This document analyzes and summarizes the representation of social groups in the author's opening scene for a British gangster film called "Blow". The main character, Tony, is established as the leader of a gang through his dominant body language and clothing. A flashback shows him as successful and in control. The film then suggests Tony's trust has been broken as someone intrudes on his home. It cuts back to the present where Tony is shot and killed. The film introduces Tony's friend Max and a new character, Mitch, who approaches Tony in an intimidating manner, leaving the audience on a cliffhanger. The document notes the absence of women is deliberate to fit the gangster genre but minor female roles could be

1. HOW DOES MY BRITISH
GANGSTER FILM “BLOW”
REPRESENT PARTICULAR SOCIAL
GROUPS?

2. In the very first scene of my opening it
begins with a close up of Tonys face. His
face is in the centre of the screen and fills up
most of the screen. His eyes are facing
down in concentration. The fact that a close
up of his face is the first thing that the
audience sees suggests that he is the main
character. The lighting in this scene is quite
low which makes his blue sweater stand out.
During this first scene there is a voice over
which is accompanied by non - diegetic slow
music. Whilst these two shots are on screen
Tony says in his voice over “this is me”
which shows that this is him in the present
day and suggests there could be a flash
back to follow. The close up of Tonys face
stays on screen for barely two seconds
before cutting to a side view of tony rolling a
cigarette whilst the camera vertically pans
up. The low level lighting creates quite a
dark atmosphere and the slow motion shows
Tony to look relaxed but makes the
audience feel like something is going to
happen. In this scene tony looks like he is at
home and in control of what he is doing. He
doesn't look like he has anything to worry

3. After the first introduction to the main character,
Tony. The camera cuts to a flash back of tony.
The audience knows it is a flash back because
the voice over says “this was me”. Also, Tony is
wearing different clothing as he is now in a red
adidas hoodie with grey joggers. These clothes
stereotypically make him look “chavy” and that he
hangs around on the streets a lot. He looks happy
and comfortable at home which is backed up by
the voice over saying “life was good and i was the
top boy”. The phrase “top boy” suggests that he is
the leader of some kind of gang and is very
successful especially with making money. This is
shown through the expensive Ciroc vodka that he
is casually drinking whilst smoking a cigarette.
This mid-shot of tony is effective in making him
look like a dominant character because the low
level lighting makes his clothing stand out and he
fills most of the screen. The camera in this scene
vertically pans up slowly whilst his movements
have been edited to a fast pace. The eery, tense
non-diegetic music that continues to play
indicates that something is about to happen. The
close up of Tonys face from the previous present

4. Here, the camera cuts back to the same shot as in the
beginning and it is back in the present tense. The lighting is
still quite dark and the non-diegetic music continues to sound
more tense. The voice over on this scene says “Trust meant
something to people where i was from, well at least i thought it
did”. The phrase ‘at least i thought it did” suggests that
someone has been un-loyal to Tony and something bad is
about to happen. The tone of his voice in the voice over is
very strong and confident throughout but towards the end you
can begin to hear a tone of disappointment in his words.
Although, someone has just intruded his home which is
indicated by the loud diegetic door slam Tony remains to look
strong and dominant with a slightly confused look on his face
but he is not in a huge panic. This shows the ideas of a
modern representation of men. This represents his character
as being fearless which contributed to his great success as a
gang leader. The person behind the trigger remains unknown
but could suggest this is because it is someone he knows. As
tony turns back around the audience is unsure what he is
going to do but then he grabs his chest while the loud diegetic
gun shot goes off and his body fly’s forward.
After Tony gets shot and the production company
titles come on screen the camera cuts to an extreme
close up of Tonys eyes as he lays there dead on the
floor. The camera tracks out to reveal his face and a
slight bit of blood coming out the corner of his mouth.
This shows that his unknown enemy has defeated
him and here he is represented to be the opposite of
what he was and now looks like a weak character
which is the opposite to a modern representation of
men. The music has changed to fit the dark mood
and becomes louder as the camera tracks out. The
audience sympathises with the character.

5. Tonys best friend Max is introduced next. Time has been reversed 24
hours earlier and is the time before Tony got shot. His body is
positioned in the centre of the screen and only reveals his legs as the
camera is at a low angle. The opening then cuts to a long shot of Max
walking down the lane.The audience can immediately associate him
with Tony by the similar looking clothing he wears which is
stereotypically “chavy” and could be quite intimidating to people. He is
wearing dark black and blue clothing with a Nike bag and hat. The high
level of lighting in this scene makes his bold dark clothing stand out.
The hat he is wearing suggests that he doesn't want himself to be
recognised by people as he wouldn't normally be wearing a hat in the
sunny weather. The bag he has over his shoulder reflects some
femininity within him which could potentially mean he is a weaker
character compared to Tony and has less authority. This contributes to
the film well as there are no main female roles in the film and in order
for a successful story line there is always a weaker, less dominant
character which is potentially a female. However, in contrast to this the
fast pace non - diegetic music and his strong posture whilst walking
reflects a strong representation of a male figure and his heavy steps
links to the way a confident “gangster” would walk. Sprayed graffiti on
the wall of the lane also emphasises the gangster life style. The
audience can tell he doesn't hold as much authority as Tony because
he has his back to the camera the whole time and his face isn't
revealed fully.
This two shot of Tony and Max reveals that they indeed do have a
close friendship. This shot is taken from a low angle and shows how
Tony is welcoming him into his house. The lighting in this scene is at a
high exposure and their similar blue clothing stands out. Max’s back is
still all we can see of him at this stage in the film which reflects a clear
lack of importance and emphasises on Tonys dominance throughout
the film and “their” gang which is supposedly a joint leadership. By
looking at their surroundings the audience can tell its not a well kept

6. Here, we meet a new character Mitch. By watching the opening it isn't
revealed how tony knows him or if they are supposedly friends. His
body language makes him come across very intimidating and some
what aggressive. He is wearing dark clothes with his hood up and he is
facing the floor. This suggests that he doesn't want his face to be seen
and possibly doesn't want Tony to recognise him. The lighting in this
scene is quite bright and is filmed at a low angle to make Mitch look
bigger and more threatening. This could suggest that he is a possible
enemy of Tony if he is portrayed by the camera in a negative way. I
edited Mitch’s movements walking towards Tony into jump cuts so it
looks like he is walking towards him even faster. His sudden change in
movements creates power and suggests he holds a lot of power and
may take control in this situation. During this scene there is a change in
tempo within the non-diegetic music signifying a new character and the
opening coming to an end. Again, the fact that this scene is filmed in a
lane again portrays the inner city, rough, gangster life style. His arm
movements at the end of the opening shows that something physical is
about to happen creating a lot of suspense. However, the audience get
left on a cliff hanger.
Absence of women:
I have deliberately not included any main female roles in my film
opening. However, if I was to create the whole film I would include
some minor female roles but not so much that they hold any
dominance. My opening is aimed at mainly a male audience and as a
full film it is clear it would involve a lot of violence, drugs and weapons.
Stereotypically, you wouldn't see a main female role in a film based on
these particular themes. The male characters in my opening very
strong and hold a lot of power. A female role wouldn't fit well with my
British gangster theme as it may make the female look extremely weak
which wouldn't be a good modern representation of a women and my
opening is a very modern film. In contrast to this, I would include a
female role as a minor character (e.g. girlfriend of Tony or Max) so