Youth Culture

Films on Youth Culture are often very generic, involving gangs and violence. This stereotype of youths, created by the media through films such as these, gives youths a bad image. However for our coursework, we would like to portray a better side of youth culture. However, gangs and problems are ever-present, so we will still portray the gang lifestyle through one of our characters.

Common Features Of Youth Culture Films

• Almost all modern Youth Culture Films are set in the streets or on an estate, usually set in London (such as Hackney in My Brother The Devil).
• One generic youth culture idea is that the characters are trying to get out of the 'hood' and of the streets and into a better life. The movie usually portrays their hardships and struggles to get themselves a better life. Common catalysts for escape are music or education or a reality trip (usually through prison, such as in Adulthood).
• Another common convention is to have a gang war (such as in My Brother The Devil) between two main character's gangs. There is usually violence and crime involved, and often drug or weapons dealing.
• Prison is often a major part of a youth culture film, with characters often just coming out of prison as the movie starts, and trying to sort themselves a new life. For example in Adulthood, when the main character comes out of prison, he tries to set himself up a new life. However problems from the past begin to come up and he finds it hard to get out of the gang scene.
• Main characters are often from an underprivileged background with a dysfunctional family, often with a single parent.
• However, family is often a big part of youth culture. For example in My Brother The Devil, the main character is trying to help is little brother get out of the gang scene before he gets into it.
• Main characters are often trying to struggle for an identity.
• Sometimes gangs are represented as safety or a family, such as in This Is England, where the bullied kid gets involved in a gang for safety and friendship. 

Youth Culture Example Synopsis (My Brother The Devil)

MY BROTHER THE DEVIL: Two teenage brothers must face their prejudices head on if they are to survive the perils of being young, British Arabs on the streets of gangland London. It tells the story of two brothers living in the gang-ruled, drug-afflicted estates of Hackney. The younger of two, Mo, (played by the amateur actor Fady Elsyad) idolises his drug-dealing older brother Rashid (James Floyd), but as he gets drawn more into his world, he realises and uncovers truths which causes schisms between them, their friends and the gang-land hierarchy. The films main thread revolves around a gangland turf-war, with the two brothers struggling for an identity in the escalating violence.

Youth Culture Example Synopsis (Trainspotting)

TRAINSPOTTING: Renton, deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, tries to clean up and get out, despite the allure of the drugs and influence of friends.Set in Edinburgh, the film begins with Mark Renton's narration as he and his friend, Spud sprint down Princes Street, pursued by security guards. Renton states that unlike people who 'choose life' (traditional families, materialistic possessions and financial stability), he decided live life as a heroin addict. The rest of Renton's close circle of football enthusiast friends are introduced: con-artist Sick Boy, clean-cut athlete Tommy and sociopath, Frank Begbie. Sick Boy, Spud and Renton are all heroin addicts who spend their days shooting up in their drug dealer, Swanney's  flat.

Youth Culture Example Synopsis (This Is England)

THIS IS ENGLAND: A story about a troubled boy growing up in England, set in 1983. He comes across a few skinheads on his way home from school, after a fight. They become his new best friends even like family. Based on experiences of director Shane Meadows.

Youth Culture Example Synopsis (Adulthood)

ADULTHOOD: Six years after Sam Peel is released from jail for killing Trife, he realizes that life is no easier on the outside than it was on the inside and he's forced to confront the people he hurt the most. Some have moved on, others are stuck with the repercussions of his actions that night, but one thing's for certain - everyone has been forced to grow up. Through his journey Sam struggles to deal with his sorrow and guilt and something else he didn't expect - those seeking revenge. As he's pursued by a new generation of bad boys, Sam sets about trying to get the message across to his pursuers that they should stop the violence, much like Trife tried to tell him all those years ago. Can Sam stop the cycle of violence and make something positive from the destruction he caused or will his journey into Adulthood end here?

Youth Culture Example Synopsis (Bullet Boy)

BULLET BOY tells the story of two brothers growing up in one of London's most volatile neighbourhoods, where a minor street clash escalates into a cycle of violence that has tragic repercussions. A powerful and moving tale of young men on the edge, it reflects an emerging modern reality within Britain's inner cities.
        The film explores themes of friendship, rivalry and revenge amid a generation of boys to whom guns have become a fact of life. When 18 year old Ricky is released from a Youth Offenders Institute he desperately wants to avoid falling back into his criminal past. However, his claustrophobic world and the huge pressure to conform proves inescapable. Ricky almost immediately gets caught up in a road rage incident involving his best friend, Wisdom, and a local rival - all for the sake of a broken wing-mirror.
        This minor confrontation quickly develops into a series of tit for tat reprisals that spiral out of control. Ricky's 12 year old brother Curtis is battling his own pressures and is caught between this world and his mum Beverley's competing aspirations for him. Ricky is at a turning point - his mum and girlfriend Shea are struggling to help him stay out of trouble but he owes a debt of allegiance to Wisdom who has already crossed that line. It seems inevitable Ricky will be dragged down with him, but it's also only a matter of time before Curtis - in thrall to the allure of his older brother - will be drawn in too.
        Bullet Boy inhabits a volatile world where friendships and loyalty are tested to the extreme, the interchange of fate and circumstance seems as casual as a coin toss, and the slightest flare of emotions can set off a devastating ripple of events. The film takes these two boys, their friends, families and enemies through a heady and emotional three days as one gun changes hands leaving in its wake a trail of destruction.

Genre and Original Planning Decision

After debates, our group has decided to use the 'youth culture' genre as the main genre of our movie. There will be a link between the two main characters, of music and romance. These will be the main two themes. Romance develops through their shared love for music. We have decided to call the movie 'SYNC.', shortened from the  word syncopation, a technical musical term used to describe an offbeat rhythm in a song. This portrays the suppressed stereotype of youths being 'offbeat', and also incorporates music, as one of the main themes, into the film title.

Free Period Time Table

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Period 1
Period 2
Period 3
Period 4
Period 5

Green: Ali, Kirsty, Elliot
Yellow: Jotham

Initial Coursework Ideas

For our coursework, we have to shoot and edit at least 2 minutes of film, for the opening sequence of a film , genre of our choice. The first problem was deciding a genre, so our group had a debate:

• Action/adventure would be fun, however, locations, props and special effects would be hard to get and would most likely be costly.
• It would be hard to find suitable actors for a Romance, and none of the group were interested in doing this.
• A Comedy could very easily go wrong, as it demands pin-point accuracy in delivery and cutting. We also probably wouldn't be able to find suitable actors.
• A Thriller/Horror would be cliched and, if not done properly, even cheesy. We have also already done a trial photo-shoot based on a Thriller/Horror sequence.
• A Superhero film would have the same problems as an Action/Adventure film, with very little budget it would be hard to create a believable or suitable character.
• One option we did look into further however was a look into youth culture and society.Films such as Adulthood and Kidulthood have already portrayed the stereotypical view of youths- being involved in gangs and violence. 
• However, we thought we could maybe explore both sides of the social spectrum, showing the story of an under/lower class youth and a middle/upper class youth living completely different lives but experiencing similar problems.
• We came up with a few different links between the two characters, including:

1. Music
2. A romance with a girl/boy
3. School
4. Younger childhood
5. An interest in a similar sport
6. Family ties

• These will have to be discussed further with the group in order to decide on a storyline and a link between the characters. 
• However, nothing is set, these are only preliminary ideas.

Opening Scene Examples

The Dark Knight: This opening sequence starts with an extreme long shot of a building, which then zooms in to a window. This extreme long shot sets the scene. The next few shots begin to introduce some characters, but mainly introduces the theme of the movie - the clown/joker.

Opening Scene Examples

Forrest Gump: This opening scene uses a single shot for almost 3 minutes of footage. The shots tracks a feather as it drifts it's way down to the main character. The main character is shown at first by his shoes, which are muddy. However, when the rest of the character is seen, he is wearing smart, clean clothes. This juxtaposition makes you start to wonder about the character and the storyline. This draws the audience into the movie, so the opening sequence has done it's job well.

Camera Techniques

I found a video with camera techniques such as time-lapse and tilt-shift. The video shows the natural world in an unnatural way - speeded up.

Landscapes: Volume 3 from Dustin Farrell on Vimeo.

Original Script

Improvements for Real Coursework

• We will practise the pull focus on the camera.
• We will practise improving the white balance.
• We will leave more time to complete the task.
• Choose our setting and location better.
• Make sure everyone is there when needed.
• Enhance sound recordings.
• Improve use of miss-en-scene (with costumes and props prepared).
• Draw out a better storyboard.
• Use a tripod or monopod for more stable shots.

Screenshots from Preliminary Task

Our attempted pull focus. The shot started focused on the wall, then was meant to focus on the actor that walks in.

The upset white balance.

The pull focus, not focusing.

Bad frame positioning.

Good frame positioning and camera stability.

Focus on the phone. This shot had bad camera stability.

Good frame positioning.

Storyboards

Preliminary Task Evaluation

• The shot with the phone playing music is not steady.
• A tripod was used but it wasn't the right size for this shot so it didn't reach the floor, making the shot unsteady.
• Some shots required from the guide sheet were not taken, such as the shot focusing on the sign on the door.
• An attempted pull-focus shot was not pulled off, this will have to be practised. 
• The colour of the setting was a bright green. This upset the white balance on the camera, making the whole shot green.
• The props were not ideal, and made quickly before filming.
• Some of the shots were not edited well. Some shots had bad positioning, especially the reverse shots between the two actors. Some shots went on too long.
• Group planning was quite good, apart from one actor was ill on one day of shooting. This meant that we had minimal time to film the sequence.
• The storyboard was not done accurately enough, so it was heard to interpret what shots to take.

Evaluation Table:

PRELIMINARY EVALUATION SHEET

Quality of Summary	My honest evaluation- what was done well and what was not of good standard? Try to cite specific example and moments from your video	Examples of strategies, good practices and skills that my group and I will put into place and develop to ensure a main production of high quality.
Quality of holding a shot steady	We didn't have too many problems with steady shots but one shot which was a closeup of the phone wasn't steady and the table was moving. Another shot which wasn't too steady was when the characters were dancing the cameras moving too much. The opening shot was quite still and was panned well down the building.	To fix the problem of the moving camera while closeup we would have to use a tripod at a specific position. For the dance scene we should have done different shots at different angles.
Quality of the framing of shots	The reverse shot we have done while the conversation between the two characters is done quite well.  The shot of the character walking along the corridor isn't very well focussed. The last shot is shot over the shoulder of the character and we could've shot it from in front of him to improve the shot.	To fix the problem of focus we would just have to repeat the shot to perfect out focus. To improve our shots we could shoot it from different angles and see which one looks best.
Quality of shooting material appropriate to the task set- i.e. the content of your film pre and post editing was consistent with the exam directives	WE had a tick sheet of our script and we had ticked most of the boxes by the time we finished. We didn't track
Quality of selecting mise-en-scène including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting;	The main setting of our opening sequence was painted green and we should have applied white balance to fix the colours. The light in the room was also quit dull. Our setting was quite different as we did it in a toilet which meant the objects around would be unexpected. I believe our figure was quite well done.	To improve this for startes we would have to apply white balance to the filming. We would use a different setting more related to the story line and use our own lighting to brighten the room when needed.
Quality of editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer	Over all i believe our quality of editing was decent but we could have had improvements to make it more obvious to the viewer. For example when the actors dance in the persons head it isn't clear as in the scene is actually happening or its the character imagining. We could have improved our over the shoulder reverse shots. Something i think we did very well was putting the scene of the pencil case being thrown into two shots.	We would have to show the actor thinking at first then the scene blurring into the dance scene to make the audience know whats going on. For our over the shoulder reverse shot we should have shown the Character standing from a high angle to make him look smaller to the main character sitting down.
Quality of using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;	We used sound quite well as the only sound we really used  was a song which is first heard with a music device on the screen and then it is used with the characters dancing. We also used a zip sound at the end which is reacted at by the character being shocked and running away, however this scene isn't very clear with the sound.	To make the scene better and clearer we could show the zip being opened on the camera with a reverse shot back on the other actor followed by his reaction to the zip opening.
Quality of positioning and movements of actors	The positioning was quite well as the "bigger man" was sat down while his agent was standing up. Movement could have been better when he is walking into the bathroom to show more of the actor and also in the dance scene one of the characters (the girl) at the back was barely visible.	To adjust the movement of the actor to look better we could make the camera man move a bit further to show more of his body language. For the dancing scene we could use wider space with the camera shooting at a different angle.
Quality of group planning, meeting targets, organization	We managed to plan everything together without any problems and we shot our film in two days with all members present so we didn't have any trouble with that. We didn't meet our targets of the quality of the opening sequence.	To meet our targets we could spread our filming out to a wider time so we can perfect everything. We could also ask people to help us with acting to improve our planning.
Group dynamics i.e. how did your group work together	Our Group very well together as we perfectly divided all our work between the 4 people and we had no trouble getting our work completed. We might of had some slight difference in opinion.	To improve we could have different people to do different things to see who does what best. For the opinion problem we could try both ways and see whats better.
Other points of evaluation  (E.g. equipment related etc)	We didn't have a hand pod due to which some of the shots came out to be a bit shaky. We also didn't have any additional lighting with us.	We could use a hand pod to shoot from better angles with a support making it easier to shoot. We could use portable lighting in any place lacking good light.

Problems and Mistakes

While we enjoyed creating this mini-movie, there were are few problems and several mistakes. Problems: The location for the shoot was not well thought out. The bright green paint in the toilet upset the white balance of the camera, making the whole shot and everything in it look bright green. Mistakes: In some of the shots the director is speaking and you can hear it clearly (contains diagetic sound). Some attempts at pull-focus didn't work. Some editing errors (shots cut too late). Small area to work with (hard to get ideal shots). White balance on camera. Sound editing.

Have You Fed The Fish?

After firing around a few ideas, we settled on one.

Preliminary Task - "Have You Fed The Fish?"

For our preliminary task we were given a loose script based around the phrase "have you fed the fish". We were told to create a 1-2 minute long piece of our choice, based on this script.