"London to Brighton"

Director: Paul Andrew Williams

Year: 2006

Locations/settings:

• central London
• moving through the countryside
• scenes in London are cramped
• scenes in Brighton are wide and open
• Duncan's house- white wash and clinical- indicates creepiness

Narrative structure:

• over-the-shoulder camera angle- make the spectator feel part of the conversation
• director uses the train journey to Brighton to pass the time
• the story covers two days

Characterisation:

• Kelly isn't Joanne's mother but she acts like she is. She takes it upon herself to do this
• Derek seems to be the leader but by the end of the film the spectator can clearly see that he's not
• Joanne- the red lipstick that she wears could represent either lust and passion or danger and blood
• Joanne and Stuart are similar; they both don't have mothers and both have cruel fathers
• Stuart having cigarettes at the end- represents his freedom from his dad

Ideology:

• all the characters are white
• the men control the women- the women are victims, the film is from their POV
• all the characters smoke
• all the characters swear
• the characters are altogether but they are entrapped individually
• characters are working class- like Sweet Sixteen
• this film shows the exploitation of prostitutes
• there is a hierarchy: the girls, then Derek, then Stuart and Duncan

Genre features:

• matching shots
• documentary style film-making
• the London scenes are dark while the Brighton scenes are bright- could represent the amount of freedom the characters have
• the Moonlight Sonata playing in Duncan's house while the action is in slow-mo reflects his wealth and status- this seems to be a defining moment of the film
• this film is more cinematic than Sweet Sixteen or Bullet Boy
• the director unravels the story via the use of flashbacks, not like Bullet Boy or Sweet Sixteen (These films show the story unravelling as it happens)
• at the end of the film there is a sense of hope as Joanne goes to her grandmother

"Sweet Sixteen"

Director: Ken Loach
Year: 2002

Narrative features:

• clear characters
• pushes you into their world, real locations

Locations/settings:

• Public areas: pub, streets, beach
• inside cars and houses
• sets up the characters
• set in a downtrodden area
• the scenery is a paradox

Narrative structure:

• POV from the window of the house
• uses the music in the car to pass the time
• time lapsing- went over 2 months (mum's release from prison)

Characterisation:

• mum in prison, step-dad and granddad
• main character is Liam
• The main character has a sister, a nephew and a friend called 'Pinball'
• real characters- community- got to stick together
• 3rd person POV- walking with them

Ideology:

• all white
• lower class- when they look through someone else's window at the expensive equipment inside
• class- not understanding certain ones
• moves up a class by moving house
• all the boys are in trouble while the girls aren't until we see his mum in prison
• sister tries to better herself

Genre features:

• slightly documentary style filming
• music in the car contrasts to the characters and their lifestyle
• not much background music, only when needed within the scene: in the car, when he's selling the drugs.
• like La Haine because they use their own slang
• slow music

"Bullet Boy"

Director: Saul Dibb
Year: 2004

Narrative features:

• relationships

Locations/settings:

• use of a baron landscape
• block flats
• narrow streets
• flat- safety net
• flat- not safe once the gun squad come into their home

Narrative structure:

• lots of frames of landscapes to pass the time
• pov shots- part of the gang
• happened within a few days
• repeated shot of Ricky in bed in the morning to show the days going by

Characterisation:

• the mum hasn't got much money but is still trying to hold things together
• Ricky is an 'anti- hero'
• Curtis the 12 year old brother is mature as the film progresses
• The brothers are parallel to each other, brotherly influence
• the friends in this film are like the friends in Sweet Sixteen

Ideology:

• mostly black
• most adults smoke
• the white people are like opposition: policeman, man in van and the gun squad

Genre features:

• documentary style like Sweet Sixteen
• matching shots
• parallel action- night club and the house party
• R&B music (culture) and 1960's music (when he's happy)- reflects the narrative
• central London is in the distance- he will never get there: it's ironic