The short film was filmed on the 18th of November at around 12:30pm, it was Me and Freddie Rowland at the film location being two of the characters and Osien Martian foley voiced another character at a later date. I’m glad with how the footage came out with the limited equipment we had and I like how I was able to experiment with the different camera angles some in the script and some improvised on the spot as well as parts of the plot. Though some props were used I could have improved the mise en scene as the lighting and setting could have been better for my story.

young people are represented in a raw and unfiltered way showing the struggles dealing with pressures and being influenced as well as the complexity of being young and impressionable as well as being rebellious whilst navigating through life’s challenges.

older people such as parents and authority are represented somewhat negatively as its subjectively reflecting many young peoples view of authority figures. parents are portrayed as being either ‘too clingy’ and controlling or absent from the characters lives, capturing the failure the of understanding between younger people and their parents. authority figures are seen as an obstacle because of the rebellious nature of the characters.

working class people are represented in an anaesthetic way, portraying the struggles and impacts that can come along with being working class, such as unemployment and a smaller choice of opportunities. the movie gives a raw view of poverty not often represented in movies for first world countries.

the movie represents Scottish people with things such as embracing use of humour, dialect and tradition embracing the cultural aspects of the characters, presenting Scottish people as proud and resilient which is at the heart of the movie.

addicts are not romanticised in the movie as it often is in others, showing horrific and realistic events caused due to the effects of addiction as well as exploring the easily influenced youth through the characters whilst showing the desperation for the substances and the lengths they would go for them. there are also un naturalistic aspects added to really emphasise the physical and emotional destructive effects these drugs can have.

women in trainspotting play a crucial role, though there aren’t many female characters in the movie. they play important roles in the male characters whilst we see how their addiction can impacts the women’s lives. the women help enhance the movies themes of vulnerability, desires and resilience. though the movies portrayal of women may be flawed in some aspects, it shows the struggles they face due to the consequences of others impacting their lives whilst being resilient

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men in trainspotting are portrayed with a wide range of characteristics whilst showing the complexity of toxic masculinity, accompanying things such as aggression, as the the protagonists are learning to navigate their lives.

Sound –

Needle drops of 80’s music alongside the accompanied piano underscores, Is used as the soundtrack for the film to help imply the 80s era this films set in as well as give connotations to the emotional impact for a scene.

Editing –

Montages are used at both the start and at the end of the Film to convey Britain’s sway of public opinion and the backing to Shaun’s story. It implies how Shaun lost his dad to the Falkland’s war, although it isn’t mentioned that he is dead, it shows this through footage of conflict, losses of life and an eventual fade to a picture frame of his dad in a royal marines uniform. Public opinion is shown through footage of protests to government, military and nationalist marches of skinheads.

Mise-en-scene –

Props used in this film mainly are associated with their characters, an example of this can be seen with Combo with his machete. His prop connotes his aggressive personality.

Cinematography –

Used in scenes, such as this extreme long shot, they are used by Meadows to establish the setting of the story and the environment the characters find themselves in.

Additionally close ups are used to convey, deeper emotions that the previous shots are unable to show.

Heroin addicts

The Heroin addicts of trainspotting make up the main cast and the story revolves around the themes of drugs. We see throughout the course of the film how the negative effects of Heroin severely impact peoples lives. We see this through the character of Tommy who gets addicted to Heroin after his girlfriend leaves him and it causes his death.

Men

Men in the film are often depicted as stupid and violent. Begbie is a great example of this, he often resorts to violence. This is seen in the scene where someone spills his drink and then he beats him till hes unconscious. They are also depicted as sex crazed as seen when they all make their lives worse after following the girls from the club.

Woman

Woman in the film are only really seen as accompanying the men and have little power. The only one who does is Diane as she can threaten Renton with the police for sleeping with a minor.

Working Class

The working class are depicted as freedom from the world of drugs. When main character Renton joins the working class he says the quote” for the first time in my life i was almost content”. This shows the world of the working class has it better than the Heroin addicts.

Old people

The older generation are often oblivious of what their children are doing and how they are affected by drugs. An example of this is whenever we see them in the bar just acting docile while the scene before we saw the horrible effect s of heroin had on their child.

Younger people

the younger people of trainspotting are shown as violent and commit very evil acts. For example Spud and Renton stealing from elderly people or Sick Boy shooting a dog with a BB gun. They are also irresponsible with their own and others life ass seen when a baby dies due to neglection.

Sound:

The Sound in trainspotting is used in a way to create a feeling of danger. Director Danny Boyle makes songs like Lust for life play extremely loudly over scenes which he uses to create a sense of anxiety. It is often used in scenes of danger or utter chaos.

Editing:

Danny Boyle utilises editing in many different ways. One such way is jump cutting. An example of this is in the interview scene with spud. In the scene the jump cutting is used to how spuds random and hyper nature.

Cinematography

Cinematographer Brian Tuffano uses various camera shots to depict what is going through the characters minds and gives a new way for the audience to be impacted by it. For example, in the introduction scene, a tracking shot is used to follow the characters and create more tension and immerse the viewer.

Mise en scene

The mise en scene in trainspotting creates very small and accurate details that provide a perfect setting for the film. The apartment the characters live in is worn down and messy, the addiditions of left over heroin needles and other drugs on the floor add to the quality of the film and immerses the viewer.

selection – choosing what to represent

organisation – structuring that representation

focus – encouraging the spectator to pay attention to certain aspects of that representation than others

Younger people –

Younger people, represented as naïve and innocent, such as Shaun can be seen to be easily influenced into getting involved with things they don’t know much. With Shaun joining the skinhead movement at a young age shows this as it shows he wants to be apart of something which he can have friends out of, such as the earlier gang, who treated him nicely (Such as woody, Smell and milky).

another example of this Naïve nature to be included can be shown through the scene where Pukey questions Combo on if he truly believes the rants and slurs of the EDL members. When combo, gets upset by this, it results in him kicking him out and abandoning him on the road. pleading Shaun and the others to stay with him, his reaction shows the sadness and creeping fear of loneliness as they drive off, leaving him. This fear of missing out and need to be in company can be evidently shown here.

Older people (parents/authority figures) –

Older people, such as Shaun’s mother are shown as taking the path of least resistance when it comes to swaying Shaun off his path. Possibly due to him having little friends, and wanting him to have company due to the loss of his dad, we can see how allows him to get involved with the gang, which eventually takes a sour turn.

Another representation of older people can be immaturity, with such examples being Combo, Meggy and Banjo showing child like behaviours at a much obvious older stage of life. This is evident with Meggy trying to defecate on the shop floor. Combo threating children for simply playing football and Banjo for his following of these behaviours.

working class people –

This is England represents the working class people as having complex and emotional lives. This is represented by LOL, speaking to combo about a mistake it was to sleep with him at a young age and how she regrets it.

English people –

English people in ‘This is England’ are represented as questioning their allegiance to their country. Shown through Shawn’s story arch of mixed emotions towards it, we can eventually see his disgust with it as he throughs the flag he once proudly displayed into the sea.

Another example of this mixed opinion can be seen with Combo’s views on the Falklands war, stating that its a pointless effort and that England’s stupid for committing men to it, it eventually reveals his hypocrisy as he is later shown to show immense pride in his country by attending an EDL meeting.

Asian/Black people –

Represented as threatened, abused and unwelcomed by aggressive nationalists, Asian and black people are shown to be an output of hate that the main characters express their angers out on. Since they are the minority, characters undergoing a loss like Shaun or mentally unstable like Combo take their anger out on them.

Men –

Shown to be in their 40s – 50s or younger in their teenage to early adulthood years, men are represented as patriarchal bullies, picking on each other in a survival of the fittest mindset.

Women –

Mainly seen as teenagers, women are represented inclusively with the boys, not slotted for the male gaze but having their own involvement with the story line, such as LOL’s past with combo, Smells caring relationship for Shaun or Shaun’s mum caring for her sons feelings towards his sadness over his dads death.