Shifty 2009 - social realism film.
Shifty is a social realist film created by independent company 'Between the Eyes' productions. It is set on what looks like an urban council estate - following typical conventions of a social realist film.
The opening shot is that of one of the main characters opening the door to the other main character, with character two introducing the film by calling character one 'shifty'. The way the first main character opens the door and half hides behind it connotates the idea that he has something to hide and is in fact 'upto' something dodgy, or perhaps.. up to something shifty. Lighting on him is intended to be natural daylight, however the fact that he is half in low-key lighting helps the representation of him being somewhat dodgy.
Diegetic sound in the scene of their conversation using slang words such as 'yes rudeboy' and other such colloquial language helps us to form an opinion of him, and a few seconds into the trailer we are introduced to the idea that he is a drug dealer. This helps build on representations of drug dealers being 'chavvy' and follows stereotypes.
Positioning in the scene of character one being on the floor and the camera being on the same level as him, helps connotate the idea of us as a general audience being able to relate to him, due to the average household surroundings and the way he is going about his business (ie. cooking and sorting things out). This appeals to the audience watching as the characters are both young and look like they're struggling with money.
In the next shot, a birds eye view is used showing the setting of the scene they are in being an urban council estate car park enables the audience to see in detail where the characters are and enables us to relate to them. The background music changes at this point to a somewhat upbeat tune and makes the audience feel happy and connotates the idea that the dealer has an easy job. Close-up shots are used when showing the drugs being used and given to the old lady, following one of the main themes of the film, drug use.
The idea of the old lady being the customer goes against stereotypes of the older generation and is used in a way to appeal to the audience as humorous. It does follow stereotypes of the cats being dotted around the house, as if she is a 'crazy cat lady'.
The upbeat music continues and a wipe cut is used to skip to the next scene, with diegetic sound of a cash register opening to connotate another main theme of the film, money. The use of a wipe cut and the continued happy background music continue to make the film seem upbeat and happy and there is a series of montages used to show the main characters seeming 'happy go lucky' playing on parks and children's playground. Although they have just done something in which is illegal, there are connotations of innocence and freedom in their lives.
Humour is used throughout the trailer, I think this is a key part of social realism as young people often seem to find many more things funny than adults. The police chasing them is a key part of the stereotypes in this film, as young people are often seen to be always in trouble with the police.
The key changing part of the trailer, is the emphasis placed on the diegetic conversation between the two characters in which one says 'this is no way to live', the screen fades to black and the music suddenly becomes tension building. This connotates that the film has a key changing point in which is becomes quite dark and complicated. We are introduced to the person that seems to be the main 'bad guy' who is older and seems more powerful. This is shown through the way he directs orders on the phone and the mise-en-scene surrounding him. One of the main characters states 'you ain't knocking out weed anymore, this isn't college' and lighting on the scene becomes low-key and darker. A part of the scene in the car park is shown through a long shot, in which the camera is nearer to the 'bad guy', thus, making him look bigger than the main character. This connotates the way that the main characters might have got into a problem that is bigger than what they can handle.
Close-up shots are used throughout to make the audience feel close to the character and to some extent empathise with them. The music in the trailer plays a big part, as it somewhat gives a narrative as to how the characters are feeling and when they are facing trouble. Montages are used to show the ellipsis of time and different issues each character is facing, when main character one is in trouble the lighting focused on him is low-key and shows half of his face completely in shadow. This helps hint the lengths he would go to get the money, and the dark side of him.
The idea of violence is shown throughout the trailer; especially towards the end, with emphasis focused on weapons, violence and money. The trailer ends on a cliffhanger with the music coming to an abrupt end. This leaves the potential audience eager to know what will be happening.
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