Social Realism in the British Context Presentation

1. Social Realism in the British Context
Presented by: Jordan Crichlow
Class: 12A/Me1
Date (s) produced: 12th/13th October 2013
Teacher: Mr Becker

2. Areas Covered
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Realism or ‘realisms’?
Realism and the cinema
Defining social realism
Practice and Politics
Issues and themes
Representation
Form and Style
Style

3. Social Realism
• Designed to include everything.
• Expresses ideas of:
1. The text’s content.
2. Its concerns.
3. Its visual style.
Realism or 'realisms'?

4. Problems with the term itself
• The way in which the term ‘social realism’ is
used.
• The term is used in a such a carefree way, and
too generally, that:
–
–
–
–
–
It can loose its actual meaning.
There is no careful thought put into it.
It will be used in an uncritical manner.
It is capable of being replaced with something else;
For example:
• ‘Kitchen sink’ realism.
• ‘Working class’ realism.
Realism or 'realisms'?

5. The critical consensus of realism
• The severely judged general agreement about
“realism” is that it (is):
•
•
•
•
‘Gritty’.
‘Raw’.
Offers a view of ‘life as it really is’.
The main style of representation from the Western
World.
Realism or 'realisms'?

6. Development of realism
• Gathered force in the nineteenth century.
• Emerged as a:
– frequently opposed
– reform-seeking
-
• expression
• representation
• Became a huge topic of debate among:
– Philosophers
– Artists
• Numerous things contributed to the assisting
progress of debate and motivation of the
desire to tell of life ‘as it is really lived’.
Realism or 'realisms'?

7. Suggestions
• Carroll:
– the term realism should only be used with a
particular word attached in front of it:
• “social -”
• “documentary -”
– This will specify the:
• ‘what’ and ‘when’ of the particular moment or
movement.
Realism or 'realisms'?

8. Realism and the cinema
• By the end of the nineteenth century...
– Literature
– Theatre
– Fine Arts
• ...were being given support by aesthetics, through
varieties of approaches and devices, both:
– Formal
– Stylistic
Realism and the cinema

9. Quest and Truth
• The quest shared by all media was to:
– Present the real nature of things that occur, via...
• Capturing them with different branches of media
– Moving Pictures
– Pictures, etc...
– Present the truth,
– BUT
• There was an intensely contested search for truth in
cinema...
– Due to the many critical eyes that view it.
Realism and the cinema

10. Approaches
• Approaches by:
• Andre Bazin
• Emile Zola
• Siegfried Kracauer
• Gerhardie
(contends there are several realisms)
(believed film was a practice precisely
describing the actual circumstances of
human life)
(believed film was capable of representing
the real, unlike any other form of media)
(believed the goal of naturalism is to bring
back the complete false belief of real life)
• ...seek to represent the truth of things that have
become associated with realism, such as:
– Conventions
– Codes
Realism and the cinema

11. Defining social realism
• Social realism is difficult to define, because:
– Social realism is constantly changing.
– Always liable to change.
• ...therefore a definition of this is continuously
difficult to be told.
Defining social realism

12. Key features
• The way character and place are linked.
– In order to explore an aspect of modern life.
• Similar to a style of art or literature that
– Shows people as they are in real life
• This is contended by:
– A way of including information irrelevant to the main
subject of films.
• Aimed at films which aim to show effects of environmental
factors on the development through character.
Defining social realism

13. Criteria for defining realist texts
• Raymond Williams four criteria:
1. Includes the belief that realist works prefer to illustrate
human truth, rather than divine truths.
2. That realist texts are grounded in the contemporary
scene in terms of setting, character, and social issues.
3. The issues of social exclusion, meaning that realist texts
tend to extend the range of characters and topics, to
include previously under-represented groups in society.
4. The focus on the intent of the artist.
Defining social realism

14. Practice
• Practice is:
– the way in which a film is:
• produced
• finished
• In British Social Realism, this has generally meant:
– independent production, conducted via using:
• traditional skills
• real locations
• non-professional actors
• Because of filmmakers usage of non-actors and location
shooting, Samantha Lay questions the commitment being
shown to documentary truth, by the filmmakers.
Practice and Politics

15. Influence of politics
• The politics of the film maker will influence
them to be:
– different
– distinct
• from the ordinary or the norm.
• This leads them to demonstrate a
commitment to a specific set of ideas about
the social world.
Practice and Politics

16. Practice and Politics
•
The phrase “practice and politics”, refers to:
– aspects outside of the text that influence
the main elements:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Form
Structure
Content
Style
Practice and Politics

17. Reactions of the filmmakers
• Filmmakers who want to depict “life as it is”,
are reacting to:
– the way the world is constructed, by the
• majority of mainstream films
• practices involving studio and star systems, which are
types of the construction, as they are commenting on
aspects of contemporary social life.
Practice and Politics

18. Moral Realism
• In the opinion of Andrew Higson…
• moral realism is:
– the way British social realist texts have been
propelled to varying degrees by a:
• mission
• ideal
• goal
Practice and Politics

19. Free Cinema Group
• Formed by :
•
•
•
•
Tony Richardson
Lindsay Anderson
Karel Reisz
Lorenza Mazzetti
• Aims:
– Produce:
• Creative
• Visually
exciting short films and documentaries.
• It was a group of people whose ideas differed from
usual filmmakers.
Practice and Politics

20. British New Wave
• Followed on from the Free Cinema Group.
• Interested in extending the range of cinematic
representation for the working class, beyond London.
• Tried to help aspiring directors attain a foothold in
the film industry. (Successful!)
• One of there main goals was to explore out side of
the mainstream locations.
• Established that character and place were related
well, and that environmental factors were largely
unchangeable of a characters’ fates and fortunes.
Practice and Politics

21. Importance of Ken Loach
• Samantha Lay describes Ken Loach as:
– a committed socialist, who used his documentary realist
strategies to explore conflicts and inequalities in societies.
– His practice also avoided the use of stars, and employs
location shooting in representations of natural
surroundings, because of his political beliefs and his intent
as a filmmaker.
– Ken Loach was also one of the few filmmakers to voice
attacks involving their own opinions, against the Thatcher
government in the 1980s, which as a consequence, meant
the majority of his documentaries at that time were never
screened.
Practice and Politics

22. Content
•
“Content” is made up of two conjoined and formed
aspects:
1. the issues and themes that social realist texts seek to explore.
2. the types of representations generally constructed.
•
Because of the relevance of content issues, films
and film text are tied to their specific moments of
production and consumption, and different points
of contrast are provided, including the different
moments, movements and cycles of the film.
Practice and Politics

23. Filmmakers intent and issues
• Lay says that:
– intent is often wanting to
• change
• be educative
• be socially purposive in some way
– a filmmakers choice of issues is bound up with a
• message
• mission
Issues and themes

24. Dealing with issues
• Looking at the way an issue is dealt with in
different time periods can be proved fruitful if
– seeking to answer questions about why certain
themes might have been central in different social
realist texts,
– seeking to find out why perhaps they were pushed
to the background in later films.
Issues and themes

25. Constructs
• Through the constructs of film texts, we can
determine
– what reality is being constructed …
– from which specific point of view, through
• an analysis of
– themes
– issues
Issues and themes

26. The difference between issues and themes,
according to Samantha Lay
Issues and themes

27. Issues
• Issues relate to the different social problems
portrayed in films that were topical or ongoing
around the time of the films production,
which was a cause for national and social
concern.
• Social issues are more immediate and visual social
fears and concerns, usually with a high media profile
and consequently a short shelf-life.
Issues and themes

28. Examples of Issues
• Issues are subject to constant change, because of the
elements occurring in the same period of time, due to the
now-ness of films, and then-ness of films.
– An example of this is promiscuity, which was more of a concern in the
1950s, rather than the 1980s and 1990s.
• Notable issues nowadays include child sexual abuse, alcohol
abuse, and drug abuse, which are portrayed in a numerous
amount of films, television dramas, and soap operas, such as
Eastenders.
• Issues are obvious and explicit, with a main storyline of a
family spiralling out of control due to alcohol and drug abuse
being a good example.
Issues and themes

29. Themes
• Themes are often not as explicit as issues are,
but they are moreover implied.
• Themes represent less obvious threats to
social unity and stability, and work at a much
deeper level.
• Themes are more descriptive of remarkable
occurrences, whereas issues tend to work as
labels.
Issues and themes

30. Examples of themes
• Films are described in thematic terms that give us a
deeper meaning of what lays behind the addiction
issue, for example, the changing role of the working
class in British social life from production to
consumption.
• Themes are broader, longer-lived sets of concerns,
usually implied within a given text. For example, in
British social realism, some of the prevalent and
recurring themes include the demise of the
traditional working class, national identity, and the
changing of gender roles.
Issues and themes

31. Observations/Opinions/Arguments
•
Samantha Lay
•
Williams
People of working class were largely
represented by social extension, at different
moments of social and economic change.
•
Hill
•
Social realist texts draw in characters that
were not in the centre of Hollywood
productions.
•
Hallam and Marshment
•
British cinema had severely underrepresented the working class.
•
Lindsay Anderson
•
Documentaries in the 1930s that
represented the working class, worked to be
excessively irrational towards the working
class male body engaged in hard labour.
•
Dodd and Dodd
•
Film is a commercial medium, rather than
an educational tool.
•
Representation of specific character types
tended towards social extension.
•
Representation

32. Social Extension
• Social extension is:
– the extension of
• a range of characters to include
• groups
– individuals
» whom were not often represented on screens in the normal
cinemas considered and accepted by most people.
• The social extension in British Social Realism has
urged filmmakers to rectify the social and
representational lack of equality, in relation to class.
Representation

33. The working class
• In feature films, working class people were
represented as…
• energetic
• vibrant
– …which was partly due to the newly emergent youth
culture, which filmmakers fascinated about.
– It was also due to the respect for the unpretentious
traditional working class, which these filmmakers regarded
as being under threat from the influence of American
culture, and under threat from the forces of consumerism.
Representation

34. Time period changes and similarities
• 30s and 50s - Despite their differences, their documentary movements
share a very strong emotive preoccupation with working
class males.
• 50s and 60s - women were represented as a threat to masculinity,
because of their obsession of marriage and motherhood.
They were also the target of harsh attacks from their
working class heroes.
• 80s
- the gender gap was addressed by more female-centred
social realist texts, which reflected the rising importance of
women in the workforce and in society as a whole.
• 90s
- the portrayal of women had taken a huge step backwards,
as women were now being portrayed as materialistic, or
victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse.
Representation

35. Representation
• Samantha Lay makes the point that:
– British social realist films tend to give white male working class
characters advantages.
– She explains that British social realism’s sense of social extension is
extremely bad and shocking, as it has a huge lack of working class
characters from different multicultural societies.
• This point made leads Samantha Lay to observe how very
little…
– asylum seekers
– refugees
– illegal workers
• …are rarely featured on British screens, beyond news bulletins
and documentaries, and how they should be observed much
better than in previous times.
Representation

36. Conclusion of representation
• In a summary of Lay’s conclusion, it should be noted that within the
framework of social extension…
– the representation of working class characters in British social realist films is
being attended to, whilst on the other hand…
– these texts tend to favour white male working class characters.
• These are then defined as ‘prone’ to the social and psychological
traumas of violence, unemployment, and addiction.
• Also the fact of the continuous moves from public to private and
political to personal, are lost from the frame globally, as well as
nationally, due to the wider structural inequalities being extended.
• Finally, some of the texts explore the thoughts or ideas belonging to
the central protagonists through a recreation of the past, which can
be argued via films offering a remembrance of happy times in the
past, as a possible alternative to the heritage film in British cinema.
Representation

37. Form
• The term ‘form’ is being used to:
– signify the
• shape
• mode
in which social realist texts exist…
– whilst also referring to the
• types
• kinds
• ‘arrangement of parts’
Form and Style

38. Social Realist filmmakers
• Social realist filmmakers employ:
• specific
• formal
• stylistic
– …techniques, to
• capture
• observe
• analyse
– …the workings of society.
Form and Style

39. Social realist texts
• Social realist texts work towards:
– enlarging the representations in
• art
• popular culture
– of previously
under-represented and less important
groups,
– looked upon as out of the mainstream.
• They also worked towards dealing with
• issues
• problems
– that mainstream cinema had previously shunned and
ignored.
Form and Style

40. Intentions
• The intentions of:
• Gary Oldman
• Ken Loach
• Lindsay Anderson
• John Grierson
– …were all different, but what bought together their work
was their presence of intent which they valued more than
searching for fame and income.
Form and Style

41. Documentaries
• Documentaries are:
– judged to say about ‘things as they really are’,
which in other words means that they offer a slice
of life to the viewers.
Form and Style

42. Programmes
• Programmes are
– judged to be screened to simply entertain the
viewing public, which is not offering a view of life
as it really is.
THERE ARE HUNDREDS!!
Form and Style

43. Mainstream and social realist texts
• Mainstream texts tend to differ from social realist texts, as the
narrative structures focus on a central protagonist, whilst
working in a linear or cause-and-effect way.
• The mainstream texts always usually tend to work towards
the defeat of certain antagonists in the text, with the
protagonist coming out on top, surviving, being the hero, and
so on.
• A notable difference between the two texts is that social
realist texts tend to run regularly, with no final outcome or
ending of the text coming into play, as they are ongoing.
• The continuous storylines of the texts are often negative,
though it should be noted that the degree of resistance and
resolution varies widely between different texts.
Form and Style

44. Naturalism
• Some people considered naturalism to be:
– British social realist texts preferring to associate
themselves with
• Content
…instead of style.
Style

45. ‘Gritty’
• The term ‘gritty’ describes the
– surface realism of
• landscapes inhabited by the
– characters
– the way in which they are both filmed
– the attitude and behaviour of the character
Style

46. Poetic realism
• Created by:
– A widely used number of stylistic techniques
including the sequences of
• establishing shot sizes, namely…
– wide-angled
– long shots
of urban landscapes.
Style

47. Outcome of involvement with film
• Social realist style has been put to use across
a number of different genres, for example:
• horror
• comedy
• science fiction
– …and some of the techniques are consequently
part of mainstream cinema, such as…
• hand-held techniques
– …noticed and represented in the film Jaws.
Style

48. Social Realism in the British Context
Presentation
• Presented by: Jordan Crichlow
• Written by: Jordan Crichlow
• Edited by: Jordan Crichlow
• EVERYTHING by: Jordan Crichlow
• The Beacon School 2013/14
• Media Presentation
• Class: 12A/Me1