The film Essex Boys is directed by Terry Winsor and is based on real events involving murders in Essex, England in 1995. The film introduces the characters of Billy Reynolds, played by Charlie Creed-Miles, who acts as the narrator, and Jason Locke, played by Sean Bean, who has just been released from prison and is seeking revenge. Jason is depicted as a volatile criminal who drags the more ordinary Billy into the criminal underworld through his acts of violence and murder. The film uses techniques like location, lighting, sound and costume to characterize the characters and build tension throughout the story.

1. Essex Boys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ05xM4bhB0
Directed by Terry Winsor in 2000.
Released on the 14th of July, 2000, the film
is based loosely around events in December
1995 that culminated in the murders of two
top drug barons and their driver in Essex.
Following Billy Reynolds, played by Charlie Creed-
Miles, an is the narrator.
And Jason Locke, Sean Bean, the character is
recently out of prison and seeking revenge.
“Unflinching in its dialogue and depiction, Essex Boys is a brilliantly acted portrayal of
the lives of a disparate group of villains who form the underbelly of Essex society.” -
Heather Williams.

2. Introducing Billy & Jason
The audience are first introduced to Billy, in this dark and dismally
bleak claustrophobic garage. The dust and cobwebs all implying
this threatening under-world and villainous setting, filled with decay,
which Billy is becoming part of. This immediately conforms to the
conventions of a thriller!
Billy’s introductory narrative allows the audience to be positioned
with him, following Billy as the lead.
The easy acceptance of driving Jason around categorises him as a
neophyte cabby and someone who doesn’t appear to be directly
involved with it all.
During Billy’s narrative, he talks about Jason: “Now round ‘ere where I live,
everybody’s heard of Jason Locke.” Speaking about him like he’s a
celebrity of the area, someone that’s well-known for their work.
The audience recognise how Jason Locke is a disaster waiting to happen;
half-psychotic with a volcanic temper, he kills and disfigures without a
second thought.
He conforms to the generic archetype of the ‘thug’- just out of a five year prison sentence and immediately going
to seek revenge, a morally bankrupt character. We first see Jason in a medium close up point of view shot, through
the dirty windscreen. This indicates how detached he is emotionally, this already anticipates his psychotic
behaviour in the fish packing factory.
The way he is seen through this filthy windscreen, suggests this idea of his dark
and troubled past. The reveal of his character immediately suggests his psychotic
behaviour, the audience being able to recognise this by the way he first
dramatically appears.The use of the point of view shot also means we see Jason
for the first time the same way Billy sees him. This threatening, yet superior
character, with a sense of pure determination about him.

3. Camera Shots
As the audience are first introduced to Billy, who appears to be a normal man, someone who is consequently
dragged into Jason’s world, a lot of the camera angle are from his point of view. This allows the audience to
see it from Billy’s eyes, making the scene more engrossing and reflecting in the horror of Jason’s actions.
Shot Revers Shot is used when Billy is driving Jason the man shut in the back, to the
secluded marshes. While Billy is focusing on driving, in silence, Jason looks over at
him. This is when shot reverse shot occurs. The audience realise how Jason is
almost accepting of Billy, like he would have expected him to try and escape
involvement with the crime, but is instead complying to Jason’s demands. How Billy
is now a part of Jason’s world.
A tracking shot is used when Billy and Jason are driving into the tunnel.
This could reflect to the audience how they’re driving into the crime, the confined space
of the tunnel creates the typical thriller claustrophobic feel, reflecting how both
characters are now involved with the crime and there’s no way they can now escape
that.
The tracking shot could also reflect how there are people trying to follow them, maybe
bringing the idea of the police tracking them down, and that they’re constantly trying to
escape that possibility of Jason being put back in jail again.
Jason often appears with a slight low angle shot the audience recognise how you look up to him.
Connotations of this are Jason is a superior, dominant and more authoritative figure who isn’t to be
questioned or stopped in his motives.

4. Costume
When introduced to Jason; the shot of seeing him, lighting and persona he gives off is
one of a psychotic man with a dark past that has shaped him. Something else that
allows the audience to gain knowledge of him, is his costume. This loud shirt draws
attention to him The colours of this golden yellow and contrasting black, reminds the
audience of a warning; similar to a wasp or snake. He purposely gives off this
impression he’s dangerous and intimidating, that people should be careful around him.
It also indicates his confidence and brashness. He’s not afraid of everyone being able
to see and recognise him. It goes against his working class roots, now being driven
around to get revenge. Adding to the cultural signifier of his Essex accent.
The white van in which Billy drives Jason and his victim to the marshes in, creates a
generic and anonymous feel. That type of van is a common and rather normal thing to
see, making it relatable to the audience. With this idea of a thriller being about “Normal
people being in extraordinary situations.” Billy appears to be just a normal man being
dragged into this murky criminal underworld. The white van has connotations in Essex of
possible wrong-doing and the risk of not knowing who’s inside. Representing the possible
fear of the audience, being show in this way. The association between this white van and
Jason’s actions.
Jason’s use of a baseball bat and acid isn’t the most common weapon usually seen in film.
However, the use of the baseball bat does connote the raw strength and how blinded he is by
revenge. Sheer determination to hurt his target, mean he is able to do enough damage with
just the bat.
Throwing acid over the mans face is also gruesome, with the audience being taken aback by
the truly psychotic behaviour of Jason. His crazed behaviour could be seen as an outlet of the
five years he spent locked away in prison. He wants the man who snitched to have the
consequences he faced in jail

5. Lighting
This very basic chiaroscuro lighting shines just behind Jason, from the
point of view of Billy. This could connote how Billy doesn’t necessarily
want to be part of this criminal world, but the involvement with Jason
means he’s been dragged into it. The simple white light representing the
‘ordinary’ life which he may have led, but Jason stands in between that
Establishing and conforming to the thriller genre. The lighting also
connotes mystery and reinforces the sense of isolation about Jason.
When Billy is driving through the tunnel on the way to the fish factory, Jason
in the backseat. The reflections of the light in the tunnel create this barred
affect across the windscreen. They resemble the bars of prison cell.
Reflecting Jason’s ex-prisoner and possibly suggesting to the future Billy
has allowed for himself. The audience may see how it is being suggested
Billy’s fate, of being a criminal and following the consequences Jason, is
sealed. His involvement in Jason’s revenge is enough to get him into the
criminal underworld.
Sound
The use of diegetic sound in the opening scene adds to the realism of the situation: the creaking of the car bonnet
and slamming of the doors, echoing in the still silence add to the anticipation that something is about to occur. The
lead up of all this basic sound, only with the non-diegetic sound of Billy’s narrative over the top, creates a very
claustrophobic feel and adds emphasis and focus on Billy until we see Jason through the dusty windscreen.
The use of non-diegetic sound; with Billy’s narrative, we immediately gain knowledge of him as a character, due to
more information being given in his narrative. The use of a soundtrack when Billy and Jason drive into the tunnel
creates this crime thriller feel, anticipating the next scene of Jason attacking his target.

6. Location
The wet, grimy streets are a classic characteristic of the thriller genre. With a tracking shot
from behind the car, the audience follow Billy and Jason into the tunnel. Like Billy is driving
into Jason’s world; a life of deviance and criminal activity.
The tunnel connotes the image of a barrel of a gun, an enclosed a
claustrophobic space - a typical thriller convention.
A vanishing point is created, the mystery to the audience; asking themselves ‘What’s at the
end?’ The natural fear of the unknown.
In the fish packing factory or market-space, Jason’s target clearly stands out.
The rest of the workers in white uniforms, matching the white crates the fish is
stored in. The man in the suit can be clearly distinguishable to the audience;
Terry Winsor may have chosen to create this idea of everyone being uniform
apart from the target, so we see the event how Jason does. This man snitched
him to the Police, Jason is blinded by revenge and therefore his victim sticks
out from the crowd.
This unglamorous location highlights the negative representation of Essex and the crime focus of the area.
The prime-evil landscape of the marshes is a contrast to only a few scenes
before at the busy, people filled, fish packing factory as well as the
claustrophobic derelict garage. Visually, they are opposites.
The marshes are a secluded, featureless and barren landscape. These
Essex marshes are where Jason dumps his victim to be carried away by the
next tide.
There are no boundaries; representative of Jason and how nothing would
stop his psychotic revenge-seeking nature.
The desolate and dangerous area metaphorically reflects Jason’s moral
stance and how he’s a predator and top of the food chain in this predatory
surrounding, where there is nowhere to hide from Jason.

7. Intertextual References
There is the very strongly recognisable Essex accent, a big cultural signifier.
The use of this immediately appeals to the audiences previous knowledge of Essex, which can be seen to be
negative with the idea of the areas crime focus. The significance of this with the films title ‘Essex Boys’ with the
association with gangs; the ‘Rettendon murders’ and the three drug dealers who were found shot dead in a car
in Essex. The link of the films plot being based on real-life events makes the film appear more relatable and
realistic, the audience being more engrossed in the content. The audience link the idea of this crime focused
negativity being applied to the representation of Essex.
The use of Billy’s linear narrative structure in ‘Essex Boys’ allows the film to continue in a
chronological order, allowing the audience to avoid any confusion with possible flashbacks or
having to piece together events for themselves. Making it an easier viewing experience.
In comparison, ‘Once Upon A Time In America’ has a complexly structured narrative. With scenes
moving between real time and past events. The flashbacks are signalled with sound-bridges,
anticipating the next scene, to try and make it clearer for the audience to follow.
I think the audience can identify most with a linear narrative, however, to build a convincing plot
line, complex narratives allow that suspense to be built.
Chiaroscuro lighting is used at the beginning of both ‘Essex Boys’ and ‘The Third Man’. The
connotations of the style allow the thriller genre to immediately be established; the lighting separates
the good from the bad. Shadows created and controlled light being shone onto certain characters.
‘The Third Man’ characters emerging from the shadows, the idea of the darkness being metaphoric
for the criminal underworld. In ‘Essex Boys’; Jason, a deceiving and deviant character, emerges from
the darkness. Connotations of their past being dark and mysterious, allows the audience to
recognise the generic archetypes.
At the beginning of thrillers; the director often choses to establish the location clearly.
Often a claustrophobic, grimy area reflecting the characters motives. ‘Essex Boys’
begins in a dirty garage, allowing characters to be presented in a way to reflect their
personalities; Jason shown through the filthy windscreen. In ‘LA Confidential’ - 1997
- shows one perspective of LA. Establishing how in some people’s eyes, it’s paradise
and the dream place to live.