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

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 day scene begins to fade back in on screen
as the camera pans up to reveal Tonys face.

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 area, intercity and rundown. This is
significant to show that they are part of a rough gang operating in a less
privileged area where unemployment is high. Therefore, criminal activity is
rife.

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 more characters are introduced and there
could be more of a personal story for each of the main male characters.