Codes and Conventions of British Social Realism

By Hannah Burgess

The codes and conventions of British Social Realism are;

•Location shooting (not studio)•Wide shots

•Non-professional actors•Semi improvised scripts•Humour and seriousness

•The erosion of regional identities•Wider social issues explored via emotional

and dramatic individual stories•Triumph over adversity

Location Shooting

By using locations rather than the studio, it makes

the film seem more true to real life for the audience

to watch. An example of this is in Fish Tank as it uses an actual council estate

within the film.

British Social Realism films are filmed on actual, real life locations such as parks and council estates and not in made up sets in studios like big Hollywood films use.

Wide Shots

British Social Realism films use a range of camera shots but use a lot of wide shots within their films. This is for the audience to get a good understanding of what's going on, or where the setting is.

This is an example of a wide shot used in the British Social Realism film, Bullet Boy.

Non-professional ActorsBritish Social Realism films use non-professional or unknown actors as it adds to the realistic look. Also, many British Social Realism films cannot afford popular, Hollywood actors to be in their films as the budget is usually quite low. For example, Katie Jarvis (main character in Fish Tank)was spotted in a train station arguing with her boyfriend.

Semi-Improvised ScriptsSemi-improvised scripts are sometimes used in British Social Realism in order to achieve ‘realistic’ dialogue and true to life-like conversations. For example, Ken Loach used semi-improvised scripts in hisBritish Social Realism film – Kes.

Humour and SeriousnessBritish Social Realism films deal with a lot of everyday issues people go through such as unemployment and gang culture. It does this with a good level of seriousness but also incorporates humour within the film.

Regional IdentitiesThe regional identity of a British Social Realism film depends on where the film is set and based around. The film would use the appropriate accents/language, correct settings and the local issues in the region. For example, in Yasmin, the issue of Racism was used, which was evident in the area as the focal point in the film. Yasmin also used the appropriate accent for the town it was set in, and because itfeatured the Muslim community, it made sure the Muslim characters were wearing precisely the right clothing andgoing by their religious views.

Wider social issues explored via emotional and dramatic individual stories

This is used in British Social Realism films as a wide issue that affects many people is told through an individual and their life.

For example, in The Full Monty, unemployment and the recession is shown through the main character as he has lost his job as a coalminer.