“Where have I been all your life?” Research and planning task 1 {[Jess]}

Title: Where have I been all your life?
Directed by Jim Field Smith
Year of production: 2007

Identify the genre/s or style/s used.
‘Where have I been all your life?’ is a social realism c omedy.
Mis en scene used effectively to show conventions of social realism. For example the first establishing shot shows a suburban street in London, giving off the idea of middle or perhaps a more working class area because of the terrace housing. The car that the main character is driving is a Nissan Micra, which is a popular car in the UK. In terms of characterisation this choice of car tells the audience that they are a young couple perhaps without children, with a fairly decent perhaps double income, adding social realism because it is representative of a lot of young co-habiting couples in Britain today.

Inside the house an establishing shot is used within the sitting room followed by a long shot. Revealing a homely cluttered room with magazines out on the coffee table, a fish tank, dated looking fireplace, household plants, and the general décor is out of date and cheap looking. This gives social realism as it is realistic of the inside of a fairly old couples’ home in a London working class area, the audience can relate to these sort of claustrophobic surroundings which also show the tension and unwelcome feeling of the protagonist.

Realistic characters and stereotypes are portrayed through characterisation and costume. All of the characters are wearing casual clothing for their age, class and gender. For example Liam is younger and wearing a causal polo t shit with jeans, whereas the older John is wearing jeans with a blue shirt showing his higher status and age. Suzie (Liams girlfriend) is wearing smart / casual clothing with a green shirt with small detailing with plain black trousers. This is also contrast to Angela who is wearing a beige coloured under knee length pencil skirt with a light green high neck jumper, she is dressed more middle class than the other characters as she is positioned to be the antagonist. This also with the combination of her negative body language towards the protagonist (Liam): an uptight strong posture, pierced lips, and inward body language.

The camerawork emphasises awkward situations and tensions. For example when Suzie tells Liam that they have got the wrong house a slow low angle zoom is used on Liams face, combined with a blur in the surroundings showing his embarrassment and shock. This emphasizes his facial expression, this a comedic moment in the piece.

How does this film use genre/style conventions uniquely?

What is particularly unique about this film is how the director Jim Field Smith uses a combination of social realism and witty humour/comedy. A typical aspect of social realism film is how they are often very gritty. However this film is a more unrealistic twist on the series of events, the twist being comedy. Social realism usually touches on serious issues within society which this film does do, but with a twist. The themes and issues being, adultery and miscommunications within the family leading to confrontational events, Jim Field Smith, however, makes light of these issues by mocking them through a sudden change of tone. Whereas a very British trait usually is to keep opinions and feelings to ones self in, this film they are just put on there, very straight forward and honest.

How does the film use a short film format?

The advantages to using a short film format are that the basic structure d oes not confuse the viewer with a simple beginning middle and end. This is explained in more detail in Todorov’s narrative theory. Todorov suggested a basic structure in which films or programmes began with equilibrium, a calm period. Then this calm would be disrupted with disequilibrium, a period of unsettlement, perhaps an confrontation? This is followed by a renewed state of calm and peace for the protagonists and a new equilibrium calms the panic.