Social realism conventions and examples.

1. SOCIAL REALISM

2. Social realism is the genre of film that
recognises real life and tries to portray
these true to life events in a naturalistic
and realistic way in a film. Many social
realist films focus around drugs, alcohol,
abuse or religion.

3. CONVENTIONS
• Location shooting
• Non-professional actors
• Mixture of humour and serious themes
• Use of regional identities
• Hand hand camera
• Low budget
• Dark colour/hues
• Semi improvised scripts
• More diegetic sound than non-diegetic
• Emphasis on working class culture
• No special effects
• Uses of strong language
• Use of accents

4. Nil by mouth features themes of working class life and
drugs. The opening of the film is set in a bar with a man
standing and asking for drinks and people in the
background smoking and drinking. The camera throughout
the opening is handheld which makes the audience feel as
if they are a part of the crowd. The sound throughout Nil by
mouth is also mostly diegetic, the atmosphere of the pub
produced by the people actually there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_MXMW_qtb4
NIL BY MOUTH

5. Last resort is about a Russian woman and her son seeking
asylum in Britain.
The lighting used in Last Resort is dark and blue. There is
no vibrant colour palette at all the colour scheme
throughout is blues and greys, cold colours that give off a
closed off, sad vibe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENKvaGZN_1Y
LAST RESORT

6. THIS IS ENGLAND
This is England is based on Shane Meadow’s upbringing in
Uttoxeter in Staffordshire.
The locations within this film feature a run down estate,
somewhere in the north of England, which adds a strong
sense of realism and represents working class nature. This
is England heavily features accents, again representing
where they are.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXDNsPRTANw

7. FISH TANK
Fish Tank is set in an East London council estate. The main
characters is a young, 15 year old girl, Mia Williams. Mia lives
with her single mother and her sister and is considered very
isolated and a ‘loner’.
Natural lighting is used in Fish Tank, meaning that some scenes
are not always the clearest and easiest to view. There is also a
lot of swearing and quite a few scenes including some form of
abuse. In the scene where Mia is standing at the window a hand
held camera is used to record Mia watching the car drive away
from out the window.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7BFZqQ4ruA&safe=active