Other notable films include Kes, Raining Stones and My Name is Joe and The Wind that The Wind That Shakes the Barley.The screenwriter Paul Laverty also works extensively within this modern social realist framework and has worked with Ken Loach on a number of films. Ken Loach is famous for social realist films. drug taking, criminality reflects a rejection of mainstream society and values)However, despite the celebration of dissent, the entrepreneurial spirit (from drug dealing and Criminality) comes through In this kind of film there is an emphasis on masculine world of dissent (e.g. Also and Underclass film – the film portrays events in a section of society that has ‘fallen through the net’ in terms of jobs, benefits etc. The film is also a Coming of Age Text – showing the events surrounding a transition between childhood and adulthood. These are signs of the ‘broken society’ that Loach believes is the consequence of years of Thatcherism. There is also the issue of them being brought up with foster parents and children’s homes because they came from a dysfunctional family. The underlying message is that Liam’s generation has no hope or aspiration except to work in a call centre. The film’s message is subtle, Ken Loach’s left wing politics are well known but this is not an overtly political film, more a film about the disintegration of a section of society that in previous generations would have their lives revolve around industry, especially ship-building. Films usually require the viewer to suspend their disbelief, but in this case it is unnecessary there is no disbelief.
The use of unknown actors especially Martin Compston as Liam with their own accents also helps to achieve this naturalism. The film is shot on location in Greenock on the outskirts of Glasgow which is where the film is set – this helps the audience identify with the characters and adds a strong sense of realism.
#Sweet sixteen movie windows#
The scene in the pub shows light streaming through the windows into the smoky atmosphere. Lighting – scenes such as in the beginning in the pub, in the prison, in Chantelle’s flat, in the Pizza take-away etc are lit to make them look as naturalistic as possible. Sweet Sixteen conforms to these conventions in the following way: In NARRATIVE terms the story is always told in a linear way, with events unfolding around the central characters rather than with plots and sub plots and several narrative strands as in soaps Etc The texts often SUBVERT the traditional heroic idea of Britishness depicted in war films, Bond films etc. Under represented groups in society become represented Low budget – they are rarely funded by the ‘studio’s system as they are not greater money-makers, so they are often funded independently or through organisations such as the Film Councils, National Lottery, Channel 4 etc. The film-maker has a specific argument or message to deliver about the social world and employs realist conventions to express this message or argument Unknown actors – this helps the audience focus on the characters rather than be influenced by a famous actor’s stereotype. Hand held camera – making the audience feel that they are part of the action
Settings – often on location in urban housing estates.
Lighting – attempts to reproduce naturalistic lighting It grew out of the state sponsored Documentary movement of the 1930s and 1940s, and one of the distinctive generic conventions is a documentary style of filming, including: Social Realism is often regarded as Britain’s richest gift to world cinema. Look Back in Anger, A Taste Of Honey, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, This Sporting Life, Billy Liar, Cathy Come Home, Up The Junction and Room At The Top, Amongst the many films that emerged during the new wave of social realism, there are dozens of stunning examples that continue being championed to this day. The Social Realism Genre was born in the 1960s in an era called British New Wave. Typically, films within the social realist canon are gritty, urban dramas about the struggle to survive the daily grind. The stories and people portrayed are everyday characters, usually from working class backgrounds. Social Realism in films is representative of real life, with all its difficulties. Sweet Sixteen conforms to the BRITISH CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL REALISM Genre.
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