Ill Manors Review

Name of film - Ill Manors
Year of release - 2012
Director - Ben Drew
Optional star rating
8.1/10 

Basic introduction to plot and characters
Ill Manors is a film reflecting and highlighting the hardships of underground Britain. A unique crime thriller set on the unforgiving streets of London, the main reasoning to release and create this hard-hitting, social realism film is to uncover the hidden truth about the urban lifestyle of Britain. The film is set in Forest Gate, London with the movie beginning with partners Ed (Ed Skrein) and Aaron (Riz Ahmed) drug-dealing. The undercover police chase the two to a closed gate – Aaron manages to climb over and Ed hands his phone over to let Aaron take care of it. Before Ed can climb over, he is caught and sent to jail. This sparks off the chain of events that have similarities towards guns, money and drugs. The criminals, killers, and prostitutes of a crime-ridden London community have to fight to escape the same grim fate that has claimed so many before them; especially in an emotionally depriving area in south east London. The every day struggle for survival is apparent due to the lack of opportunities for people in council estates.  The youth are sub-conciously affected perhaps due to materialistic ambitions invading their moral judgements. Jake, a young kid, takes his first steps towards becoming a cold-blooded killer-for-hire, Immigrants such as Eastern European sex slave Katya having to fight to protect her child from a band of vicious gangsters, and old friends Kirby and Chris clash in a crisis that soon turns deadly.

Your own views on the film (ideally blended with the point above) - Comments on notable elements, strengths or weaknesses
My opinions are based upon whether it has given an enlightened approach towards the hidden aspects of Britain. The film itself contains aspects that are considered to be a stroke of genius for Plan B with the connection between the different events and how they are interlinked. The way that the rap coincides with the narrative of the film demonstrates a stroke of originality shown by Plan B. I believe that there are some events during the film that are relatable towards the people currently experiencing these events. However, there are some evident examples that suggest that the film was offering a substandard representation of Britain. Think about it closely, would this film have attracted finances and money if Plan B's name wasn't attached to it? I highly doubt it. I just believe that although the film was cleverly made and created, there are other brilliant, trained film-makers that could have directed and made a more intelligent and entertaining film. This film also gave an enhanced stereotype regarding people residing in council estates; they are deemed as lazy, trouble-causing residents. All in all, my opinion about this film is mainly positive but I can see some improvements that could have been made.Nevertheless, this is Plan B's debut film so there are experiences and tips that he has gained from creating this film. This is my review regarding how Plan B represented the life of the disadvantaged.

A snappy or memorable ending that sums up the film

The movie represents the downfall of laziness and the rise for the achievers who aspire to escape the circles of violence that has engulf them.

Ill Manors broadcast platform: film trailer analysis

What are the typical codes and conventions of film trailers - what information is usually provided?

Trailers conventions:

• Review quotes
• Enigma codes
• Narrative
• Cast/director
• Music/Audio
• Test on screen
• Social Media/Website link
• Institutional Logo/Intro
• Release Date
• Movie title
• Tagline
• Age certification
• Short clips from film - Action/dramatic scenes
• Fast paced editing

How are trailers usually distributed? 

YouTube has a major control in terms of promoting the film using trailers. Trailers are usually distributed nowadays predominantly through the online platform with things like video-sharing websites and social media with their widespread usage by the masses. While they still are distributed in cinemas, the Internet seems to be their main and best way of doing this.

How does the Ill Manors trailer use film trailer conventions?

Ill manors uses the trailer conventions to promote the movie in their proposed manner with things but following the traditional path of how trailers are viewed; such as the title of the film being presented at the end of the trailer, snippets of dialogue from the film making up a 'general plot,' a non-diegetic track in the background, promotional info and also review quotes from 'Men's Health,' 'Q Magazine' and 'FHM Magazine' just to name a select few. However they added their own imagination in the trailers especially when the trailer is viewed as a music video.

Watch the trailer carefully and discuss how it might attract an audience. Firstly, think about who the target audience for Ill Manors might include. Does it have a unique selling point or use particular techniques to appeal to the audience? Consider the way the scenes are edited together – does the trailer give away any clues about the narrative? Are the main stars visible in the trailer? Is there information about the director of the film? Is there information about the release date? Is a narrator’s voice-over used? Why?

I believe the target audience for this film is between 15 to 25-year olds due to the fact that it contains use of more action-oriented scenes in the trailer. The punch-outs being the main point of appeal make the trailer being appealing towards that age range.  From a narrative outlook, the film has been presented in a way that we get a brief insight into the characters in it. Also the pace of the editing is important as it does not reveal the events of the movie but shows the characters and the struggles apparent in the movie. An example of this are the scenes where Chris is presented, firstly of him as child with blood by his eye acting as somewhat of an enigma code in terms of how he actually obtained the cut and then when he's a adult where a scar has been sustained in the same location. Here it can be generally interpreted by viewers that the scar may have possibly contributed to the 'hard man' character we see him [Chris] as being, helping deliver a sense of narrative. The main star of the film can be said to be Aaron, however in the trailer we're presented with content that almost suggests that Kirby and Chris will be acting as the central protagonists of the film, not 100% reflective of the whole production. Information about the director Ben Drew is displayed from the Plan B logo being shown on-screen and also him being described as the 'visionary artist' that created the film. What's interesting here though is that things involving the director don't stop here though with him not only having a cameo appearance as a taxi driver, but him doing the actual narrator voice-over of the trailer. Clear by him even saying 'I am the narrator,' Drew essentially sets the scene of what 'Ill Manors' is and how certain events will all become significant in the long run of things.

How has the genre of the film been represented through characters, settings, lighting, colour, music/dialogue, camera shots/movements/angles and editing?

The genre of social realism is not appreciated as people want to be diverted from reality. The film has been represented as a film to bring social awareness towards the issues of London that is not highlighted. Firstly, through the props, the film is presented throughout the whole trailer as an edgy trailer through the expression of the characters. The characters struggling from the addiction of cocaine and the multiple use of guns and cigarette, it's clear that the film will borrow elements from films you usually see depicting the underworld of cities, already gravitating towards this look and feel that social realism films have. Also it represents the deprivation of council estates and the addiction to commit crimes provides a deeper connotation of depression and unfortunate events causing their inevitable downfall. Interestingly, the music is used to represent the culture of the underground of London with people expressing their opinions through music, This is effective since it's a track people can relate to sue to the song belonging to Plan B himself and peaking at number 6 on the UK Singles Chart ; it has close links to what the film is generally about - the disadvantaged young people in the underbelly of London. The lighting is notably dark which has a connection with the concept of the film; to remove the paper over the crack of London and reveal the truth. Also the pace of the editing is important as it does not reveal the events of the movie but shows the characters and the struggles apparent in the movie. 

January assessment: learner response

WWW: You've picked out some relevant aspects from the clip but overall there's just not enough here. The initial ideas are usually solid but you then go on to repeat them rather than offer new ideas.

EBI:

• One essential area to improve is answering the question... your representation answer is basically audience - it doesn't offer an analysis of representation, stereotypes etc.
• Written English and organisation needs to improve. you want 3-4 well developed paragraphs for each question. Cut out the basic errors.
• More media terminology and theory required. You missed aspects of CLAMPS for mise-en-scene and missed representation theories for Q3.

Question 4

Why does the film appeal to such a wide audience?

I believe the film appeals to a wider audience due to the inclusion of a family. This vital use of casting is important ass it provides a sense of identification with the viewers. There will be a connection mentally with the audience and the film which creates diversion from reality. Also, the film appeals to a wide audience due to other reasons as well. The main aim is to identify the characters with the everyday lifestyle to the audience which creates a sense of unity. This is important especially due to the fact that commercials with a specialised meaning reveals a greater truth in terms of attracting attention towards the film.We see that the film fits into a happy family line of appeal according to Gillian Dyer. This appeals to a wider audience which is important in terms of promoting the message; it doesn't have a negative image and it creates a positive tone which is different from typical road safety TV adverts. A theorist named Todorov came up with a concept named the theory of equilibrium. The disequilibrium is used to create disruption within the family but then it is completed with a new equilibrium at the point where we see he is retrained.

This film has other aspects that is apparent inside the commercial which suggest that it hasd appealed to the audience. The exclusion of any dialogue is important as it helps the audience be focused with the commercial which allows for a pleasant wide audience appeal. This is important especially when people who do not understand English can relate to the advert/message. This is beneficial as it allows everyone to understand and allows for a large target audience.

An important aspect of causing your audience to be diverted from reality is due to the message of the proposed video. It should be relatable to the audience. This advertisement features a very emotional message which  allow everyone to be psychologically impacted. This is significant especially as it also allows for children to be included and become informed of the accidents; it gives the children an early reminder. This is important in maintaining family assurance; the film has these qualities.

The British film industry: institutional context

What is the 'cultural test' to see if a film counts as British?
The cultural test was introduced in 2007 and is used to allow production companies to apply for UK film tax relief and is administered by the British Film Institute (BFI) on behalf of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

Complete the task on the Factsheet, researching the films listed and finding out what they score on the cultural test: Sweeney, Attack The Block, The King's Speech, We Need To Talk About Kevin and Skyfall.

The Sweeney:

Financing: £3,000,000
Location: London (4 points)
Characters: Protagonists are British (4 points)
Language of dialogue: English (6 points)
Use of British creativity: 4 points
British subject matter: 4 points
Practitioners: 7 points
Cultural centre: 2 points

Attack The Block:

Financing: $8,000,000
Location: London (4 points)
British subject matter: (0 points)
Characters: British (4 points)
Language of dialogue: English dialogue used (6 points)
Use of British creativity: Black ethnicity used (4 points)
Practitioners: 7 points
Cultural centre: 2 points

The King's Speech:

Financing: £15,000,000
Location: London (4 points)
British subject matter: (4 points)
Characters: British (4 points)
Language: English (6 points)
Use of British creativity:
Practitioners: 7 points
Cultural centre: 2 points

Skyfall:

Financing: £200,000,000
Location: London (4 points)
British subject matter: 4 points
Characters: British (4 points)
Language: English dialogue (6 points)
Practitioners: 5 points
Cultural centre: 2 points

What is the main problem for the British film industry?

The British Film Industry typically had been production led which meant that in order to get the film exhibited the film-makers have to sell their distribution rights to a distribution company. This means that the film-makers don't receive the revenue.

What are three of the strengths of the British film industry?
The strengths of the BFI are that there are outstanding creative skills which result in financially successful franchises. Another strength is that there are outstanding facilities.

What are the two options for the future of the British film industry?

• Relying upon co productions with American companies as they don't have the finances
• To make low budget films targeted at a niche audience where the film-maker is able to retain all profits.

MEST1 Section B: The British film industry

Write a one-sentence definition of what makes a film British.
A film that has British customs and values that is shown or known inside the film.

What is the difference between a Hollywood production context and production context of a British film?

There is a clear difference between Hollywood and British films. For example, mainstream industries in Hollywood could easily make big budget film which therefore being influenced by a lot of money which is also common in a typical stereotype for these films. It is advertised to a wider more diverse audience which influence the gross of the films. However, British films are seen as the originators of film productions which has lost pace with their American movies which is clear when it is the other side of film making in terms of how money is influencing the films. There is a short amounts of money but there are still producing fantastic productions at the end. 

When did the James Bond franchise start?

This successful franchise is a positive representation of British film-making. However is fuelled by American money. The James Bond franchise started in the 1960's and as I said before was made by American money. This means that although the franchise is a British film, it has a evident representation of a middle class person in Britain; to inform the American audience about British customs and reinforce their stereotypes.

In terms of film censorship and graphic content, what began to change in British film in the 1970s and 1980s?

From a censorship and graphic content viewpoint,  especially in the 1970s, there was an evident showing of change in the way British films were produced; there was the portrayal of sexual content in which elements of it like sexual violence began to be displayed at an increasing rate.

 In terms of the 80s, what became more usual were the productions becoming increasingly violent and pornographic. This affected censorship in the sense that the BBFC came about in '85 which ensured all films released in the UK be rated corresponding to a certain age.

What groups are often represented in British film? Give examples of films these groups feature in.

Majority of the groups that are often seen in British films are white people. There are large amounts of this ethnicity being portrayed largely in British films. Moreover, we see foreigners seen a lot, but as the villains in the film. However there are few exemptions with films having a diverse cast to represent British life.

What does the Factsheet suggest might be the audience appeal of British film?

The audience appeal of British film is often the culture, the people who feature in the films are people who represent British values and are often the image of Britain. This appeals to the audience as they are learning about the country. British locations are also appealing to audiences as they allow for a sense of Britain in the movie.

Audience: audience theory blog tasks/questions

The hypodermic needle

1) The hypodermic needle is a theory in which people believe that aspects of media is used to help generate emotions and influence behaviours to the consumer/viewer in a negative way (can lead to dangerous actions or activities).

There are many ways that the theory had been implemented. One way in which that the article links with the hypodermic needle is one the most interesting debate in terms of relating with the youth. It involves the psychological members of the study firmly with the belief that video games (part of the media) influences peoples/gamers (especially the youth) to become aggressive. This is apparent in the line, "In the same way, repeated exposure to violent video games may have a cumulative effect on aggression". This quote conveys the fact that Professor Bushman believes that exposure to excessive violent games will increase levels of aggression than compared to the level before interaction with violent games. The powerful word 'repeated' illustrates the consistency that playing violent video games will lead to negative influences on the players social life. As a result, the information and beliefs of the data collectors believe that the media controls ones mind and can lead to them becoming out of control which can result in negative events or actions upon other peoples lives.  

The article link in with the hypodermic needle because the researchers believe that the media is controlling the person consuming it. In this context, they believe whoever play violent video games for long period of time (per week) are more likely to show signs of increase aggression. This is apparent in the line, "After playing a violent video game, we found that people expect others to behave aggressively". This quote reveals peoples end result to how the media effects us individuals and how we behave after consuming the media (in this case; video games). The use of a powerful word 'expect' suggests that the media that the individual consumes would also change their mind set into thinking differently. As a result, the article is an example of how people treat the media as an example of the hypodermic model.

2) The coverage of the TalkTalk hacking case relates well to the hypodermic needle model as the newspaper is able to go directly to the individuals that read them and it's very effective as the front page is what delivers the information before it's read. Many readers may be influenced by news which is the objective of the hypodermic needle. Someone may criticise this front page as the title is rather misleading with the word 'paralysed' but also the image makes the 15 year boy look worse than he is. In my opinion he did something right by exploiting the company for its flaws rather than being a criminal though the media will make him look bad to everyone else (e.g: black bar on face)

Two Step Model

1) I personally think that the two-step model is still very much relevant today since the increased use of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, but more importantly the followings of celebrities on it where they're capable of voicing their opinions means that members of public are likely to be affected by their views. The celebrities that have a certain hold in media can influence the audience.

2) The model fits for this YouTuber as by having over 2 million subscribers and also making videos based on his opinion on certain issues within gaming, it's inevitable that some people won't be influenced by his views, perhaps even changing their own after watching the video.

3)The two-step model also works in this case since it shows that as mentioned before, celebrities on it, who can arguably be referred to as 'media leaders', have even reached levels of influence which ascends that of actual politicians within nations.


4) Jamal Edwards links to the model as he has more of an inspirational influence, in that his personal story can spur on people within his audience to become distributors of actual content themselves.

Narrative: narrative theory YouTube clip analysis

Propp- Character Theory:

This film trailer is from the movie Ant-Man, this contains multiple narrative theories. I believe that we should analyse the clip in detail so we will start off with Propp's Character theory. We see the employment of this theory with the Medium shot of the villain who has the typical stereotypes of being a villain (a person who was not fulfilling the ambition of the person was meant to mentor). We know that they are villains as in typical American blockbusters, this movie had a villain who had the attributes of a protagonist but is mentally exploited with depression of not succeeding in winning over his mentor's approval so had a unhealthy goal of trying to prove his worth. This sort of obsession is normal for an antagonist which is the main reason why they are always portrayed in a negative light. It is interesting as we see the false villain being the assistant before we see the frailties of the antagonist. The hero is portrayed as an anti hero, a has-been who has wasted his life in jail due to a robbery. We then see the princess who is the the little girl who will, inevitably, be reunited with her father who is the hero.

Barthes Narrative Theory:
We then see Barthes enigma and action codes in the very first opening sequence. The suit reinforces the enigma code which makes the viewers wonder what is so powerful about the suit and how it can affect reality. We then see another enigma code when the man is running by himself in a miniature form. This foreshadows something heroic is going to happen in the movie. The movie will have action codes especially when Ant-Man is fighting as the codes are evident in terms of why he is using his suit to have a greater purpose.

Todorov Narrative Theory:
The movie actually starts off with an disequilibrium, we see that there is a man inside a prison that is about to leave his cell. This is a disequilibrium as there is something emotional that is about to happen as the character makes it evident that he wants to make a life for his daughter. This is a way directors entice people into watching the movie.

Barthes Narrative Theory:

Enigma Code - Why did the man in yellow kill Barry Allen's mother.
                           Who's going to win?
Action Code - No action code present during this clip

Todorov Narrative Theory:

The scene beings at an equilibrium as the beginning of the clip seemed to be a normal day in the eyes of the protagonist (Barry/Flash) and the storyline seems normal. A few seconds into the clip Barry seeing the man in yellow triggers the disequilibrium as the villain has appeared and has altered the story line and has created a problem. There is no new equilibrium as the hero hasn't defeated the villain and the therefore the disequilibrium has not finished.

Propp- Character Theory:

The Villain - The Man in Yellow/Reverse Flash
The Dispatcher - Barry Allen
The Hero - The Flash

Barthes Narrative Theory:

Enigma Code - Why is Megatron trying to destroy Earth?
                           Will Megatron be defeated?

Action Code- When Megatron releases his lasher, it signifies that he is about to attack Sam in attempt to get the Allspark. The action of Megatron jumping down the building suggests to the audience that he wants to fight Optimus Prime and want's to create a problem. Moreover, when the army soldier places a laser at Blackout (helicopter Transformer)  it suggests that they are going to fire a weapon at it and when Blackout sees the laser is signifies that he is about fire his weapon and attack. Finally, when Sam stands up and ignored Optimus's request it suggests he is trying to kill Megatron using the Allspark (Cube).

Todorov Narrative Theory:

The scene begins with no equilibrium and and begins with a disequilibrium as we witness/see the villain trying to kill the protagonist. Further on, in the scene there is the new equilibrium set in place when the protagonist kills/deals with the villain which restores harmony and the storyline is settled again.

 Propp- Character Theory:

The Villain - Megatron
The Doner - Optimus Prime
The Helper - Optimus Prime
The Princess - The Earth and Sam
The Dispatcher - The Autobots
The Hero - Optimus Prime and Sam

Audience Pleasures: The Battle of the Christmas Advert

1) Which do you think is the most appealing and why? Try to use some of our audience theory in your answer.
I think the most appealing advert that I found the most moving was the M&S advert. To add elements that we haven't seen in our typical adverts regarding Mr Claus is fantastic as it shows the overall story from a different perspective. I love how it subverts stereotypes about the actions of Mrs Claus

2) Are there any audience pleasures that two or more of the adverts have in common? Choose two examples to illustrate your point.
Both the Sainsbury and Very's adverts were targeting the hardships of working and trying to spread the love of Christmas. The struggles that the characters had to go through to provide the needed love is admirable as it provides multiple pleasures towards the viewers. The visual pleasure of seeing the people delighted by their presents provides warmth inside a viewer.

3) Choose a different advert and identify the target audience for the advert. Answer in terms of demography and psychography. What tells you this?
The Heathrow advert is targeted towards the elder generation because the advert is successfully attempting to show the perspective of the older generation and how they are perceived when the are meeting ther families on Christmas. It is also aimed towards the ABC1 demographic as it is mainly targeted at families that live ordinary lives.

4) Why do you think Christmas adverts, in particular, often use emotive language and narratives to appeal to a wide audience?
The adverts are trying to have an emotional connection with the audience. This notion is apparent due to the fact that this advert is about Christmas and it is all about being around you're loved ones and they try to target audiences that can relate. They are trying to reinforce that notion about Christmas.

5) Choose an advert with a narrative and, just for fun, apply one of our narrative theories to it. Why does a narrative have a place in an advert?
There are many adverts to choose from but  John Lewis use narrative theories that I believe is unrivalled in terms of how they promote their business and also have a perception that they are the ideal family Christmas shopping store.