Representation of social class and age - About a girl

 http://moodle.centralsussex.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=42640


MES, Camera, Sound, Editing


Scene locations:

• Canal
• Outside of a pub
• In a field at the beginning
• Cafe
• Football pitch
• Perfume shop
• Outside a house
• Car park
• On a bus

Titling sequence:
The font chosen for the title is an old style texting font. As the film was made 12 years ago, this was the only type of phone available so this may not indicate social class as much as it does age however if the film had been made more recently it would be the type of font you would find on a cheap mobile phone, this gives an indication of the kind of working class she is before the film has even begun. The way each letter changes is supposed to represent non-predicative text which you would find especially with this type of phone. This titling also relates to young people (especially teenagers) because they are the majority that have mobile phones. The non-diegetic sound of beeping as each letter is presented on the screen also reinforces the idea of texting. The white title fades to black which conveys the narrative of the film, the way her feelings of happiness fade.


Opening shot: Introduction of the character

The low key lighting featured here shows the girl as a shadow. This could represent that she is considered unseen, not important and could feel insignificant and not in 'the limelight'. The diegetic sound of her singing pop music (Britney spears) and dancing by herself in a large jacket represents lower class in the way that if compared a girl ballet dancing to opera would seem much higher class. This shot is set in an extreme long shot to show how isolated she is which could be seen metaphorically that she is also feels isolated in her life, which is conveyed more as the film progresses. Looking at the background, the clouds are moving considerably quickly, this could represent how fast her life is moving in contrast to the still foreground which could represent that this fast pace life is leaving her behind.


Canal shot: Main shot


This is the main shot of the film captured by an old, industrial looking canal. These shots are represented as the present day, the other scenes are more flashback/memory type of shots. The background here is constantly changing again like the clouds in the first shot to represent her life and also how she is jumping from place to place not having the feeling of a secure home.


Her diegetic dialogue is spoken with a Mancunian accent. This coincides with the industrial setting as Manchester has a strong industrial past. Her limited vocabulary contains a lot of swearing and slang such as 'mam' 'ciggies' 'like'. This gives the impression of a under class stereotype as rough and less well educated. She begins speaking here but a sound bridge runs throughout the film, this is to explain her memories and makes each shot relate to the next.She also uses phrases such as 'do I look like a fucking bank' and 'knock off largers' which suggests lack of money and she believes the high life is having Bacardi breezers and is unaware of what champagne even is. This indicates under class and she doesn't know what people of a higher class to her drink or do.


She is shot here in hoop earrings, scraped back hair, puffy jacket and tracksuit trousers. This are cheap, less fashionable clothing choices which represent her ability to afford other clothes. The setting location of a run down looking canal with a graffiti covered industrial background and litter also represents the wealth and care of where she lives. Pathetic fallacy is used to represent the mood of her life and how like the dull grey sky, she feels upset and alone.


A hand held camera is used here to represent her rough, jumpy lifestyle and give the effect nothing in her life runs smooth. Towards the end of the film, there is a birds eye view shot with her composed to the bottom left of the frame before she throws the plastic bag in the water. This shows how isolated and alone she is in this situation and before us as the audience realise what is in the bag in the following shots, this birds eye view is an indicator of her feelings and the atmosphere of what is about to happen.

The slow decline in saturation represents the mood and tone of the film where the situation becomes progressively worse right up to the darkest moment where she throws the newborn baby in the river. The use of jump cuts in this scene is to again represent her jumpy lifestyle. 




Flashbacks/memories:
Pub

This pan out to an ELS represents isolation and shows visually how alone she is.With this ELS we as the audience can see her full costume which conveys lower class and cheap clothing. The saturation is dulled to again use as a form of pathetic fallacy. The diegetic sound of men shouting in the pub makes her appear vulnerable, which is reinforced as she begins to quietly sing lyrics that convey her feelings such as "I've had enough".


Café
This medium two shot is to represent the relationship between the girl and her father. The way her father reacts to the girls dialect shows lack of respect and adds to the suggestion these characters are lower class combined with the fact her parents are divorced as it is a stereotype lower class families are not close or together.The saturation is higher here which could represent her feelings of hope that she could live with her dad, then completely drops in the next shot of her by the canal to show her feelings of disappointment.

On the bus

The use of the setting of a bus at night conveys the girls must use public transport as their parents cannot afford to drive them places. This places the audience to believe they could be vulnerable and in danger alone at night. The hand held camera represents their youth and how none of this is serious. The diegetic sound of the girls all singing at once in high pitched voices represents youth and the girls age.


Canal end shot
The lighting here in this ELS which divides the screen could suggest everything the other side of the river (representing the world) is a positive place but where she comes from (her side of the canal) is difficult and a bad place which is shown through a duller saturation and darker lighting. We also hear the diegetic sound of her slowly humming the song she has been singing throughout the film which continues the feeling of sadness and loneliness.


Age
The plot content gives us the most indication of her age and makes us have a negative opinion of her as 13 years old is very young to have a baby. It also plays on the under class stereotype that girls who have children young are more likely to be poorer. However we are positioned as the audience to think a certain way about the character from the beginning feeling pity for her whereas when we are shown she has thrown her dead baby into a river, it creates shock and confusion due to restricted narration.