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.

children: children are presented as innocent venerable and malipuitive (think of Shaun at the start of the movie) it shows the fact that they need someone to look up to like how shaun worships combo as he docent have a dad

older people: in this is England older people are presented as protective and loving. we see this when Shaun’s mother gets angry at the skinheads for shaving his head but thanks woody for protecting him from bullies.

working class people: in this is England we see working class people as

English people: in this is England English people are presented as patriotic and are stereotyped. we see this as the activities the skinheads do is play football and go hunting.

black people:

Asian people:

men:

women:

sound: in this is England during the montage where Shaun is being taught by combo how to be racist there is minor piano music which makes the scene and shows the downfall of how Shaun has been turned from an innocent little kid to a horrible racist

editing: there are clips at the beginning that show the good and bad parts of England and what time the film is taking place.

mise en scene: in the scene where combo is giving his speech we see this take place in a dingy dirty flat. this shows us that the film is taking place of a rundown place of England and that combo lives a rough lifestyle (eg the mattress on the floor)

cinematography: Here we see a pov shot of combos as he is attacking milky. he is close up to the camera so we can see his facial expressions are full of rage and the high angle shot shows he has all the power

i think the film was decent, however not without flaws, id given it a 7/10.

the most memorable scene for me was when combo attacked Milky, because it was sudden and unexpected. And also a very emotional scene

Shane meadows utilises cinematography, in particular extreme closeups, in the moving ending of the film. This not only connects the audience with Shaun as he loses all pride with England and feels hopeless, but also raises the question, to young boys like Shaun, over the wrong influence and how dangerous it can become.

This is England is rich in different aspects of Mise-en-scene to ensure the verisimilitude of the movie. The scene where Shaun first presents his skin-head to his mum uses symmetry in a way that sculpts the scene as detrimental to the story of Shaun’s early life. This visually pleasing composition tells the spectator that this scene holds a higher importance and significance than a scene that uses a more inversive shot distance/ angle.

Shane meadows uses sound in This is England to set the atmosphere for the movie, in the opening scene Shane uses the song ‘Toots and Maytals’ during a well thought out montage to thoroughly immerse the spectator in various events in the 80’s in England.

Shane meadows uses editing to tell the story of Shaun’s gradual descent into the skin-head culture. There are three main montages in the film, one alone and isolates, one happy with woody’s gang, and one of Shaun being ‘trained’ by Combo. By categorizing the movie into three montages, the spectator is forced to depict Shaun’s life as someone mourning the loss of his father who is fortunate to find friends, who are possibly the wrong influence, and how this leads to Shaun being corrupted by Combo and put in danger.

Young people:

Through the character of Shawn. Young people are portrayed as vulnerable being easily manipulated by the wrong people. As he went from an innocent boy to a racist by Combo using his dead dad to convince him.

Older people:

Older people in This is England are presented as parental figures to the character Shawn however this is shown in different ways. example his mother being the stereotypical parent while Woody and Combo are a lot more harsh and manly supporting Shawn in other parts of his life filling in for his missing father.

English people:

English people within the film are seen as divided socially and politically. This can be seen through the first film where Shawn’s first interactions with English people is him being mocked for his trousers. As well as the scene in the car where Combo gets angry at one of the passengers when he disagrees with his political beliefs.

Asian/black people:

Minorities are portrayed as unfairly treated within the film. This can be shown by the scene where a group of Indians are threatened with a dagger for just playing football. as well as when Combo and Milky bond over music showing that the racism is unnecessary and un deserved.

Men:

Men are portrayed stereotypically in this film being overly aggressive and tough. However the film makes effort to show how they are pressured to be this way when Combo tells Shawn that “real men don’t cry” presenting a problem with toxic masculinity.

Women:

Women in this movie are side-lined not getting as much development as the male characters. This could be intentional however as young boys are more likely to join theses types of groups than young girls being a movie more addressed to a male audience and their issues.

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.