HOW DOES MY BRITISH

GANGSTER FILM “BLOW”

REPRESENT PARTICULAR SOCIAL

GROUPS?

In the very first scene of my opening it

begins with a close up of Tonys face. His

face is in the centre of the screen and fills up

most of the screen. His eyes are facing

down in concentration. The fact that a close

up of his face is the first thing that the

audience sees suggests that he is the main

character. The lighting in this scene is quite

low which makes his blue sweater stand out.

During this first scene there is a voice over

which is accompanied by non - diegetic slow

music. Whilst these two shots are on screen

Tony says in his voice over “this is me”

which shows that this is him in the present

day and suggests there could be a flash

back to follow. The close up of Tonys face

stays on screen for barely two seconds

before cutting to a side view of tony rolling a

cigarette whilst the camera vertically pans

up. The low level lighting creates quite a

dark atmosphere and the slow motion shows

Tony to look relaxed but makes the

audience feel like something is going to

happen. In this scene tony looks like he is at

home and in control of what he is doing. He

doesn't look like he has anything to worry

about.

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

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.

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

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