Research into ‘Social Realism’ Its influence on British film today

Originally an Artistic movement that viewed people as they were and found its way into film and cinema and in particular it spurred French new wave and showing life as it is onscreen. Social realism films are often produced on a low budget and usually uses small time actors or the same actors (as Shane Meadows does with Thomas Turgoose) and is all shot on location, rather than in a studio to produce the realistic gritty realism that is needed in order to create a film following this genre. Social realism films are often funded by donation, in particular This is England was made on a very low budget and it was funded by the British Film council and the national lottery. Social realism films lack an American influence of making money and are often done by film makers for the love of filming such as Shane Meadows the owner of Big Arty productions.

‘Kitchen Sink’ Drama Originally films that followed social realism was often referred to as “kitchen sink” drama. These films came from the north of England. The films that come under this category as those such as Saturday Night and Sunday morning that presented northern jack the lad Arthur Seaton. The original kitchen sink drama’s include films such as The loneliness of the long distance runner, Kes, Look back in anger. We can even see examples on television, such as coronation street. Kitchen sink realism (or kitchen sink drama) is a term coined to describe a British cultural movement which developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in theatre, art, novels, film and television plays, whose 'heroes' usually could be described as angry young men. It used a style of social realism, which often depicted the domestic situations of working-class Britons living in rented accommodation and spending their off-hours drinking in grimy pubs, to explore social issues and political controversies.

The project From researching social realism I have decided I want to aim my film to be a piece of social realism. In terms of practicality, this is the best option for my project as I can easily take advantage of the fact the school cameras I will be using are of low quality when in comparison to professional camera’s that would be used in the professional world. The low quality and gritty image will benefit the social realism look I will aim to achieve. By watching a number of films following this genre, such as This is England, Requiem for a dream and Fish tank I have gained a major influence in particular camera shots and the editing I will need to do in order to follow the generic conventions of this particular genre.