Social realism focuses on realistic everyday scenarios that are easy to recreate with characters. It often has a low budget, using unknown actors and location shots to minimize costs and enhance realism. Common conventions of social realism include depicting issues like drug use, poverty, and unemployment through characters like unemployed teenagers. Films use techniques like handheld camerawork, diegetic sound, and run-down locations to create a realistic, documentary-style presentation on a low budget.

1. Social Realism
By Oscar Thomas

2. Why Social Realism?
• Everyday scenario are easy to create and replicate
through characters.
• Includes less make up and costumes therefore
meaning our focus can be on other things.
• Social realism is often low budget so the schools
equipment would create this feel very well.
• Social realism often uses geographic shots
therefore we wont need to recruit many actors.

3. Normal conventions of Social Realism
• Events : Examples include; drug use; fighting; racism; deaths and alcohol abuse
• Characters: These are often played by unknown actors as social realism films
often are made with a low budget. Stereotypically a teenager out of work or in
education, they occur a problem and have to over come this. Examples include:
This is England and The Weekender.
• Themes: Examples include; drug addiction; drunkenness; unemployment; gangs
and violent; poverty; illness and sex.
• Sound: Stereotypically they only use diegetic sound to enforce the “realism”
factor up on the film. This can create tension or comedy.
• Camerawork: Often use through shaky handheld cameras. This creates the feel
of realism and/or a documentary. This is also helps keeps a low budget.
• Mise En Scene: The mise en scene revolves around the place being filmed or the
type of realism being portrayed. Examples include a broken warehouse in This is
England to portray their anger and graffiti in Adulthood.