Audience research 3 - Analysis

Yasmin Schmitz
Audience research three Analysis

Films watched
Intro 1: Sweet Sixteen
Intro 2: Kes
Intro 3: Dirty pretty Things

I decided to use these three films firstly because I have Kes and Dirty Pretty things on DVD and I managed to borrow Sweet Sixteen from a friend. Secondly, Kes and Sweet Sixteen are typical social realism films and thirdly, Dirty Pretty Things is a hybrid of social realism, underclass and immigration issues. It is not the most obvious social realism film to choose but I thought including a more mainstream film may affect people’s opinions.


1) Out of the three intro’s, which did you find the most engaging?
The outcome for the most frequent film was Dirty Pretty Things. One person said the reason they felt the most engaged by this film was because “It felt as though it was leading into a gripping story due to different perspective views shown by the camera.” At the beginning of the film, we are shown the many jobs of the main character Okwe. During the first few scenes, as Okwe is doing a night shift in a hotel, we are watching him from a perspective of someone else, as thought he is being watched. This connects the audience to the screen, they want to know who is watching him and why. In addition to this, the intro of Dirty Pretty Things was said to be “fast paced and straight away creates a sense of suspense.” This is true, in the first two minutes of the film, it quickly cuts to all the different jobs that Okwe has, one of them being a hotel receptionist. As the film progresses, we see that he purposely drops a key on the floor and another woman picks it up. As the previous person said, it straight away creates a sense of suspense. We want to know why he doesn’t confront her instead of dropping the key onto the floor. There are many questions that have not yet been answered.
Only a minority chose Sweet Sixteen to be the most engaging film. One person said, “I like the setting and the atmosphere, it is warm and makes me feel happy inside.” The beginning is very significant to the rest of the film because the content environment contrasts with the crime and violence the main character will have to face during the course of the film. This engages the audience because the mood of the intro in Sweet Sixteen is very settling and comforting.
Kes was the only film not chosen by anyone I think this is because the beginning is very slow, very quiet and very calm. Some viewers may not find this type of movie engaging and, as proven from above, prefer to have a gripping storyline with a vast amount of suspense


2) Is there a particular atmosphere in the opening of the film? How do you think this is achieved?
Intro 1
“There is a warm and happy atmosphere. I think this is achieved by the dim lighting and the tranquil music playing in the background.” I agree, the tone of Sweet Sixteen is very relaxing. It prepares the audience for the rest of the movie. I think the director does this so that we are not as shocked as the movie progresses. Also, the dim lighting shows a different side to the protagonist. Another person said, “I think there is quite and unsettling atmosphere as if something bad is about to happen. I think the shaky camera emphasise this.” This negative answer completely contrasts with the previous answer which was very positive. The shaky camera adds to the naturalistic effect. Hand held camera is used in this intro to follow the body’s natural rhythm and to create a sense of intimacy with the main character. Not to make the viewer feel tense although this technique can create a sense of suspense. A lot of people could get the impression that something bad was going to happen because there are teenagers, standing on a hill at night. This can lead to the wrong impression.
Intro 2
Not a lot was said about the movie Kes. Again, people said that there was a “happy and warm tone” this could be due to the warm lighting early in the morning or the view outside the window of the beautiful countryside. However, it was said that the happy tone was achieved by the “cheerful, jolly music played in the background.” The music is very upbeat but was quite old fashioned, therefore leading some people to think “There was a calm atmosphere but everything was quite slow.” The beginning is very slow, but the director wants you to focus completely on the main character. He achieves this by adding very little music and dialogue to the beginning of the film. This sets the calm tone.
Intro 3
The feedback I got for this movie was completely different to the other two movies. The first two movies were said to have a “calm” and “happy” tone to them. On the other hand, Dirty Pretty things, was said to have an “exciting, gripping and tense tone and is achieved with a handheld camera following the main character.” The handheld camera technique creates a sense of suspense. This particular intro is very good at suspense because it forces the viewer to ask a lot of questions which causes them to watch the rest of the film because they want these questions to be answered. On person said, “I think the suspense and the tense atmosphere were created by using a handheld camera and looking at things from a different perspective. Also, using the dark lighting adds to the mysterious tone.” It is clear that people have identified the techniques used to try and create a tense atmosphere. This is also why this movie was selected to be the most engaging out of the three intro’s in the first question.


3) Is the protagonist (main character) easily identified? If so, how?
Intro 1
“I think there are two possibilities in who the main character was. It was either the first guy we saw or the second.” This tells me that there was some confusion in identifying the main character. He went on saying “it was hard to decide which out of the two youngsters the main character was because you were focused on both of them.” The first character we see is the main character, he is a given a close up. The camera then pans across to the second main character. However, it does not focus on the main character more than it does the second, so it is not obvious who the main character is. Another person said, “It’s clear that the main character was the first teenager we saw because he is the only one you can hear talking and the first person we are directed to.” This answer clearly identifies the protagonist where as the first answer couldn’t. Although the dialogue is very hard to understand, we can justify who is speaking. This gives the viewers and answer to who the main character is.
Intro 2
A lot of people were able to realise who the main character was. “At first I thought the main character was the older boy, but then he went and we were left with the younger boy. That is when I realised that he was the main character.” The protagonist is more obvious in Kes than in Sweet Sixteen because it focuses completely on the boy as the intro progresses. Not many people said a lot about the main character in Kes, but he was easily identified. Another person stated that “The main character is easily identified because he is the first person to speak.” In film, the first person to speak can decide who the main character is because it shows a sense of control. That person is the first person to speak there fore that person is the main character.
Intro 3
The main character in Dirty Pretty Things is very obvious. It was said that “the role of the main character was apparent because we were only focusing on him. There were no other important characters in the scenes and we were given a lot of information about him just in the first two minutes.” I think Dirty Pretty Things has the most easily identifiable protagonist because of the exact reasons stated in the answer above. The do not focus on any other character as much as they focus on Okwe. Also, they reveal a lot of information about him, for example how many jobs he has and that he shares a flat with another girl. The viewers can already start to build an emotional attachment to him.


4) The genre “social realism” deals with current social issues in a realistic and genuine style. How do you think these three intros qualify to be a social realism film?
Intro 1
“I think Sweet sixteen is the perfect example of social realism because it shows us what teenagers get up to in their every day lives.” I agree with this answer. The intro shows a group of youth hanging around in a park which is usually what teenagers do in their free time. However one person said this, “Although teenagers do hang out in parks at night, they don’t usually do it with a telescope, stargazing with little children.” In some ways, this person is true. Usually youth today are getting drunk in the park not stargazing with little children. On the other hand, it shows that they are trying to make money off them, and that is something teenagers would do. A lot of people agree that Sweet sixteen is the perfect example for a social realism film because it shows a lot of issues that teenagers have to face today.
Intro 2
“Kes is a good example of social realism because it doesn’t have any special effects or gory horror. It’s just a boy’s normal life and how he deals will minor issues that everyone has to face every now and again.” I thought this was a very good answer because that is exactly what Kes is all about, the boy’s life. Although he does face a few issues, they are not issues that people don’t face like in a horror or in an action thriller. People can easily relate to this film. A lot of people say that Kes qualifies to be a social realism film the most out of all of these because it it so simple and deals with real life issues in a realistic way.
Intro 3
“Dirty Pretty Things is not your average social realism film. I think this because it has so much suspense; it is almost like a thriller.” Yes, there is a lot of suspense in this film but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t a social realism. The director includes all of this suspense to engage the audience to make it more successful for mainstream viewers. Another person realised this and said, “although this movie is not a typical social realism film, it still deals with a social issue that people today have to face every day. Immigration.” This is very true. The issues involved in Dirty Pretty Things are some of the key situations that people come across every day. That is what makes it so realistic. Also, some people think that because it doesn’t deal with the lives of youth, it cannot be a realistic film. I disagree with this, immigration threatens people of all ages and happens to be a very engaging topic in itself which automatically creates a lot of drama and a lot of thrill.


5) Are there any aspects of the picture and sound that you feel are particularly effective?
Intro 1
It was said that “the director of Sweet Sixteen has framed the views of the little children. The close up of the stars set the peaceful and tranquil tone.” When the camera shows a close up of the stars, this almost gives the movie its own theme. A sense of meaning and ambition. Focusing on the stars also sets the atmosphere, and shows that these teenagers have a good side to them. Another person said, “I think the close ups of the characters work well because we can clearly see that they are enjoying themselves.” The close up of the protagonists help the viewers empathise with the characters. It also creates a sense of intimacy. We feel calm and settled even though the intro is set on top of a dark grassy hill at night.
Intro 2
“The lighting in Kes is wonderful and is used very well.” The director only reveals the boys face from the dark when he sits up out of bed and looks outside the window. A beam of light frames his face and we get a full view of what the protagonist looks like. This creates a sense of intimacy and we can really empathise with the main character. Another person said, “The music in the background, although old fashioned, is very calm and simple and goes well with the setting of the film.” The setting is in the countryside and the music is just a simple flute playing a happy tune. They go well together because the countryside is said to be a beautiful place and the sound of a flute is also beautiful.
Intro 3
“The images chosen are very effective. Everything that the director has shot has some significance to the rest of the film. Nothing is out of place and it all adds to the suspense of the film.” I think this is true. There are many things going on in the beginning of the film, but nothing is wasted. Everything in the frame goes with the setting or with the main character. For example, the decorations in the cab work place shows that our main character is not from the UK but from somewhere else. This then sets a story in our mind. Another person said, “The music is very action like and busy as though something is going to jump up any minute.” The busy scene and busy music go very well together and create the hybrid genre of the movie. It also attracts a mainstream audience because when I first watched the film, hearing this music made me think that it was an action thriller. This music was used to engage the audience.


6) From your first impression of the opening of these three films, can you justify where the director’s interests lie? Can you distinguish any themes that may be present during the course of these three films?
Intro 1
The answers to this question were very limited. One person said “I think the director is interested in what teenagers get up to because that is what he is filming.” This is quite obvious as the film is about lives of teenagers. It was said that some themes present in this intro could be “teen crime, vandalism, poverty and money issues.” They said this because they see a group of teenagers on a hill trying to make money. This could mean that they are very poor.
Intro 2
“I think the director wants to send a message to the viewers, saying that films don’t have to have all of these special effects to be good.” I agree, and I think this is mainly what the director is interested in. Producing a film that has meaning. Themes that people thought were included in this film were, “underclass, mild school crime.” This boy is too young to be involved in any serious crime like drugs. Also, people thought he was to innocent to do anything like strong vandalism, so they concluded that he could only commit minor crimes like trying out cigarettes or writing on the walls of the toilets.
Intro 3
The themes in Dirty Pretty Things are much more obvious. Themes that people thought were present in this film were “drugs, violence, political issues or sex.” These are themes that are present in a lot of drama’s or action thrillers. This movie has these issues because the director is interested in attracting a mainstream audience. Some people realise that “The director wants this film to be successful In the media.” I agree. A lot of the issues and themes present in this film create an engaging movie and overall attracts the type of audience that the director wants. Unlike the director of Kes and Sweet Sixteen who want to send out a meaning to their viewers.


7) Finally, please select the film you think will be the most successful with a mainstream audience.
There was a clear winner for this answer. Everyone selected the film Dirty Pretty Things. No one selected Kes or Sweet Sixteen. This was because “Dirty Pretty Things has a very engaging intro, as soon as It begins you want to know what the issues of the film are. You want to know why he finds a heart in a toilet.” This is true, the intro of Dirty Pretty things makes the viewers ask a lot of questions which can only be answered by watching the rest of the film. This is why I think this movie would be the most successful film in the media. It was said that “Kes and Sweet sixteen are good, but the intro is not gripping enough and doesn’t have anything unusual happen to make the audience want to keep watching the movie.” I think that is also the reason why the whole Social Realism genre is quite unsuccessful with a mainstream audience. It just focuses on every life, people don’t want to watch something that they see every day, and they want to see something unusual, like a heart being found in a toilet. On the other hand, the minority that do enjoy social realism films like them because they can relate to the issues or the situations that the characters in the movies face.