Analysis of Camera and Editing In British Social Realism

Camera Screengrabs

In this establishing shot we can see estates and in the background canary wharf connoting that the characters in this film are struggling to become rich and that i what they are working for. We can also denote in this shot that during the day not much is happening in the shot and only a few cars are passing by but when it reaches night-time the city comes alive with cars, lights and movement

This connotes to the audience that a theme in this film is crime as most crimes normally take place during the dark and is anchored by the quote from the narrator "where dark shit goes on at night". A representation this gives about Britain is that at night areas like this are not a safe place to be and gives a negative connotation to the audience.

In this extreme close up we can denote a scar on a characters face which connotes to the audience that this character has had a hard life and is also someone who shouldn't be messed with. Another connotation this could create is that it is a brand left on him as it is in the letter F meaning that he could be part of a gang and this a ritual of theirs further connoting that whatever gang he is part of is a tough (find a better word) gang 

In this screenshot above we can denote a mid shot of a man in a prison cell. The light coming from above connotes to the audience that this man may have seen the error of his ways and is going to try and change as we see that most of him is in darkness but there is a little bit of light shining down on him, another connotation could be that due to the trademark light shining down from above that this man is about to find religion and become a better person. The representation this gives about the characters is a negative one as he is in a prison cell but that there is a chance for him to become better and that this film may feature him changing his ways and that a theme for this film is redemption.

Editing

In this screenshot the audience can denote that in this bag is some cocaine connoting that a theme in this film is drugs/drug abuse, the lyrics from the song playing in the background "drugs rule" play at the same time of this shot anchoring the point that this film main's theme is drugs and a lot of the story focuses on that. The representation this gives the characters is that they are all drug dealers/users and creates a negative connotation for the audience.

In this shot we can denote a character is walking out of prison and is now a free man and we can see that the editing technique they have used here is Slow-Mo, this connotes to the audience that this characters is important and is going to be a main character throughout the film. The use of slow mo here also allows the audience to watch him and analyse his movements, we can see that he has a very confident walk and look on his face connoting that he is heading straight back to a life of crime. This establishes to the audience that a theme in this film will be crime but also that this particular character is arrogant and does what he wants which could lead to problems further in the film.

Full version of the accelerated motion clip

In this sequence we can see the editing technique used is fast motion, this gives us an understanding that this is the daily grind for these characters and it is a mundane existence for them and connotes to the audience that these characters are very skilled at what they do and that crime and drug abuse is rampant in the U.K.