audience should absolutely pick up on.

Combo, a key character, begins his monologue and all other diegetic sound from the crowded room is lowered so that Combo’s voice dominates in the mix; the camera tightens in on Combo so he is centrally framed and the highly manipulative, non-diegetic composed score begins to play, enforcing narrative function to influence audience reaction. Meadows crosses the two things over in the mix, the volume of the score increases as Combo’s voice decreases until the audience eventually no longer hear him. The score plays on to just his movements; as this is happening, there are cutaways from Combo to see the reactions of the characters within the room. This is key, as some characters seem to enjoy the humour of his anecdote and are taken by it whereas others appear appalled, signifying a split within the group. It is unquestionable that the audience should align with the appalled characters through the highly manipulative score and the volume of screen time the characters get for their reactions, the audience should purposefully feel sympathy for Shaun and disdain for Combo.

Within the racist bother sequence, a repetition of the manipulative, non-diegetic composed score makes clear to the audience that this sequence is in no way glorifying the group. The score represents the sadness that the audience should feel for Shaun’s misguidance and the poor direction of the characters; the composition of the frame centralises Combo, wearing a red jacket to signpost himself as the key danger in the group. The truly sad element of the sequence lies with Shaun, being taught the mannerisms and performance of being a racial supremacist; it is undeniably tragic as he is just a child and his impressionable brain is being filled with hate. Similarly, the simultaneously pathetic and terrifying nature of the group is depicted in the attack on the young boys. These grown men have taken a football from some children to kick it around in a dirty alley. They terrify these children but even as combo speaks, his attacks sound childish. “That’s our ball and we’re playing here” is playground speak and enforces the stereotypical simplicity of the belief system within the nationalist movement. During this sequence, Meadow’s plays on audience understanding of the stereotypes of Combo’s character to incur sympathy for Shaun’s character.

The importance of narrative drive is reiterated within the final montage, which bookends the opening montage, consisting of newsreel footage from the 1980s. However, this montage focusses exclusively on the Falklands War. When Combo tries to recruit the others, he makes a speech about the Falklands War which causes Shaun to hit him: he deplores the hopeless political situation in the UK at the time, where British men were sent half way across the world to fight shepherds for no real benefit to anyone. The political decisions by those at the top were pushing people towards extremist groups. The clips of the victory at the Falklands are accompanied by the same mournful, manipulative composed score that has been used throughout the film to indicate tragic moments in Shaun’s story that Meadows doesn’t agree with.

In the closing sequence, Shaun is on his own and he seems disheartened. He has lost his confidence from earlier in the film, and is no longer made to seem imposing on screen through low angles - he looks like a little kid again. Though still dressed in the skinhead attire, his jacket covers the shirt and braces and it is toned down. Throwing the flag into the sea serves as a symbol for Shaun casting away the racist attitudes he had adopted, and for the British public throwing away such racist values. The grimace on Shaun’s face shows his anger and betrayal. This is accompanied by a highly manipulative compiled score, indicating the bittersweet sadness of the ending; Shaun has lost his sense of belonging but retains his morality and ultimately prevails against the antagonist, Combo.

Where This Is England enforces narrative functions through montage, stereotypes and a manipulative composed score in such a way as to shape audience reaction to the characters of Combo and Shaun, Trainspotting enforces multiple narrative techniques to communicate a sense of understanding and justification of the motivations of the characters to the audience. Resultantly, the purpose of narrative drive within Trainspotting differs to that of This Is England, justifying character behaviour rather than the subverted message of the film, which is the approach taken by Shane Meadows in This is England.

There is a relentlessness within Trainspotting as the camera is constantly moving; it creates an immediate narrative drive, even from the opening sequence. Sickboy is introduced as thoughtful, funny and intelligent; this is one of the ways in which the audience are drawn toward the key characters despite their addiction - these characters defy stereotypes associated with addiction and appear to just be having fun. Every character appears bonded and close, they look out for one another and there is a sense of camaraderie around their addiction. There is a contrast within the characters that are recognisable as drug addicts, there is their sense of charisma that juxtaposes the realistic mise-en-scéne of the squalor in the flat and the preciseness of taking the drugs. In terms of the narrative drive, there is a careful balance of narration and diegetic speech. The narration pauses to allow the diegetic speech and vice versa; it all contributes to the relentlessness of the narrative drive. The main concept is that they are all sacrificing everything to just have fun. In their eyes, this is better than anything that normal life could provide by sacrificing all that normal people take pleasure in for drugs.

“When you’re on junk all you care about is scoring, when you aren’t….”, Renton’s narration about being on drugs removes all the responsibilities that come with a life of sobriety. The one-shot and two-shot camerawork reiterates and focuses on the sense of camaraderie between the key characters and the audience. As Renton’s narration states something, there is a cut to the sequence proving and revealing it, contributing to the narrative drive of the film. As Renton states he will get off the drugs, the non-diegetic compiled score ends and there is a run of serious dialogue. The narration is followed by an expressive illustration of what it unravels, reminiscent of cartoon skits to provide humour to the audience through narrative functions. Whilst this is not real and rather an expressive representation of the fact Renton will not leave the apartment, the classical music helps position the film as being comedic; Renton moves in rhythmic codependence with the music, again establishing character behaviour through the narrative drive of the manipulative score. The sequence ends with an expressive representation of escape as he smashes the wood to leave his apartment. Renton (the key character) is developed a lot as a personality through this sequence, largely at the hands of narrative functions.

Within the London sequence, use of montage to drive the narrative of the film is enforced throughout, its purpose is to move location from Scotland to London in a quick and efficient manner. Renton discusses the change in music toward the end of the film; this music choice differs from the rest - which was all indie pop. Born Slippy by Underworld reflects the cultural change in the early 90s from indie pop to electronic dance. The music begins low in the mix to again reiterate the difficulty in aligning sequences to the non-diegetic compiled score. There is an aesthetic change from deliberate composition, lighting and colour grading to bright, on-location filming and the use of video footage rather than that of film. It displays stereotypical, cliche tourist attractions in London to absolutely signify a change in location. London buses, Tower Bridge, Big-Ben - Boyle pulls out all the stops. Each montage clip breaks the fourth wall, looking directly at the audience with the policeman even waving at the camera. Whilst this does not directly develop audience response to the key characters, the change in

The composition of this montage is all quite disruptive and clearly not Renton’s viewpoint. This montage is an expressive and playful way in which Boyle expresses Renton’s change in location. There is rapid editing, rapid camera movements which are slightly disorientating, all of which signify a change in lifestyle for Renton. Once the montage music begins to fade, the audience see Renton in a different context, in pain employment. Time has moved forward, the location has changed and Renton has also changed. This montage takes place roughly halfway through the film and marks the beginning of Renton embracing the values of the ending monologue and rejecting the nuanced sarcasm of the opening monologue.

Abbey Road - pop culture reference to the Abbey Road album cover but he Beatles - this marks a turning point in the group - their last, unified moment before they begin to break apart. In most pf the film, there is a balance between realist and expressive Mise-en-scéne, Mother Superior’s set is symbolic and exaggerated but by the end of the film, there is much less of this. Where there were fantastical, storytelling elements on the beginning of the film, the end looks much more reminiscent of British Social Realism. These characters are clearly out of their comfort zone and have lost their swagger, appearing out of their depth. Renton even describes the group as “small time wasters”.

Throughout the sequence, Renton appears separate to the others; this insinuates a sense of separation preceding Renton’s actions. Moreover, exclusively diegetic sound is employed during this sequence; this roots the story in reality to contrast earlier moments of the film. Once the music begins playing, the narrative solution of the film begins and each narrative thread of the film comes together. The remainder of the film unravels the consequences of the narrative solution. The £16,000 victory feels genuine, separate from the drug deal.

The music that accompanies Renton’s actions consists of the electronic dance used during the London montage; this represents Renton’s transition from his previous life of Britpop and Iggy Pop into a new life in London. There is a visible difference between Renton in the opening moment of the film to now. Where he was charismatic and laughing initially, he is now cautious and much more careful. The over the shoulder shot of Renton looking into the mirror communicates a moment of self-reflection before choosing to take this path.

This sequence is definitely and purposefully filmed to the rhythm of the song. There is then Renton’s closing monologue, delivered in a different, more apologetic tone which creates a sense of humanness when compared to the opening monologue. It is almost filmed as a montage in itself: the music accompanies Renton leaving the apartment, then leaving Spud money, then symbolically crossing a bridge. The final shot is filmed using a long, zoomed in lens; this isolates Renton even more, demonstrating he is choosing a different path than anything seen in the film beforehand. Where Renton satirically rejected capitalism and life with his nihilistic attitude in the beginning of the film, he now sees the value in those things and wants for a normal life, “I’m gonna be just like you”. Even more so than the beginning of the film, the closing monologue is poetic about the middle-class trappings of life.

Ultimately, narrative drive in Trainspotting is paramount to forming the intended audience response and conflict, particularly with stereotyping. Whilst Boyle employs multiple filmmaking techniques to communicate the addiction perspective of the film, it is through narrative functions and drive that the humorous, charming and charismatic side of Renton is communicated and understood by the audience. This creates a sense of contrast within the audience that enhances and deepens the overall meaning of the film, fundamentally making it much more enticing as a viewer. In This is England, Meadows employs narrative drive to spur the hidden meaning behind the film, manipulating montage and score to incur sympathy for the main character, Shaun, and to reinforce the intended audience response to Combo as a highly disliked, shamed character. Whilst each film makes use of differing techniques, both Trainspotting and This is England effectively use narrative drive to influence audience response to key characters.

“How useful has an ideological critical approach been in analysing the films you have studied? Refer in detail to one or more sequences from each film.”

Plan

Below is my mind-map explaining my essay plan:

Version One

In order to fully comprehend the themes and messages within a film, an understanding of the ideological approach is vital. In This Is England (Shane Meadows, 2006), an anti-nationalist ideological approach is communicated through the eyes of Shaun, a 12-year-old boy from the midlands, as Combo, a heavily racist convict trying to indoctrinate others into his nationalist cult, takes advantage of his naivety and desperation to find where he fits in. In Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 1996), a nihilistic, anti-capitalist ideological approach is employed and focused around the main character, Renton. It explains the reasons behind the choices and behaviours of the Renton as he explores life as a heroin-addict living in poverty-stricken Edinburgh in the 1980s.

During the sequence wherein Combo explains his story, he begins his monologue and all other diegetic sound from the crowded room is lowered so that his voice dominates in the mix; the camera tightens so he is centrally framed and the highly manipulative, non-diegetic composed score begins to play. Meadows crosses the two things over in the mix, the volume of the score increases as Combo’s voice decreases until the audience can eventually no longer hears him. The score eventually plays on to just his movements; as this is happening, there are cutaways from Combo to see the reactions of the characters within the room. This is key, some characters seem to enjoy the humour of his anecdote and are taken by it, whereas others appear appalled - signifying a split within the group. It is unquestionable that the audience should align with the appalled characters through the highly manipulative score and the volume of screen time the disapproving characters remain focused on for their reactions, the audience should purposefully align with the anti-nationalist ideological approach that Meadows is perpetuating.

Combo’s performance appears almost slow motion through the hatred in his movements and his exaggerated performance, leaving the audience clearly positioned against his racist vitriol. Once the audience see the reactions of the other characters, it is clear they are not taken in by this. Whilst Combo’s behaviour is abhorrent and shameful, it is the reactions of the other characters that really solidify audience position with an anti-nationalist ideology.

This montage is used to compress time and show Shauns journey of indoctrination into this racist cult. It is both scary and depressing as the audience witness him learn how to be a racist. The group appear simultaneously threatening and ridiculous, they are merely five people out to make trouble and whilst they appear somewhat intimidating, they also appear to be just a group of ragtag misfits. Nonetheless, they appear terrifying in their own way. The way this image is procured communicates to the audience exactly what Meadows wants to portray, the distaste he associates with the nationalist way of thinking, again inferring an anti-nationalist ideology. There is also an overlay of the English flag, representative of the group’s beliefs and symbolic of their actions. As this shot represents the group as they want to be seen, the overlay of the English flag acts as almost a warning sign of their ideologies and something to steer clear from, reinforcing Meadows’ ideological approach.

There is then a repitition of the non diegetic composed score - making clear to the audience that this sequence is in no way glorifying the group. The score represents the sadness that the audinece should feel and the poor direction of the characters; the composition of the frame centralises Combo, wearing a red jacket to signpost himself as the key danger in the group. Through this, Meadows cements the anti-nationalist ideology within This Is England and reiterates Combo as the main source of nationalist propaganda within the film, thus creating audience distaste for his character too.

The next few shots are purposefully composed to communicate the group as pathetic and primitive. They are shown to believe they are marking their territory in an authoritative way, but in reality they are graffitiing a distasteful underpass in an unknown neighbourhood; there isn’t even logic behind the idea, with Combo unsure of what to suggest the others write. It is clear, through Combo’s abusive language thrown at women, that he is not only angry in a racist way, but also furious with women. The group are upset that they have nothing else to offer society, so they instead cling to what they can, their nationality. With Meadows creating an undertone of permeating hatred behind the motives of the character’s, the ideological approach of such characters also becomes engulfed in the hatred, thus disliked and opposed by the audience. Therefore, Meadows communicates an anti-nationalist perspective.

When Combo tries to recruit the others, he makes a speech about the Falklands War which causes Shaun to hit him: he deplores the hopeless political situation in the UK at the time, wherein British men were sent half way across the world to fight shepherds for no real benefit to anyone. The political decisions by those at the top were pushing people towards extremist groups, such as the nationalists. The clips of the victory at the Falklands are accompanied by the same mournful composed score that has been used throughout the film to indicate tragic moments that Meadows doesn’t agree with, again reiterating his distaste of Nationalist beliefs, inadvertently communicating an anti-nationalist ideological perspective.

By the closing sequence of the film, Shaun is on his own and seems disheartened. He has lost the confidence shown earlier in the film and is no longer made to seem imposing or authoritative through the use of low angle shots - he seems like a little kid again. Though still dressed in the skinhead attire, his jacket covers the shirt and braces and his costume is toned down. Shaun throwing the flag into the sea serves as a symbol for him casting away the racist attitudes he had adopted, and for the British public throwing away such racist values. The grimace on Shaun’s face shows his anger and betrayal with the deliberate breaking of the fourth wall in the final shot forcing the audience to reflect upon their own actions, as though Shaun is challenging us to do the same as he has and renounce such racist values. By doing this, Meadows casts away the nationalist ideologies initially revered in the film instead of inadvertently disapproving of them. Now, he openly dismisses them as negative and any disillusions the audience may have inferred about the ideological perspective disappear through the fervently anti-nationalist ideological approach in the closing sequence.

Where This Is England portrayed an anti-nationalist ideological approach through the characters of Combo and Shaun, Trainspotting communicates an ideological approach consisting of nihilism and anti-capitalism through the motivations of the characters. Resultantly, the purpose of the ideological approach within Trainspotting differs to that of This Is England, focusing on the ideological reasoning behind character behaviour rather than the ideological perspective of the filmmaker, which is the approach taken by Shane Meadows in This is England.

Within the opening sequence of Trainspotting, Renton’s monologue purposefully subverts the societal norms of middle-class aspiration. All the listed things (like dental insurance and good health) aren’t idealised, rather what people realistically expect and end up with. Consequently, Renton (18) sees this as a hollow promise - is that all he has to aim for and look forward to? The monologue begins by listing all types of things that compile the normal trappings of adulthood: good health, low cholesterol, dental insurance, leisurewear and matching luggage. It’s almost as if by listing them, Renton is trivialising them. Boyle communicates the idea that it would be a comfortable life but with no excitement; Renton bullet-points these things to create a sense of hollowness and ideological nihilism. As the monologue progresses, Renton deliberately begins to mock these things - inferring that they are things that should not be idealised, merely an existence rather than a life. Renton creates the concept of a hopeless promise of what life should be, a deliberate subversion of the famous drug campaign of the 1980s urging people not to throw their life away; the way society determines that you have made a life for yourself is through the things that Renton lists, but by doing it in such a way, Renton discredits the value of them, again reiterating an ideologically nihilistic approach.

In the opening sequence, a series of images alongside the non-diegetic compiled score are used to introduce time, location and characters, not dissimilar to a montage. All these characters are introduced through a game of football - communicating that these are average people that would be found anywhere.  As Renton is hit on the head with the ball, he goes to collapse and there is a cut to him collapsing after indulging in heroin. Performance-wise, McGregor is young, charismatic and good-looking in this film, making him all-the-more engaging and likeable. There is a combination of the themes of abandonment, dirt and run-down areas against the standalone charisma and humour of the characters. The soundtrack and pace of the film almost encourage the audience to disregard the squalor of the characters. Factually, Renton is an addict, but the way in which he presents his lifestyle entices the audience who then, to an extent, revere him and his ability to simply not care. Through this, Boyle communicates a nihilistic ideological approach.

Throughout the introductory London sequence, the composition of the montage is quite disruptive and clearly not Renton’s viewpoint. This montage is an expressive and playful way in which Boyle expresses Renton’s change in location. There is rapid editing, rapid camera movements which are slightly disorientating, all of which signify a change in lifestyle for Renton. Once the montage music begins to fade, the audience see Renton in a different context - paid, professional employment. Time has moved forward, the location has changed and Renton has also changed. This montage takes place roughly halfway through the film and marks the beginning of Renton embracing the values of the ending monologue and rejecting the nihilistic ideology of the opening monologue.

The moment in the pub following Franco’s attack acts as a defining moment for Renton. It is symbolic of the life that Renton aimed to leave behind and draws similarities to the Scottish portion of the film and the life that he lived on drugs, which inevitably had to end one way or another. This scene acts as a representation of Renton either staying in this life and embracing the nihilistic ideology of the film or choosing a different life. It also represents the destruction that choosing to revert back into his old ways would include. Renton’s close up whilst the other, blurred out, characters fight in the background reiterates his separation from the others and the choice he must now make.

This sequence is purposefully filmed to the rhythm of the song; Renton’s closing monologue is delivered in a different, more apologetic tone to create a sense of humanness in comparison to the nihilistic, anti-capitalist opening monologue. It is almost filmed as a montage in itself: the music accompanies Renton leaving the apartment, then leaving Spud money, then symbolically crossing a bridge. The final shot is filmed using a long, zoomed-in lens; this isolates Renton even more, demonstrating he is choosing a different path than anything seen in the film beforehand. Where Renton satirically rejected capitalism and life with his nihilistic attitude in the beginning of the film, he now sees the value in those things and wants for a normal life, “I’m gonna be just like you”, rejecting the initial ideology of the film. Even more so than the beginning of the film, the closing monologue is poetic and passionate about the middle-class trappings of life.

Ultimately, analysing both films from an ideological critical approach is vital in developing an understanding of them. In This is England, the ideological approach communicates the political lens of Shane Meadows and is crucial in understanding the nuanced messages and beliefs that Meadows communicate through the medium of ideology. Without the ideological critical approach, the fundamental purpose of this anti-nationalist film would be misinterpreted. Whilst an ideological critical approach does not communicate the inadvertent messages of the filmmaker in Trainspotting as it does in This Is England, understanding the ideological critical approach is fundamental in explaining the actions of the characters and why they behave the way they do. Without the ideological approach, the deeper message of anti-capitalism and the ultimate rejection of this ideology would be subverted. Both films make unmissable use of an ideological critical approach, in different but equally crucial ways.

“How valuable has ideological analysis been in developing your understanding of the themes of your chosen films?”

Plan

Version One

In order to fully understand the themes and messages within a film, an understanding of the ideological approach is vital. In Winter’s Bone (Debra Granik, 2010), Granik communicates the film through the lens of a feminist ideological approach. The film follows Ree Dolly, a 17-year-old girl living in the Ozarks, wherein lies heavy drug culture and an extremely low income economy. In No Country For Old Men (Joel & Ethan Coen, 2007), a feminist ideological approach is absolutely not taken, rather that of a deterministic approach. The film explores the journey of Llewelyn Moss after he discovers a drug deal gone-wrong and finds himself on the run from psychopathic killer, Anton Chigurh.

The opening sequence of Winter’s Bone (Debra Granik, 2010) immediately establishes the idea that women are trapped within a patriarchal society, but remain strong and independent nonetheless. The initial sound of the film is that of a non-diegetic compiled score of a woman singing a traditional song about mothers and children. This draws the audience in since the first narrative voice of the film is female. Moreover, the non-diegetic compiled score sounds traditional, informal and familiar to create a sense of community alongside the audience, through the lens of womanhood. Once the sequence begins, the children are behind a caged frame on the trampoline which symbolises that they will grow up being trapped inside the community and subsequently become products of it; this creates an immediately oppressive feeling in the film. Whilst there is little to differentiate both children, they both appear androgynous with no emphasis on particular gender distinction and costume is virtually the same, Ashley is seen to be nursing and looking after kittens; this incurs maternal imagery through caregiving, an ongoing theme throughout the film. However, this sequence is not representative of idyllic gender equality; Ashley and Ree are seen to put the washing on the line whilst the boy watches them, relaxing on a hammock. The women are much closer to the camera than the boy; this creates the idea of a matriarchy within the family, thus enforcing the idea of gender stereotypes, Ashley is playing with baby dolls with Red whereas the boy is playing on his skateboard. Ree, the lead character, isn’t portrayed as a sexualised character whatsoever, she is just a person doing what people do. This entirely contradicts the idea of the male gaze within the film. The lighting of the interior house gives the impression of natural light with no attempt to objectify Ree, emphasising her as the strong, centralised character, reiterating the feminist ideological approach within the film.

Within the squirrel gutting sequence, there are multiple examples of feminism being portrayed as the key ideology within the film. Sonny sneezes, not a smart thing to do whilst hunting, which communicates that Ashley and Ree are more competent than him. Again, Ree is imparting knowledge unto him - she is the hunter (typically male role) and still nurturing them. Ultimately, it is the little girl that spots the squirrel and helps pull the trigger whilst sonny remains useless throughout. Later in the sequence, it is shown that Ree can operate heavy machinery; this displays her multiple roles again. Even as Teardrop enters her frame, Ree is given the majority of the edit. It is like he is a character in Ree’s world, not the other way around. Again communicating the feminist ideological approach of the film. Teardrop abrogates responsibility whereas Ree takes it on. It is then shown that Teardrop offers Ree drugs but she stands strong and rejects it, showing that she knows her own mind. When the policeman arrives, she meets his gaze and he looks away; this is also seen here wherein Teardrop breaks the conversation and walks away. The camera lingers on Ree, who stood strong. In terms of editing, Ree is prioritised and everything is gauged on how Ree reacts. Because of the heavy emphasis on Ree and her perspective, Granik continuously reiterates the feminist ideological approach of the film.

Despite being consistently portrayed as powerful and strong-willed, there are some moments throughout the film wherein Granik creates a feeling of helplessness for women. This is specifically shown in the cattle market sequence, Ree must walk into this male-dominated environment wherein she is isolated and alone. The indecipherable cacophony excludes her entirely. There is physical separation between her and the men; they are above her and this leaves her alone. She is tying to break through but must break away from her predestined role to be successful with all odds against her. Ree is caged on the pathway - this communicates that she is on a path she cannot deviate from; she is walking from right to left, which contradicts normal storytelling direction communicating that the course she needs to take is visible to her but unreachable. She is isolated in the frame and entirely alone; no matter how hard she shouts, she cannot be heard; this reiterates the idea that when talking to men, she has no voice. The non-diegetic composed score takes on a discordant and uncomfortable tone to unease the audience. Ultimately, this conveys the idea that women are fundamentally prejudiced against, living within a system that works against their gender.

Furthermore, in the closing sequence of the film, the feminist ideological approach of the film is solidified and accentuated. The narrative resolution of the film is being entirely resolved by women (Merab), without the involvement of any men (other than Ree’s dead father). Film stereotypes and tropes have been turned on their head to purport the strength of women within this sequence. Using a shotgun to protect your family and home is not an unfamiliar trope in film, but to have a woman do it creates a juxtaposition of gender roles in the film. In Winter’s Bone, none of these characters are particularly gendered; this is a cast that almost entirely could be played by men with the exact same story being told. Traditionally, in Hollywood, those roles would have been given to men. The fact that Granik has created a female-dominated cast wherein the story could remain the same regardless of gender makes this film an absolutely feminist film and no accommodation of bravery or stereotypical female qualities have been added to Ree, there are no added expectations of behaviour solely based on her gender. Ree is not brave ‘for a woman’, she is brave. As the definition of feminism references the equality between both genders, this absolutely communicates a feminist ideological perspective. Moreover, a parallel can be drawn between the initial scene with the sherif and the final sequence with the sheriff. Ree has gained strength over the course of the film which rippled onto the power relationship between her and the sherif. Contrary to the beginning, Ree is now looked up to by the camera and the sherif is looked down at, he breaks eye contact and she holds steady. She is clearly in a higher position now. Later, Teardrop alludes to going to get revenge for what happened to Jessop; Ree does the mature thing and sacrifices herself and opportunities to look after the kids, but Teardrop must satisfy his own sense of macho bloodlust and pride by replicating the same male behaviour seen throughout the film. At the end of the film, Teardrop drives off to do his own selfish thing, proving he cannot be relied upon, but Ree sits down with the children, making clear she is reliable and selfless. She is a rock that the children can rely upon.

Resultantly, it is clear that within Winter’s Bone, a feminist ideological approach is taken and consistently reiterated. Contrastingly, in No Country For Old Men (Joel & Ethan Coen, 2007), that of a deterministic ideological approach is taken.

The audience are first introduced to Llewelyn, hunting in a vast Texan landscape, when he comes across a failed drug deal attempt. The surrounding land is often shown through extreme long shots depicting exactly that, vast areas of land with nothing but nature. Because of this, the inference that Llewelyn’s chances of finding this drug deal are minuscule and through this, the first example of determinism within the film unfolds. Another way in which Llewelyn displays the deterministic ideology of No Country For Old Men is through his phone call with Chigurh. The diegetic sound of the call is muffled to create an aspect of realism, and Llewelyn’s back is turned away from the audience throughout the call; this creates a barrier that both the audience and Chirgurh share, unable to gauge Llewelyn’s reactions. This creates a sense of unknowing in the film, despite the audience having all necessary information. Subsequently, Chigurh’s ultimatum is rejected by Llewelyn, choosing to believe in his ability to kill Chigurh before Chigurh kills his wife. This determines Carla Jean’s death by Chigurh, justified through this moment of determinism within the film. Moss bangs the phone against the box twice to communicate his anger, stress and anxiety over the conversation - a direct result of his actions and decisions.

The key way in which Ed Tom Bell’s character communicates that of a deterministic ideological perspective is through narration. Initially, Bell’s character unfolds the story of a case that he prosecuted and the audience hear Bell before anything is seen. Bell discusses the old-school Sheriffs and even reveals that he sent a boy to the electric chair. Bell then reveals the way in which the boy described this killing, not as a crime of passion but rather a premeditated, necessary act. Such behaviour is undoubtedly deterministic and communicates the way in which the film creates an immediate sense of determinism through the medium of violence, setting the scene for the volume of deterministic violence depicted in the film.

Consequently, Chigurh is the key way in which determinism is communicated, especially through violence. Chigurh’s fundamental belief that his murdering is an obligation and resultant of the individuals’ actions, rather than his own choice, spearheaded the concept of deterministic violence within this film. During the “Call It, Friendo” sequence, Chigurh enters a derelict petrol station and badgers the man with a multitude of questions whilst sustaining direct eye contact with him - exacerbating the already high tension of the scene. Chigurh then directly asks the man to call his coin flip; whilst not verbally addressing it, it is deeply implied that this coin toss would determine whether he will live or die. Chigurgh’s begins a lengthy narrative monologue, discussing how the coin had travelled 22 years to reach this moment, and that if the man had not married his wife, he would not have reached this moment either. Through this, Chigurh heavily emphasises the nature of determinism in the film, and that the choices of the man and the journey of the coin determined his fate, all leading up to this moment in his life. The diegetic dialogue of the conversation is completely emphasised, at the expense of realism in the scene, in order to create tension and completely hook the audience in the importance of this moment as a key example of the ideologically deterministic approach of the film. Fundamentally, the coin toss acts as a medium from which Chigurh acts as an agent of fate, carrying out the events that were determined to occur.

Yet another example of determinism within No County For Old Men occurs in the scene wherein he kills Wells. Wells is displayed in a close-up shot whereas Chigurh is shown in mid-shot to leave space for the entirety of his gun (covering the door) to be displayed. Through this, the intimidating and inescapable presence of Chigurh is communicated, conveying that his wrath is unavoidable and determined. Once Wells begins attempting to talk his way put of his determined fate, Chigurh informs Wells that he knows he will receive the money, which will be placed at his feet, yet another example of Chigurh spearheading the concept of determinism in the film. Wells attempts to deflect his fate by claiming he is simply a day trader but this only seems to solidify his fate in Chigurh’s eyes. As soon as the phone rings, there is an eerie sense of determinism, with both characters understanding that Wells’ fate is inescapable and sealed. The diegetic sound of the phone blares through the silence and signals Chigurh’s gun, killing Wells instantly.

Once Carla Jean returns from her Mother’s funeral, she enters a her darker, foreboding bedroom and Chigurh is seen to be waiting for her through an over the shoulder shot. A series of shot/reverse shots begin as Carla Jean’s expression becomes increasingly desperate and distraught. It is almost immediately clear that Chigurh is intending to kill her; he asks her to call his signature coin toss, despite Carla Jean’s protests. There is then the diegetic sound of a coin flipping, to which Carla Jean rejects the notion of something as fickle as a coin toss deciding her fate, but Chigurh kills her anyway. This communicates the idea that the coin determines the character’s fate no matter what they do, and any rejection of Chigurh’s representation as an agent of fate results in death. No matter what, Chigurh determines his victims’ fate; Carla Jean’s story is a prime demonstration of this, despite her attempts to defy her own fate and express free will. Once Chigurh leaves the house in a wide shot, he checks his boots for blood; whilst her death is never expressly shown, it is heavily implied. Although Carla Jean demonstrates the presence of free will and defies the concept of determinism in the film, her ultimate fate reiterates Chigurh’s overarching presence and reinforcement of determinism within the film, where he goes, death follows, with no exception.

The enforcement of these contrasting ideological approaches within each respective film undoubtedly develops the themes within each of the films. In Winter’s Bone, the feminist ideological approach heavily contributed to the look of the film, with women being heavily emphasised and portrayed from a feminist perspective. Without the feminist ideological approach, the themes within the film would have drastically changed. Similarly, in No Country For Old Men, the presence of determinism provides the foundations from which the entire character arc of the antagonist, Chigurh, stems from. Without determinism, the Coen brothers would not have communicated the themes as effectively.

Abbey Road - pop culture reference to the Abbey Road album cover but he Beatles - this marks a turning point in the group - their last, unified moment before they begin to break apart. In most pf the film, there is a balance between realist and expressive Mise-en-scéne, Mother Superior’s set is symbolic and exaggerated but by the end of the film, there is much less of this. Where there were fantastical, storytelling elements on the beginning of the film, the end looks much more reminiscent of British Social Realism. These characters are clearly out of their comfort zone and have lost their swagger, appearing out of their depth. Renton even describes the group as “small time wasters”.

There is a callback to shallow grave, a short film by Boyle, wherein the ensemble team collaborated beforehand. The flatmate that is found dead in this short film is the same actor that plays the drug dealer in this scene.

Throughout the sequence, Renton appears separate to the others; this insinuates a sense of separation preceding Renton’s actions. Moreover, exclusively diegetic sound is employed during this sequence; this roots the story in reality to contrast earlier moments of the film.

Once the music begins playing, the narrative solution of the film begins and each narrative thread of the film comes together. The remainder of the film unravels the consequences of the narrative solution. The £16,000 victory feels genuine, separate from the drug deal.

The pub scene is done in a series of coherent two/three shots, everything feels natural and the shot/reverse shot of the conversations create a sense of unity between the group. Renton and Spud begin to contemplate the idea of going solo; this is communicated through a series of single shots of the characters.

The moment in the pub following Franco’s attack acts as a defining moment for Renton. It is symbolic of the life that Renton aimed to leave behind and creates similarities to the Scottish portion of the film and the life that he lived doing drugs, which inevitable had to end one way or another. This scene acts as a representation of Renton either staying in this life or choosing a different life. It also represents the destruction that choosing that life with include. Renton’s close up whilst the other, blurred out, characters fight in the background reiterates his separation and the choice he must now make.

There are cuts between the profile silhouettes of Begbie and Renton, it is as if Renton is looking into the eyes of the uncontrollable metaphor of his future.

The music that accompanies Renton’s actions consists of the electronic dance used during the London montage; this represents Renton’s transition from his previous life of Britpop and Iggy Pop into a new life in London. There is a visible difference between Renton in the opening moment of the film to now. Where he was charismatic and laughing initially, he is now cautious and much more careful. The over the shoulder shot of Renton looking into the mirror communicates a moment of self-reflection before choosing to take this path.

This sequence is definitely and purposefully filmed to the rhythm of the song. There is then Renton’s closing monologue, delivered in a different, more apologetic tone which creates a sense of humanness when compared to the opening monologue. It is almost filmed as a montage in itself: the music accompanies Renton leaving the apartment, then leaving Spud money, then symbolically crossing a bridge. The final shot is filmed using a long, zoomed in lens; this isolates Renton even more, demonstrating he is choosing a different path than anything seen in the film beforehand. Where Renton satirically rejected capitalism and life with his nihilistic attitude in the beginning of the film, he now sees the value in those things and wants for a normal life, “I’m gonna be just like you”. Even more so than the beginning of the film, the closing monologue is poetic about the middle-class trappings of life.

This montage’s purpose is to move location from Scotland to London in a quick and efficient manner. At the beginning of the sequence, Diane references the fact that music is changing; Boyle’s music choice for this montage reflects that and differs from the rest of the film, which was all indie pop. This song reflects the cultural change in the early 90s from pop to electronic dance.

The music begins low in the mix to again reiterate the difficulty in aligning sequences to the non-diegetic compiled score, a staple of this film.

There is an aesthetic change from deliberate composition, lighting and colour grading to bright, on-location filming and the use of video footage rather than that of film. It displays stereotypical, cliche tourist attraction sin London to absolutely signify a change in location. London buses, Tower Bridge, Big-Ben and all the stops. Each montage clip breaks the fourth wall, looking directly at the audience, the policeman even waves at the camera.

The composition of this montage is all quite disruptive and clearly not Renton’s viewpoint. This montage is an expressive and playful way in which Boyle expresses Renton’s change in location. There is rapid editing, rapid camera movements which are slightly disorientating, all of which signify a change in lifestyle for Renton. Once the montage music begins to fade, the audience see Renton in a different context, in pain employment. Time has moved forward, the location has changed and Renton has also changed. This montage takes place roughly halfway through the film and marks the beginning of Renton embracing the values of the ending monologue and rejecting the nuanced sarcasm of the opening monologue.

Renton’s opening monologue: states the ideology of the film

Choose life - sarcastic illusion to an anti-drugs campaign within the UK during the 80s; it is stuff that Renton and his friends grew up hearing. Such a ubiquitous campaign that young people subverted this message, just like Renton.

It is a subversion of the societal norms of middle-class aspiration. All these things aren’t aspirations and idealised but what people realistically end up with; also what people learn to understand is fine. But Renton, 18, sees this as a hollow promise - is that all I have to aim for? It begins by listing all these things that compile the normal trappings of adulthood: good health, low cholesterol, dental insurance and leisurewear and matching luggage. It’s almost that, by Renton listing them, he is trivialising them. It is a comfortable life but with no excitement; Renton bulletin-points these things to create a sense of hollowness.

As the monologue progresses, Renton deliberately begins to mock these things - inferring that these are things that you should not idealise, an existence rather than a life. Renton creates the image of a hopeless promise of what life should be, a deliberate subversion of the famous campaign telling people not to throw their life away because of drugs; the way society determines that you have made a life for yourself is through the things that Renton lists, but by doing it in such a way, Renton discredits the value of such things.

The whole monologue is a statement of nihilism, why would you choose possessions, good health and security when you can have heroin? It begins with this nihilist manifesto, explaining why these characters do these things; in another sense, Renton enforces hedonism.

As the film progresses, Renton seems to reject his own ideology of hedonism and by the end of the film, he delivers another monologue in which he embraces all the things explained in the beginning of the film. Renton goes from the state of hedonism to everyday complacency, choosing life.

No good place to pause the film; it is constantly engaging. The non-diegetic compiled score rarely, if ever, cuts in conjunction with a scene. It creates a relentless drive forwards within the film, consisting of these short, impressionistic, expressive sequences, each held together by a soundtrack that dominates and accompanies most of the film. Many of the songs are played in full, which rarely happens on film soundtracks.

Cold open, in media res, to a follow shot of feet running away from the camera on a busy Edinburgh street; the feet his the ground in time with the compiled soundtrack and the sequence is cut to the beat of the soundtrack, creating a rhythm and pace in the film immediately. Iggy Pop was a counterculture, American anti-pop figure of the 1970s and the title of his song “lust for life” immediately ties in with Renton’s opening monologue. There is then a fast-paced chase wherein Renton and Spud, both scrawny and shaven, run down the street chased by security guards.

As there is another follow shot with the two running towards the camera, the things that both had been stealing are seen to fall out of their pockets. There are CD’s and consist of what Renton is listing. As the camera pans and the chase progresses, Renton’s monologue begins, stating his ideology outright. From the opening shots, the film is centred in a British reality, running past M&S and Boots.

Very early into the film (30 seconds), there is a breaking of the 4th wall. Renton, who appeared determined and tough mere seconds ago, now breaks this wall to look directly at the audience. As his name card appears on the screen, he looks at the audience and laughs; this informs the audience of the type of film this is, it is self-aware, postmodern and commenting on its own situation. There is then a cut to analepsis of a representative image of Renton doing drugs.

The sequence of images compiled with no-diegetic compiled score is used to introduce time, location and characters, not dissimilar to a montage. All these characters are introduced through a game of football - communicating that these are average people that would be found anywhere.  As Renton is hit on the head with the ball, he goes to collapse and there is a cut to him indulging in heroin. McGregor is young, charismatic and good-looking in this film, making him all-the-more engaging. There is a combination abandonment, dirt and run-down areas with the charisma and humour of the characters. The charisma, soundtrack and pace of the film almost encourages the audience to disregard the squalor around the characters, in reality Renton is an addict but it appears cool.

There is a relentlessness within the film as the camera is constantly moving; it creates a narrative drive. Sick boy is then introduced as thoughtful, funny and intelligent; this is one of the ways in which the audience are drawn into the film - these characters defy addiction stereotypes and appear to just be having fun. Every character appears bonded and close, they look out for one another and there is a sense of camaraderie around their addiction.

There is a contrast within the characters that are recognisable as drug addicts, there is their sense charisma that is juxtaposed with the realistic Mise-en-scéne of the squalor of the flat and the preciseness of taking the drugs. In terms of the narrative drive, there is a careful balance of narration and diegetic speech. The narration pauses to allow the diegetic speech and vice versa; it all contributes to the relentlessness of the narrative drive. The main concept is that they are all sacrificing everything to just have fun. in their eyes, this is better than anything that normal life could provide by sacrificing all that normal people take pleasure in for drugs.

“When you’re on junk all you care about is scoring, when you aren’t….” Being on drugs removes all the responsibilities that come with a life of sobriety. The one-shots and two-shots reiterate and focus on the sense of camaraderie. As a narration states something, there is a cut to the sequence proving and revealing it, contributing to the narrative drive of the film. As Renton states he will get off the drugs, the non-diegetic compiled score ends and there is a run of serious dialogue.

There is narration followed by expressive illustration of what is discussed in the narration, reminiscent of cartoon-like behaviour. This is not real and rather an expressive representation of the fact Renton will not leave the apartment. The classical music helps position the film as being comedic; Renton moves in rhythmic codependence with the music, again establishing narrative drive. The sequence ends with an expressive representation of escape as he smashes the wood to leave his apartment.

Feminism is defined as the “desire for, and support of, a woman’s right to be treated as a man’s equal in the social, economic and political worlds”. Most women do not consider themselves ‘better’ than men but nonetheless stand firm in the notion that patriarchy is a hinderance to women being treated in an equal light to men.

It is also true that men can be feminists as feminism involves all that believe in an equal society between women and men.

Feminism became prominent in the early 1900s and was based on a book that Mary Wollstonecraft published titled A Vindication of the Rights of Women. It focused largely on legal inequalities and brought public attention to the formation of the Suffragette movement.

A second wave occurred in the 1960s wherein the Women’s Liberation Movement aimed to ensure equality in other areas of women’s lives, like the workplace or the family. Some also felt concerned with the effect of pornography on women as the mass media was becoming a bigger part of peoples lives.

The third wave occurred in the 1980s and continues to present day; it covers the negative stereotypes of women as well as their right to control their own sexuality and abortion.

The Bechdel Test

In a popular comic strip by Alison Bechdel in 1985, a revolutionary addition to media commentary occurred: the invention of the Bechdel Test.

The comic draws inspiration from Virginia Woolf’s writing and emphasised the fact that little has changed in fiction between 1929-1985, drawing similar parallels to today.

The criteria of the test are simple. In order to pass, a film must:

1. Include at least two women.

2. These women must have a conversation.

3. The topic of the conversation must not involve a man

(It is sometimes said that the final addition is that these two characters must be named and not extras).

Male Gaze

In 1975, Laura Mulvey wrote Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema and this became one of the most well-known pieces of feminist writing within the media community. Mulvey proposed that the cinematography within classical Hollywood films objectifies women as the camera looks at women as if it were a man looking at a desirable, sexualised object. This became known as the male gaze. Ultimately, women are either viewed in a ‘voyeuristic’ way, presenting them as whore-like, or a ‘fetishistic’ way, presenting women as virgin-like. To solve this, Mulvey proposed that a new style of filmmaking be introduced, an avant-garde style of feminist filmmaking.

Some criticise Mulvey ideas, stating the notion of a male gaze suggests that female viewers can’t feel any pleasure from watching classical Hollywood films; critics ascertain that women can enjoy watching films from a male perspective whereas Mulvey does not account for the complex ways in which audiences perceive and enjoy films.

Radio broadcasts are used throughout the course of the film to create a parallel between the war in the Falklands and the conflict Shaun is facing between Woody’s apolitical group and Combo’s nationalism.

As a result of the economic recession in 1981, discrimination against ethnic minorities sharply increased, notably in lower class, minimally educated areas. An example of this in this film is Gadget, whilst graffitiing a wall, he spells ‘national’ as ‘nashnil’. By 1981, the Brixton area saw a series of riots against the new stop and search policy adopted by police officers as it was done to limit racist prejudice.

The British victory in the Falklands War resulted in the Conservative government’s reelection in the 1983 genera election. The result of Conservative policies throughout this period caused unemployment, deindustrialisation adn a deepening north/south divide in England.

Shaun is on his own at the end and he seems disheartened. He has lost his confidence from earlier in the film, and is no longer made to seem imposing on screen through low angles - he looks like a little kid again. Though still dressed in the skinhead attire, his jacket covers the shirt and braces and it is toned down.

Throwing the flag into the sea serves as a symbol for Shaun casting away the racist attitudes he had adopted, and for the British public throwing away such racist values. The grimace on Shaun’s face shows his anger and betrayal.

The deliberate breaking of the fourth wall in the final shot forces the audience to reflect upon their own actions, as though Shaun is challenging us to do the same as he has and renounce such racist values.

This bookends the montage at the beginning of the film, consisting of newsreel footage from the 1980s; however, this montage focusses exclusively on the Falklands War.

The montage opens with the Union Jack being raised above the capital of the Falklands, symbolising the reassertion of British control over the islands. However, the surroundings seem bleak and underdeveloped, making the victory seem small and unnessecary. Meadows doesn’t covey the war as a glorious British victory.

When Combo tries to recruit the others, he makes a speech about the Falklands War which causes Shaun to hit him: he deplores the hopeless political situation in the UK at the time, where British men were sent half way across the world to fight shepherds for no real benefit to anyone. The political decisions by those at the top were pushing people towards extremist groups. The clips of the victory at the Falklands are accompanied by the same mournful composed score that has been used throughout the film to indicate tragic moments Meadows doesn’t agree with.

The parade through the street is of a rag-tag group of men, not the grandeur typically associated with such events. The lack of discipline and restraint of the soldiers, that is supposed to be instilled in the army, is shown by the soldiers sharing a bottle of vodka.

The British army are in soldiers’ uniforms, while the POWs they round up are in civilian clothing, frightened and defeated.

The reality of war is shown towards the end of the montage where the corpses are wrapped up and carried on splints and the surroundings are full of death, guns, and destruction.

Though the emotions shown are real, the shots of the returning soldiers meeting their families seem contrived, as though to replicate the famous images of the end of WWII.

The montage ends with Shaun holding the photo of his dead father; while many soldiers were able to return home, many weren’t. This makes the reunion scenes all the more poignant.

This montage is used to compress time and shows Shauns journey of indoctrination into this racist cult. It is both scary and depressing as the audience watch him learn how to be a racist. Depending on your interpretation, the group appear simultaneously threatening and ridiculous, it is five people out to make trouble and whilst you wouldn’t want to see them, they also appear to be just a group of ragtag misfits. Nonetheless, they appear terrifying in their own way. The way this image is procured tells the audience exactly what Meadows wants to portray. Momentarily, he is depicting the group exactly how they wish to be seen. There is also an overlay of the English flag, representative of their beliefs and symbolic of their actions. As this shot represents the group as they want to be seen, the overlay of the English flag acts as almost a warning sign of their ideologies.

There is then a repitition of the non diegetic composed score - making clear to th udienc that this sequence is in no way glorifying the group. The score represents the sadness that the audinece should feel and the poor direction of the characters; the composition of the frame centralises Combo, wearing a red jacket to signpost himself as the key danger in the group.

The next few shots are purposefully shown to communicate the group as pathetic and primitive. They are shown to believe they are marking their territory in an authoritative way, but in reality they are graffitiing a smelly underpass in an unknown neighbourhood that is likely covered in urine. There isn’t even a plan behind the idea, with Combo unsure of what to suggest the others write. It is clear through Combo’s abusive language thrown at women that he is not only angry in a racist way, but also furious with women. they are upset that they have nothing else to offer society, so they instead cling to what they can, their whiteness.

The truly sad element of the sequence lies with Shaun, being taught the mannerisms and performance of being a racial supremacist; it is undeniably tragic as he is just a child and his impressionable brain is being filled with hate. Similarly, the simultaneously pathetic and terrifying nature of the group is depicted in the attack on the young boys. These grown men have taken a football from some children to kick it around in a dirty alley. They terrify these children but even as combo speaks, his attacks sound childish. “That’s our ball and we’re playing here” is playground speak.

The shot of Shaun walking through the tunnel is an homage to the Alan Clark film, Made in England, starring Tim Roth as a white supremacist. There is a strange double exposure tracking Shaun through the underpass; it is a metaphor for what Shaun has immersed himself in and his new way of thinking. The low angle shot looking up at him draws similarity to Combo’s shot previously, suggesting Shaun has completed his training and is now a fully fledged racist.

The permanence of Combo branding Shaun with a tattoo represents his mental and physical indoctrination into the group; it all draws back to ownership and control. Once tattooed, there is the suggestion that it will be extremely difficult for Shaun to walk back his ideology and actions, he now holds the mark of racism on him, forever.

The forms of narrative taken over within this film are montage and the highly manipulative non-diegetic composed score that sometimes feels cheap/cheat-like, but in This Is England, it purposefully evokes a reaction from the audience, marking significant moments in the film that the audience should pick up on.

Combo begins his monologue and all other diegetic sound from the crowded room is lowered so that Combo’s voice dominates in the mix; the camera tightens in on Combo so he is centrally framed and the highly manipulative, non-diegetic composed score begins to play. Meadows crosses the two things over in the mix, the volume of the score increases as Combo’s voice decreases until the audience can eventually no longer hears him. The score eventually plays on to just his movements; as this is happening, there are cutaways from Combo to see the reactions of the characters within the room. This is key, as some characters seem to enjoy the humour of his anecdote and are taken by it whereas others appear appalled, signifying a split within the group. It is unquestionable that the audience should align with the appalled characters through the highly manipulative score and the volume of screen time the characters get for their reactions, the audience should purposefully align

Combo’s performance appears almost slow motion through the hatred in his movements and his exaggerated performance, leaving the audience clearly positioned against his racist vitriol. Once the audience see the reactions of the other characters, it is clear they are not taken in by this. Whilst Combo’s behaviour is abhorrent and shameful, it is the reactions of the other characters that really solidify audience position.

The montage begins with a rapidly edited sequence of shots of crude graffiti, reflecting the decay of the area. The shots are edited in time with an upbeat non-diegetic compiled score, the ska music of the subculture. When it cuts to a long shot of the male members of the friend group walking towards the camera down an alleyway, the audience see that although this is a place of deprivation, it’s their place of deprivation. The group is made up of a positive mix of genders, race, and ages, showing the group are accepting and inclusive.

There is a visual change in Shaun from the scruffy, lonely little boy. He is shown in the centre of the group, happy and smiling, in the same uniform as those around him.

For the most part, the hand held cameras used in this sequence and throughout the film provide the British social realist film. The editing is almost documentary-style, with a lack of match-on-action shots or other stylish techniques.

The gap between childhood and adulthood is shown through the games they play. Despite their tough clothing, they spend their time skimming stones, playing football, going swimming, and jumping in muddy puddles.

Expressively showing childish fun by jumping in the pool 3 times over.

Image of skinheads lying about on a slab of graffitied concrete - a group of friends hanging out and taking care of Shaun.

These lost characters have been united through the music and fashion of this youth subculture. They are drawn towards the skinhead movement for the sense of belonging it affords them. Woody’s gang is the positive example of belonging to a group, contrasted later against the toxic, dangerous sense of belonging Combo offers.

The use of long lenses zoomed in provides a sense of intimacy, watching a real scene playing out rather than something carefully staged managed.

It is a very particular way to open the film as it is all about establishing time and place. It roots the audience in a particular year in a particular place. The fact that the film almost ends with a matching montage bookends the film with montage sequences. The montage at the end has a very different tone, the first is somewhat upbeat in comparison to the final montage to create contrast.

During the 1980’s there were initially 3 TV channels until the Government allowed for a fourth to start operating. Channel 4 wanted to start a new TV channel but faced opposition from the public and the government as they didn’t want another commercial TV channel - people saw it as damaging populist nonsense. After much arguing, they adopted a middle ground, taking some funding from the TV license but also funding some money through advertisement.

In 1984, Channel 4 created Roland Rat. It’s a Brummie TV presenter Rat for kids designed specifically for kids. It is also postmodern as he talks to the viewers, the producers as well as the puppeteer. It specifically catered to the children ignored by the BBC in a new and refreshing way.

There is then a short clip of Margaret Thatcher followed by a clip of space invaders. Created and played in arcades during the 1970’s, the 1980’s marked the decade of new home entertainment, including arcade games and other consumer electronic gadgets.

Night rider was an American 1980’s TV programme about a bounty hunter vigilante with a robot car. This marked the first time American imports were shown on British television. Young people thus received their first exposure to culture outside of the UK.

There is then a long, crabbing shot from a car depicting the reality of northern urban life through use of graffiti, showcasing the worst of British post-war life. By the 1980’s, estates built in the 1950’s appeared uncared for and unkempt, representing the state of the population.

There is then a cut to multiple shots of different youth cultures, these young people found an identity through likeminded hobbies; Meadows gives us a glimpse into the realities of skinhead youth culture. The more you place people into an unfamiliar environment, the more they will group together to create a sense of belonging.

In the 1980’s there was a fad trend of ‘keeping fit’ which was promoted as a way to keep a growing population of middle-class office workers fit. Moreover, there was a growth in the popularity of the music of violence associated with the Skinhead subculture.

The Royal Wedding is also included, the 1980’s were a time wherein the royal family held a much higher status than currently. The popular love of Diana combined with Charles’ royal status incurred a burst of patriotic feeling in a positive way.

There is a building being demolished to represent that the aforementioned buildings of the 1950’s weren’t working and were being phased out. After this, there is a clip of the hostage crisis in the Iranian Embassy in London. They took the ambassador and some other workers which was followed by a period of negotiations. Behind the scenes, the Army sent in the SAS mercenaries (in black) to capture the hostages. It was seen as a victory for Britain wand recorded for the masses through Newsreel footage.

Controversially, in the 1980’s, America positioned nuclear weapons in the UK which was as popular as you would imagine. If you place American Nuclear missiles (making them closer to Russia) in Britain, it makes Britain a genuine target for Russia. Whilst it was done to improve the bond between UK and USA, the general population found it abhorrent.

Subsequently, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is shown protesting alongside the fences keeping the weapons. It was heavily supported by women, who as a gender hadn’t been particularly politically motivated in military affairs until now. Ultimately, the group were successful as the weapons were taken away. There is a clip of a woman being taken away by police, showing people willing to be arrested over their beliefs.

BMX bikes were a new thing in the 1980’s; doing tricks on them was a new and cool trend.

Margaret Thatcher is then shown straying to use a computer. The idea that technology will become prominent was clear in the 1980’s but, to working class adults, this felt scary and exciting at the same time as it may potentially take away their jobs.

CD’s were advertised as a perfect, safe investment and, for this montage, represent the popularity of digital consumer products. There is also a clip of robotic manufacturing showing the threat they posed to livelihoods.

The film grossed £5 million at the box office, a level of success that landed the approval of three sequel TV series: This is England ‘86 (2010), This Is England ‘88 (2011) and This is England ‘90 (2015).

Most of the film was shot on location in Nottingham, specifically St Ann’s Lenton. The film is set in Grimsby, an abandoned, run-down town in the midlands, despite being filmed in Nottinghamshire.

The film recieved an approval rating of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics calling it “A moving coming-of-age tale that captures the despair among England’s working class youth in the 1980s”. The film went on to win the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film at the 2007 Brithis Film Academy Awards in 2007 as well as Best Film at the 2006 British Independent Film Awards.

Personal Reaction:

Initially, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this film, I assumed that there are only so many ways a racist can be protracted on-screen and in any case, something that the audience would always oppose. This film effectively worked to change the audiences perspective and blur the lines between what is and is not acceptable, but for only one character. In the case of Combo, the audience are purposefully driven to powerfully dislike him from the moment he is introduced on-screen, but in the case of Shaun, the audience travel with him on his journey, aware of his impressionable and naive soul. To the audience, he is just looking for a place to fit in following the death of his father and abandonment from his peers. For this reason, the bittersweet feeling of watching Shaun find a home for himself amongst such a toxic and dangerous whirlpool of ideology makes the film all the more impactful and memorable.

★★★★☆

Trainspotting is a British black comedy directed by Danny Boyle and released in 1996. It is based on the 1993 novel by Irvine Welsh with Evan McGregor in a starring role.

The film follows the story of heroin addicts living in a run-down and economically depressed area of Edinburgh. Upon its release, it received huge critical acclaim, earning the title of one of the best films to come out of the 1990s. Ranking 10th in the Top 100 British films of the 20th century, Trainspotting currently sits with a rating of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed £72 million internationally.

Rodger Ebert awarded the film three stars out of five, praising its portrayal of addicts’ interaction with one another. He also emphasised McGregor’s ability as “an actor whose magnetism monopolises our attention no matter what””.

The film was nominated for two British Academy Film Awards in 1996, earning Hodge a win for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Within the film, music takes a front seat, carrying themes and audience emotion wholeheartedly. Boyle places great emphasis on music within his films, as it is a medium that can “bring a lot of baggage” with them, they “interbreathe with the material”.

Whilst the film received large critical acclaim, there were many pushing back from a conservative position, claiming the film promoted a romanticised version of drug use that youths may find appealing or intriguing.

Personally, I found the film to be an interesting, unusually satirical take on the realities of depressed life following the dullness of 80s Britain. McGregor is captivating in his portrayal of Renton, earning and losing the respect or loyalty of the audience in equal amounts. The approach to the realities of drug use was also uniquely portrayed, with an awareness of the dangers whilst also leaving room for the unfaltering difficulty of addiction itself. The films stands in a position to convey a story without placing blame. And if blame is placed anywhere within Trainspotting, it is with the system.

★★★★☆

Whilst the economy was getting better in London, this book focuses on the communities left behind from the recovery; it is a depiction of youth culture in one of the forgotten areas of the UK. Young people grow up in these places with no form of discernible future at a time with an increase in the availability of cheap, strong drugs.

The form of drugs in the 1960’s were starkly contrasted and much more dangerous by the 1990’s. Contrastingly, the situation which led to the film being made is also key. The postmodern novel by Irvine Welsh is written out phonetically in Scottish dialect with an unconventional narrative. At the time, it was hugely popular and believed to be ‘unfilmable’.

Danny Boyle was a young filmmaker attending film school during the late 80s early 90’s. Boyle and two friends got together through their thirst to create a small-scale, cheap, manageable film. Three people: Danny Boyle directing, John Hodge writing the screenplay ‘Shallow Grave’ and Andrew MacDonald producing. They managed to receive funding and made a short film that received largely positive reviews. It was a modest UK hit about some university students sharing a house when one of the rooms becomes available. Someone takes the room and they find him dead a few days later.  The character of that was Ewan McGregor. Whilst the film was cheap, the talent was absolutely there; each of the components featured a lot of talent which created a successful film, producing profit.

Because of this, there was talk of what Danny Boyle would do next as a follow-up. It was then announced that he had acquired the rights to create Trainspotting. They attempted to create a lot of pre-production buzz about the film and propaganda for the film appeared over a year before its release. John Hodge wrote the script, Andrew MacDonald produced, Danny Boyle directed and Ewan McGregor starred as the leading character. Everything about it worked from the editing to the rhythm with a genuine narrative flow; there is never a break to the story.

It crossed the barriers that such a film encountered, attracting all sorts of demographics and produced conversation outside of ‘filmy’ circles, totally setting up the main four characters career-wise. Instead, they decided to stay together and do another film that created the same impression for the third time. They then announced that they would make a romantic comedy with Ewan McGregor as the leading man, revitalising the genre. Ultimately, it felt off and was a studio romantic comedy with the humour of an American studio. Whilst it wasn’t bad, it wasn’t the direction that people wanted them to take.

As a result, the four people questioned whether they should go their separate ways or commit to a fourth film. The stars then signed as another book became big in the mid 1990’s called The Beach. It was again believed to be unfilmable but the four took the quest on yet again. It had a large budget with a stipulation that they couldn’t cast Ewan McGregor as the leading man. Because of this, they could either cast Ewan McGregor and have a smaller budget, or cast a Leonardo Dicaprio and have the budget they desired.

The Beach was a good film, but wasn’t like Trainspotting. Everything works and was quite a big success but it was the end of the line for those four people as a filmmaking unit. The studio partly rewrote Hodge’s script and the producing credits were largely taken over. Ewan McGregor then fell out with all of them, believing he would’ve been better for the role. John Hodge then gave up and went back to medical school, becoming a doctor for a while until then moving back into scriptwriting. Andrew MacDonald still produces somewhat but Ewan McGregor found his place in Star Wars.

Trainspotting 2 then came to fruition in 2017 after the previous grudges of the leading four were buried. It featured the entire creative cast of the first film alongside the promise that there will be a third as the characters grow even older.

The two films we will study are:

The fundamental points:

Trainspotting: here

This is England: here

The key areas of study and specialist study areas that will be assessed are:

The sequence opens with a high angle shot of the gas station looking out across the landscape. There is a centrally framed “Texaco” sign to establish the location for the audience. It is obvious through Mise-en-scéne that the place is worn down as the sign is missing letters and clearly worn. The gas station owner is framed within the window.

As the tension grows, the camera closes in on the characters to create suspense.

Sound

Both actors’ voices are initially quiet in the mix and grow alongside the emotional uncomfortableness of the sequence.

The diegetic sound of the coin tossing is heightened to emphasise its importance. It also develops the emphasis to create tension and complete suspense.

Editing

The editing pace is initially slow and consistent but as the tension of the scene grows alongside Chigurgh’s foreboding demeanour, the pace quickens.

Mise-en-scéne

The station owner has a view blocked by chains and a tractor; this communicates the natural world being overrun by human acts and the modern age of technology.

Performance

Chigurgh’s character becomes irritated and annoyed at the impatience and fear of the gas station owner, making the scene again grow in suspense. He is satisfied at the compliance of the owner as it communicates his obedience.