Narrative Assessment - Skyfall

Give three examples of how action codes are used in the film Skyfall and explain how these help to tell the story. (3) 
 - Through action codes we as an audience can make a presumption that Silver is homosexual. This is never mentioned throughout the film however when we see Silver stroking James Bond's leg, chin and unbuttoning his shirt it has connotations of sexual attraction. Therefore, this action code can suggest that Silver is homosexual.
- Furthermore, action codes are used in the narrative when M hears that Bond has been shot. Her facial expressions and actions during this scene indicates to the audience that this is isn't what she wanted and the mission has now become a failure. We know this as she remains silent and stands staring through the window.
- Another action code which helps to tell the story is when we see Bond in hiding and he is playing drinking games. This indicates to the audience that this is not what Bond should be doing as a secret agent and suggests that he is clearly not working for MI6 at this time.

Give three examples of the use of enigma codes in Skyfall and explain how these keep the audience engaged. (3) 
- At the beginning of the film enigma codes are used frequently. We as the audience begin to question who the man is that he is chasing and why he wants the hard drive. We also question what is on the hard drive that is so significant.
- When Bond is being psycho analysed and the word 'Skyfall' is mentioned, Bond replies saying "done" and walks out. Therefore, we begin to question why he has walked out at the mention of this word.
-A further enigma code used within the film is when we question why Silver is after M. We as an audience don't find out the answer to this till later on in the film, therefore it leaves us questioning it for the majority of the film.

Analyse the film's narrative structure using a narrative theory, and argue which even in the film corresponds with each stage of the theory. (8) 
Skyfall follows Robert Mckee's Five Part Narrative Theory. To begin with the inciting incident happens which sets the story off: Patrice steals the hard drive. Progressive complications then occur as Bond chases Patrice to attempt to get the hard drive back. This results in Moneypenny accidentally shooting Bond instead of Patrice. The crisis happens when the information off the hard drive is revealed and posted on the internet, with 5 undercover agents names threatened to be revealed each week. The climax of the film then occurs when Silver escapes from prison and destroys the house which M and Bond are currently hiding in. We then see the resolution of the narrative as Bond goes into see Mallory and is given another mission to do. This shows that everything is back to normal, despite the loss of M.

Besides the narrative how is the audience engaged by the film? (6) 
- One way the audience may be engaged by the film is the association with earlier Bond films. If a spectator has watched previous Bond films they will pick up on things from previous films such as the character types etc.
- The fact that Daniel Craig stars as James Bond may be another way of engaging the audience. Some audience members go to watch films simply because their favorite actor is in it. Therefore, Skyfall will engage an audience of Daniel Craig fans.
- The audience is also engaged through the genre. Skyfall is an action film with many fast cuts, chase scenes and explosions which create tension throughout. This keeps the audience engaged by the film as there is always something happening.

Main Body - Essay Plan

1 - Outline the general stereotypes of British Teens today in society.
- Nick Lacey, Image and Representation, 1998, Pg 135: "Stereotypes are an invaluable aid to understanding the world and all stereotypes must have, in Perkins' terms, a 'kernel of truth'; or they would not have such an influence on our lives."
"Are an essential part of making sense of the world and society."
- General stereotypes: Antisocial, involved with crime, gangs, teenage pregnancy, smoking, drug taking, binge drinking, violent, involved in fights.
- Use facts/stats/evidence to back this up.
- Clive Gifford, Gangs, 2006, Pg 8: "The number of teenage members of gangs has increased in         many countries in the past 20 years".
- Clive Gifford, Gangs, 2006, Pg 6: "Many children are in a gang at a school. It makes them feel part of a group of mates".

2 - Outline common theme/ representation throughout the three focus films I chose.
-All three films highlight mainly the negative representations of British teenagers in society and reinforce the stereotypes which currently exist.

3 - Talk about each film in detail, give examples of certain scenes which reinforce or challenge a general stereotype of British teens. 

-Bulletboy:

• Younger generation drawn to violence/crime due to influence of older teenagers. For example, Curtis gets gun from his older b./rother, Rikki, which results in him shooting his friend. 
• Children getting joy from playing with gun, using it as a toy(Rio and Curtis). This suggests that the weapon is a normal, everyday item for them to see.
• Crime is clearly a regular occurrence among teenagers. For example: when the police raid happens Rikki's mum acts like it is nothing new, he gets arrested and taken to the police station, it is clear that this has happened various times before as she is not shocked by this. This reinforces the general stereotype of British teenagers. 
• The film gives out the overriding message that the life of crime leads to losing everything. During the film we see Rikki lose his family, girlfriend, best friend and eventually himself as he gets shot. 
• Crime is seen as something to show off about within the younger generation. We see this in the film when Rio says "I can't wait to show everyone at school" regarding his bullet wound. 
• At the end of the film we see Curtis throw the gun into the water. This is an optimistic ending and gives a positive representation as Curtis is throwing away the life of crime as he realises it is the wrong way to be.
• However - The actions/behaviour of the characters in the film may not be due to the fact they are teenagers, but the fact that they are from a disadvantaged background and lack opportunities, therefore turn to crime and violence. (FIND QUOTE)

-Kidulthood:

• Physical bullying taking place among teenagers in secondary school. This is seen in the film when a girl on her own, Claire, gets pushed against a wall and attacked by a group of girls. Furthermore, peers are watching as though it's normal to see, no one is shocked by the violence and bullying taking place which suggests that this is a regular occurrence among British teens.
• Drugs are a common theme throughout the film. We see two 15 year old school girls taking drugs for recreational purposes. We further see a group of boys casually talking about smoking cannabis in school which highlights how drugs are part of their everyday life. This reinforces the stereotype which society holds against teenagers. 
• Teen pregnancy is shown within Kidulthood. A young girl, Alisa, finds out she is pregnant. Whilst knowing she is pregnant she takes drugs which reinforces the negative stereotype of teens. 
• A young girl, Claire, results in suicide as she is a victim of bullying in school. This shows the extreme outcome of anti social youths in British societies today. 
• Throughout the film all of the teenagers use the vernacular. This is a stereotypical representation of young people who choose to adopt the slang language. 

-Harry Brown:

• Disrespectful towards others in the community, especially women. For example, when Noel Winters swears at his mum and tells her to 'shut up'. He also shouts direspectful, sexual abuse at DI Frampton calling her a 'bitch' etc. Furthermore, Noel grips a girl up against the subway wall even though she looks uncomfortable about the situation. 
• Graffiti on the walls around the local area where the teenagers hang around. This highlights the decline of society due to youths today. 
• The area in which the teenagers hang around is trashed, there is litter all over the floor etc. This ruins the area for the rest of the community. 
• Teenagers linger around the subway, this makes it uncomfortable for other members of the community to walk through. This represents teens in a negative way and as a threat to society. 
• Physical/verbal abuse occurs among teenagers. A group of teens attack a couple both physically and verbally. 

4 - Back up with secondary research.

- Online article, The Telegraph, "Teenage robbery crime wave sweeping Britain" , www.telegraph.co.uk, 2009
"The equivalent of 11 teenagers are guilty of mugging every day in the courts"
"Those convicted of sex offences has also increased by 16 per cent, from 469 in 1997 to 543 a decade later."
"Police also recorded more than 26,000 serious knife attacks in the year up to March 2009, meaning that 72 people a day are stabbed or robbed at knifepoint."

- Government website, Youth Justice Statistics, www.gov.uk, 2015
"In the year ending March 2015 there were around 950,000 arrests for notifiable offences in England and Wales, of which 94,960 were of people aged 10 - 17 years."
"Overall young people were convicted of 87,160 proven offences(those resulting in a caution or conviction) in the year ending March 2015."

5 - Evaluate the sources I have used. 
- 3 chosen films: Without the negative representations, there would be no film. The representations are exaggerated within the film to build on the storyline, this can lead to the conclusion that films are an unreliable source to use when researching the representations of British teens as it may not be a true representation.
- The Telegraph: Newspapers are generally reliable sources as they can't provide false information to the public.
- Government Statistics: Often very reliable, however can be misused as sometimes certain aspects aren't included.


          - Info included in draft 1 

Introduction Draft 2

This essay will explore the representations of British teenagers in three crime dramas: Bulletboy(Saul Dibb, 2004 ), Kidulthood (Menhaj Huda, 2006) and Harry Brown(Daniel Barber, 2009).  A representation is how people, places and things are portrayed through the media. Currently, media products are providing many different representations of teenagers, which is why this is an important yet interesting topic to study. The media often creates stereotypes through representations, this can lead to the audience holding an inaccurate judgement on certain people, places and things. An example of this is the negative representation of teenagers in the media today, it leads to people in society presuming that all teenagers behave this way despite the many good things that a certain amount of teenagers demonstrate. This is shown in an article on www.goodnewsnetwork.org which states that "A higher number of teens in twelfth-grade are volunteering at least one per month. The proportion rose from 24 percent in 1991 to 37 percent in 2012, according to Child Trends." However, due to the overwhelming scope of negative representations portrayed in the media, the more positive tend to be less evident. This essay will address these issues.

Introduction

This essay will explore the representations of British Teenagers in three crime dramas: Bulletboy(Saul Dibb, 2004 ), Kidulthood (Menhaj Huda, 2006) and Harry Brown(Daniel Barber, 2009).  A representation is how people, places and things are portrayed through the media. Currently, media products are providing many different representations of teenagers, which is why this is an important yet interesting topic to study.

Research Task - Initial Ideas

An investigation into the representations of British teenagers in three crime dramas.
-Bulletboy (2004)
-Harry Brown (2009)
-Brotherhood (2016)

Genre Research Task

Chosen genre: Horror

Repertoire of generic elements: 
Setting: Horror films are usually set in an abandoned house, a dark alleyway or in a dark forest. Typically anywhere that is dark or isolated as it adds to the sense of fear for the audience.

Props: Horror films tend to involve weapons, blood, masks.

Characters: In horror films there is usually a victim, a hero, a villain and presence of the supernatural.

Themes: Usually the theme of good vs evil occurs in horror films. As well as other common themes such as supernatural, revenge, beyond death and insanity.

Lighting: Usually dull and gloomy lighting in order to create a sense of fear or mystery etc. 

Give examples of typical products from this genre:

The Exorcist (1973)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Scream (1996)
The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
Sinister (2012)
The Conjuring (2013)
Insidious (2013)
Paranormal Activity (2015)
Poltergeist (2015)
The Darkness (2016)
Friend Request (2016)

How has this genre achieved repetition and difference? Examples

The horror genre has achieved repetition by consistently giving the audience what they want: fear. Although this genre has began to create difference as it becomes a hybrid and joins with other genres such as comedy and sci-fi, An example of this would be the 'Scary Movie' films, these films combine horror with comedy which provides difference within the horror genre and attracts a wider target audience.

Chart the genre's historical development (its popularity, its changing identity hybridity) 
Horror has become more and more popular over time as it joins with other genres creating a hybrid. The mix of two genres allows for a wider target audience and therefore more profit for the producers. It makes the film more appealing as the audience are still getting the element of horror, however are also getting an element of a completely different genre which is why overall it is becoming increasingly popular. 

Opening Scene - Pulp Fiction

Using generic signifiers, how is the genre of the film made clear in the opening two scenes?



What enigmas are present in these two scenes?

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In terms of narratives, how is the opening of this film different from the usual way of starting a film?
Pulp Fiction follows a different narrative structure compared to most films. The opening scenes show two completely different stories that don't appear to have a link. The scenes in the film are mixed up and unclear which gives the audience something they are not expecting. The satisfaction of the audience comes from trying to work it out as the film is not in chronological order. It provides difference for the audience which other films don't.

What stereotypes are challenged/reinforced in the opening of this movie? 


How has the director made these scenes interesting and appealing for the audiences despite the fact that not much actually happens?