Film review content

‘Breaking Point’, the latest film by directors Abigail Ababio and ShaToya Rose (who also stars in the film)
tells the story of two girls who meet by chance after reaching their breaking points, hence the title of the film. Lisa (Angelika Kupczyk) is a drug addict and Aaliyah (ShaToya Rose) who suffers from bulimia believe that their addictions replace their losses.

Taunted by images of skinny models portrayed in the media and the neglect of her family, Aaliyah falls into the trap of an eating disorder that is beyond her control. From her thoughts and feelings, we learn the extent of her habit and just how it has affected her life. After receiving another feckless note from her mother pinned to the fridge, Aaliyah believes that it’s confirmation of her worthlessness and causes
her troubles.

Lisa on the other hand, whose aim is to cover up the bereavement of her boyfriend, becomes the prey of hard drugs convinced that they allow her to escape her poor reality. Constantly reminding herself of the past, Lisa slowly pushes herself to the edge (figuratively) but reaches the limit after realising that she doesn’t want to end up the same as him.

Unaware that a more fitting life is possible for the both of them, they accept their fate from the start.
‘Breaking Point’ is a film about the stresses of life and the tolls they takeon people. It’s a film that recognises eating disorders and drug abuse whilst disregarding the idea that people can’t escape from their clutches. It’s a realistic representation that provides a complete in-their-shoes outlook that keeps the audience engrossed from beginning to end.

Eventually, Aaliyah and Lisa start to gain control of their fixations in hope of being freed from captivity,
with the help of one another but it’s not an easy fight as the directors (Abigail Ababio and ShaToya Rose) have the tendency to introduce new dilemmas just when you think the battle is over.

The film arrives here after its extremely positive critical acclaim from the Sundance film festival that emphasises it’s a must-see film. So should you believe the hype? Yes! ‘Breaking Point’ is a
very moving film and has some great performances from the two leading ladies
Angelika Kupczyk and ShaToya Rose. When a film pays consideration to such
predicaments and provides courage to characters who hardly receive any
recognition, it has to be saluted. It’s a film containing ups and downs, smiles
and frowns but nonetheless is a touching, genuine perception of life’s
struggles.

Film Review

Film Reviews

The first film review was written by Matthew Turner from View London. http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/films/kidulthood-film-review-14776.html.
In this review the reviewer focused on the good and bad aspects of the film he uses formal type of language to connect with his audience. Turner told his audience what was good about the film which he said was the actors Aml Ameen and Red Madrell, also the good camerawork by Brian Tufano. The reviewer mainly focused on the actors in the film because when he told his audience what bad points about the film was he commented about Noel Clarke performance. Stating his role starring in his own film his 'well-known face, he detracts from the documentary feel of the film'. Turner does give the a good verdict for the film telling his audience that the film is worth seeing.

The second film review was written by Dave Calhoun from Time Out London. http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/83377/kidulthood.html.
This review is different from View London and starts of straight away with unique selling point 'Noel Clarke' and also his acting past. The use of language in this review was informal trying to approach the target market of the film which is 16 - 24. Calhoun focuses on the plot more in this review and what kind of issues is portrayed in this film like suicide, drugs, unwanted pregnancy, knives, guns etc. The reviewer tends to focus on the plot, the music used and the languague used in the film. Commenting that the music used if ftom the streets and artist like Shystie, Dizzee Rascal and other artist feature on the soundtrack. The reviewer didn't mention anything about camera or editing techniques used in the film.

The thrid film review was written by Nick de Semlyen from Empire. http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=133162
The use of language in this review was formal type of language. The reviewer in this review focused on the plot of the movie and what the film was trying to potray and the message they was trying to get across to young people. Semlyen compares the film to other films like 'City of God' and 'La Haine'. However Semlyen did mention the actress 'Jaime Winstone' and her father 'Ray Winstone' letting the audience know only her performance in the film was the most entertaining aspect of the film. The unique selling point which is the actors in the film wasn't mentioned in the text. I believe Semlyen didn't focus on the actors because he didn't believe the plot was realistic. The reviewer starts of explaining the plot on goes on to his review on the film and then his verdict. In addition he didn't metion about editing techniques used in the film only that shooting style was unrealistic.

Poster Analysis

Kidulthood is a social drama film and the genre is communicated through the poster by the use of mise-en-scene and appearance of the characters. One of the things you see is bat (prop) being held by one of the main characters in the film; this straight away gives the consumer an idea that the film may be social drama with violence involved. Also the location that is used for the poster, seem like it is on a roof top of a block of flats. That’s straight tell its going to be about a social - drama, in a urban area and you can see shadows of other houses and block of flats in the background of the poster.

The characters appearance tells a story as soon as you see their pictures. There are seven teens on the poster and all in different poses and costumes. The first two characters are sitting close with their arms on each other, the boy's costume is a dark black tracksuit and trainers, while the girl who is siting between his legs costume is a pink top and cardigan, black skirt, boots and tights and hair straight down to her shoulders. The next two chartcers are also close together; the boy's costume is a black jacket, trousers, trainers, grey hooded jumper, white t-shirt and sliver chain. The other young girl costume is a demin jacket, black hooded jumper, white t-shirt, jeans and trainers. These four teenagers look very close together, as if they have a situation or problem in the which straight away gives a sense that the film is social - drama and something happens to those four. The other three characters on the poster and individual standing/sitting by themselves, the young girl sitting on the wall costume is a pink top and leggings, demin skirt with brown boots and her hair tied up to the side. The next boy is sitting on the floor. His costume is a black jacket and jeans, with a grey hooded jumper, trainers and a hat. The last character is standing up with a blue hooded tracksuit, white trainers and is holding a bat. The appearance that these young characters communicate to the reviewers straight away that this film is going to be a social drama and looks like violence, sex and drugs will be involved.

The title of the film 'KiDULTHOOD' raises connotations because it makes the audience think this film is going to show what young people get up to before they become a adult like drugs, alcohol, gangs and violence and straight away just by seeing the title it tells the audience its going to be a social drama. The unique selling point of the poster is the characters, the costumes wearing and the poses/positions they are standing and sitting in sells the film and what it mostly going to be about and the situation that may arise in the film. Also another USP is the location and where the picture of the poster has been taken and showing the reviewers it is in an urban area.

The font used on this poster is very unique the title is all written in upper case expect for the 'i' which written in lower case ('KiDULTHOOD'). The written language used indicates that this film is for teenagers because it is mostly teens who write and talk in slang. This shows that genre once again is going to be about young people and their social issues. Also the title is written in a bold font and is white, which brightly stands out on the poster and is one of the first things you see when looking at the poster. 'Before adulthood comes ...' is the tagline used for this film, its writing in lower case and sits right above the title 'KiDULTHOOD' so it says 'Before adulthood comes ... KiDULTHOOD' this tagline is a simple but catchy tagline, that will stick in the target mind which is young people aged from 15 - 19. The film is going to be about young people and all the things they get up to before they become an adult. KiDULTHOOD is rated a 15, I believe there target audience would be young people between the ages of 15 - 19 because the film will show day to day social dramas that happen in a day to day teenagers life and I believe a lot of young people will connect to it.

Textual Analysis

Title: 4.3.2.1

Date of release: 2 June 2010

Name of director: Noel Clarke, Mark Davis

Genre: Thriller - Crime

The movie includes the typical conventions of a thriller – crime movie. Thrillers heavily stimulate the viewer's moods such as; a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectancy, ambiguity, apprehension, suspense, excitement, tension, fright. Literary devices such as cliff-hangers are used extensively. The use of restricting important information from the viewer and fight/chase scenes are common methods in all of the thriller subgenres.

Common methods in crime thrillers are mainly ransoms, captivities, heists, revenge, and kidnappings. More common in mystery thrillers are investigations and the whodunit technique. Common elements in psychological thrillers are mind games, psychological themes, stalking, confinement/death-traps, horror-of-personality, and obsession. Elements such as fringe theories, false accusations, paranoia, and sometimes action are common in paranoid thrillers.

The film 4.3.2.1 portrays the conventions from above such as captivities, when one of the girls Shannon is help captive, the film delivers the whodunit technique although it’s kind of obvious in the film who has stolen the diamonds. The film also deals with the subject of death with the character Shannon when she considering committing suicide.

The equilibrium of this film is when the girls are meeting at the coffee shop to catch-up with each other. But the audience could argue that the film doesn’t have equilibrium as it starts with a disruption as in the opening sequence, the girl is holding the gun to her friend ‘Shannon’ as she is preparing to commit suicide. This leaves the audience to suspense as it jumps to a scene which would be perceived to be the equilibrium which the girl is portrayed to be in a state of normality.So ultimately they haven’t followed Todorov’s equilibrium model but at the same times they have addressed the typical convention of a crime-thriller by creating suspense, ambiguity, apprehension for the audience.

This is the scene when ‘Shannon’ is trying to commit suicide. The film uses a restricted form of narrative because the audience is unaware as to why she is doing this due to the narrative being non- chronological as they have shown this at the very beginning as part of the opening sequence.

This is the scene when the 4 girls are catching up over coffee in the café and they are interacting in conversation, which the audience would suggest to be the equilibrium as this is the girl’s state of normality.

They use an unusual way of applying the ‘Levi-Strauss’ model of binary opposition in the movie as through new equilibrium where the ladies are reunited after saving Shannon and suggest a break to America, when they are on a plane the camera progresses to showing that their nemesis is also on the plane, without them being aware but the way each of the characters have been portrayed is as if they have switched roles.Ultimately the use of binary oppositions in the film is manipulated and unconventional is order to follow the typical convention of a thriller.

The use of mise-en-scene in this shot is used to manipulate the audience into think this character ‘villain’ is now the ‘victim’ especially with her body language and her emphasising her scars those girls gave her and her being dressed in white it all contributes to leaving the audience why she’s there, or if she’s meant to be there.

The use of this ‘quote'' good girls cum last p.s love you...all!'’ in the film and it being used at the end of the film makes the audience abit confused as you usually see the good side of a battle or a situation win and come first at the end but this quote suggest the opposite so it is manipulating the ideas and connotations surrounding good and bad. Also, as it was written by one of the girls who are supposedly meant to be the good ‘victims’.

The film is shown in a non-chronological order as the audience sees the different viewpoints of the women from the same day, so it’s going from start to finish four consecutive times instead of going the normal beginning to end. So it’s a reoccurrence on some of the shot we view in the movie.

Part two:

The way the characters are portrayed in the movie though the use of mise-en-scene is exaggerated but also stereotypical through the use of props and costume. For example the two girls in bikini’s and lingerie being portrayed as sex symbols cater to the typical conventions in the way they portray the girls in the film. The use of the restricted narrative is also key to the representation of the characters as the characters are portrayed to be teens and a typical teenager is not always open with parents and friends and sometimes hides stuff especially when they re going through something emotionally, which I believe is enforced through the restricted narrative. The use of mise-en-scene contributed to the representation of the age of the characters in this film as the use of setting / location.

The way the director has used mise-en-scene to represent the age and ethnicity of the characters has been shot in a stereotypical way to address the typical conventions of this genre, with the use of costume in the film, for example when Cassandra is being chased by the boys she kidnapped she being protected by a group of black people so it look like the boy is outnumbered and inferior to them. They are dressed in dark colours and hoodies and tracksuits which suggest to the audience that they are in a gang and by ‘Cassandra being dressed in a hoodie it helps her blend in.

Also, the way light is used in the film as the majority of the scenes are shot in quite dark, sinister locations as well as at night time to address the conventions of mystery, ambiguity.

The storyline of the film caters to the typical conventions of a thriller – crime movie and what usually a film of this genre should contain. The film has high level of anticipation, which leaves a lot of ambiguity especially as each time the storyline is changed to another girls point of view, it end with an enigma code which leaves the audience wondering why the girl has been let in that situation before it is revealed through another girls point of view. For example when the audience sees Shannon upset and distraught and basically at breaking point when it comes to the end of her point of view but as the film develops through Joanne’s point of view at the end of the film we get to see why Shannon is so upset. So by doing that the audience was left in suspense which is following the convention of a typical thriller-crime film.

The use of camera, editing, sound and mise-en-scene in this film caters to the typical conventions of a thriller-crime film. Through the use of editing such as the montage used throughout the film it help the audience understand the rapid fast paced lives that the girls have obtained due to their involvement in the diamond robbery. Also, through the use of non-diegetic sounds at the end of the film suggest somethingthreatening to compliment the open narrative which also leaves room for a sequel. The use of close-upshots at the beginning of the movie when the girls are catching up at the café is so that they can be introduce as the main characters to the audience. The use of long shots especially in the chased scenes it helps the audience understand the location they are in. The use of the off-screen diagetic sound in the kidnapping scene, when the character Cassandra captures the boys who were stalking her, we hear the pain which Cassandra was going through the voices of those enlisting her pain. The use of straight cuts in the majority of the film gives it a more realistic feel to it in the attempt to make the audience connect with it a bit more.

Film Review - Content

The 1st film review was from The Guardian:http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/may/27/4-3-2-1-film-review

• The use of language in this review demonstrates a good balance of formal as well as informal language as they are trying to reach a wider audience.
• The writer uses words such as 'quirky' and 'steamy' which are quite informal trying to reach their target audience which is probably 16-21 yr olds.
• In the review they tend to focus on the director 'Noel Clarke' who also stars in the movie as he is part of the unique selling point.

The 2nd review was from 'Total Film':

http://www.totalfilm.com/reviews/cinema/4-3-2-1

• The review contains quite informal language which is quite punchy and to the point such as 'lippy' and 'sass-bomb' which is aimed at the target audience of 16-21 yr olds.
• The reviewer tends to focus on the actors mostly in the content of this review as it comments on the four leading ladies and also the rapper 'eve'. who are also part of the USP.

The 3rd film review is from 'Empire Magazine':

http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?DVDID=118500

• As the magazine is already highly credible for their film reviews, the use of wording was quite formal but descriptive due to the technical jargon being use as 'neon-highlighted' and 'titillation' which enforces that they know what they are talking about.
• The reviewer also tends to comment on the director and actor 'Noel Clarke' as he is part of the USP of the film.
• They also comment on well knowns actors and celebrities that either helped produce the film or made cameos in the film which added to their credibility as reviewers and helped the ratings for the film.

The initial layout for our film review

Rough draft of our film review

Pictures taken for the poster

Storyboard

Final Film Review

Final Posters

Rough Draft Of Poster

Recce Report

The action of the film begins in the bathroom where one of the girls is sick. We do not know why.

The next scene happens in the bedroom, where the girl gets ready to go to college. Later on in the film when she comes back from the college this is where the main action takes place when the girl eats and then breaks down.

The kitchen is also being used as a location in this film. This is when the the character comes back from college and finds a note from her parents. She also brings out a cake from the fridge.

Another location of the film happens in this bedroom. This is where the other main character in the film wakes up and gets ready to college. Another important action also takes place here when she comes back from college, this is where the girl overdoses on drugs and passes out.

In this location we are introoduced to the girl's scars. We do not know where they came from but this shows us that something isn't right. This is another significant scene in the film.

This is the part of college in which the two main characters meet. It is clear that they go to the same college and know each other because they acklownedge each other.

Analysis Of Film Review Layouts

The first film review is for: Mission Impossible III

· The image printed on this review is used to show the main character of the film, the genre of the film by the way he is positioned and his costume via Mise – en – scene.

· The use of the very accessible critical claim on the page is to address the type of audiencethey are trying to reach which suggest a wider audience.

· The colour scheme is very simple and suttle which suggest it’s trying to cater to an older and more sophisticated audience.

· By them putting a graph stating the amount of gross income the movie is expected to make, it shows that they are trying reach a more refined and business-minded audience.

· The use of the ‘what the story?’ text in the content is used to help recap on what has previously happened in the previous mission impossible films, just in case the audience wasn’t up to speed.

·
The image printed on this review is used to show
the main character of the film, the genre of the film by the way he is positioned
and his costume via Mise – en – scene.

·
The use of the very accessible critical claim on
the page is to address the type of audience they are trying to reach which
suggest a wider audience.

·
The colour scheme is very simple and suttle
which suggest it’s trying to cater to an older and more sophisticated audience.

·
By them putting a graph stating the amount of
gross income the movie is expected to make, it shows that they are trying reach
a more refined and business-minded audience.

·
The use of the ‘what the story?’ text in the
content is used to help recap on what has previously happened in the previous
mission impossible films, just in case the audience wasn’t up to speed.

The second review was for; Shrek forever afte

·
The
title of the film is the biggest text on the review as it attracts the reader’s
attention to notice what the content is going to be about.

·
A
text wrapped has been used in the text to show the reader the most informative
and interesting content in the review.

·
The
colour scheme of the review has been used to compliment the main image of the ogres.

·
The
reason why specific text on the page is highlighted is because that’s the most
important information the writer wants the reader to know.

·
The
writer uses an accessible of the critical claim to allow the reader to see the
summary of what the writer was trying to say in the basic form, this shows it
trying to cater to a wider audience.

·
The way the columns have been positioned on the
page allows it to be manageable and easy to read for the reader.

The third film review was for: All the little Animals

• The title of the film is the biggest text on the review as it attracts the reader’s attention to notice what the content is going to be about.
• A text wrapped has been used in the text to show the reader the most informative and interesting content in the review.
• The colour scheme of the review has been used to compliment the main image of the ogres.
• The reason why specific text on the page is highlighted is because that’s the most important information the writer wants the reader to know.
• The writer uses an accessible of the critical claim to allow the reader to see the summary of what the writer was trying to say in the basic form, this shows it trying to cater to a wider audience.
• The way the columns have been positioned on the page allows it to be manageable and easy to read for the reader.

• This review has a more descriptive side about the film telling the readers about Screenplay, Director of photography, Editor, Draftsman, Costume designer and many more.
• The colour scheme is very simple just black and white theme, with white background and black texts.
• This review is more for people who are into technical side of films.

·
And with the large quantity of text on the page
you can tell it’s more for a wiser and formal audience who would take the time
to read something like that.

Poster Analysis

· The title of the film ‘4.3.2.1’ has the connotations that the characters are counting down for something which creates an anticipation, which also relates to the ‘the countdown begins June 2’ which is telling the audience the release date using a pun and a catchy line.

• The film is showcased on the film poster as you have ‘Noel Clarke’, the director of the film as well as few successful mainstream British films such as‘Kidulthood’ and ‘Adulthood’ which is also printed on the poster to familiarise the audience with the film and also capturing the fans of the last two movies to go and see this one. With ‘Noel Clarke’ characters being at the fore ground of the poster it entices the audience to go and see the movie especially if the enjoyed his body of work.

• The use of the number as again being incorporated as part of the image emphasises the importance of the meaning around the numbers.

· ‘With the background being the city of London ‘s ‘Big Ben’ and the ‘London eye’ then divided withNew Yorks’ Brooklyn Bridge’ the audience can immediately see already that they are probably to two major locations of the movie.

· The sense of the mise-en-scene in the poster creates a sense of excitement as you see a female holdinga gun which suggests the genre is an action. It is also unconventional as you see the females in the fore-front of the poster with majority of the males in the background giving the females more of the power considering they are the ones holding the weapon. The use of body language in the image is giving the blonde female the power as she has her hands on her hips which raises connotations that she is the leader and also with her being placed next to the number ‘1’.

· The use of the fonts and written language in the poster clearly showcase what they are trying to put across as the most important details of the movie. For example ‘Noel Clarke’ and ‘Kidulthood’ and ‘Adulthood’. Are the main USP’s of the movie of the have been printed in bold white text to stand out over the background.

· The representation the audience will perceive from the poster is that it’s kind of stereotypical with the boys being dressed in tracksuits and dark colours as well, which is usually associated with gang boys and youths that are up to no good. But also an unconventional representation as the girls who are usually the victims look like the villains which are not addressing the usual conventions.But ultimately the representation is stereotypical as all the ladies are young, thin & attractive and this stereotypical as this is what we perceive a sex icon to be, especially with the black girl being plastered on the poster in the bikini.

· By viewing the poster I would suggest the target audience is approx.16-24 as the characters look around that age and the costumes they are dressed in are typical of what people that age would wear, plus films such as kidulthood &Adulthood dealt with teen issues that are likely to be explored in this film.

Analysis Of Film Review Content

As it has been difficult to find reviews for the film which I have analysed for my textual analysis and the poster I had to find a similar film and analyse it's reviews. The film I chose is “Leaving Las Vegas” directed by Mike Figgis.

The first review which I'll be looking out comes from Time Out London , written by WH. http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/80243/leaving_las_vegas.html
The use of language in this review can be described as an academical, formal type of language. The reviewer focuses strongly on the actors in the film whose names have been mentioned at the beginning of the review. However the importance of the director of this film is also highlighted as we see his name being mentioned in the review several times. Additionally to that, at the end of the review the reviewer drifts away from the film itself and mentions success of both the main actor in the film as the director's.
Moreover there has been a slight mention of the locations used in the film suggesting that those might be desirable by the viewer.
The review however, starts off with a description of few opening shots of the film and a few quotes. In that part the reviewer is also focusing on the narrative and the theme of the film itself. There is no mention of any camera or editing techniques used in this film.

The second review of “Leaving Las Vegas” which I will annotate is written by Janet Maslin for New York Times.http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C07EFDE1F39F934A15753C1A963958260
In contrast to the review from Time Out London, this review is written academically and uses a few colloquial phrases however; it is still acceptably formal language.
Also in comparison to the previous review, this review is presented in much more detail. The reviewer starts off by focusing on the main actor in the film who seems to be the USP. Then goes on to talking about the director and his previous film and career. Janet Maslin then mentions that the film was based on a novel and gives us some back story on the writer.
She also mentions the soundtrack of the film and elaborates on some of the artists.
Most of this review is however focusing on the storyline in the film as the reviewer gives us a glimpse to what happens to the characters throughout the film.
The reviewer goes on to talking about the certificate of the film and what content we will find there while watching it. She finishes off by mentioning names of all the main characters in the film, the director, production designer, editor, and producers. Also mentions the release date.

The third and final review which I will analyse is written by Roger Ebert for Chicago Sun-Times.http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19951110/REVIEWS/511100303
This review is also very different to the two I have already annotated. In this one the reviewer used mostly informal language to connect better with his audience. He also focuses on many different things. The main focus in his review is the storyline of the film as he outlines particular scenes and quotes from the film. He also mentions actors who he empathises a lot on. He also mentions locations in detail he describes how particular locations look like and says what effect they have on the audience. The reviewer also questions the level of reality of this film by saying that is unrealistic to drink so much alcohol and still stay conscious. He also focuses on the theme of this film; he mentions the genre but also says what the film seems like to him. The reviewer does give a lot of opinion coming from his own perspective. Roger Ebert ends his review by giving it a critical acclaim of one of the best films of the year.

Production Schedule

Production
Company Cohesion productions

Date
22nd September 2011

Director
Abigail Ababio and ShaToya

Crew
Sabrina Danquah, Abigail Ababio, Angelika Kupzcyk and ShaToya

Details of Activities Date
Pre-production:
The Pitch A presentation of the film idea 15/9/11
Proposal Information about the finalised idea to be written by Angelika 22/9/11
Treatment Description of programme to be written by Sabrina 22/9/11
Audience profile Description of the target audience to be completed by Abigail 22/9/11
Resources for Mise-en-scene A list of things that will be present in the film 22/9/11
Textual analysis Comparisons of a similar media product to be done individually 29/9/11
Screenplay The events that take place in film written by Shatoya 29/9/11
Shot List A List of shots used during filming to be completed by Sabrina and Angelika 29/9/11
Recce Report Images of settings that will be used to be taken by Angelika 06/10/11
Titles and credits A list of the crew and cast 03/11/11

Production:
Monday 31st – Friday 4th November (editing for rough cut one)
Monday 7th – Friday 18th November (re-film corrections)
Monday 21st – Friday 25th November (editing for rough cut 2)
Monday 28th – Friday 8th December (last minute filming and editing for final cut)

Filming days (Monday 10th October – Sunday 30th October)
Monday 10th October
11:50 – 13:50 = filming at college (canteen scene)

Wednesday 12th October
9:00 – 11:00 = filming at Angelika’s house (drug girl scenes)

Thursday 13th October
13:55 – 14:55 = filming at Abigail’s house (bulimic girl scenes)

Monday 17th October
11:50 – 13:55 = filming at Abigail’s house (bulimic girl)

Wednesday 19th October
9:00 – 11:00 = filming at Angelika’s house (drug girl)

Thursday 20th October
13:55 – 14:55 = filming at Abigail’s house (bulimic girl)

Post-Production:
Log and transfer
Rough cut 03/11/11 Audience response
Soundtrack preparation
Graphics preparation
Second Cut

Final Cut Deadline: 8/12/11

Poster Analysis

The genre of the film is expressed through the tag line which is “the longest journey begins with a single step.” From this, I am given the impression that the film is about a person who must overcome their hardships in order to move forward which is typical of a dramatic film. The image on the poster is of Precious who is the main character in the film and she is shown walking forward which demonstrates the tag line. Based on her facial expression, she’s upset and is most likely finding it hard to move on from her past.

On the poster, the unique selling points are the actors. This includes “Mo’nique, Mariah Carey, and Lenny Kravitz” who are all well-known individuals capable of attracting an audience. Another unique selling point is the critical acclaim that has been positioned on the left hand side of the poster. Four have been used and this is to show a potential audience positive feedback on the film as a means of drawing them in.

Fonts have been used to make specific words standout such as the title of the film which is in a large font and the actors’ names which have been capitalised. This is to draw attention to them as they are key things that may attract an audience.

The poster appeals to the films target audience who are most likely aged between 16 and 24. The background of the poster is of a school building and so members of the audience who are in/have been in education may see this as something they can relate to.

Film Reviews

1. This review was written by Time Out magazine with the film ‘Precious’ as its subject. Language has been used to describe to a potential audience what the film is about without revealing any spoilers. The review has been written in a formal tone but contains some colloquial language that has been quoted from the film. A range of adjectives have been used throughout the text to make it appear more interesting and for it to be a good read. The review begins with a euphemism “if there was a gold statuette for wall-to-wall compassion, ‘Precious’ would wipe the floor with its rivals this awards season.” This type of sentence is likely to interest a reader to continue reading the review as well as to watch the film because it’s begun with a positive opinion. The first paragraph is about the films history and storyline and the second paragraph describes moments from the film that are both interesting and shocking. A personal opinion is always put forward by the writer which may lead a reader to believe and trust the writer’s judgement. The unique selling point being the actors in the film has also been mentioned in the text which is one of the things that the reviewer focuses on and this may be because it’s one of the films main attractions.

2. The subject on review is the film ‘Precious’ which has been constructed by Film 4. The review begins with some history about the film similar to the first review and then goes onto explain the storyline in more detail. This review is formal and focuses mostly on the cast as well as the films adaptation. This review also consists of personal opinions but aren’t as positive as the previous ones. The first and second paragraph mentions the films background and ends with a positive opinion from the writer saying that it is a good film. The third and fourth paragraph explains the plot of the film and also mentions the unique selling point of the actors but takes a focus on Mo’Nique. This review consists of a lot of personal opinion that have been listed in the fifth and sixth paragraphs and ends with an overall verdict of the film which is also positive.

3. This Review was constructed by Empire magazine and it includes information about the plot of the film as well as a verdict. This review is shorter than the other ones that I have analysed as it focuses directly on the main areas of the film such as where it was adapted from, the producers, the cast and the crew. The first paragraph consists of the film’s history which seems to be a common feature in reviews. The fact that the film was adapted from a novel is something that’s constantly mentioned in every review and this might be because it’s an important factor in the films production. A number of adjectives have been included and this is expected of a review as they are used to best describe elements of the film. The unique selling point being the actors in the film are also mentioned (Mo’Nique, Lenny Kravitz and Mariah Carey) as they were in the previous reviews.

Textual Analysis

Textual Analysis

Introduction:
Kidulthood is the title of the film I’ll be analysing; it was released in March 2006. Menhaj Huda directed the film, the film is a social - drama it represent social issues and problems that occur in a day to day teenage life.

Part One: Narrative Structure
A theorist called Todorov came up with 'The equilibrium model', he said that every film has a similar structure and all films should have equilibrium, a distribution and new equilibrium. Most films do go along with this structure and Kidulthood also does too. The equilibrium in this film is when the boy (Trife) is holding a blue plastic bag with a gun in it and hides it outside a building in this yellow box. The distribution is when the girls start to bully another and beat her up in the class room in front of the class. The new equilibrium comes at the end of the film.

Another theorist is Levi - Strauss' he developed the theory of Binary Oppositions which is when opposites create meaning for an example, good and bad or villain and hero. In 'Kidulthood' there are a lot of binary oppositions used. At the start of the film you see Sam the bad boy who bullies everyone and Trife the boy who nice and tries to help others get into a argument because Sam bullying people younger than him this suggests to us that Sam is the villain and Trife is the hero.

Another binary oppositions used in the film is Mooney and Jay because he good and Jay bad. From the start of the film you straight away to see who good and who bad and he most calm, doesn’t want trouble to happen and tries to stop confutation between all the boys. Shaneek who bullied Katie is an another binary opposition because Shaneek was a bully and Katie was an victim who ended up killing herself all because she couldn’t take being beaten up every time she went to school. But Shaneek got a kick out of bullying her and laughed every time she did and quite enjoyed bullying her so she could seem tuff to all the other school kids.

'Kidulthood' is not in chronological order from start to finish because at the end of the film Trife has a flashback and it shows everything that happened in the movie in a few seconds. The narrative is open and it suggest to the viewers that there will be a sequel because it left a gap and it makes you think what will happen next. Also it’s an omniscient narrative the audience is aware of what’s going on in the film and has an idea of what’s going to happen next because there a moment in the film when the audience know more than the character in the film, when Sam is going to go to the party to get revenge on the boys.

Part Two: Genre codes and conventions and representation

The characters used in this film are very typical to the social – drama genre. The youths portrayed in social – drama film is to have social issues like being in gangs, bullying, teen pregnancy, drugs and alcohol. The characters in this film act aggressive and unruly to each other in the beginning of the movie, the girls begin to bully another girl. They speak to her rough and in slang ‘Are you dumb bruv?’ which most teenagers speak in. Also they don’t tend to respect their elders (Teachers and parents). Most of the characters costume was typical of the genre because the boys mostly wore tracksuits, hoodies and trainers, while the girls wore short skirts, tight tops/clothing and tights. The girl hair was either up in a bun or down straight on their shoulders.

'Bullet Boy' is another film from the same genre as 'Kidulthood' social - drama which also includes similar representation. In 'Bullet Boy' it has social issues like gun crime, gangs, bullying and alcohol which is also featured in 'Kidulthood'. The costumes used in ‘Bullet Boy’ were typical to the genre just like 'Kidulthood' because the boys wore tracksuits, jeans, hoodies and trainers while the girls wore tight tops and jeans.

The costumes of the characters were typical of the genre because we always associate teens from urban areas to dress in hoodies, tracksuits, hats, trainers and jumpers. Most of the characters body language in the film is sometimes aggressive and we stereotype that most teens in hoodies are aggressive and threating this also is a representation of age but also gender because it stereotyped that mostly young males that behaviour and dress in those certain ways are aggressive. The female costumes are also typical to the genre because you would expect them to wear short skirts and tight tops with loads of make – up on trying to get boys attention and that very exaggerated because not all females dress or behaviour how the characters in the film are dressed or acting toward the boys.

The representation of social class and ethnicity in film was represented in a negative and exaggerated way. It came across that most black people that live in urban areas sell drugs to other people in the area and also bully others that are younger than them. Also age is represented in a comical and stereotypical way that all teenagers want to do is have sex with each other, drink alcohol and smoke. In addition that parents who are upper class and working class don’t concentrate enough on their children and more focused on their jobs was shown in a negative way because it shows that parents don’t always see the sign and don’t look into depth what goes on their child’s life.

The story line is typical of the genre because it’s a social – drama film about a teen that gets pregnant, and a girl getting physically/mentally abused and bullied by a group of teens and she commits suicide and they day the school gets off to mourn for her death, the youths take drugs, smoke, fight and party. The theme is power, love, friendship and enemies, the film show a lot of social issues throughout the movie, and how those issues affect one and other and other people around them.

Non-diegetic sound is first used at the beginning of the film, the sound used is an urban music that teenagers who would watch the film would listen too. The diegetic sound used is when the youths are all at the party coming towards to the end of the film and the music playing is RnB and hip – pop.