use of sound: Shane meadows used sound to show the passage of time, we see this in combos montage

Shane Meadows also uses editing, there are several montages in the movie, an example would be Shaun’s montage at the beginning of the film where he is alone, and in combos scene, where they commit crimes against minorities, this allows us to see Combo’s true character, as well as Shaun being guided down the wrong path

use of sound: Shane meadows use of sound is used to invoke emotion within the viewer

Mise en scene:

set design: The set design in This is England shows that it is a run down area that Shaun lives in, we can see this because of all the abandoned areas, and graffiti.

Costumes: the costumes in This is England represent what the people wore at the time, immersing the viewer, the Skinhead “uniform” is used to represent the bonds between the gang, Shaun’s acceptance as in the beginning of the film he wears different clothes to others showing he is separate, and with the uniform he is with other people and has a sense of belonging

Film Stock and aspect ratio: In this scene, Shaun’s mum is confronting him about his new haircut, outfit and behaviour, and the aspect ratio is smaller, showing how Shaun feels while being confronted

Cinematography:

In the film there are lots of camera angles and shots one example is the high angle shot towards the end of the film, that shows combo above shaun, milky and Banjo, showing him as above them in the scene

Young people: In this is England, young people are usually shown as very impressionable and easily manipulated, we see this with the characters Shaun and Gadget who both idolize combo despite him being a bad influence

older people: in the film, older people are shown as not liking change, this is shown with Shaun’s mother, who does not like his change in behaviour, which could also link to her not wanting him to grow up, and combo who does not like the change in diversity in England since he went to prison

working class people: in the film, working class people are shown as unable to afford luxuries that others can, like certain shoes, we can see this when Shaun wants a specific pair of boots, but his mum gets an alternative option instead

Asian / black people: Asian and Black people are shown to be discriminated against constantly in the film, and are shown to be powerless against their oppressors, this is shown in the shop scene, where combo threatens the life of a shopkeeper.

Men: men are shown as role models to the main character shaun, and what a man “should” be and how men should behave, we see at the start shaun views woody as a role model, but then when combo comes into the story he begins to view him as a role model.

women: women are shown as independent, this is seen with Shaun’s mum who is raising Shaun by herself, as well as Lol being a strong character in the regard she did not feel threatened by combo, despite knowing he was physically stronger.

Young People are represented as being vulnerable and easy to influence. For example, Combo manages to convince Shaun with little to no difficulty to believe in his racist ideologies.

Older People are represented as both being responsible concerned about the younger generation, as well as being represented as unwilling to move on from the past and wanting things to remain how they used to be. The examples of these are Shaun’s mum, who gets worried after his head is shaved, and Combo, who refuses to accept the fact people of different races can and should be treated like human beings.

Working class people are represented as being isolated and excluded because of their social class. This is shown through Shaun at the beginning of the film, where he is constantly bullied by other people because of materialistic things like the size of his trousers.

English people are represented to be quite nationalistic and proud of their origins, although they dislike the Prime Minister. This is seen with Combo’s right-wing gang, who carry around the English flag with them everywhere and treat it as if it were a god.

Asian and Black people are represented as being helpless and defenceless against racists, as many people in the time setting still held discriminatory beliefs, and acted violently towards people of non-English descent. Examples include the young boys playing football and the shopkeeper, who are intimidated by Combo and listen to what he says in order to stop themselves getting hurt.

Men are represented as being aware of masculine ideologies of what they ‘should’ look and behave like. This is seen primarily when Shaun begins to cry after Combo attacks Milky, to which Combo shouts at him, stating that “men don’t cry”.

Women are represented to be powerful and unafraid, acting as a countertype to stereotypes of women in the 80s. An example of this is when Lol rejects any kind of relationship with Combo, even though she knows what he is capable of and the likes of Woody are afraid of him. The fact he is older than her and is male would create the stereotypical expectation that he’d be stronger, although we see him get upset and powerless once she leaves.

first filming: Friday 17th November

Got the majority of shots filmed on the day, however I found that lighting was an issue, especially with the day light changing throughout the day, meaning I would have to reshoot some shots the next session. Also we had an actor missing on the day, meaning we could not shoot all of the shots.

after editing, I found shots that needed to be reshot because some looked choppy and found it better if they were one continuous shot.

second filming: Wednesday 22nd November

Finished filming the rest of shots, however was very restrained with time due to lack of availability previous days, and limited time with the room. Unfortunately the natural lighting was a bit too dark, but it was the only time I had.