1) What does this tell us about Plan B's intentions in making the film?

2) What do we learn about the production process for Ill Manors?

3) What can you tell about the possible target audience from this short documentary?

4) Does the film successfully do what director Ben Drew (Plan B) set out to achieve? Explain your answer with reference to both the film and the making of documentary.

Plan B's Intentions for making this film were to educate the audience on how living and how gritty some parts of London exactly are. He did this by setting the film in Forest Gate in East London. Which shows that the gritty parts of London however it can also show the fact that in East London the Olympics had taken place which glamorised the area.

We learn that the film was made on a low budget and therefore Ben Drew could not hire out bigger actors, however he did need actors with experience to act out more serious and major roles in the film. According to him it would be made out to be more realistic if some of the actors recruited were actually part of the life they were acting out as their acting would therefore be more dominant than actors who were less informed or grew up in different backgrounds. We also learn that Ben Drew did not know many of the key terms however as he was so passionate about film making he was able to execute and deliver such a great film 

Ill Manors Trailer

The typical codes and conventions of film trailers are for the viewer to try and establish the genre, plot and setting of the film.

Trailers are distributed digitally, through TV, Cinema and the Internet.

Ill Manors has used trailer conventions such as the quote that has been displayed at the start of the trailer "We are all products of our environment... Some environments are just harder to survive in" This already has communicated to the audience that the film entails people living in harsh environments where they find it hard to survive. There are several scenes of people going through pain or showing emotion of distress while using items such as weapons and drugs. This indicates that the film is about how negative items can make people feel negative emotions.

The target audience is adults as the trailer exposes many mature themes. The trailer consists of fast paced editing that shows many scenes of the film. The scenes are not showed in the same order as they are presented in the film, this gives the viewer an idea of what the film has in it however as it is not showed in order it does not give much of the storyline away. By showing scenes in this order it will allow the viewer to already construct a storyline for themselves and then they will then be able to compare it to what is actually happening when they watch the film. The main characters are visible in the trailer though not all of the characters that play big roles in the film are made visible. There is a scene which shows the director in the mirror of a car making the viewer aware that the director of the movie (Plan B AKA Ben Drew) has a small cameo in the film. Towards the end of the trailer text appears saying 'IN CINEMAS JUNE 6TH' which makes the viewer aware of the release date. There is also non diegetic music of Plan B rapping which is parallel to the scenes shown as it describes the lifestyle these characters live in.

The settings of streets and the dark lighting show that the film does not have a very positive feel. It gives the viewer the impression that the characters are surrounded by dull and negative vibrations and lifestyles. As they are mostly on the street a viewer could say that this is a urban film. The fast paced editing also shows action and that the scenes are powerful. 

Learner Response

WWW: Good references to representation theory (Psycho graphics)
EBI: State narrative theory in Q2.

The voice-over gives a sort of character and links with the editing. According to Propp and the character theory the cameraman can be seen as heroes as they are the ones filming and capturing the things that others may see as educational. They can also be seen as heroes as they are the ones who are diving into the water and potentially putting their lives at risk just to capture some footage. According to Todorov there is also a disequilibrium  as the camera man struggles to cacth the footage in slow motion

Ill Manors Review

Ill Manors was directed by Ben Drew AKA Plan B. Ill Manors is his biggest movie prject to date and it was the first time he had directed such a successful film. The first film he directed was a short film called Michelle. He is also an actor and a musician.  

The actors that played the roles of characters in the film are recognisable however they have not acted in a vast range of mainstream films, so if the film was being watched by a mainstreamer it would be hard to recognise the actors. Riz Ahmed played the main role as being Aaron. He has been in other films such as Four Lions and Trishna. Another main character is Ed Skrein that plays a character called.

The storyline consists of a lot of drug use, abuse and dealing. It primarily Consists of four drug dealers that have a lot of conflict and problems within their society. The drug dealers need a source of income so if the drugs are not making enough money they will turn girls into prostitution if they have to. I think that

The main characters are Aaron and Ed, played by Riz Ahmed and Ed Skrein respectively, they acted very well portraying characters that are believed to have grown up in run down areas of London, come from a very complicated background and cannot keep themselves out of trouble. Other characters are Michelle that is acted out by Anouska Mond who acts as a crack-head who turns into prostitution as a way of making income. Marcel is also another character played by Nick Sagar that has a role of a young adult drug dealer who lives his life according to gang culture and also initiates younger members by performing such things as harming other people. Kirby was also another main character who was a major drug dealer who was responsible for a lot of other drugs within the area, this character was acted out by Keith Coggins. I think that all the actors played the role of their characters very well as none of the characters looked like they were out of place.

The mood of this film can be seen as very depressing as most of the characters are not in any happy situations and most of them are involved in a means of crime or negative situations. Also a lot of the characters die showing that if you live the kind of lifestyle the characters live, you are taking a lot of dangerous risks in your life. I would say the genre(s) this film revolves around is Crime/Thriller Drama.

The music used throughout the film was music that Plan B had written. It was mostly rap music that told stories of the characters in the film. He used a rap to introduce the characters into the film as he would tell us about their lives.  I would call Plan B’s style of telling a story ‘Musical Narration’ as he narrated the story in a style of music. His British voice also made the music parallel to the scenes. The genre of music that was used was Grime music which is a sub culture of Hip Hop.

I think the audience of this film would be mature young adults to adults reaching an age group of 18-55. I think this because the material of the film consists of a lot of Violence, Strong Language, Sex and Drug use. I think that if the film was viewed by a younger audience they would not take the film seriously or they might not be able to fully understand what is happening due to its mature nature and theme.  I think that the film is informative as it can educate an audience on how drug and gang culture has a lot of negativity attached to it.

  

Research and Planning

5 Programmes with the genre I wish to work with:

Top Boy
Dexter
Mr Brooks
Phone booth
White Chapel

Top Boy:

Camera Work:

Long shots are used in the opening shots as they are trying to get most of the London skyline within the shots. As soon as a character is being introduced there is a vertical pan shot which turns into a following long shot. Throughout the video there are medium and close up shots to show different characters. The camera mainly focuses on the characters upper body and face. When introducing the main character there is a medium long shot that zooms in to a medium shot. There are also really quick shots that show action like a man pushing a elevator button really quickly. The shot then follows with another shot of a boy running, which could connote that he is in danger and things need to be done quickly.

Editing:

The editing consists of a fast paced montage showing the area the series is primarily set in. it also shows different characters with facial expressions. This form of editing could be chosen as the director may have chosen to introduce every character by how they look like instead of showing them in some sort of action. Fast paced editing also does not give the viewer much of the storyline, this is good as it keeps the viewer intrigued.

Sound:

There is non dietetic music throughout the clip which gives more of an impact to the type of scenes that come into the clip. It emphasises the underworld with the heavy bass hits. There is also diegetic music of people walking. There is also a voice-over of the main character as he is probably thinking what he is saying instead of saying it.

Mise en Scene:

The scenes shown in this clip are shots of central London being looked upon from the suburbs of London, this could be indicating that a person in the suburbs may aspire to live in the centre of London one day. There are also clips of characters walking around estates and council flats which could mean that the characters are low on income. Other locations include dark rooms where people are handling drugs which could mean people do bad things in dark and quite areas. There is also a scene of someone holding a knife which connotes that violence is about to take place and the characters are in trouble in bad situations. We also see police which means that there are people that know bad things are happening and they are trying to get to the bottom of it.

Target Audience:

I would say that Top boy would appeal to more males than females and that it would be more popular with teenagers to people in their late twenties as the characters are also this kind of age.

Dexter:

Camera Work:

Throughout the clip there is a constant use of extreme close ups to heavily focus on a particular action. sometimes the camera is so close the viewer does not even know what they are looking at until a particular action has taken place.

Editing:

This cuts between the scenes are often really quick however they slow down when there is an extreme close up on something to emphasise the message being delivered to the viewer. There is also alot of slow motion shots that really emphasise how things are being cut.

Sound:

There is a use of non diegetic sound used throughout the clip which is used to make the actions seem very playful instead of harmful. There is also diegetic music of the the actions that are taking place, these sounds are very quick and sound sharp so the viewer feels more engaged with the actions being made.

Mise en Scene:

The scenes are set inside the characters house as most of the shots are of him getting ready. There are alot of sharp objects that are being used in the sequence like different types of knifes and blades, these bring across a sense of fear and danger however the character is only cutting up food and shaving his beard but because there are so many extreme close ups, it is hard for the viewer to distinguish what is actually happening until a few seconds after. There alot of different types of meat and eggs as he preparing a breakfast, and the way the food is being cut emphasises the fact that the person is a killer.

Mr Brooks:

Camera Work

To introduce the main character there is an object which has been focused on and the character is in the background, the focus then switches on the main character, There is then a medium long shot showing the character. Most of the shots are to do with the main character which indicates that he is the main character. A use of long shots show the characters figure and face. This shows the the serial killers face so we know who he is. The first close up on the characters face is to show the tension and emotion on his face.

Editing

The scenes transition with slow fade outs that represent that time has passed, this is also parallel to the slow scenes as everything is slow moving to start with. There is also some text that has captions, the last word of the sentence is reflected so it indicates the opposite of something and a assumed underworld. I would say that there has been continuity editing at the start of the clip however as the clip progresses, it turns to be more fast paced to emphasise the action, thrill and excitement that could be perceived by the viewer. Also the killing is not directly shown however a really quick clip of a woman's reaction then non diegetic music of gunshots make us think that someone has been shot.

Sound

There is non diegetic music from the start of the clip  that is parallel to the clips that were shown. The music starts of very slow and it suggests that there is not something right with this man as he looks very respectable. I think the slow paced music creates a suspense and makes the viewer question their own opinion of this man. As the clip progresses the music stays completely parallel to the scenes as the scenes get fast the music also increases its tempo and becomes fast paced which are parallel to the action scenes. There is also diegetic music of weapons and the characters speaking.

Mise en Scene

The location at the start of the clip starts of at some kind of party indicating that this man is very popular within his normal day job, he also looks like a family man as we see him in his house and with a younger female that could be his daughter. The lighting in the clip is mostly very dark, the light from the start of the clips is also coming from the source of something very dim like a candle. Hid facial expressions are also mostly very serious which connotes that he his in deep thought indicating he could be unsure about his decisions, or a lot of planning has to be done before he kills someone. Props like knifes and other weapons have been used meaning that he uses weapons to kill and that there is an element of danger that revolves around him.

Target Audience

The target audience for this film would appeal from people as young as 16-45, i feel this because the main character looks like he is a middle class, middle aged man and he looks very respectable, also the trailer makes the viewer feel like it is a serious movie and therefore a slightly more mature audience would be appropriate.

Phone Booth:



Camera Work

Editing

The clip starts with a quick montage showing the life of NYC

Sound

There is non diegetic sound along with the sound of a narrator explaining to the viewer the location of the film.

Mise en Scene

The location of this film is sll set on the streets of New York City. It shows tall glass buildings and alot of the street culture like people selling items on the streets and street dancers for the viewer to feel like they are on the street.

Target Audience

The target audience for this film is likely to be anything from 17-45 as it is a very fast paced and intense thriller. As the whole film is set in one location people of a younger age may find this boring and it may not appeal to them.

Whitechapel



Camera Work

The first scene shows a high angle shot from the corner which shows all the characters in the room. The next shot shows an over the shoulder shot which shows the characters engaging in dialogue and having a conversation. There is then a medium shot which shows a character opening a door. However there are medium close ups on the characters face to show facial expression. There is one close up of a bin that eventually shows some paper being thrown into it.

Editing

There is continuity editing which has been used to create a feel of tension and a serious element has been reinforced. There is no fast paced editing which means there is not much action however there is alot of serious conversation which means that the viewer needs to listen carefully.

Sound

There only a small amount of non diegetic music, that adds the the element of serious talking. The music involves keys of a piano being played.

Mise en Scene

The lighting in the room is slightly dim and everything seems to be made out of wood, indicating that they are in a sophisticated office. Everyone is also wearing a suit which means people have serious things to talk about.

Target Audience

I think the target audience for this show will be mature as the viewer will have to carefully listen and there is not much action so i would say the age group would be 24-50

BBC 3

BBC 3 is a television channel from the BBC. the channel specifically targets 16-34 year olds as their audience and it has the purpose to provide innovative ideas to the younger audiences as it focuses on new talent and technology. It covers all genres including animation, current affairs, drama and comedy. In late 2001 BBc wanted to re-brand their channels including BBC Choice to be renamed as BBC 3, they thought it would be pointless to make BBC 3 a competion to other rivals such as ITV2 and E4. in 2013 BBC 3 also made a HD channel so it could reach larger audiences who had HD televisions.

On average nine million people watch BBC 3 every week, it shares 2.6% of the 15-34 audience and 1.4% of the whole population. BBC 3 has award winnning shows like Little Britain, which has a viewing record of 1.8 million. It also showcases popular dramas such as Gavin and Stacey.

E4

E4 is a british digital channel, launched as a pay TV companion to Channel 4 in 2001. The 'E' Stands for Entertainment and the channel is aimed at 15-34 year olds. It also showcases american imports such as The big Bang Theory, Ugly Betty and many more. in late 2009 E4 launched a HD channel which was available on SKY+HD and Virgin Media however it was only made available upon subscription. The inbetweeners was the most popular programme that the channel showcased with episodes that had 3.7 million viewers. Other popular shows include The Big Bang Theory, Glee and Friends.

Target Audience for production

The target audience for my production will be 15-35. Using demographics it will come under the classes of C1, C2, D and E. This is because it is likely that these people will have more time to watch television and it they may not be busy as people in the A and B classes. Using psychographics my production will appeal to mainstreamers, resigned and struggler's. It will be suitable to be played at all times as it is a pre watershed and we are using the OFCOM code.

Focus Group write up

Our focus group consisted of expressing our ideas to our class and teacher, and we hoped to get constructive criticism, other ideas and general feedback by doing this.

As a group we have decided to base our production about a serial killer who potentially has a psychological disorder, the character will look very smart and will be likeable. Within the two minutes that we have to present our production we aim to show a montage that will be fast paced showing a series of unfortunate events that revolve around the crimes the serial killer has committed. We understand that it has to be a pre watershed production and therefore we cannot show too much violence or show anything that may offend viewers. The show will be broadcasted on E4 on a Sunday evening from 20:30-21:00. The target audience will be 15-35.

The class gave us the following points to consider:-

Sunday is a family day and therefore a serial killer show may not be appropriate.

Serial killer shows in America are successful however are less successful in the UK.

Show the reason of the crimes committed.

The killer should be likeable.

Slender and Texas Chainsaw Massacre is something we should take inspiration from.

Representation of Teenagers

The Images on the left hand side of the collage show the dominant reading whereas the right hand side shows the alternative reading.

Audience Theory

Hypodermic Needle Theory

This article states that violent games have influenced university students to take more aggressive and brutal decisions. This supports the hypodermic needle theory as it shows how media institutions are trying to put messages of aggression linked to gaming in their articles and for it to be accepted by the person reading the article. The article also makes references about proffesors findings and psychology about people playing games to make the reader more likely to believe the article.

Two Step Flow Model

Jamal Edwards would be primarily supporting the mass media of music and music videos, from which he started up his own channel on Youtube known as SBTV. This links to the two step flow model as he has become an opinion leader expressing his love for music through filming and the viewers are the people in contact with the opinion leader.

Uses and Gratifications Theory

Diversion


This video teaching people how to cook a dish could be seen as diversion as it is getting you away from everyday life and it could be seen as a leisure activity

Personal Relationships




This would come into the category of personal relationships as on twitter you can meet and engage with new people.

Personal Identity


This would come into the category of personal identity as people would watch a reality show to perhaps reflect on their own life.

Surveillance



The news would be an example of surveillance as it informs people of what is going on around them in the world

 Dependency Theory

I use forms of media such as my phone, tv and laptop to check up on information such as the weather and the news. In terms of entertainment I use types of mediums such as my phone and laptop to use apps and use social networking sites like twitter.

I feel that we are largely dependant on the media as it has now become a part of the majority of peoples daily routine to check the weather or to be updated with the latest news, and to do any of these things a person must engage themselves with a form of media.

I feel that our dependancy has massively increased over the last ten years as there has been an improvement in technology allowing consumers to do more with their gadgets, for example a smartphone allows someone to do much more than just send a text and ring someone, it allows us to use the internet and use applications that enable us to engage with lots of things. There have also been more innovations in the past few years which have allowed people to increase their media consumption; tablets are a great example of this.