This document provides an analysis of the realist film Fish Tank directed by Andrea Arnold in 2009. It summarizes the film as being about the life of a teenage girl experiencing problems with her family, friends, and private life. It also provides background on director Andrea Arnold and notes that the film uses techniques like natural lighting and diegetic sound to achieve a realistic style of filmmaking. The document examines key scenes and aspects of the film's mise-en-scene that contribute to its realist representation of reality.

1. Realism as a
representation
of reality

2. Area of Investigation
I want to look at how films attempt to achieve realism,
which techniques and camera movements do they use.
Also I want to find find out why this genre is currently
popular and why people want to watch these films.
I will look at three films including an early and later
examples of realist techniques, as well as I will examine
what are they and how directors and cinematographers
achieve this style.
I want to talk about the reasons for the use of realism in
films, like raising social issues and public awareness or
personal and psychological problems. E.g. alcoholism,
poverty, domestic violence, rape, loneliness.

3. Fish Tank. Directed by
Andrea Arnold, 2009, UK
Summary – film is about the life of teenage girl that
has problems in all aspects of her life: family, friends,
private life etc.
Director – Andrea Arnold is a filmmaker and former
actress from England. She first came to prominence
as an actress and television presenter. After she
studied directing at the prestigious AFI Conservatory
in Los Angeles and made her first film in 2006. Fish
Tank was her second big movie and she has won two
prices in UK such as Best Director and Outstanding
British Film.
The film genre is drama, and it is very realistic and
the way it was made fits in my topic perfectly.

4. Key Scenes
Fish
Horse
Daughter
Dancing in the empty flat

5. Style and mise-en-scene
Genre – social drama.
Techniques – was filmed in chronological order. At the end of each
week the actors were given the scripts for the scenes that they would
perform the following week, so that when they performed each scene
they were largely unaware of what would happen to their characters
later in the film.
Lighting – natural lighting (either sun or lamp); all key lighting
included in the frame
Sound – diegetic
Music – only if character can hear it; music features prominently in
the film, particularly connected with Mia's dancing.
Camerawork – steady cam, hand cam style.
Acting –Katie Jarvis, who plays Mia, had no prior acting experience.
She was cast for the film after one of Arnold's casting assistants saw
her arguing with her boyfriend in Tilbury Train railway station, which is
the station featured in the film.
Story – very similar to real even if made up