Sound- Margaret Thatcher’s radio broadcasts are frequently used in the film to remind the spectator about the Falklands war during the 1980s, bringing verisimilitude to the table. this non-diegetic sound of war is going on in the background of each characters minds, which is then also replicated through the horrible situations all of the skinheads have brought upon themselves and those who surround them. This enhances the agony and pain from Shaun’s mind. Reggae and Jamaican genre called ‘Ska’ is also included to show the confusion and corrupt ideology and beliefs from the skinhead community as back in the 60’s, black people and Jamaican culture was incooperated and interlinked with no hatred or racism. However, in the 80’s, Combo has no filter in demonstrating his racist beliefs. Yet the younger gang such as Woody and Shaun see no problem in skin colour which demonstrates that this culture is made of far right and left wing politics.

Editing- Many montages depict Shaun’s story and his upbringing as we are taken along with him, also second handly experiencing his feelings. It encourages his story into a journey as there are unique stages that we see through the use of montages. This allows the spectator to adjust to Shaun’s character development and sympathise much personally.

Mise en Scene- The costume, hair and makeup and set design spring to mind when Mise en Scene is considered as there was a great effort in bringing back the verisimilitude of the 80’s in the United Kingdom. The shaved heads help our understanding of the Skinhead culture, along with the lack of education when the gang spray paint National as “Nashnil” to represent their racism and lack of inclusivity in England.

Cinematography- Many POV shots are used from Milky’s perspective to emphasise the hurtful and incredibly harsh racism that is experienced, which appears very raw to the spectators to apply knowledge of how horrible this skinhead community can be including the Far Right movement. Handheld camera shots also bring verisimilitude and spring alertness to the characters when concerning or on edge scenes are shot whereas a static shot wouldn’t bring the same emotion.

score- 7/10

The most memorable scene for me was when they all walk in slow motion after Shaun gets his head shaved and joins the Skinheads. I thought this showed the inclusivity and strive and pride to be English very well (even though this is shortly later disrupted.) 1980’s England is shown well through the verisimilitude, set, and costume design followed by hair and makeup. the mise en scene is the best.

Stereotype is to assume wrongly of someone or thing based on appearance. Countertype is the opposite of another type, e.g. two people who are completely opposite.

Stereotype in Trainspotting: Men are more likely to become addicts, exposing their life to poverty as working class men. They are seen in crisis easily falling on their knees for heroin.

Countertype in Trainspotting: the few women in this film are seen as strong and independent unlike the men.

Stereotype in This is England: Skinheads are aggressive, masculine and dominant. They will fight for what they believe is right.

Countertype in This is England: Woody is a father figure who is caring towards Shaun, and tries to cheer him up despite being a skinhead belonging to a cult.

FIRST RESPONSE- score is 9/10, the most memorable scene for me was Spuds job interview mostly because actor Ewan Bremner perfectly demonstrated a chaotic drug addict bringing much comedy to the scene. Also the Mise en Scene of the composition of this scene is balanced which emphasises the distortion of Spuds character, and I noticed how the distances of the camera cut in rhythm to dialogue of the characters.

Activity 1: A sound editor is someone who produces sounds to make sure all dialogue and sound is matched and appropriate for the picture.

A sound mixer is someone who combines sounds to create a whole sound that is best for what picture is shown, like changing levels of layering sound

Activity 2: Diegetic sound in ‘Shaun of the Dead’ is used such as the TV, we know this as the characters react to what is being told on the TV.

Non Diegetic sound in ‘Shaun of the Dead’ is used such as the music when the two characters are attempting to kill the zombies. They can hear this but only we can as it brings more verisimilitude (since the characters wouldn’t have music playing out of nowhere in the real world) and intensifies the emotions displayed.

Activity 3: A needle drop is when a song (made before the film, usually a well known song) is used in a scene. This usually helps us feel how the character is feeling during this moment.

Activity 4: A Foley artist could create sound for animal noises, leaves crunching or eating.

Activity 5: The main theme in all James Bond films use a leitmotif to create a recognisable identity for James Bond, making us resonate and create a liking to this character

Activity 6: Fight Club uses narration that only the audience can hear however this isn’t always reliable. This is used in fight club to create chaos and to help the audience understand what the protagonist is going through during moments of insomnia and DID.

Activity 7: my favourite film soundtrack is Suicide Squad (2016) by James Gunn and David Ayer as they use quite a few old songs that I resonate with personally, but it also gives an authentic feel to the rising action which makes me feel as if I’m one of the characters. It helps give uniqueness to individual characters such as Harley Quinn when she is locked up in a cell. This is a jukebox soundtrack

Editing means to synchronise film with sound, by deleting, cutting and arranging pictures.

This creates meaning so shots are connected to emphasise emotion.

Montage #1: This fast-paced montage creates meaning in the ‘Odessa steps’ sequence to emphasise the drama and action as these horrific events chaotically unfold one after the other. There are usually close up shots of emotion followed by long shots of brutal action which emphasise the shock that all characters are feeling. By doing this, Eisenstein makes us sympathise with the citizens who are being attacked unmercifully by the army as if this is real footage.

Montage #2: The audience is learning that Rocky’s character is persevering and hard working as he travels long distances continuously without stopping, with his surrounding peers cheering and rooting for him which tells us he is loved by this community. He ends up on top of the stairs looking down on the city as he cheers and celebrates his achievement, still jogging on the spot which enforces how unbeatable he is.

Montage #3: Cross cutting is used to compare Rocky and Draco so the audience is reminded of Rocky’s loving personality, let alone how hard working and limit breaking he is. He is seen to be pushing his limits in the nature of Russia. Similarly to his previous training montage, the neighbourhood smiles when they see him, as he is seen to help them with tasks. Unlike Drago, Rocky’s pure soul shines through his actions, whereas Drago is placed in a clinical lab who’s peers do not root for. They judge Drago intensely and are disappointed when he fails and gives up.

Montage #4: Director Martin Scorsese uses a long take to depict the seamless events of action taking place. The protagonist is seen as outgoing, friendly and loved as this long take shows how many people are happy to see and talk to him. It makes you feel as if you are walking behind them into this setting, which takes away the reality of us being a viewer and brings verisimilitude into this world of the protagonist.

Depth of field is the distance between the closest and furthest objects in focus.

Shallow focus is when one object is in sharp focus unlike all other objects which aren’t.

Deep focus is when all objects in frame are in focus.

This is a deep focus, where all objects in frame are in focus.

Distances:

Picture 1- This is a medium shot where Little’s mid-torso to the top of his head are in the centre of screens focus. This creates a personal connection between us and Little as our eyelines are on the same level. I find it isolates the both of us together, which enhances our connection and feelings of empathy towards Little.

Picture 2- This is between a long shot and medium long shot, where little is once again in the centre of frame. This time we face the side of his body, but still in his peripheral vision. This indicates he is focused in the action he is doing (eating at the table) which isolates us from him, unlike the previous picture. It almost makes us feel like we aren’t seen by Chiron which makes us realise we are just watching his story, instead of participating in it. This may emphasise his loneliness.

Picture 3- This is a Close up, which clearly shows Chiron’s emotion during an intense scene. However this also shows a confident side of himself as he is exposed rather than hidden away.

Movements:

Pictures 1,2 & 3- This is a 360 Tracking shot, where the camera circles these characters multiple times. This creates action and liveliness in the street where business is partaking. Our eyes are constantly moving onto both characters meaning we experience many blind spots where something could spontaneously occur, catching us by suprise.

Pictures 4,5 & 6- This movement is called a free camera, where the person who is filming seems to be handholding and running with the camera. This gives a very shaky and intense scene which snaps us into reality of this experience Little is going through. it makes us feel as if we are running behind him, which intensifies our adrenaline.

Pictures 7,8,9,10 & 11- This is a pan shot, where our focus is directed from Chiron, to his bully, back to Chiron. This almost represents the tension between the two characters as if we were another classmate witnessing this. This creates a childish obsession with the drama of the two characters as we can see other classmates are enjoying what they are watching.

Angles:

Picture 1- This is a birds eye view since we are directly looking below us to see the top of Chiron’s head. This exposes his body which creates a sense of vulnerability, but also gives a sense of setting.

Picture 2- This is a low angle making us look up to Chiron which, in this context of him mothering his mother, represents him as more of an authorative figure than her, and more responsible.

Picture 3- This is a slightly canted angle, which throws off the normality of Chiron’s day which makes a suspense of what is about to happen.