This is England - Social Realism

This is England - Social Realism

DUE TO COPYRIGHT CLAIM I CANNOT HOST THE VIDEO ONLINE BELOW IS A TRANSCRIPT OF THE VIDEO

 What is social realism

Social realism, also known as socio-realism , is an artistic movement , expresseed in the visual and other realist arts, depicting social and racial injustice,economic hardship, through unvarnished pictures of life's struggles;often depicting working class activities as heroic.

Said genre is considered Britian's main form of cinematic cinema. Better than any other genre, social realism has shown us to ourselves, pushing the boundaries in the effort to put the experiences of real Britons on the screen, and shaping our ideas of what British cinema can be.

These texts tend to focus on the type of characters not generally found in mainstream films. Social realist texts follow characters who are found more on the social margins of society in terms of status and power.

Usually a Social realist film deals with issues such as drugs, sex, poverty, class and religious or political issues.

This is england conforms to the social realist genre by dealing with real life issues such as coming off age as well as touching on issues such as the effects of the Falkland wars on British youth and the British family. At the film, our protagonist Shaun has lost his Dad to the Falkland war and we see him disassociated from his classmates and arguably marginalised from society evident earlier on in the film as we see him get banned from the local cornershop. One could argue the effects of his fathers death at such an early age has affected not only Sean's school life which will be discussed later but also causing him to loose a male role model or opinion leader to follow, leaving him lost and causing him to act out as evident in this clip.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAEpJX0Bwt0

Speaking from personal experience what really attracted me to This is England is how the problem Sean goes through earlier on in the film is quite relatable, we see a boy growing up, going through secondary school and is somewhat lacking a role model or opinion leader and at this point doesnt really fit in or relate to his class mates. This is clearly illustrated in the clip above even in the way the mis en scene chosen/organised- everyone is wearing very extravagant clothing such as new wave fashion styles common to that era whereas Sean is wearing something quite normal except for the flaires excluding him from his peers. Sean's lack of fashionable clothing could be evident also of his families issues with finance since he may only be allowed to afford clothing for the purpose of function not whether it looks good thus illustrating a common people many young people face when growing up. Its quite a funny scene as it shows how timeless the idea of "in fashion" and how having the right clothing means your part of a group.


As the scene first opens we see a high angle shot of Sean making him seem quite small in contrast to his surroundings and establishing how intimidating school must seem for him.
 During the clip we also get to understand the emotional affects of Sean's loss on his School life as Havery's comment on Sean's loss clearly aggravate him to act out violently instead of considering what some may call a more sensible option and walk away or possibly call a teacher. We see that such an event taking place in Sean's life is causing school life to become much more of a challenge in terms of fitting in as well as feeling enthusiastic about his school environment. In addition, Sean's troubles as a result would also affect his home life since his mother would want him to do well at School but his behavior at School would serve as some sort of conflict to this ideal.

 However as the film progresses Sean is introduced to a group of Skinheads who take him in and serve as his opinion leaders giving the character confidence and a sense of belonging.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS5g3xLCrGo

In the beginning of the scene we see Sean miserable even when initially introduced to Woody the diagetic sounds of Sean's mumbling clearly show that he isn't a very confident or happy child. As the sequence progresses we see a two shot of Sean's and Woody in which we clearly see Sean's unconformable demeanor illustrated by how he holds himself closed off from the others as well as looking down in contrast to Woody's more energetic and relaxed mood. Such a composition of a shot mainly focusing on the two could perhaps significant how already Woody serves as the "Sean" who Sean wants to be by placing Woody in front of Sean  and have him sit in a similar way  like some sort of "future version of the protagonist.

The scene features various close up shots of Sean's face to convey the change in his attitude and emotion as a result of Woody and we even cut back to the two shot of Woody and Sean, this time with Sean looking towards Woody signifying how he is becoming this role model to the character.  Additionally, when the character Gadget is introduced and he ask Sean to move, Sean intitally turns to Wood asking "shall I move?" which one could argue evidences how Woody has become this now opinion leader to Sean as the character confidently seeks and trusts the advice of Woody even though someone else has asked to to do something else.

This is England however touches on political issues that surronded the 1980's as seen in the early opening credits of the film which features a montage of scenes from significant events from the decade such as the Miners Strike, the Greenham Common Protests against the siting of American Cruise Missiles as well as the Falklands war.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBpJ4ZuFP8E

The opening sequence represents the social and historical context of the film by featuirng trival clips of 80's culture such as roland rat, knight rider, the hair and fashion styles of the decade to serious social events of the decade such as the miners strike and news clips of the  horrors of the Falkland wars. All this with a late 70's SKA soundtrack which reflects the skinhead culture who adopted this type of music. In addition to this the opening features Stencil based type referring to the army and the war. It is believed that Director Shane Meadows many references to the war also served as a way for him to comment on the patriotic yet xenophopic celebration of the Falkland victory which Meadows saw as hiding the fact that British forces overwhelming untrained and unprepared Argentinian troops. One could argue by featuring clips of civil unrest of the British public Meadows is illustrating how strange it was at the time to be celebrating the greatness of Britain at the time and attacking foreigners and migrants when the country was in such a bad state suffering from high unemployment and disruption in  home life as a result of the Thatcherite government clearly shown here by the former prime ministers presence throughout the opening.

What does it mean to be British?

Britishness is the state or quality of being British, or of embodying British characteristics for instance a stiff upper lip, the love for a good cup of tea, sarcasm or most commonly fish and chips.

Although these things are quintessentially British tropes and stereotypes I think being British is about being part of a multicultural society in which ideally no culture's voice is looked down upon in comparison to others.

London riots: teenagers lack hope notes

London riots: teenagers lack hope notes

"Young people are bored and feel they have nothing to lose" - former gang member Kim Gardener

Young people are rioting because "the system is flawed" - Nevil Fenton 17

"There is fear, uncertainty, less jobs, less opportunity and university is harder to get into"

Many Gang members who were spoken to felt that they were disattached from there communities

according to Mrs Gardner "Underprivileged youths have told me they feel that no one cares any more,"

EPHIBPHOBIA + UNDERPRIVILEGED YOUTH = LACK OF OPPORTUNITIES GIVEN

"Many youth clubs have had their funding taken away and there haven't been many activities organised for children this summer," she added.

This bordem and the spark of the riots would have served as an excuse for youth to lash out like this as well as opportunists. What this does however is cause a violent circle of youth being involved in and in turn representing themselves as violent and as a result these opportunities taken away out by living up to these stereotypes

Representations of British Culture

 Representations of British Culture

How is Human traffic a British film?
Human Traffic is a social realist film which is one of the most common genres of film within the british film industry, in addition the event that take place are set against a cardiff backdrop and follow the british rave culture of the 90's.

What characteristics do you think are British
When thinking about particular characteristics in the film which reflect British culture

Do the characters have a 'British reserve'
The characters featured in Human Traffic all feature a sense of 'British reserve' i.e not being overly friendly and keeping to yourself. This can be particularly seen during the scene below.



Here we see protagonist Jip discuss socialising with the youth and how its a struggle to do so without being under the influence of something due to inhibitions and fear. From this clip we learn that a sense of British reserve isnt exactly intentional as the protagonist does want to socialise however due to fear among others people tend to keep to themselves.


The national anthem question
I believe that the monarchy should still have a role in our society however I disagree with the idea that they should reign over us as I feel that there values don't best reflect our modern society. I find that in someways there presence reinforces the idea of power structures with those born in power keeping said power based on only there family not the work they have done or produced. I feel that there role is best suited as more of a tourist attraction.

What part of the national anthem do you believe in and why?
God save us all - this lyric within the national anthem I feel recognises the idea that we are a nation which is maintained by a group effort.

What part of the national anthem do you disagree and why?
Long to reign over us - this lyric I disagree with on the basis that it somewhat enforces the idea of someone being born to rule over us rather someone achieving such a role.

Why did Jip rewrite the national anthem?
In the clip above Jip mentions that he re-writes the as he feels that he can't exactly relate to the previous one. From this one could suggest that the previous one doesn't reflect the society and world he lives in today yet its about unity. Jip's one reflects rather how society as a whole isn't as together as the previous anthem claims but rather it marginalises his generation possibly out of fear and demonises them. The last lyric "who is the queen" reflects Jip's generation disassociation from British culture by not even know and quite possibly taking interest in a figure whom one can argue is a symbol of Britishness.

Do you believe the new anthem is easier to identify with and why?
I feel that personally I relate to Jip's version of the national anthem since it reflects something I too have been through which is feel disassociated from people and struggling to socialise.

Authority figures
Moff's father -

British film 1990-2000

British film 1990-2000

Investment in film production rose dramatically.

In 1989 the annual investment was £104 million but by 1996 this rose to £741 million. However dependence from the finance of TV financers such as BBC one and channel 4 still meant that budgets were small and home grown projects were fragmented. The British film industry still relied on Hollywood investment.

However these problems were compensated by working title films a  British subsidiary to PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, who released Four Weddings and a Funeral in 1994 which grossed 224 million dollars worldwide, introducing Hugh Grant to global fame and also leading  to a renewed interest in British films. As well as setting the trend for British set romantic comedies including Sliding Doors (1998) and Noting Hill (1999).

Eventually PFE was sold and merged with universal pictures in 1999 with the hopes of "building a British-based company which could compete with Hollywood in its home market".

Tax incentives allowed American producers to invest more in UK- based films throughout the 90's such as Mission impossible (1996) Saving Private Ryan (1998) and star wars episode 1: the phantom menace(1999).

Miramax an American film distribution company, distributed British thriller The Crying Game (1992) which was ignored in the UK but found success overseas in the US.

Miramax also enjoyed success in releasing BBC period dram Enchanted April (1992) and The wings of the Dove (1997).

In addition in 1994 the Madness of King George was released which debuted strongly at the box office proving that there was still a market for British Costume Dramas with other period films following including Sense and Sensibility (1995) and restoration (1995).

In addition, the 90's saw a release of the 17th James Bond film Golden eye after a 6-year hiatus due to legal reasons.

Writer Mike Leigh became a significant figure in British cinema during the 90's with a series of films financed by channel 4 about the working and middle class life in modern England, including Life Is Sweet(1991) Naked(1993) and Secrets And Lies (1996) which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes.

Other emerging talents during the decade include writer- director-produced team of John Hodge, Danny Boyle and Andrew Macdonald responsible for Shallow Grace (1994) and Trainspotting (1996).

Transpotting significantly generated interest in other "regional" productions, including Scottish films Small Faces (1996), Ratcatcher (1999) and My Name Is Joe (1998).

Other significant events in British film during the 90's include:

·         The BBFC granting Samuel Fullers film Shock Corridor a 15 that had been previously refused a certificate when first submitted in 1962.

·         Daniel Day Lewis wins Best Actor for Oscar for My Left foot in 1990.

·         In 1994 a group of British film producers including David Putnam and Jeremy Thomas launch IMPACT campaign to revitalise  British film industry.

·         Criminal Justice and Public order act contains an amendment to the 1984 video recording act that requires the BBFC to consider specific issues such as the potential to harm when classifying videos.

·         1995 - The lottery film fund was established.

·         1996 - After a trial in 1995, the BBFC begins offering consumer advice next to the printed classifications on video sleeves, offering detailed information on reasons for particular classifications  such as the 18 certificate for example detail like sex, violence or bad language.

·         1998 - Channel 4 develops Film Four as a separate company with a new emphasis on fewer bigger budget productions.

 

The 2011 London riots

 The 2011 London riots

The London 2011 riots or the dubbed by the media sometimes as the "Blackberry riots" were a series of riots that took place from 6 - 10th of august which was sparked after a protest in Tottenham following  the death of Mark Duggan. Such a story is an example of a moral panic in the media as even though the story was reported 2 years ago it still resonates in the media today with new stories and footage being uploaded to the web on the events or recent headlines such as this 2012 article by radio show LBC 97.3 called  London Rioter: "It was war". Such a headline features the use of hyperbolic language such as the lexical choice of war which may exaggerate the violence in during the riots to readers. Such a word sensationalises the event causing people to instantaneously think of the violence as something as bad as say if the violence seen well known wars and conflicts; we get an image of brutality and chaos. Not only this but such a word depicts the riots as something more organised that it is reported to be, one can argue that although it is said that they were organised via social networking it was no where as organised as say if a war manuvure. This evidences how the riots were a moral panic as reported stories would use exaggerated words with many interpretations to entice fear in its readers as they are either left to their imagination first reading the headline and anticipate the worst or they are told an exaggerated headline to get them to consume the article.

When actually reading the article take note that in the main body of writing it does not actually quote the rioter on those words exactly in fact it mentions that he describes what happened as being like like a war zone. This may evidence how a sense of bias can be seen in the article as they has altered the so called description of the riots from a simile to a direct metaphor to add emphasis to the violence and excite readers. Furthermore, the article only features one point of view which has been slightly skewed.

Another article from the same source features a similar sense of sensationalist article. The article called London riots: The Top 10 photos which features well composed photos to depict the violence during the riots as if it were a set from a Hollywood thriller to once again convey a sense of drama and action which may be a misrepresentation of the violence in the event. In addition the article's headline is a top ten which conveys a sense of entertainment as if its a list show such as top ten fashion etc.

The image below is another example of the article used shocking images to exaggerate the violence of the riots by featuring an image of a bloodied person but not only this omitting any real able person in the image to shock readers and create a panic of the riots.

 Such an article evidences that the riots were a moral panic as it shows just how much of a narritve the media created around it by using shocking images to exaggerate the violence and get readers to panic about there own sense of security whilst these events are taking place. Some readers would feel inclined to consume more of the story for surveillance purposes to know if they are safe or not.




any real concern

We children as pestilent

In the article "we see children as pestilent' author of the article Tanya Byron explains how fear of the youth has always been in our society even dating back 6,000 years in Egypt. However Byron explains that today this fear is worse due to youth's representation in the media causing a morale panic. Older people build these negative stereotypes of the youth which play a larger and more negative impact on the youth then years before. Byron says that since youth are constantly being told they are worthless and the society around them unfortunately youths accept this as the truth and loose the drive to push themselves. Byron also claims that the education system is very narrowing based on an elitist structure of grades and testing rather being supportive or the individual and their individual needs. Byron ends claiming that we are an ephebiphobic society and we should be ashamed of ourselves.

In the article above, reported by the bbc backs up the claim that the media negatively represents the youth. The article claims tgat

How soon is too soon?

How soon is too soon?

It is believed that the best time to produce a film about a youth culture would be around 13-25 years has to pass between the height of the experience/youth culture and release of the film.The idea is with this difference it would allow audiences who lived the experience to have grown up but not too much so that they can remember their youth and still yearn for it.

According to an article produced by the guardian films period films about youth culture are very common however it has been difficult to pin down any sort of artistic or box office success with this genre in film.

Kerrigans film human traffic set against the backdrop of 90's rave culture offered very little in critque of the scene and its legacy; this however may be due Kerrigan being rushed to bringout the filmduring the same decade it was depicting. As a result of this there wasnt any real idea of what the culture actually mean't in our history.

Its been much debate how long film makers should wait when tackling a youth culture period peice to provide some meaningful thought.

Alex Cox director of Sid and Nancy has said looking back he's not happy with his youth culture film about the 80's and the punks. It is believed that he rushed into making the film due to rumours of potential Hollywood competition however Cox one day wishes to revist his film.

Another reason why Cox may be dissapointed with his vision is because his film was released eight years after the events it was still adressing and thus Cox may have been suffering from a case of "nostalgia googles" when directing the project.

According to the article a period drama should contexualise and analyse to foster or confront nostalgia and to explain why we are the adults we are today.

As a result of this time must past to make sure there isnt a sense of bias as well as develop a better sense of hindsight.

According to Peter Carlton (commissioner for film 4) the ideal youth culture film unites both those who expericenced the events and younger audiences. However because of this idea many youth culture films resort to using stereotypes to capture younger audiences as well as older audiences seeking a sense of false nostalgia. This representation is not entirely accurate.

Carlton believes what alos makes a good yoth culture film is if there is a link between what is covered in the film and social concerns happening today. He believes that This is England depicts themes that still affect us today however he also believes that the script was so good anyway that they could have had characters wearing bin liner and it still would've been relatable.

Richard Jobson is taking on the challenge of directing a sequel to Quadrophenia after 40's of the films release; the problem here bieng that the gap could be too large that older audiences would've moved on from there younger days and the film may seem so long ago that to younger audiences, the period would feel alien and not relatable.

Cosgrove states that most successful youth cultre films follow the same 13-25 year rule even the rose tinted US films such as Grease follow this trend . This may be something to do with how our affection for our youth fades when we are hit by responsiblites such as marrage, parenthood and morgages.

Jobson believes that a sedentray middle age desires to recapture their yotuh, this could be why these films may appeal to their audiences.

Dr Catherine Happer belives that these films serve as vehicle for aging film makes look bck to their youth for a meaning to justify who they are today.

However Screenwriter Colin Carberry believes that not even 15 or 25 years would be enough to provide a political perspective. Carberry believes that since drama at its base relies on binary oppostites events that are not so black and white are simplified to offer up a narrative to audiences which lessens the meaning behind these films.

When thinking about why these films have a time limit on there release, I believe the cause of this is the fact that film needs to be relatable on some level to attract audience and really send a message to its viewers. If released too early and released during the time its depicting, the film will be in deed relatable since it is depicting the present and present day events however because of this as evidenced by Human traffic there would be little sense of hindsight or critique on the events. However if the film is released too late after the events it depicts said social situations and problems seen in the film may be considered trival by the films audience or perhaps the fashion styles and culture may be so old it may seem to the films audience as archaic and alien.

London riots news coverage

London riots news coverage

In the interview above reporters interview middle aged historian David Starkey about his views on the youth who were involved in the riots. In terms of imagery seen during the interview the back drop of the studio features sensationalised and violent pictures such as buildings burning, windows cracked and debris which represents the riots as a very destructive event. In fat to some extent since the images shown are very erratic and omit images of areas which were less hit than others thus exaggerating the destruction caused by the riots and in turn representing it more as some sort of civil war between the youth and authorities.

According to Starkey the reason behind the riots it the spread of "black gang culture" among youths. Such a statement represent youths especially thoses of African decent as synonymous with crime however other speakers during this interview have disagreed with Starkey's comments stating that his generaliastion is very offense.

When thinking about the possible bias of the interview, one has to consider the context of the broadcast i.e the BBC which are funded by the public's money out of the TV license but not only this has to follow a remit for the public to produce "fair, balanced and impartial coverage" of news stories therefore it there should be little bias presented in this discussion. However when thinking in the context that this is a discussion there will be a sense of bias based on each of the speakers upbringing and vie

In this extract although the youth aren't specifically present in the discussion they are given a voice through 3 speakers stating that the riots wasn't based on race or "rap music" and disagreeing with Starkey's comments however since there are no youths present we the audience hear not of there stories and thus their so called voices may be misinterpreted or in fact the full message hasn't been heard.




In the video above Reporters interview a younger demographic to get there view of the riots. Images and visuals shown here show the aftermath of the event  however when looking at the framing of the shots we see many close ups of the destruction to place emphasis on the damage the riots has caused on tottenham, although not as sensationalised as the previous imagery in the other text the use of close ups omit areas which may have been less hit than others and presents the violence and damage as that belonging to something of  a bombing.

When thinking about a sense of bias in the interview, the interviewer talks to two groups one of a much older demographic and the younger demographic to understand the voice of the youths. In the video the youths believed what happened was justified and believed that this was the governments fault. In addition the much older interviewer believes that the riots weren't caused by just plainly gang culture but rather people feeling marginalised.

The Selfish Giant

The Selfish Giant

The Selfish Giant is a British 2013 drama directed by Clio Bernard inspired by a short story written by Oscar Wilde also called the selfish giant. The film follows the story of two teenage boys who get caught up in the world of copper theft. The film was screened at the Directors' Forenight section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Europa Cinema awards. The film was nominated for the 2013 Lux Prize and was screened n the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.

In the original story written by Wilde it follows a Giant who builds a wall around his garden to keep the children out which causes it to stay  in winter until one day children slip through the wall and start playing in the trees. The giant eventually sees the error of his ways and tears down the wall thus winter finally ends and spring returns. Before doing this though the giant notices a little boy  who is too small to climb the tree. the giant feels sorry for him and helps him out. Eventually as the narrative progresses the giant grows old and it is revealed that the small child he help years ago is actually Jesus Christ. At this point the giant finds him under a beautiful white tree and talks with the child. The child mentions "You let Me play once in your garden, to-day you shall come with Me to My garden, which is Paradise.". That same afternoon the giant happily passes away and his body is covered in blossoms.

The main theme or message which runs in the story is the idea that if you give happiness, you gain happiness

Unlike its source material which feature fantasical themes such as giants and orgres and also religous themes such as Jesus christ as it seems that the film is taking a more gritty and realistic tone one review on IMDB describing it as "basically how capitalism works: not by making an academic movie with statistical figures, but by telling the highly capturing dramatic story of two teenagers in an English community who need to collect scrap to make ends meet."

From such a review one could assume the link between the story and film is apparent in the form of how one could suggest that the giant and his wall which kept the children out could be possibly mirrored as capitalism in this stories context and how it can be hard really to move up in life living under such a system with circumstances thrown at you. Could the director be comparing capitalism to this wall?

From watching the trailer I have noticed that unlike other media texts with a similar premise such as television series Breaking Bad i.e turning to a life of crime to survive or being forced into it by the circumstances offered to you, the trailer above doesn't glamourise crime as other shows may do using a grey-tone wash to convey a gritty look to the film communicating to viewers that this film is about social realism and "representing the world as it is".




Review by the Guardian website is comparing the directors work to that of Ken Loach who was known for his social realist films such as Kes a British drama released in 1969 which follows the story of about a young working class boy who has little hope in life and is bullied, both at home by his physically and verbally abusive half-brother, Jud, and at school. From researching both films it appears that unlike other media texts on offer these texts rather focus on real life and possible real life issues rather than glamorous of peoples lives and roles in films such as the "buddy cop" genre or other action or crime based films.

Quadrophenia essay

Quadrophenia Essay

Youth culture is a group of adolescents grouped by their cultural practises, interests and lifestyle choices. Youth cultures are often marginalised and isolated from society. The term Teenager was introduced by American marketers in and advertisers in the 1940's. The 1979 rock opera film Quadrophenia features two different example of youth culture; the Mods and the rockers, one more so than the other. During this essay I will be exploring how said media text represents both social groups and youth culture as a whole

The film Quadrophenia follows the story of London Mod Jimmy Cooper as he copes with life as a teenager dealing with belonging to the youth culture, the Mods and also dealing with everyday life such as his family and his work. The title of the film itself is a reference to Jimmy's 4 personalities that he inhibits during the film, the tough guy, the romantic, "the lunatic" and the beggar. Already from such a reference youth cultures and youth are being depicted as unsure of themselves in terms of who they are or who they want to be; it's connoting that being a teenager is quite a confusing experience. The title is also a reference to the term quadraphonic sound a recent invention at the time of the original album Quadrophenia's release which also is the source material for the film.

The image above is the DVD cover to the DVD release of the film, on the cover one notices the protagonist a set against his Mod friends highlighted in black whilst his friends are highlighted in the traditional Mod colours; red, blue and white.  This connotes how Jimmy is not quite a Mod he doesn't quite fit in with his group, however in terms of representations of youth culture this may show youth cultures as being more like families as evidenced by the composition of Jimmy's Mod friends and the colours they are highlighted in. They all seem close together, literally in terms of how they are composed together and how some of them blend into one another as if they are one large silhouette. This illustrates how the Mods and youth cultures groups made up of individuals but rather one large unit. However with Jimmy being a Mod himself and being on the outside of this blue silhouette, one could argue that this may represent youth cultures Not so much as a gang or army the media sometimes portrays but rather shows how there can also be conflict within these youth cultures; one could say that the idea that Mod's only are against those who are outside the Mod culture is disputed here in this image. 

When looking at the Tagline of the DVD cover " A way of life" this reinforces the idea that youth cultures are more than just a bunch of teens but rather culture similar to being British or even to the extent of belonging to a religion. One can gather that this tagline explains how being part of a youth culture affects your daily life and practises; what you wear, what music you listen to, your daily activities and hobbies etc. In particular the Mod lifestyle and ideals are represented on this cover as well for instance the Mods fascination with the RAF evidenced by the large RAF aviator jacket worn by Jimmy on the front cover as well as many of the Mods throughout the film and also the use of the RAF roundel graphic in place of the "q" in quadrophenia. The RAF roundel became the symbol synonymous with the Mods during the 60's. In addition when looking at the costume of the Mod characters featured on the cover one notices how the Mod fashion sense and ideals are reflected by such imagery; the Mods seen here all wear high class clothing such as tailored suits, trilby harts and dresses thus conveying the Mod culture with a sense of fashion. Also notice how each of the most of the Mods posture with the exception of "Ace face" is quite relaxed, all leaning on one another. This represents the Mods as quite laidback and in some way conveys there free spirit, not only this but the fact that most of them are learning on each other can represent how this culture and youth culture as a whole are dependent on theses who are within these group often given reinforcement with each other and helping each other out in direct and indirect ways such as either moving and spending time together as a group or giving the feeling to someone of belonging to something.

When looking at "Ace face's" posture its quite antagonistic as he cups his fist in his hand and stands upright. This may also represent how the Mods are "violent" or were considered "violent" by those around them. Finally, whilst looking at the quote by Pete Townshend "We've all been there", such direct address and personal pronoun represents how youth culture is something common in our lives, we all eventually go through what the character Jimmy feels in the film and just want to belong to something.

The soundtrack to the film was written by the Who and produced before the film's release in 1979 as part of a rock opera for with the same title. Each of the 4 personalities previously mentioned that Jimmy exhibits describe each of the 4 members of The Who. Also just like the film each tracks tells a narrative and when the film was released in 1979 two more tracks were added to further explore the storyline. The film is considered as a complete visual representation of Townshend's vision of Jimmy and his surroundings. The whole score is an endorsement of The Who and its band members reflecting each of their personalities.

 
When a man is running from his boss
Who hold a gun that fires "cost"
And people die from being cold
Or left alone because they're old
And bombs are dropped on fighting cats
And children's dreams are run with rats
If you complain you disappear
Just like the lesbians and queers
No one can love without the grace
Of some unseen and distant face
And you get beaten up by blacks
Who though they worked still got the sack
And when your soul tells you to hide
Your very right to die denied
And in the battle on the streets
You fight computers and receipts
And when a man is trying to change
But only causes further pain
You realize that all along
Something in us going wrong

You stop dancing.

When looking at the lyrics to Helpless Dancer which is considered to reflect Band member Roger Daltery from reading the lyrics one notices the underlying meaning of the track social prejudices, social difference and the power certain people and certain groups have within society. This may endorse The Who as a group with a social consciousness not only this but one could also argue that this song also reflects the feeling of being marginalised by society not only by falling into certain social groups such as being homosexual or of different race but also reflects how Jimmy and certain youth cultures feel when they are marginalised from society.

When looking at scenes within the film for representations of youth culture whilst looking at the introduction of the film one notices how the film opens with an extreme long shot of a silhouette of Jimmy walking away from a horizon. Such a shot conveys a sense of isolation and loneliness towards the character Jimmy. As a result of one could consider that such a shot represents youth within youth cultures as lonely even though they belong to such groups; it may show how often people within those groups feel marginalised from society and people as a whole that they need to form these groups to feel whole and when they are away from these groups they are brought back to the feeling of isolation. 

During the shot we hear a number non diagetic voices played faintly throughout with words such as bell boy repeated. This could be interpreted as Jimmy's internal monologue or voices being played in head repeatedly and thus may represent Jimmy and youth's within youth cultures as lost and confused evidenced by the range of voices or thoughts being played in his head. It appears that this shows how youths in youth cultures don't exactly know what they want or what they want to feel rather it's just easier to join a group and have said dictate who you are rather than exploring that for yourself.

Next we get a match cut from a shot of the sun to the light of Jimmy's scooter. Notice how the cut is a flash connoting a flashback to the past. When the shot cuts we suddenly hear the rock song "Real Me" by The Who. During the song one particular lyric which poses some interest is the line "I went back to the doctor To get another shrink. I have to tell him about my weekend, But he never betrays what he thinks. Can you see the real me doctor?".  Such a line illustrates how youth within youth cultures as mentioned previously may feel confused about who they are may also cry out for help as evidenced by the particular line "Can you see the real me doctor?" It's also most as if such a line is trying to explain how youth turn to and cry out to those older to them or people they feel are smarter and more experiences such as idols to determine who they are. This can be evidenced the fact that the role the lyric is crying out to tends to be a position people aspire to be, similar to how youth cultures have idols which influence their style and who they are such as the Teddy boys and American movie stars. Furthermore, the line "I have to tell him about my weekend" is a reference the bank holiday weekend in Brighton in which the Mods fought the rockers and foreshadows the conflict Jimmy will get involved with later on in the film. Such a reference to those who understand its meaning would represent youth cultures in this context as violent linking them back to the riots that involved such groups in the 60's.

When looking at the shot in particular the shot is a long shot of Jimmy riding his scooter at night by himself. This with the rock music playing in the background illustrates Jimmy at this moment as a character with confidence empowered by his inclusion with the Mods and the Mod lifestyle. This conveys the idea of how belonging to something like a youth culture can empower someone and give them confidence. This is further evidenced by the fact that Jimmy is riding alone at night; belonging to the Mods gives him a sense of independence. Additionally since Jimmy is riding at night alone this conveys how free spirited him and youth cultures can be, enjoying the nightlife without the need of parents or any older figures in their lives.
When thinking about the composition of the shot notice how Jimmy is the only person on the road with the cars all in the background. This may emphasis the feeling one receives from being part of a youth culture or group; the feeling of power in the sense that the world belongs to you; you are at the centre of it all. This illustrates the idea that those who are within youth cultures may achieve a feeling of acceptance but also a feeling of empowerment in the sense of feeling that the "world is your oyster".

Furthermore what's quite significant about Jimmy riding a scooter other than the fact that it was part of the Mod lifestyle are the connotations riding such a vehicle conveys.  Jimmy's scooter bears connotations of youth and a free spirit one could suggest bearing some reference to the idea of bikers and how they are free from conformity and from responsibility however this would suit the Rockers more. This may show carefree youth cultures can be and how they lack any feeling of responsibility and live to enjoy life.

During this sequence whilst the music is playing we also hear Jimmy call out to someone, possibly saying "Charlie hey" which further illustrates Jimmy's confidence which is derived from belonging to a youth culture. This also in turn further emphases the representation of those within youth cultures being "men about town"; out looking for fun and enjoying themselves with no worries.

Next it the extract cuts to a close up of Jimmy's face with a confident facial expression once again conveying the idea that belonging to a youth culture may give individuals a sense of empowerment. Furthermore, during this shot we hear the line "can you see the real me" such a shot used with said line may connote that this Mod Jimmy, the one we are seeing now is the real Jimmy, a Jimmy that is only in existence because of his involvement with the Mod or this could be the idea that the character himself would like to believe. This could represent youth cultures as a vehicle to express ones inner or the person who they want to be or think they want to be however one could opt for a more cynical argue and claim that this represent those who belong to youth culture as sort of deluded believing that belonging to a groups allows for the "real you" to come out yet those who tend to belong to such group conform in terms of fashion and lifestyle to belong to a group and thus individuality is lost.

As the extract continues we hear during the song of the sequence "I went back to my mother I said, "I'm crazy ma, help me." She said, "I know how it feels son, 'Cos it runs in the family."  The significance of this line shows the normality of youth culture in our world. It shows how everyone experiences the feeling of being different, feeling weird or "crazy" and then finding something to belong to almost fill in such a void. This can be evidenced by the fact that the line mentions "I know how it feels" thus indicating how the mother or older person has experienced a similar feeling and the use of the word family which can be interpreted in two ways.  One way meaning that everyone in Jimmy's family has experienced this feeling and has sought out comfort by belonging to something or possibly the word family could actually represent the youth culture Jimmy actually belongs to and the term Ma could be someone of higher status within the group who also leads and takes care of the group.  This could mean that the lyric could also represent the idea that those with youth culture groups are lost and confused evidenced by the term "crazy" and how it "runs in the family".

Around 1:56 of the extract we are introduced to the rockers via a long shot of the rockers on their bikes. In the shot one notices the use of low key lighting and thus we as an audience connote quite see said rockers faces all we can see are their headlights. This as a result conveys the youth group the rockers as very intimidating and in some way threatening as we cannot see them since they are concealed by complete darkness. Furthermore, when considering the composition of the shot the bikes the Rockers are riding are placed so close together that it becomes hard to differentiate each individual person. This show represents youth cultures as more of one unit; since we cannot see the rockers it's as if there humanity is taken away in the sense they are more like small pieces which make up a giant machine or gang. This shot also conveys how intimidating youth cultures can be by depicting the Rockers in this shot as a sort of miniature army, with each bike lined up perfectly with each other and driving around in unison.

This representation of youth cultures being threatening as during a tracking shot around 2:06 we see the group of Rockers ride behind Jimmy. From the previous shot of the rockers we as an audience start to feel for his safety as rather than call out to Jimmy this group creeps up on him without him thus causing a sense of suspense. Moreover during this sequence we still cannot see the rockers identity and the sort of small army effect as mentioned previously is still retained. Those who are familiar with the conflicts between the Mods and Rocker would expect some sort of violent confrontation between Jimmy and Rockers at this moment, therefore for those who understand this. This section of the extract may represent the rockers as a potential danger and also as a result represents youth culture as sort of violent gangs by almost foreboding some sort of conflict via the use of camera composition to allow audiences to see this miniature army or gang creep up on the protagonist.

Then at 2:08 during our extract we see a shot of Jimmy finally realising that there are a group of rockers behind him. Notice how Jimmy's once confident facial expression has been replaced with one of concern. From this we gain an understanding of the threat the Rockers may pose for the protagonist as they have manage to take him out of his comfort zone. This further emphasises the idea of the Rockers as violent gang or possible something very intimidating and thus represents youth culture in some way as something to be feared.

Whilst looking at the costume of both youth groups, Jimmy's costume contrasts very differently with that of the Rockers. As seen in the extract one notices how Jimmy is wearing more smart clothing such as a suit and tie with a large coat onto whereas from what we can see it appears the Rockers are wearing very biker-esc clothing, by wearing black leather jackets, motorcycle helmets and clothing with feathers attached to it. If it wasn't for the fact that audiences know that Jimmy belongs to the youth culture, in fact Jimmy looks more like a young man who has a professional job on a night out. One wouldn't assume that Jimmy belongs to a typical "gang" therefore this may show that youth culture have some sort of diversity to them; that it would be wrong to assume that all youth cultures look like a stereotypical gang or bear the connotations of a typical gang. On the other hand, the Rockers costume bears more connotations of a more "thug" like look wearing fashion styles which excludes them from the rest of society in contrast to Jimmy's style which can be commonly found in everyday life.

When then see a mid shot of Jimmy shouting at the Rockers "f*ck off", clearly illustration how Jimmy has lost his calm yet confident mood from the arrival of the rockers thus conveying to audiences how antagonistic the rockers are. Not only has this but we also see a representation of youth culture conflict between two different groups; from such a shot we get to see how two different youth cultures antagonise each other verbally and also gives us an idea of the relationship between the two cultures.

Eventually the Rockers leave Jimmy and his once confident mood is reinstated and then we soon see an establishing shot of Jimmy at the club car park. One notices how the car park is full of Mod scooters thus conveying the idea that the Mod lifestyle is carefree and all about fun. Such a shot suggests that the Mods and youth culture can be about having a good time with people around you.

In conclusion the Youth culture has been represented in these two extracts in a number of ways such as conveying the idea as a community or miniature army, a culture, as something violent or perhaps as something that is common in our lives. Theses extracts also convey people within youth cultures as sort of confused about themselves or who they are and possibly represent the reason why people join these groups; to fill in such a void.