British Social Realism // Production Log Nine

In recent lessons we have learnt a lot about narrative. We first learnt the difference between stories, plots and narratives:

"Stories are the events in order of occurrence, where as plot is the order in which they are told to the audience. Narratives are about the structure of the text."

We then learnt about the different types of narrative, a linear narrative being the traditional order of a beginning, middle and end whereas a non-linear narrative is where the story is not in chronological order. We also learnt about restricted narratives, where the audience has limited access to narrative events as they only see what the characters see and omniscient narratives, where the audience has access to more narrative events and sometimes know more than the characters themselves. Most BSR films use an omniscient and linear narrative (because a non-linear narrative is not as realistic).

We decided that for our opening we would have a non-linear narrative as we wanted to include flashbacks but have the rest of the film as a linear narrative. We also decided we wanted to use an omniscient narrative as in our film idea the audience would know more than our main character. 

An example of a non-linear film would be Pulp Fiction as we follow the storylines of three separate characters and allows us as the audience to see different character's point of views. The structure of this film makes it exciting and keeps the audience intrigued. For these exact reasons we wanted to use a non-linear opening, as our idea is to have a smash mouth opening and we want it to grab the audience's attention straight away. 

An example of an omniscient narrative would be this clip from the film "Psycho." This clip shows the film to have an omniscient narrative as the audience are able to see the character approaching the shower without the other character knowing. 

We learnt about Todorov who suggested that conventional narratives are structured in the following five stages: 

1. A state of equilibrium at the beginning

2. Agents of change disrupting equilibrium

3. A recognition that there has been a disruption

4. Solution/Restored order 

5. New equilibrium 

We also constructed our own narrative structure based on Mckee's 'Classic Narrative Structure': 

We added the above narrative structure to our treatment to explain our narrative stages clearer, and also added the following terminology we learnt to the paragraph about narrative in our treatment: omniscient, restricted, narrator, enigma code, action code, protagonist, antagonist, verisimilitude, linear and non-linear. 

This week we had to consider how we were going to conduct our primary research. We looked at many different ways to collect information needed by our audience, written questionnaires, focus groups and vox-pops. We decided on using vox-pops to collect the information from our target audience, as it allows us to ask follow up questions and gather opinions and also allows us to present the information gathered in a more interesting way. Obtaining vox-pops should allow us to see a snapshot of our audience's opinion and provide us with enough information to see if our film is suitable for our target audience. We will approach people and ask them open, but simple questions ensuring that these people represent our audience. We will carry out our research next week and use questions that we constructed in advance. Our first question will tell us whether they are familiar with the genre our film will be by asking if they have seen some well known British Social Realism films, this should enable them to understand the common themes in realist films and makes their opinion on our storyline more valuable. 

This week we also learnt about shooting scripts. A shooting script is used in the production process of the film to communicate important information needed by all crew and actors involved. It should include: - Dialogue       

- Shot Type

- Shot Angle

- Duration of shot

- Shot Movement

- Music and Sound FX

- Lighting 

- Description of Action

- Props/Equipment needed (costumes etc)

- Actors used in scene

- Shot Number

We carried out an exercise using a shooting script made by someone else and went and filmed it in one of our lessons. It made me realise the importance of a shooting script for 1. Filming, this exercise shows that a shooting script needs to show the exact details of the shot and what will happen and can be very useful if you do not film shots in chronological order. and 2. What is included in the shooting script needs to be clear, and easy to follow, but contain a lot of information. When I conduct my own shooting script I will remember this exercise and ensure that if I gave my shooting script to someone else to film it should look almost exactly like mine. 

This is our version of the shooting script we were given: 

Strengths of our work? 

We followed the 180-degree rule when filming to try and keep continuity within our shots. We followed the shot types and angles, and used various different shots when the shot type was not specified. Also the setting and props was accurate to the information that was given.

Weaknesses of our work? 

We were unable to follow the costumes as we were only given a lesson to film and because of this time frame were unable to finish the sequence. We were filming with tape and this was a new experience for us and some shots were lost when it was converted onto the computer so the beginning is missing. A big weakness of our work is that we were unable to stay in character as you can see in the clip. The main weakness however, is the confusion about the shooting script. The shooting script given to us used the character's name and actor's name inconsistently throughout the description of action in different shots, so after filming some shots, we realised it was one person not two, but could not go back and film so there is a jump cut as we did not have continuity as one character had to change positions completely. Eoin is seen sitting, and then being the one at the door. This made us realise that our shooting script needs to be written carefully and made easy to understand. 

Treatment and Narrative Structure

Positive 

Title
We chose the title 'Positive', this connotes that although the storyline itself isn't positive, the theme of pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases may be involved, it gets the audience thinking without giving too much away. This title is conventional for the BSR genre as it one word, two syllables so it is quick and easy to remember, it is really effective in getting the audience to think about our storyline, characters and themes. It will appeal to our target audience because they are young, and straight away will associate the word positive with not only good, but with the elements that will make up the film.

Target Audience
Our target audience is 16-24 year olds, as it focuses on mainly adult themes, but still has an element of corruption of youth as the characters included are still young students. We have also aimed at female viewers as it tackles the struggles that are more common amongst females. Our target audience will also be interested in watching other films which present real life struggles, perhaps presented in a documentary style, Britain has a sky-high level of teenage pregnancies, with 2.9 out of every 100 girls aged between 15 and 19 giving birth every year. The class of our audience is middle and working as the characters will also reflect these classes, so they will be able to relate to what they are going through. Our film will appeal to our target audience as the themes involved are young and current, along with the characters themselves. We hope to represent our characters truthfully so that our audience can easily relate to what they are going through and find similarities between the film and what they have seen or even experienced themselves. We also want our character to represent that teenage pregnancy isn't always their fault and how they are so easily judged before they know what caused it.




Our unique selling point is that in most teenage pregnancy themed films, the girl falls pregnant from having sex with her own consent with knowing the consequences, for example Juno, For Keeps, Precious. But our film will denote her pregnancy in a totally different perspective. We will watch these films in order to help us differentiate our own film from theirs and give it a clear USP.





Technology
We have an idea to film certain parts of our film on a mobile phone that belongs to one of the characters at a party, the footage would be raw, hand held and gives the audience a different perspective of what is happening. A good example of this is the opening of Harry Brown which creates a really on edge atmosphere for the audience through this type of footage, which is what we would like to achieve in certain areas. A limitation of this is that it could look amateur and not create the atmosphere that we would like it to.

Representations
Our key character is a 16 year old girl, Becca, who becomes pregnant. She is the protagonist as she is young and vulnerable, although she is not treated as this because everyone has taken a dislike to her and treats her as if she has done wrong. The antagonist in the film is firstly the rapist, as he takes advantage of this young girl, but no one knows his identity so is not treated as the bad guy. Aswell as him, we have bullies and keyboard warriors who attack her for her pregnancy. 
We will apply BSR archetypes to the characters in our film by firstly having the failing man, Becca's Dad, he is a single parent struggling to provide for his daughter, and panics at the thought of having to supply for a grandchild. The weak but aggressive man will be the Rapist, who is shown as weak by taking advantage of a girl much more vulnerable than him, but aggressive through the act of rape. The Savior is the boy who falls in love with Becca despite her pregnancy, he helps her to overcome the bullies and what she has been through. The follower will be her best friend who has now turned her back on Becca because of her pregnancy, and instead follows the crowd and bullies her. 
Our film will challenge typical representations of teenage girls who carelessly become pregnant, instead it will show the hardships that some young girls are forced to face.

Narrative
Our film is about a 15 year old, Becca, who is raped on her way to a party, she keeps the rape a secret but is still bullied at school and online for being made out to be promiscuous. The enigma code of our film is that the audience will not know what Becca will do with the baby or who she will tell, leaving them intrigued. In our opening sequence, it will begin with a text asking Becca to come to the party, to a flashback of her getting ready. It will then go back to current time where she is doing homework, and takes out a pregnancy test. Later on it will cut between her waiting for the results and flashbacks of the rape.
Our characters and themes are introduced but not fully exposed, and we will use super imposed graphics so that it is more interesting to watch. Our opening will be non linear as it will include flashbacks from the rape and will not follow on in chronological order, after the opening, the rest of the film is a linear story. We aim to create verisimilitude through our actors to make the audience feel a sense of realism when watching, our locations will also be real locations as it will not be filmed on set, this should make the audience believe that the story is more real.

We have designed a narrative structure so that we do not give too much of our story away in the first 2 minutes, our opening will consist of only the exposition and the agents of change.

Conventions

We will conform to typical BSR genre's as we will use themes of Corruption of Youth, unwanted pregnancy and sexual abuse. Our film will have elements of romance but in a more unexpected way than most romantic films later on. A non linear opening and music which sets the appropriate atmosphere . Our credits will be super imposed, black or white so they do not attract attention away from the film.

Style and Iconography
We are going to use two different types of camera work, still and handheld, this should give the audience different perspectives and create different atmospheres throughout. We will use mostly cuts and cross cuts so that our shots are short and fast paced in the montage to make the audience on edge. Our characters will be wearing average priced, non branded clothes to signify reality and their average earning families. This is different to most BSR films as they are mostly denoted wearing tracksuits and we find this does not portray reality accurately. When the girl is taking her pregnancy test, we can hear her shaky breaths, showing her nerves. The music contrasts with the rape scenes as it is not as aggressive, but still makes the audience feel sorry for Becca.

Institution 
Film 4's ethos is to help out small British directors and their films are not usually suited to family audiences with only a small budget. This will impact on our film because it impacts the themes we have used as they would not be suitable for younger children, our budget is low so it comes across as more realistic. We will distribute our film in an independent cinema as this is what Film 4 mostly do, if the film was successful, we would go on to exhibiting it in larger cinemas for wider audiences, Netflix, Sky Movies.

British Social Realism // Production Log Eight

British Social Realism // Production Log Seven

Inspiration from Stories in the News

This story is about a woman who stole almost £15,000 from her aunt was finally jailed after pretending to be pregnant to avoid prison. I think this story could be made into a British Social Realism film, as the story could focus around her, perhaps someone who is well-known for petty crime in her area finally being caught and then being afraid of facing the penalties. The main themes of the film would be poverty and petty crime. The film would follow her story mainly, the struggles she faces to get by and then also the problems she causes her family. The figure she stole from her aunt in the film would most likely be reduced dramatically so it fits the theme of poverty. The location would most likely be her living in a block of flats, whereas her aunt might be slightly better off. I think that her aunt could be someone trying to help her niece by interfering with her life, but not something that the main character would want. I also think I would have the main character younger than Lisa Phillips, maybe a teenager around 18 or 19. This could emphasise a bad childhood as her parents aren't around hence why her aunt is trying to take care of her and change her ways. 

This story I think could be changed into the dangers of driving under the influence especially amongst teenagers. I think the film could be based around school lives, for example similar to "Kidulthood," where a massive party is planned but things go wrong. I think alcohol and drugs could already be a massive part of their lives, and many of the characters have experimented with them before, some are perhaps regular users. The story could follow one character in particular, a young boy who just passed his driving test, who later in the film is responsible for many in the vehicle where the car collides with another causing injuries and many casualties amongst his friends. The main themes would be first love, alcohol and drugs and corrupted youth. First love is a theme as I think the story could focus around the main character's infatuation with a girl, who he is trying to impress. This story would focus on the constant peer pressure he receives, and the causes of this peer pressure. The location can remain in Doncaster, where the characters would live in normal houses. I think the main character would have a best friend that always convinced him to do things, the person who in the film who would have convinced him to drive under influence who would have a broken home and a considerably harder life than the friendship group around him. He would feel he had to impress his friends. In a way, the audience would empathise with this character, and indirectly this character's story is the one that we follow. 

This story I think could be turned into a British Social Realism film, perhaps presented in a similar way to the film "ill Manors." This news story has similar themes to that film, but shows the downfall of someone with minor fame/popularity. It looks at drugs and prostitution, the more extreme themes common in BSR films. I think it could start off with the girl's life just after winning this contest, but as the fame disappears the film could show her life swindling into a deep depression where she meets a drug dealer who gets her hooked on heroin. I think she could leave home after meeting this drug dealer moving in with him where their flat becomes known as a place to get drugs. Next I think the drug dealer could die from an overdose, leaving her to take over the business but she gets caught.

Analysis of Camera and Editing in "Ill Manors"

How is the camera used in "Ill Manors"?

This camera shot from a high angle, emphasises a really relaxed response from this character to being put in prison. As we can see he has a relaxed body language and expression on his face connoting that he is not affected by being put in prison and that perhaps is something that has happened before or something that is to be expected in his line of work. This gives the audience a bad impression on this character, as they would view him to be someone on the outskirts of society and have quite a rough background. This presents the characters of this film to be of a low class therefore resorting to drug dealing and taking drugs themselves. 

This camera shot allows the audience to see a knocked over tablet bottle, drugs on the table and the phone which has contacts of many of the drug dealers that are introduced to us through the film. It is effective as it allows the audience to see what is in the foreground of the shot, the phone and tablets, but the items in the background are blurred. This enables the audience's attention to be drawn to these items thus emphasising the storyline of drug dealing.

This two shot shows the dominance of the character Kirby as he has the majority of the screen, and the other character can only be seen on the left hand side of the screen briefly. This connotes his authority over the other character, as he works for Kirby, perhaps through a bigger reputation or age, meaning he has been in the business of drug dealing longer. 


This wide shot shows us Kirby leaving prison. It is effective as it shows no one in the background, or anything to distract the audience allowing all focus to be on him. This represents him as an important character in the film, but also someone with quite a big ego, with a well-known reputation. The way he is dressed differs to images seen of him before, we see that drug dealing has made him quite well-off as his clothes seem nicer than characters we have seen before.

This camera shot is effective in the way it has been angled as we see two characters clearly meeting in a dark alley-way at night by some rubbish bins. This connotes the area to be quite rough as in the background of shots filmed in the same locations we see a gang which tells the audience this is an area that people meet and hang around on the streets. The shot showing the gang in the background is in focus but the foreground is blurred allowing the audience to see what the director wants us too, and come to the conclusion of a rough area where people hang about on the streets.

This low angle shot allows the audience to see blocks of flats which allows us to establish location. Flats are a common place for setting of British Social Realism films so this allows us to see the typical living situation of the working class people. Perhaps a low angle is used to connote a low social class as it is not presented in the best way.


This camera shot is effective as it is angled in a way where we can see many members of a gang. They are made to look quite dominant and powerful in this shot connoting that they may cause fear amongst others. They are also all wearing tracksuits and snap-backs, which is in fashion amongst young people, so represent young people in a bad way. This also connotes them to be identified as a group of people, meaning this is how gangs of young people are recognised.

How is the editing used in "Ill Manors"?

Parallel Editing is used in this film to move forward in time and allows us to see different character's stories being told at the same time. We start off with Ed and Aaron's story, then Kirby's, cut back to Ed and Aaron and then on to the gang of younger characters. This is effective as it keeps a fast pace for the opening of the film, gaining interest from the audience. It also shows how drug dealing is affecting all aged characters and the younger characters upbringing is being tainted. This establishes a theme of corruption of youth. It also represents this area in a bad way, as it assumes that there are many drug deals happening and connections between drug dealers going on all at the same time, making the area look rough.  

 

Time-lapses are also used at the very beginning of the film which is effective as it briefly introduces us to the characters, all of which are being presented as quite rough and constantly handling things secretively. For example, the phones when they ring occasionally show code names, "Liability" being one. This shows how they handle business. The sped up shots allow the audience to be introduced to the themes of drug dealing in the film, this theme is established through scenes of Kirby injecting a girl. We also see locations, which have been mostly filmed at night, showing the night life of the area, drug dealers and prostitutes which has been made clear in the lyrics of the opening song. We see images of girls being picked up and dropped off on different corners of streets. This represents the characters as being desperate for money and also to be the bottom of the social class ranking, resorting to illegal acts to make a living. This shows a rough area and the rough upbringing some of these characters have. For example, Chris resorted to drug dealing through Kirby after his mum died due to an overdose on heroin as her and Kirby were in a relationship, so he was constantly around a drug environment and if he wasn't it probably wouldn't be what he is doing as a job now. It also allows the film to move forward in time swiftly and easily, only showing scenes that are relevant to the storyline. 

Continuity Editing is used in the film especially in a scene where Aaron is talking to his social worker. We see over the shoulder shots, shot-reverse shots, two shots all keeping to the 180-degree rule. This makes the conversation easier to follow for the audience, and the cuts are invisible making the final edit as realistic as possible. This is common in British Social Realism films as every character is in the same position and remains on one side of the screen making the scenes flow much better.

British Social Realism // Production Log Six

What have you learnt about opening sequence devices? 

This week I have learnt about many conventions of an opening sequence and why they are used. Some of the conventions are listed below:

1. Super-Imposed Graphics: 

These are graphics that overlay the film. Films tend not to use full-screen graphics as it is too boring for the audience and wastes time. 

2. Production Company:

This is a company that supply the cameras and crew, and generally fund the film. This is usually shown as a full screen graphic and along with the distributor's logo. 

3. Producers: 

These are the representatives of production company and are responsible for the film's budget. This is shown as a super-imposed graphic with their names. 

4. Director:

They work alongside writer and are the main creative person working on the film. They make the text a motion picture. 

5. Actors: 

The main actors get super-imposed graphics in the opening credits. Occasionally smaller roles are mentioned.

6. Engaging Music: 

This draws the audience in and is usually upbeat. Usually connotes and reflects the film's genre and main themes.

7. Minimal Dialogue: 

The opening sequence is usually used to establish and develop a location and setting for the film.

8. Introduce Themes/Ideology:

The opening sequence usually hints subtly at the themes of a film. A good example of this is "Trainspotting" as it shows clearly that drugs plays a part in the film clearly.

9. Introduce Characters: 

Some films use the opening sequence to introduce the main characters or a protagonist of the story. A good example of this is again the opening to "Trainspotting." 

10. Introduce Setting: 

The opening sequence can be used to establish an era and area. 

11. Non-linear Start: 

This means changing the order of events, for example, the first scene showing something that happens later in the film and then skips back in time. This engages and interests the audience. 

12. Intrigue and Enigma: 

This means that the opening sequence sets up the storyline and creates mysteries and possibilities.

13. Montage:

This means different scenes put together in a sequence together. A good example of this is the opening to "This is England." 

This Is England (2006) — Art of the Title

14. Establishing Shots: 

These types of shots are commonly used in the opening sequence to set the scene and can also establish locations. 

How will this impact your production? & What methods might you use in the opening and why?

This will impact my production as I plan to use many of the conventions listed above to make my opening interesting for the audience, yet conform to the common factors found in opening sequences. I plan to use super-imposed graphics, show all the relevant roles and use engaging music. I think in British Social Realism, it is important to use establishing shots and set the scene as it needs to be filmed in an area that meets the criteria of a typical realist film and helps establish the class of the characters. For example, it could be set in a run-down council estate. I also would like to hint at the themes and ideologies of the film, and through this create enigma amongst the audience. I quite like the idea of a non-linear start as I feel it may suit the previous idea I had for an opening which is a smash mouth opening. This would engage the audience from the very start and throw them straight into the story. 

Conventions of the Opening Sequence of "Trainspotting"

British Social Realism // Production Log Five

British Social Realism // Production Log Four

What have you learnt about title devices? 

This week was focused on how the opening credits of films are presented to us, which I have learnt is very important for the audience. They have to be interesting to draw the audience's attention as they are the first impression of your film. Many films use the opening credits to establish the genre and themes that may appear in the film, this leaves an enigma amongst your audience and keeps them interested. 

I have learnt that to keep the opening interesting for the audience, the credits are short, but are kept on the screen long enough for them to be read. They are also always in a clear font and colour so the audience can see them. In British Social Realism films the colours are usually black or white, to keep them simple as it emphasises the film is realistic and not as fictionalised as Hollywood films. Also, to keep them short, only key roles are featured in the film's opening, for example, the production companies are first shown, followed by the main actors, then key names from the crew are mentioned, finally finishing with the editors, producers and lastly the director of the film being shown.

In British Social Realism films commonly, the production companies would be shown with a plain black background, but the rest are super-imposed graphics meaning they overlay the images shown to us. 

How will this impact your production? 

I plan to show my graphics in the same way that I found in many BSR films, which shows my production companies on a black screen, but the credits to follow being on a transparent background, so the opening sequence does not bore the audience. I also plan to use a plain colour for my font (black or white) so it is simple and easy to read, which is also another common factor amongst realist films.  My credits will also follow the structure I mentioned above which is as follows: 

Production Companies, 

Main Actors, 

Crew, 

Editor, 

Producer,

Director. 

What methods might you use in the opening and why? 

I quite like the idea of a smash mouth opening to throw the audience straight in to the story. I feel this is a really effective way of drawing the attention of your audience and making them aware of the themes of the film within the very first minutes. A really good example of this type of opening is "London to Brighton." I found this opening quite unique and it interested me straight away and left me asking questions to what might have happened before the scene being shown to me. I need to research more into how the credits are shown with this type of opening, but I like the idea of showing the production company and having some action and then showing the credits on top of calmer scenes that follow. The credits would be clear, but not take much attention away from the scene so would most likely be shown in black or white.

British Social Realism // Production Log Three

This week I researched more into my commissioner, Film 4's background and ethos. I have found that they are behind a lot of the funding for many British films and have supported many social realist films in the past. They tend not to produce films suitable for family audiences, they prefer more controversial and sensitive film topic ideas. This means they have developed a reputation for producing British social realist films as well as many other genres. The films they invest in tend to show the true hardships of a lower class life in Britain, how people can be discriminated because of social class and sometimes the rebellion against the mundane life they live. They also look at political views and topics like race and sexuality and deal with them in quite an extreme, graphic way. I have learnt that they spend lots of money and time in supporting independent directors to offer a platform to the British film industry. They try and invest £500,000 per film at a rate of 20 films a year. Film 4 have produced some really successful films that have gone on to win awards even if they had relatively low budgets. 

This means I need to ensure that my opening sequence conveys a serious topic, such as domestic abuse or drug experimentation in a new, unique, innovative way. I feel my film idea has to be truthful as the film ideas they tend to produce come from true events or a way of life, even if I portray it in an extreme way. 

I also learnt more about sound in British Social Realism. Sound is really important in films as it helps the audience navigate and understand the text. It also creates a mood and atmosphere and tells the audience what feelings they should be experiencing. British Social Realism films would usually mainly use diegetic sound and not use many sound effects as they would want it to be as realistic as possible. I also found out that Foley sound is not often used in social realist films as it takes away from the realism. Foley sound is a naturally occurring sound but it needs to be re-recorded. It is usually used to enhance believability as it makes the sound match more to what is on the screen. It is not used in British Social Realism films because they would want the footage to be raw, so it makes it much more realistic for the audience. I also learnt about mode of address, which is the way the text speaks to the audience and it includes the way the language is used by the characters. In British Social Realism films, the mode of address may help us identify regional identity through accents or age group perhaps through slang. Also, in social realist films the dialogue is delivered all at once, because the actors tend to work around an improvised script making it much more suitable for this type of film as it is more realistic. I also learnt about non-diegetic sound for example sound bridges. Sound Bridges can be used in British Social Realism films as they bridge the sound on two separate shots and link them together. The two separate shots are usually at two different locations or time periods so is effective way of moving the story along. However another example of non-diegetic sound is a sound motif. A sound motif is when a character has a piece of music that the audience would always relate to them, which wouldn't be suitable for a realist film and is much more common in superhero films. Another example of non-diegetic sound is a voice-over, which again like sound bridges has been used in realist films before. Voice-overs could even be considered diegetic sound in some cases, for example listening to a character's thoughts. 

Example of Foley Sound: 

Example of Sound Bridge: 

This will impact my opening sequence as I need to consider what types of sound I will use in my production. For example, the music I will use while the opening credits are on the screen needs to relate to my film idea in some way but not be to repetitive or overpowering for the audience. I will also need to think about what regional identity I am trying to portray and make sure that the mode of address matches this. 

Commissioner Factfile

Who is the company? 


Film Four is a British digital television channel available in the UK, it produces, distributes and exhibits films. It is owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. They own and operate other channels too such as Channel 4, 4seven, E4, More4 and 4music. When asked about commissioning priorities, Film Four responded with: 

"We look for range across our subject matter and budgets, though we prioritise stories with contemporary relevance, based around British led talent or content.While we are not prescriptive about the kid of material we are looking for, we are particularly interested in distinctive voices and work that aims to push the boundaries, within any given film genre."

There is advantages for the success of films they produce as they are committed to airing the films they produce on both Film4 and Channel 4 on television.

What do the company produce?

Film 4 aim to fund around ten to twelve feature films a year. "We invest £15 million annually in developing and financing films for theatrical release in cinemas, working collaboratively with filmmakers and usually in partnership with other funders." Film 4 often co-produce with other companies for example the realist film "This is England" was produced by Film Four productions and Warp Films. They traditionally contribute around 15-25% of an independent film's budget. Film Four have built a reputation for producing kitchen sink dramas otherwise known as social realist films. They aim to show the hardships of working class life in Britain in the most realistic light possible. They often use real locations and untrained actors and are often set in regional, heavily accented areas. These types of film deal with some controversial or sensitive themes of the time period the film is set in. Popular social realist films produced by film 4 include, "My Beautiful Launderette," "Rita, Sue and Bob Too" and "Trainspotting." It is clear through researching Film 4 that they are mainly interested in controversial topics in films and innovative ideas instead of particular genres. However they have funded and developed other genres of film, romance, comedy, horror, science fiction and so on.

Where is the company based?

FIlm4 Productions is a British film company who are well-known for backing a large number of films made in the UK. Their main aims is to develop the film industry in Britain but they do not exclude creative, innovative ideas from outside the UK. They fund films internationally, even in America.

Why is the company important to the UK Film Industry? 

Film 4's ethos is to develop British talent and be a leader of innovation in the British Film Industry. They also aim to invest around £500,000 per film at a rate of 20 films a year. Film Four also support international independent film makers by co-investing in interesting foreign film ideas. Film Four offer a platform for British and independent cinema by committing to show each one of Film Four's productions on Channel 4 and FIlm 4. These key values of Film 4 means that they help develop the British film industry, as they do not exclude low budget films or independent directors. In 1992, the film "The Crying Game" produced by Film Four was very successful in America. Also in the 90s films such as "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Shallow Grave" were big successes. In 1996, Film Four had a very successful year with film productions with films such as "Trainspotting," "The Fully Monty" and "Brassed Off" found success at the UK Box Office. All these films were produced by the UK, showing Film Four help develop the UK film industry. Danny Boyle is a director who has worked on five Film 4 Productions, including "127 Hours," "Trainspotting," "28 Days Later," "Sunshine" and "Slumdog Billionaire." He has won the Oscar for "Slumdog Billionaire" in 2008, and works in both film and theatre.