British Social Realism – From
Documentary to Brit Grit by Samantha Lay
Social Realism in the British Context
Practice and Politics
How is “practice” defined and what does it mean in British Social Realism?
Practice
is defined as the way in which a film is produced and finished; basically it
establishes the method of working. Practice
in terms of British Social Realism can relate to independent production of that
particular time and era, by using real locations and actors that are striving
to establish a career.
How does politics influence practice?
Politics
will influence practices at different levels where the film maker will want to
be independent or distinct from the mainstream
What is Ken Loach’s point?
Ken
Loach stated that “the way you make a
film is an important way of validating the ideas in it“(Loach in Fuller
1998: 114) Loach’s point is a film should be made to convey the story content
within at ease for the viewer.
In terms of the film text itself what does the phrase “practice and politics” refer to?
The
phrase “Practice and politics” refers to aspects outside of the text. This will
be influential towards the form, structure, content and style.
What exactly are filmmakers who want to depict “life as it is” reacting to?
They
are relating to the way the world is constructed and the film makers refer to aspects
of contemporary social life, when “life as it is”, is depicted.
What do social realist texts often comment on?
Social
realist texts often comment on correct or they like to break away from practices
and conventions that are regarded as ‘realist’.
What does Samantha Lay tell us British Social Realism movements been informed by?
Samantha
Lay informs us that the different movements, moments and cycles in British
Social realism have been informed by a reforming and occasionally, subversively
through a political spirit.
What does Andrew Higson mean by the phrase “moral realism”?
Andrew
Higson’s phrase “moral realism” means that morals can be defined within texts
that have been generated from an idea, a goal and even a mission.
How does Lay explain the inextricability of practice from politics?
Lay
explains that separating practice from politics is difficult, because of
factors such as in the ‘now’, movements and cycles. She also states that a film
maker’s politics will heavily influence their methods of cinematic codes and
conventions and this will mould and reduce the practice and production of text
and its crucial place within a competitive market.
What was John Grierson’s mission and how did his productions
stand in relation to the mainstream British film industry?
Grierson’s mission was to educate and inform audiences, through documentary form. His documentary productions stood outside of the British mainstream film industry because of their comprehension relating to social purposes.
What affected documentary production styles in Britain in the 30s and 40s and what were the results of this?
The
lack of funds and resources affected documentary production styles in Britain
during the ‘1930’s and 40’s’. To overcome these factors the film makers
collaboratively chose a unit style of production opting for documentary truth.
What does Lay say about the filmmakers’ commitment to documentary truth?
Lay
states that the filmmaker’s commitment to documentary truth is a sociological
commitment rather than an aesthetic commitment. This reflects their practice of
engaging ordinary people instead of actors also they used original location
shooting.
Quoting Lindsay Anderson, how does Stephen Lacey link
practice to politics in the work of the British New Wave filmmakers?
The British New wave filmmakers , like previous filmmakers were heavily influenced by their political beliefs and Stephen Lacey demonstrated this conclusion though Linsey Anderson’s quote.
“The rejection of the studio system was tied closely to a rejection of a particular view of the world, which both the theatre and the cinema attacked as being ‘snobbish, anti-intelligent, emotionally inhabited, wilfully blind to the conditions and problems of the present, dedicated to an out-of-date, exhausted national ideal’” (1995: 166)
Who formed the Free Cinema group, what was it and what were its principles and objectives?
Tony
Richardson, Karel Reisz, Lindsay Anderson and Lorenza Mazzetti formed the free Cinema
group. The Free Cinema group produced documentaries and short films that were
both visually exciting and creative. The main principle was to make independent
films that were free from profit and studio interference and this gave them the
freedom of choice to choose exactly what subject matter they wanted.
What were British New Wave filmmakers’ ambitions and intentions and how did they operate?
Their
ambitions and intentions were to extend the range of cinematic representation;
these were to include the working classes outside of London to the industrial
towns of the North.
On what were British New Wave directors’ claims to realism based?
British
New Wave directors claim that realism could be achieved if regional stage
actors were cased in their regionally authentic location.
What did New Wave directors establish about character and place
They
establish that the character and place were interconnected. The backdrop of the
actors’ location that is inclusive of their environmental factors connects them
to a characters story.
Summarise the key points that Lay uses to affirm Ken Loach’s importance in social realism.
Loaches
work from the 1960’s to the 1990’s was greatly informed by practice and politics.
Furthermore, he was one of the new filmmakers during the 1980 to speak out
against the Thatcher government and as an extreme consequence many of his documentaries
during that era were never screened.
The importance of filming realism to Roach was to keep the setting naturalistic and to use non big screen actors. His political view within his documentaries was to explore and exploit conflicts in society and general inequalities.
How has the collaborative, unit-style approach to filmmaking changed over time?
The collaborative
unit-style approach to filming gave the directors the banner of free cinema and
authorship was particularly impossible to highlight one director to another for
their personal contribution. Overtime
this unit style began to decline and the contemporary scene moved to promote
films as a product of just one director as author.
How does Samantha Lay define the term “content” and what
does she say about the relevance of content issues?
The term content in made up two joined aspects as part of the whole. The first relevant issue is about the issues and themes that social realists intend to investigate. The second content issue is about the types of representations that are established. These content issues help to combine films and texts to their specific moment in time.