Research Tasks - Jess Garman

'Wasp' - Andrea Arnold - 2003

• Genre = social realsim. Camera work - We are introduced to the characters with a mid close up on their legs walking down the stairs in a council flat estate. The legs are dirty and not wearing shoes, and the stairs look unclean, this immediately suggests to the audience that it's a working/under class family. Costumes = the little girls' clothes are unclean and ill-fitting (for example, one of the girls is wearing a dress-up tutu as her regular attire), showing the audience that they have little money to spend on clothing. The language is entirely un-filtered and realistic to the situation (if a little dramatic), which establishes the mum characters as an un-conventional mother. Shaky camera work is a key feature, which makes the audience feel more involved in the action (as though they are spectators actually in the scene rather than watching a film). This is also achieved with a lack of cuts in the editing and more pans and tilts to go between the characters.




• Extreme close ups are used very often and make the audience uncomfortable with the proximity. We are made to identify more with the main character in the way that these close ups are directed at particluar things or people that she's looking at. For example, when she's talking to Dave she looks down at her feet which tells the audience she's self conscious about being barefoot in the street in front of him.



• Todorov's theory is not used in Wasp as the audience are introduced immediately into the action. The events unfold in what is a day-to-day fashion for the characters, starting in the morning and finishing at night. I wouldn't use this structuring in our own film as its only 5 minutes long which doesn't give the audience time to fully attach to the characters and develop an understanding of their background. It is a complex situation and I would want to keep the narrative relatively simple so as to achieve the most from my camera work, mise-en-scene, editing skills. For example, what would usually be used as opening establishing shots (extreme long shots of the city) are used at the end which does not stick to conventions of film-making.



• Diegetic sound is the only type used, and certain noises are made louder in the extreme close-ups, which emphasises the sense of claustraphobia. Non-diegetic sound is used only at the end after the children in the car have sung 'Hey Baby' then the song comes on over extreme long shots of the setting. This gives it a more uplifiting ending so that the audience aren't left feeling depressed.



• The audience are positioned to sympathise with the audience from the start (during the fight scene) as the camera makes the other woman look more threatening and intimidating by using low angle benneath her looking up. The fact of the family's unfortunate position is bound to make the audience sympathise more and we really care about the children which means the film is giving a sympathetic representation of working class life. It is a difficult subject matter being dealt with (brings up the question of whether the children should be taken away from her) and this shows the gritty nature of social realism.