British Social Realism

British Social Realism is a genre of film also known as ‘Kitchen Sink Dramas’ aka films that reflect normal, everyday life. The genre emerged in the 1950’s but truly got big in the 60’s. It’s known to be noticeably very British and was championed by the BBC. The films themselves were low budget, only really contained diegetic music and is linked to an emergence of a new generation of film makers. The films tackled with everyday topics of British life such as unemployment, poverty and domestic violence, specifically in British People. The films also had a reputation of being quite grim and pushing boundaries of classic, traditional films.

Perfect examples of directors which created British social realist films are Ken Loach and Mike Lee. Ken Loach created Kes, a perfect example of a social realist films. Mike Lee created Happy-Go-Lucky, another good example of a social realist film.

In terms of Trainspotting and This Is England, both films would be placed in the British Social Realism genre. However, they aren’t completely accurate depictions of classic British Social Realist films. The filmmakers have taken the subject matter of being realist films but have put a more modern, mainstream style on it due to the progression of film and the fact that tastes have changed since the 1960’s.

 

Shane Meadows, Auteur?

• Shane Meadows is known to use occasional comedic value during serious films, making the film seem slightly more light hearted and less extreme than if it was all completely serious. I think this comedy also makes the film more entertaining to watch. This is seen in This Is England when Shaun and the skinheads hide from Gadget in the abandoned house and also the scene in which Shaun’s mother tries to get him to buy shoes he doesn’t like.
• Another technique Meadows uses is his use of real life storytelling through a certain character. In This Is England, the character focused on is Shaun. The film seems so realistic due to the scenes that are just like a real life 12 year old boy e.g. buying new shoes and eating in cafes. Some would think scenes like these in a film are boring but to me and Shane Meadows, they add an element of realism due to the normalness of the activities and the realisticness of what a 12 year old boy would usually do when not at school.

• Shane Meadow’s films also focuses on life living in poverty. This is extremely obvious in This Is England, specifically through the mise-en-scene of location. There is graffiti everywhere on buildings. Buildings themselves are run down. In one scene, we see Meggy complain that there’s no food in the cupboards at all. In the scene in which Combo gives his speech, there is little furniture in the house. The group seem to be sat on beds due to the lack of sofas.

• Shane Meadow’s films also contain lots of montages. This is seen in the beginning of the film at the three and a half minute long montage of life in Britain in the 1980’s, specifically focusing on politics and social life. We see many shots of a run down setting as well as film of racist groups and hate crime. These montages are used in Meadow’s films in order to set the date of the film without explicitly saying when it’s set. However, it the montage would require some knowledge about British history, knowledge and experience that probably only British people would recognise, in order to understand the time period. This also tells us a lot about the implied audience of the film.

• Long takes are also used in Shane Meadows films. This can be seen specifically through the sequence in which Combo does his speech. There is lots of long takes of mid shots as he rants to the group.
• Shane Meadows films also draw on autobiographical information. Shaun represents Shane in This Is England and the film draws from some things that happened in Shane’s real life.
• Shane also works with lots of rehearsal time and lots of familiar actors. An example of this is Stephen Graham.
• In Shane Meadows films, there is a lot of use of binary oppositional characters. In This Is England, the example is Woody and Combo, who both represent as father figures for Shaun. Woody is the positive father figure and Combo is the negative father figures.
• There is also a use of highly manipulative non diegetic composed score in order to manipulate our feelings of the film. This is seen specifically in the scene where Combo arrives and talks about his time in prison.
• Finally, Shane Meadows uses period music. He uses this in order to set the time of the film, This Is England. The music used is of a reggae genre which is the genre most favoured in the 1980’s.  Examples in This Is England is 54-46 Was My Number, Louie Louie and Pressure Drop.

Mock Exam

My results to my mocks:

Danny Boyle, Auteur?

Danny Boyle’s style:

• In terms of cinematography, Danny Boyle uses hand held shots whenever his characters are in harsh or dangerous situations. This increases the apprehension of the audience as they prepare for the danger the character has put themselves into. For example, a hand held shot of Renton’s face as he’s on the run and nearly gets ran over by a car, seen below.

• Also in cinematography, Boyle is known to use a set of colour wash throughout his films. In Trainspotting, extremely bright colours are used throughout, specifically red, yellow, blue, and green. The bright red is often used to represent danger and risk since it is the colour of the room where the characters shoot up heroin. The green is used, specifically in the baby death scene, to represent sickness. The blue of the hallway represents the coldness of the place.

• Danny also uses a lot of mise-en-scene throughout all of his films. For example, as said in the https://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/1095559/mind-blowing-things-in-trainspotting-you-never-noticed/ article, “we see Renton standing in front of a large painting of Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro). Renton’s head is squarely between the barrels of Bickle’s guns, suggesting he, like the irreverent Bickle, is dangerously existing on the fringe of society and constantly flirting with death.”

• Danny Boyle’s films are also known to be very high-energy. This is achieved through a lot of high tempo non-diegetic music as well as the many fights, most containing Begbie, throughout the film.
• Danny Boyle films also seem to contain shots of characters running towards the camera. This is seen in Trainspotting when Renton, as well as some other characters, are running towards the camera in Princes Street, past Edinburgh Castle, in Hanover Street and through Regent Bridge. This running shot can also be seen in Slumdog Millionaire.

• Danny Boyle films also contain lots of surrealism, often disturbing images. This is shown specifically through the sequence where Renton goes into the toilet and also where Renton is coming down from drugs in his bed and he sees the baby crawling on the ceiling.

•  Boyle films also usually contain voiceovers. This is obvious within Trainspotting and the film begins with a voiceover of the quote “Choose a life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television. Choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers… Choose DSY and wondering who the fuck you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit crushing game shows, stucking junk food into your mouth…” etc. Trainspotting also contains voiceovers throughout the film, all of them said by character Renton, played by Ewan McGregor, who explains his situation to the audience, like he’s talking to us personally.
•  Boyle is also known to begin his films within the middle of action. This is shown in Trainspotting through the opening shot being a low angle shot on the floor of a street where we see a pair of trainers running. The next shot is a handheld follow shot from in front of two characters running towards the camera with a man in a suit chasing them. We see these characters running for about 20 seconds before one of them (Renton) gets hit by a car. We are unsure, as the audience, why the characters are running so fast or being chased but the enigma leaves us to immediately begin using our imagination as we begin the film. Immediately placing the audience in the beginning of action increases our apprehension and excitement for the film we’re about to watch.

• Danny Boyle films are also known to have graphic violence. This is shown through the character of Begbie who gets into lots of fights, using his knife to attack people who get in his way. In one scene, he violently smashes a glass over a mans head.

• Danny Boyle films also often contain a compiled score. In Trainspotting, the compiled score is cool, quirky and of a pop style. The soundtrack itself contains periodic songs such as Lust For Life by Iggy Pop as well as Nightclubbing by Iggy Pop.
• Danny Boyle also tends to work close with similar collaborators. An example of this is having the same producer, Andrew Macdonald, who produced Trainspotting as well as 28 days later and The Beach, all directed by Boyle. Another example of this is the usage of the same actors e.g. Ewan McGregor. He acted in Shallow Grave, Trainspotting and A Life Less Ordinary, all films directed by Danny Boyle.

Trainspotting

Synopsis

Trainspotting is a 1996 British drama film directed by Danny Boyle. Renton, played by Ewan McGregor, a heroin addict from Edinburgh, tries to escape his addictions by running off to London to try and start a new life. His friends, Spud, Sick boy, Tommy and Begbie are all fellow heroin addicts. However, this new life doesn’t end very well for Renton when his friends show up at his door in London one at a time, ruining his personal rehab and forcing him to partake in a huge drug deal after the death of Tommy. This drug deal, surprisingly, goes well and the crew gain £16,000. Renton, however, soon betrays the group when he runs off with the money to once again start another new chapter of his life while the rest are asleep.

Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a starter home. Choose dental insurance, leisure wear and matching luggage. Choose your future. But why would anyone want to do a thing like that?

My impressions

Like ‘This Is England’, I really loved this film. I thought the messages themselves were simple, about drug addiction and trying to get clean. But the film artistically was created incredibly and I found it really interesting to watch and look at due to the intense use of mise-en-scene as well as interesting use of cinematography. The appearance and aesthetic of shots influenced the way in which I understood a particular character (e.g. Renton) or scene. I think, similar to This Is England, there were many shots/scenes that made me feel uncomfortable and want to look away from the screen. For example, the multiple close up shots of heroin going into Renton’s veins made me feel quite squirmish as well as the high angle shot of the dead baby. But this is what made the film so unique to me and stand out so much. It defied traditions of films and pushed boundaries excellently and it really paid off.

I would 100% watch this film again as I think it’s one of those films in which you see so many things you didn’t see the first time you watched it, like with Pulp Fiction. There are so many hidden gems in this film and I think that’s mainly due to the influence of mise-en-scene and cinematography.

This is England

Synopsis

This is England is a British 2006 drama/indie and socially realist film directed by Shane Meadows. It’s set in the 1980’s and follows a young boy called Shaun who meets a gang of skinheads who vow to protect him after he gets bullied by kids at school. Shaun gains their respect and begins to finally enjoy his life with these boys. However, an extremely racist ex-convict by the name of Combo gets released from prison and the gang finds themselves divided, some going with Combo’s racist antics and some against. Unfortunately, Shaun finds himself now more on Combo’s side than the skinheads since he looks at Combo as a father figure due to the death of his actual father.

My impressions

In terms of this film, I really enjoyed it. I found myself constantly on edge, shocked, disgusted, entertained and scared. At times in the film, I wanted to look away or to stop listening due to the use of Combo’s vulgar, racist language that he makes seem so normal. I felt incredibly uncomfortable but that’s what made the film so special. It was something I’d never watched before in a film and I think because of that, this film will stay with me for a long time. I think this film was also extremely important in the portrayal of the dark side of England which still exists today. It tackles perfectly the issues of racism, politics, bullying, physical and emotional violence and even more. It creates a perfect relationship between audience and characters, specifically in the case of Shaun, as we see him integrated in different groups as the film goes on. We learn about the relationship between Shaun and his deceased father and this creates an emotional connection between us and Shaun. We feel happy when he does, sad when he does and angry when he does.

I would definitely watch this film again in a heartbeat. I found it entertaining and didn’t find myself bored once. The film, artistically, is simple. There are little metaphors and the mise-en-scene is lacking compared to some films e.g. Trainspotting. But that doesn’t mean it’s not as good. The performances of the characters were incredible. As well as this, the overall messages created are amazing and what the film is really about. To put it plainly, I loved it.

Component 1b: American Film Since 2005 Essay

Essay: 

In terms of films, an audience can be passive and active. A passive audience relates to an audience that simply just accepts the messages that the director gives them. The ideas and views given to us in the film are never questioned by us, the audience. An active audience is an audience which does not just simply accept a message given to them. They are actively involved in the film and bring with them their own feelings and opinions about certain scenes and characters. The way in which one person views a scene could completely differ from the way another person views a scene. However, at the same time, an audience can be both passive and active. One scene may be easily accepted but another may rely on having an active audience. Film makers often use the language of film e.g. cinematography/sound in order to encourage an active or passive audience.

Stuart Hall introduced the ‘reception theory’. This theory involved three readings of a film: preferred, oppositional and negotiated. A preferred reading relates to the reading that the director wants us to take from a film, scene or character. An oppositional reading is the opposite of this. The audience rejects the reading that the director wanted to give and makes their own. A negotiated reading is a mix between the two of these.

Audience positioning involves the position of the audience which can skew or adjust their view of a scene. This can relate to the angle of a camera shot. For example, a close up in an emotional scene can make the audience connect more with the character and relate to their feelings more.

The Uses and Gratifications Model says that we, as an audience, watch films for different purposes. The four purposes why we choose to watch a certain film is identify (we can relate to a character), education (we want to know more about a topic), entertain (the film gives you enjoyment and a form of escapism) and finally social interaction (the ability for media products to create conversation between people/the audience).

Winter’s Bone is a 2010 thriller film directed by Debra Granik, following the journey of Ree Dolly who takes care of her ill mother and two younger siblings. When she finds out her father has put their land up for bond and then disappeared, Ree goes on a quest to hunt him down and save her home.

In the specific squirrel sequence in Winter’s Bone, there is a preferred reading and an oppositional reading. During this specific scene, the audience is forced to be only an active spectator as there is no obvious message or meaning in this sequence. The preferred reading, the one which the director wants us to take from the film, is that the squirrel is a metaphor for Ree in a dream that she’s having. The audience associates this sequence with being a dream as it begins when we see her fall asleep and ends as we see her wake up. The squirrel in the sequence looks frightened, having its home taken away while the vultures stare over it. The squirrel represents Ree, with them typically being vulnerable, hardworking and resourceful just like Ree is presented in the film. The fact that the squirrel is having it’s home stolen away from it represents Ree having her home put up for bond with nothing that she can do about it. The vultures in this sequence, greedy and scavenging, represent the people trying to take away Ree’s home.

In terms of cinematography in the squirrel sequence, the shots are all in a black and white colour with a letterboxed, pillar boxed ratio. This means that the sequence is visually out of place so immediately tells the audience that this isn’t part of the regular, typical narrative itself, possibly not even part of the ‘real life’ of Ree. The rest of the film is in colour with a regular cinema aspect ratio. As well as this, the quality of the shots seems to be a lot lower than in other sequences. This gives the idea that it may have been filmed on video rather than film. Once again, the differing visuals gives the idea to the audience that this is not real life. Associating this sequence with being a dream, the harsh visuals along with discomforting score allows the sequence to not conform to the typical ‘dream’ sequence that we associate with Hollywood films which are usually light, dreamy and happy. This relates to the overall tone of the film which is quite dark, sad and tense.

An oppositional reading of this sequence would be that it is a representation of Ree’s future but not a dream at all. The squirrel is still a metaphor for Ree but has no personal connection to her at all. It’s something we, as the audience, see but she doesn’t. This is the reading that the director doesn’t want us to take from the sequence.

In the cattle sequence, the preferred reading is that this sequence is a representation of the hierarchy that we live in. The cinematography of this scene represents this perfectly. In the very first shot of this sequence, we see a mid shot of Ree entering the building fearlessly and confidently. At this point in time, we see a feminist representation, but the reality soon sets in. A little later in the sequence, there is a high angle wide shot at the top of the stalls with Bob Milton approaching the camera. Ree is placed, in this shot, at the bottom of the stalls (which are full of men). This represents the bottom of the hierarchy that she is placed in since she’s a woman. In this shot, Ree seems small, out of place, unnoticed by the men and invisible. While Bob seems to have all the power in this shot due to his physical position (at the top). Later on in this sequence, we see the physical positions change. In a low angle shot, Ree is placed above Bob on a walkway. Normally, this would represent Ree as being more powerful. However, she still presents little power due to the diegetic sounds used against her in this shot.

In terms of the sound in this sequence, the score at the beginning is loud with lots of men shouting, the sound of cages and animals making noise. For the audience, this sounds frustrating and overwhelming. Later on in the sequence, in the specific low angle shot mentioned earlier of Ree on the walkway, the diegetic sounds of her calling for Bob Milton are drowned out by diegetic sounds of more animals screaming and now a non diegetic score over the top which is very chaotic and overwhelming. This reflects Ree’s frustration and also shows Ree’s lack of power.

The oppositional reading of this sequence is one of a passive spectator. The sequence just represents Ree trying to find Bob Milton who is acting quite suspicious by ignoring her. There is no explicit representation of feminism in this scene at all.

No Country For Old Men is a 2007 criminal mainstream thriller directed by Ethan and Joel Coen, following Llewellyn Moss as he finds $2 million. The film then sees Moss be pursued by a psychotic killer, Anton Chigurh, who will not stop until he gets the money that he wants. At the same time, Ed Tom Bell (sheriff) tries to keep up with the new wave of crime and Carson Wells is also on a quest to find the money.

In the No Country For Old Men opening sequence, the preferred reading is that the shots of the location represent the Sheriff. This is the view of an active spectator. In terms of cinematography, we see a sequence of long shots of an quite an isolated area full of hills, grass and mountains. It all looks quite desert-like. The shots themselves are quite relaxing which contradicts to the tone of the film itself which is extremely tense and off putting at times. Objects in the specific long shots such as the turbine and the fences look very run down. They seem to be doing their job but aren’t of the best quality anymore. This is representational of the Sheriff, Ed Tom Bell. He does his job as the Sheriff but he is of little quality anymore since he doesn’t understand how the world works anymore. The lack of visual elements in the shots, apart from the turbine and the fences, leaves the audience with no choice but to focus on the non diegetic narration over the top of the shots.

In terms of sound in the opening sequence, the non diegetic narration over the top of the shots leaves the audience with many questions. We question the importance and relevance of the setting and whether it represents the speaker, talking about how he’s worn out. The narration itself is very contradicting to the relaxing shots shown on screen as the character (who we later find out is Ed Tom Bell) talks about the new wave of violent crime and now having to carry a gun around with him. Although there is no physical appearance of this character in this sequence, we learn from his narration he’s male, works as a sheriff, and is fairly old. All these questions aid in creating an active spectator in this sequence.

An oppositional reading of this sequence is that the shots of the location merely represent where the film is set in America and do not represent the character of Ed Tom Bell at all.

In the No Country For Old Men Llewelyn death sequence, the preferred reading is that the Sheriff’s shock is because he couldn’t protect Llewelyn like he promised Carla Jean. In this sequence, the Sheriff represents the failing male patriarchy. In terms of cinematography, at the beginning of the sequence, we see an initial mid shot of the Sheriff’s reaction after hearing gunshots. He seems confused but we can also sense a bit of fear since we know he isn’t used to this kind of crime. When the Sheriff gets out of the car, a shaky handheld follow shot from in front of the Sheriff is used. The shakiness of this shot represents the fear of the Sheriff and at the same time increases the tension of the audience. Our anxiety increases as the Sheriff’s does. Next, we see a sort of ‘glance-object shot’ of the Sheriff’s face before we see Llewelyn’s dead body. This increases our apprehension as we wonder what is in front of the Sheriff. Later on in the sequence, the mid shot of the interaction between Carla Jean and the Sheriff when he takes his hat off is in order to show his respect to Carla Jean and apologise for not keeping his promise of not hurting her man.

An oppositional reading of this sequence is that the Sheriff’s shock is only due to seeing a dead body, not because he feels guilty for not protecting Llewelyn. When he sees Carla Jean later on in the sequence, he takes his hat off only as a sign of respect sign her husband has just died. He doesn’t do it in order to apologise for not keeping his promise.

In conclusion, it is easy, through being a passive or active spectator, for one viewer to approach a character in a completely different way to another viewer by bringing their own views, experiences and opinions to the film. In this essay, I have proven that both Ree in Winter’s Bone and the Sheriff in No Country For Old Men can both be viewed in completely different lights depending on how you approach a film/sequence with theories backing up this idea.

Spectatorship Essay Plan

• Intro (a few paragraphs) – Audiences can be passive and active. Explain what passive and active is. Can also be both at same time. Can encourage passive/active through the language of film.
• Stuart Hall Reception Theory explanation. – preferred, oppositional, negotiated
• Audience Positioning explanation
• “Uses and Gratifications Theory” explanation
• Paragraph 5 – Short synopsis of Winter’s Bone
• Paragraph 6 – Winter’s Bone Squirrel Sequence. Explain preferred reading. No choice but to be active spectator. Cinematography.
• Paragraph 7 – Winter’s Bone Squirrel Sequence mise-en-scene
• Paragraph 8 – Oppositional Reading of Squirrel Sequence
• Paragraph 9 – Winter’s Bone Cattle Sequence. Explain preferred reading. Cinematography.
• Paragraph 10 – Cattle Sequence use of sound.
• Paragraph 11 – Oppositional reading
• Paragraph 12 – NCFOM synopsis
• Paragraph 13 – No Country For Old Men Opening Sequence preferred reading. Cinematography.
• Paragraph 14 – Opening Sequence sound
• Paragraph 15 – Oppositional reading
• Paragraph 16 – Llewelyn death sequence preferred reading. Cinematography.
• Paragraph 17 – Llewelyn death sequence performance
• Paragraph 18 – Oppositional reading
• Paragraph 19 – Conclusion

 

 

Spectatorship

Past and sample questions: How far do your films demonstrate a constant shift between passive and active spectatorship?

How far do your films demonstrate the importance of visual and soundtrack cues in influencing spectator response?

Our essay question: Explore some of the reasons why spectators may respond in different ways to the same character.

Discuss how important cinematography is in creating a powerful response in the spectator.

Winter’s Bone: (Ree)

No Country For Old Men: (Ed Bell)

Winter’s Bone Squirrel Sequence: Bold = specific cinematography

• No choice in this sequence but to be an active spectator as the sequence has no obvious meaning.
• Two readings that one might take from this sequence by the audience, a preferred reading and an oppositional one.
• Preferred reading – the squirrel is a metaphor for Ree in a dream.
• The frightened squirrel is having it’s home taken away. Vultures are watching over the squirrel. Typically they’re greedy & scavengers.
• Typically, squirrels are vulnerable, hardworking and resourceful.
• We sympathise with the squirrel as the shots are taken from its point of view.
• All the same as Ree in the film ^
• Visually, the sequence is out of place compared to the rest of the film. 
• The shots are all in black and white and has a letterboxed, pillarboxed aspect ratio.
• Rest of film is in colour with a regular cinema aspect ratio.
• Visually, the quality seems to be a lot lower than in the other sequences. Seems as if it is filmed on video rather than film. This differing visuals gives the idea to the audience that this is not real life.
• Almost looks like found footage, observing and following the squirrel. 
• The score used is one of the only in the film and is discomforting and puts you on edge.
• The harsh visuals allows the film to not conform to the typical ‘dream’ sequence that we associate with Hollywood films – usually they’re quite light, dreamy and happy. 
• Oppositional reading – this is a representation of Ree’s future but is not a dream at all.
• Still a metaphor for Ree but not taken as a dream. It’s something we as an audience see but she doesn’t.
• We get to see her future predicted.
• This is a reading the director doesn’t want us to take from the sequence.

Winter’s Bone Cattle Sequence: (bold = cinematography)

• Preferred reading – a feminist representation of women in the hierarchy. (active spectator.)
• In the first shot which we see Ree in this scene, there is a mid shot as she fearlessly and confidently approaches the cattle market. HOwever, her representation quickly changes. 
• Near the beginning of the scene, there is a high angle wide shot at the top of the stalls with Bob Milton approaching the camera. Ree is placed at the bottom of the stalls full of men, representing the bottom of the hierarchy that she is placed in. In this shot, she looks small, out of place, unnoticed and invisible.
• The multiple shots throughout the scene containing cages represent the metaphorical cage that she is placed in as a woman. The animals trapped inside the cages could be representational of women in general, but more specifically Ree being trapped due to her father taking away her home. 
• Throughout the scene, the diegetic sounds are loud, with lots of men shouting, the sounds of cages and animals making noise. Frustrating and overwhelming for audience.
• Later on in the scene, in a low angle shot, the diegetic sounds of her shouting for Bob are drowned out by diegetic sounds of animals screaming and a non diegetic score that sounds a lot more chaotic and overwhelming. Reflects her frustration.
• Although she is placed a lot higher than Bob in this shot, she presents little power compared to him.
• Oppositional reading – this is just Ree trying to find Bob Milton and get his attention. (passive spectator – just accepts what the director has shown on the screen.)
• There is no explicit representation of feminism in this scene.

No Country For Old Men Opening Sequence:

• Preferred reading – the location metaphorically represents the Sheriff. (active spectator)
• Before we even see the first shot, a J-cut is used in order to play the narration over the opening titles before the shots themselves begin.
• In the opening, we see a sequence of long shots of an isolated area full of hills, grass and mountains: very desert looking. The shots themselves are quite relaxing (contradicting to the film itself which is extremely tense and quite off-putting at some points) but everything looks quite run down as we look out onto the background of the location.
• Represents the Sheriff.
• Lack of actual visual elements in the opening shots allow the audience to have to focus on the narration as there’s nothing else to focus on. 
• We don’t actually know where this location is or why we are looking at this so this is a question we start off with. We question the importance and relevance of this setting and if it’s where the film itself is set.
• The non diegetic narration over the top of the shots leads us to even further questions. The narrations actual meaning contradicts the relaxing shot as this unknown character talks about the new wave of violent crime and having to now carry guns around.
• Although there is no physical appearance of this character, we learn from the narration itself that he is a male, quite old and a sheriff.
• Oppositional reading – the shots of the location only represent where the film is set aka quite a remote, isolated desert.

No Country For Old Men: Llewelyn Death

• Preferred reading – failing male patriarchy. Sheriff’s shock because he couldn’t protect Llewelyn like he promised Carla Jean. Not ‘macho man hero’
• Initial mid shot of Sheriff driving when we hear gunshots. We can see his initial confusion. Possibly also fear as we know he isn’t used to this kind of crime. 
• When he gets out of the car, a shaky handheld tracking shot with camera placed in front of the Sheriff with the Sheriff approaching the camera as he approaches the casualties. 
• The shakiness of the shots represents the Sheriff’s fear and also increases the tension of the audience. Our anxiety increases as the Sheriff’s does. 
• We see a sort of ‘glance-object shot’ of the Sheriff’s face before we see Llewelyn dead. Our apprehension as the audience is increased as we worry about what is in front of the Sheriff. 
• We see his shock not due to the fact that there’s a dead body in front of him but because he realises he couldn’t protect Llewelyn
• Later on in the sequence, the mid shot of the interaction between the Sheriff and Carla Jean when he takes off his hat to show his respect to Carla Jean and apologies for breaking his promise of ‘not hurting her man’. 
• “when Llewelyn calls, just tell him I can make him safe”
• “I will not harm your man.”
• Sheriff was supposed to protect Llewelyn like he promised Carla Jean but he couldn’t do his job properly, showing the failing male patriarchy and how the country is no longer for old men.
• Oppositional reading – Llewelyn died and the Sheriff is shocked only due to seeing a dead body
• His shock on his face is due to him seeing a dead body in front of him.
• He only takes his hat off when he sees Carla Jean as a sign of respect due to her dead husband. He doesn’t do it to apologise for not keeping his promise.

Active Spectatorship: Audience Positioning

Audience positioning is the second version of active spectatorship and a theory developed by Stuart Hall. It involves placing the audience in a particular position which may skew their view of a scene/message. A great example of this is camera shots and angles. To put it simply, the angle a camera is at can tell us/deny us certain things as an audience. Low angle shots can deny us of a character’s appearance which may skew our opinions of a scene. A shot can be placed in a particular position to modify their emotions. For example, a close up in an emotional scene can make the audience connect with the emotional connection and become more sympathetic with the audience involved. By placing us in a point of view shot from a specific character, we are made to look at the scene from a certain view and identify with a certain character. By shifting camera positions and angles, the audience is made to actively identify with different characters at different times of the film.

Corleone audience positioning – YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com › watch