Monday 16th September Homework

How is “practice” defined and what does it mean in British Social Realism?

Practice is defined as the way a movie is produced and finished. The  well-known method of working

How does politics influence practice?

Politics influence practice as they want their degrees to be specifically different to all of the other things and also want to show a obligation to a particular set of ideas about the social world

What is Ken Loach’s point?

Ken Loach states that the way you make a film is an important way of confirming the ideas in the film.

In terms of the film text itself what does the phrase “practice and politics” refer to?

The phrase ‘practice and politics’ refers to aspects that are not related to the text which will always influence the form, structure, content and style.

What exactly are filmmakers who want to depict “life as it is” reacting to?

Film makers are reacting to the practice of Hollywood and how it represents the world.

What do social realist texts often comment on?

Social texts often comment on the way to break away from the past conventions and practices that are shown to be ‘realist’ around realism.

What does Samantha Lay tell us British Social Realism movements been informed by?

Lay tells us that British Social Realism movements have been informed by a reforming  and revolutionary political spirit

What does Andrew Higson mean by the phrase “moral realism”?

Through free cinema in the mid 1990’s, British social realist texts have been pushed into different ideas by a mission or goal.

How does Lay explain the inextricability of practice from politics?

It is hard to separate practice from politics because in most of the moments they explained each other.

What was John Grierson’s mission and how did his productions stand in relation to the mainstream British film industry?

John Grierson’s mission was to educate and inform the audience through documentaries and his productions had different views on social realism which made them stand outside of the mainstream film industry in Britain.

What affected documentary production styles in Britain in the 30s and 40s and what were the results of this?

The lack of funds and resources affected the styles of the documentary production. The results of this happening was that he received unusual support from the government and brought about a collaborative approach.

 What does Lay say about the filmmakers’ commitment to documentary truth?

Lay says that their commitment to documentary truth  is shown in their practice because they had to 
use non-actors and normal civilians

Quoting Lindsay Anderson, how does Stephen Lacey link practice to politics in the work of the British New Wave filmmakers?

Stephen Lacey links practice to politics in the work of the British New Wave filmmakers by saying that the rejection of the studio system is closely linked to a rejection of a particular view of the world

Who formed the Free Cinema group, what was it and what were its principles and objectives?

The people who formed the Free Cinema group were Tony Richardson, Karel Reisz and Lindsay Anderson, and Lorenza Mazzetti. The Free Cinema group made creative and visually thrilling short films and documentaries. Their principles were to makes independent films without profit, without being helped by a studio and have the freedom to make their own decisions on what they want their short film to be about.

What were British New Wave filmmakers’ ambitions and intentions and how did they operate?

British New Wave filmmaker’s ambitions and intentions were used to help the aspiring director keep a place in the film industry. The film makers were interested  in extending cinematic representations to include the working class past London to the industrial towns and cities of the North of London

On what were British New Wave directors’ claims to realism based?

By having their regionally authentic casts in regionally authentic locations they made new claims to realism and also made it clear through social realist fictions which were only understood in documentary realist texts.

What did New Wave directors establish about character and place?

The New Wave directors recognized that character and place were connected and that the environmental factors determines a characters fates and fortunes massively  

Summarise the key points that Lay uses to affirm Ken Loach’s importance in social realism?

Ken Loach has been shaped by practice and politics. Loach's practice uses

Location shooting in naturalistic settings, he uses documentary realist techniques to explore the inequalities and conflicts in society. Some of his work was been censored because of his political views and the things that he chooses to look at. He was against thatcherism.

How has the collaborative, unit-style approach to filmmaking change over time?

The Griersonian documentary units were both joint and collective to the stage where the authorship became impossible to pin to one person.

How does Samantha Lay define the term “content” and what does she say about the relevance of content issues?

Lay says that “Content” is made up of two conjoined aspects. First is that the issues and themes that social realist texts have been trying to look in to and the second is  the type of representations that are usually made.

Issues and themes

What is content usually linked to?

Content in terms of themes and issues is usually linked to a film makers intent.

What does Lay say about intent and filmmakers’ choice of issues?

The intent is usually educational or socially helpful in a way. The choice of the issue is normally linked to a mission or a message.

Understanding how and why specific issues come into prominence at different points in history can reveal what?

It can show a variety of information about cultural and social attitudes if the time studied.

Why is looking at the way an issue is dealt with in different time periods important?

It is important to look at the way issues were dealt with in different time periods because it could tell you why certain themes might have been central at the specific time.

What is implied by the phrase “slice of life”?

It is thought that giving someone a ‘slice of life’ is showing them what life really is

Why is an understanding of the socio-historical context important?

In the 1950’s social realist text got dismissed and pushed to the background in later films. Social realist texts made claims that they provide a slice of life, which is why an understanding of socio-historical context is important.

For Lay, What is significant about the idea that film texts are “constructs”?

The significance is that all texts are constructed in a realist mode. So through an analysis of themes and issues we can determine what reality is being constructed and from what point of view or opinion

Explain fully how Lay differentiates between issues and themes?

Lay distinguishes the difference between issues and themes by saying that issues relate to different social issues shown in films that gave a cause for social concern. Issues normally end up being as inconsistent as fashion is.  She also says that social issues are more visual social concerns and usually have a high media profile, issues are also normally very clear. Themes are usually not as explicit however they are implied. Themes are at a deeper level and represent less obvious threats to the social world.