CONTEXT

• Social Context

  Culture of the skinhead community
• Director = Shane Meadows
• Shane Meadows auteur features?

  Themes of identity, working class, masculinity and the midlands

  Autobiographical narrative

  Concern with authenticity

  Semi-improvisational approach to performance
• Released in 2006
• Produced by Warp Films and FilmsFour
• Filmed on location in the Midlands of England, in areas of high poverty
• The Budget for TIA was low, £1.5 Million
• Drama and British social realist
• What is Shane Meadows background?

  He came from a working class background in the midlands, much like Shawn he grew up around skinheads and being influenced by the culture.
• Set in 1983
• In 80s britain, conservative prime minister Margeret Thatcher had just been re-elected as consequence of the British victory in the falklands war.
• There was a rise in racial discrimination in the 1981, due the economic recessiont that caused rise in unemployment rate.

  Many white brits took their anger out on racial minoritys.
• What were the Brixton riots (1981)?

  On the 10th of April in 1981, rumours of police brutality against a black man resulted in a crowd confronting the police.

  The black community felt the country was divided, there was high unemployment, racial tensions and the existing poor relationship between the black community and the police.

  The brixton riots were three days of fighting between young black man (mainly) and the police
• Social issues of the 1980s

  High unemployment

  Decline of industry

  Widening divide between the north and the south due to conservative policies

  Margeret Thatcher shut down coal and steel factories in the North, leading to a rise in unemployment
• After WWII, due to the millions of deaths, the government invited others from British Colonies (like Jamaica and India) to fill the unemployment gap and to be part of the workforce.

  This led to an uproar among british people who saw the immigrants as 'taking their jobs.'
• Skinhead subculture - their style

  Aesthetic / style included shaven heads, working class clothing such as Dr.Martin boot, high anke straight leg jeans, suspenders and Ben Sherman shirts.
• What were the skinheads motivated by?

  Social alienation

  Working class solidarity
• What music influenced the early movement of the skinheads?

  SKA music and jamaican subculture
• What did the Skinheads see in the 1980s?

  They say a growing split with the far right racist element influencing some of the skinhead culture. They were easily manipulated by the nationalist due to their shared anger at Margeret Thatcher.
• Genre: British Social Realism.

  Key to the aesthetic of TIA, the documentary filmmaking style that emphasizes the 'real' life and a sense of immediacy.

  The gritty realism is wrapped up with the presentation of difficult lives.
• What has influenced TIA?

  British new wave / 'kitchen sink' realism

  Ken Loach

  Social Realism
• What is British New Wave / Kitchen Sink realism?

  Film movement from 1959 - 1963

  Usually black and white films, with spontaneous quality and in a documentary style

  Shooting on loc with real people rather than extras, capturing life as it happens

  Overlap between BNW and angry young men whose challenged the status quo
• What did the works of British New Wave draw attention to?

  Their works drew attention to the reality of life for the working class, especially northern england which was characterized as 'grim'
• Who is Ken Loach?

  An english director who focused on representing the british working class

  Used lesser known actors

  Collaborative improvisational approach to filmmaking
• Ideologies represented in TIA

  Anti-nationalist = (combo + poorly educated followers)

  Anti-war = (disturbing archival footage of dead and injured servicemen and the narrative strand of shauns lost father)

  Anti-thatcher = (combos comments in speech, thatcher on radio, 'maggie is a twat' graffiti)
• Shane shoots in chronological linear order
• The film script was more of an outline of an idea rather than a strict script.
• He had the gang bond first, before filming.
• Chris Wyatt revealed that Tommo (Shawn) did not know Steven Graham (Combo) was going to turn up, all the reactions are genuine.
• Chris Wyatt = Editor