Research Of Existing Products - DVD Packaging and Film Poster

How is Skyfall a product of its time?

Terrorism and Criminality - 
Skyfall shows that terrorism has become an individual thing rather than something which is organised and planned by a group of people, as seen in a previous Bond film called Thunderball. Skyfall shows the change in terrorism and how it has progressed and become cyber based, all carried out through a single computer system and a single person.

Sexuality - 
Skyfall representations of gay people show that they have become far more positive compared to previous Bond films. For example, in Skyfall Silva is feared by many people whereas in Diamonds are Forever the two gay villains are laughed at. As Skyfall is the more recent film of the two it reflects the higher tolerance of homosexuality in society in modern day.

Gender - 
Skyfall representations of women are a lot less objectified, women are shown more respect than in previous Bond films. For example, in Skyfall Bond gets into the shower with a women because she gave him permission to. Whereas in Thunderball he enters the bathroom where a women is in the bath without any permission and sits there. Furthermore, Skyfall shows a redefined woman. We see this through Moneypenny, an independent woman, who resists Bond's charm. This reflects the independence and progression of women in a modern day society.

Chosen films - Genre

What are the generic identities of the two films you have chosen?

• The Silence of the Lambs - Thriller
• The Wolf of Wall Street - Comedy

Is there any evidence of sub-genercity?

• The Silence of the Lambs - Also has elements of horror and police crime drama.
• The Wolf of Wall Street - Also has elements of crime and it is slightly biographical as it is based on a true person. 

How do you know? (icons, signifiers, narrative structure, character types, actors associated with certain genres etc)

• The Silence of the Lambs -  
• The Wolf of Wall Street - 

In what ways do the films challenge the genre conventions?

• The Silence of the Lambs - 
• The Wolf of Wall Street - 

Outline the films' generic identities using non iconographic means?

• The Silence of the Lambs - 
• The Wolf of Wall Street - 

Choose a key sequence from each film and explain how it captures the film's genre.

• The Silence of the Lambs - 
• The Wolf of Wall Street - 

Films -
Skyfall
Silence Of The Lambs
The Wolf of Wall Street

Practical Coursework - Initial Ideas

-> Film poster and DVD packaging for a film which is about British teens and crime which links to my essay.

Essay - Draft 1

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.

Stereotypes are held all over the world today about different groups of people, a group which have an overall negative stereotype held of them is British teenagers. Nick Lacey states that “Stereotypes are an invaluable aid to understanding the world and all the stereotypes must have, in Perkins’ terms, a ‘kernel of truth’; or they would not have such an influence on our lives” (1998, p135).  Lacey further states that stereotypes “are an essential part of making sense of the world and society” (1998, p135). Society presumes that all teenagers are: antisocial, involved with crime, part of a gang, a victim of teenage pregnancy, violent towards others, involved in drug taking and binge drinking. This is due to the way that teenagers are portrayed through the media. Although, as earlier mentioned, there must be a ‘kernel of truth’ in these negative stereotypes that are being held. This is supported by Clive Gifford who states that “The number of teenage members of gangs has increased in many countries in the past 20 years” (2006, p8). Gifford further states that “Many children are in a gang at school. It makes them feel part of a group of mates” (2006,p6). This shows the ‘kernel’ of truth within the negative stereotype of British teenagers today.

All three of the British crime dramas which I have studied: Bulletboy, Kidulthood and Harry Brown focus mainly on the negative representations which are held and therefore reinforce the stereotypes held by society today.

From the film Bulletboy it can be gathered that crime is a regular occurrence among teenagers. For example: a teenager, called Ricky, is at home with his family when his house gets raided by the police. His mum acts like this is nothing new, he gets arrested and taken down to the police station and it is clear this has happened various times previously as his mum is not shocked by this. This scene of the film reinforces the general stereotype of British teenagers being highly involved with crime. Furthermore, in the film we see the younger generation being drawn to the life of violence and crime due to the influence of the older teenagers. An example of this is when a young boy, Curtis, gets a gun off his older brother which results in him shooting his friend. We also see children, Rio and Curtis, getting joy from playing with the gun although it is a toy, this suggests that the weapon is a normal, everyday item to see. The easy access to weapons suggests that teenagers are getting more involved with crime without even realising it. This gives an overall negative representation of British teenagers. During the film, we build up the idea that crime is almost something to show off about within the younger generation. A young boy called Rio, who gets shot, says that he “can’t wait to show everyone at school” regarding his bullet wound. This allows us to predict that being involved in crime gives younger people a higher status within their school or group of friends. The film gives out the overriding message that the life of crime among teenagers leads to losing everything. Throughout the film we see Ricky lose his family, girlfriend, best friend and eventually himself. This is almost warning teenagers away from the life of crime. At the end of Bulletboy we see Curtis throw the gun, the main weapon used, into the water. This is an optimistic ending and outlines a positive representation of teenagers as Curtis is throwing away the life of crime as he knows it is the wrong way to live. This challenges the general stereotypes of British teenagers in society. However, it must be recognised that the actions and behaviour of the characters in the film may not be due to the fact that they are teenagers, but the fact they are from disadvantaged backgrounds and lack opportunities. Therefore, they turn to violence and crime.

The film Kidulthood also represents British teenagers in a negative light. In the film we see physical bullying taking place among teens in a secondary school. An example of this is when a young girl, Claire, gets pushed against the wall and attacked by a group of girls. Peers are watching this as though it is a normal thing to see in school, no one is horrified by the violence and bullying which is taking place. This suggests that this form of bullying is a regular occurrence amongst British teenagers and therefore reinforcing the negative stereotypes which are held. Drug taking is a common theme throughout Kidulthood. We see two 15 year old school girls taking drugs for recreational purposes and also a group of boys casually talking about smoking cannabis in school. This highlights how drugs are part of an everyday teenage life and reinforces the stereotype which society holds against teenagers. Teen pregnancy is a further issue highlighted in Kidulthood. A young teen, Alisa, finds out that she is pregnant. Not only is she 15 and pregnant, but she takes drugs for recreational purposes whilst knowing that she is pregnant. This again reinforces the overall negative stereotype of teenagers today. A young girl, Claire, results in suicide as she is a victim of bullying in school. This highlights the extreme outcomes of anti-social youths in British societies today. Throughout the film all the teenagers use the vernacular. This reinforces the stereotypical representation of young people who choose to adopt the slang language. Overall, the film Kidulthood portrays British teens in a negative way.

Harry Brown is yet another British film which provides us with various representations of teenagers. To begin with we see the local area covered in graffiti which highlights the decline of society due to youths today. The teenagers in this film linger around the subway, making it uncomfortable for other members of the community to walk through. This portrays the youths almost as a threat to society as people fear them and their actions. The area around the subway where the gang of teenagers tend to congregate is trashed, with litter all over the floor. This shows a lack of respect that youths have for the local area as it ruins it for the other members of the community. In the film Harry Brown we see youths show disrespect towards other people in the community, especially women. An example of this is when a teenage boy, Noel Winters, shouts sexual verbal abuse at DI Frampton. He also grips a girl up against the subway wall even though it is clear that she is uncomfortable with the situation. This film gives an overall negative representation of British teens as we see the negative stereotypes which are held of teenagers being reinforced.

These films provide us with different representations of teenagers which are overall negative. However, without these extremely negative representations there would be no film. The representations are exaggerated within the film to build up 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 an accurate representation. Although there are various other sources which support the negative representations of teenagers shown within the three films. One of these sources is an online article from The Telegraph (2009) which is headlined “Teenage robbery crime wave sweeps Britain”. It states that: “The equivalent of 11 teenagers are guilty of mugging every day in the courts” and “Those convicted of sex offences has also increased by 16 per cent, from 469 in 1997 to 543 a decade later”. The Telegraph is a newspaper, which is generally seen as a reliable source as they cannot provide false information to the public. A further source which supports the negative portrayal of teenagers in the three films is the Youth Justice Statistics (2015) found on the official government website. It states that: “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”. It further states that: “Overall young people were convicted of 87,160 proven offences(those resulting in a caution or conviction) in the year ending March 2015.” The official government statistics are generally a reliable source and useful in my research towards the representations of British teenagers. However, official statistics can often be misused as sometimes certain aspects aren’t included within them.

Overall, my research has concluded that British teenagers are represented negatively among the majority of media products today.
(Need help with conclusion)

Skyfall - Representation Notes

Summarise how males are represented in Skyfall: 

• Q - represented as a feminine character as he is portrayed as gentle, delicate and softly spoken within the film which is a complete opposite to Bond's masculinity. He is a IT expert who comes across to the audience as 'geeky' or a 'nerd'. 
• Bond - represented as a masculine character as he works out on the field and involved in all the action. For example: chases/explosions/using weapons etc. 
• Silva - represented as both a masculine and feminine character. This is because he is a violent killer yet through the film we see a feminine side to him when there is an aspect of homosexuality portrayed through him. 

Summarise how females are represented in Skyfall: 

• M - represented as a masculine character, especially towards the end when she is involved with the action and using weapons. She is also a matriarch, the mother figure within the film, Silva and Bond refer to her as this. Overall she is represented as a powerful authority figure. 
• Moneypenny - represented as both a masculine and feminine character. She is involved in action throughout the film and from the start of the film we see her using a gun.  
• Bernice - represented as a typical vulnerable woman. In the film she is killed by Silva. 

Explain how stereotypes are challenged in Skyfall: 

• M - challenges the general stereotype of a woman of the older generation. She is expected to be a delicate, vulnerable old woman however she is the complete opposite within the film. She is a masculine character who has a lot of authority, power and involvement with action. 

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.