attack the block

• • low lighting - suggests something sinister is going to happen.
  • costume - urban realism - british iconography
  • eye level - we are equal with them, we are part of the gang.

  
• Attack the Block

  2011 film directed by Joe Cornish
• Key sequences and timings

  • The Opening
  • Attack on the police van
  • The Ending
• what type of architecture does the block show?

  brutalist
• what does verisimilitude mean?

  Appearance of truth
• urban realism

  • the harsh life of living in a council estate -
  • we can tell this is london
• how is cinematography shown in the beginning sequence?

  The opening is generally dark but Sam is brightly lit and the colours on her are bright.

  The gang of teenagers are in darkness, underlit and with very dark clothes. This sets up a clear distinction of character and establishes their stereotypes as 'victim' and' criminals'
• • Initially the teenage gang are shown in extreme long shot (ELS), essentially from Sam's POV to make clear that they are distant; in the dark; a menace; something to fear. This establishes a trope for the film later on
• • During key sequence 1 when Moses runs into the shed to fight the alien, the lighting is very 'Amblin' in style; the scene is very dark with sparse use of a key light to highlight the area of conflict.There is also use of smoke to emphasise where the fight is
• • The ES of WyndhamTower sees it lit in an odd way; in parts the light is very bright and the use of prominent spot lights on the roof shining downwards help to not only reinforce the brutalist nature of the building but also help to create a grey/teal palette that dominates throughout the film. As well as this, it creates a visual style for the building that is other-worldy, with cold greys and blues reminiscent of classic sci-fi imagery of spaceships and base stations on other planets
• • Later in the film, the Director again uses an ELS to establish that there is a danger in the distance. As with the first sequence, there is dark lighting and there is a significant distance between the characters and the 'enemy'. This time however it's the gang spotting the danger of an alien, an interesting reversal of situation and characters from the earlier set-up in the first key sequence
• • Costumes;
  • help to reflect age and culture; hoodies dominate(hoody horror?) scarves are used to hide identity and the costume overall references British iconography of 'youth' and 'hooligans'
• • Props;
  • establish age and culture with BMx bikes, and mobile phones, as well as the variety of weapons reflecting 'status'; the youngest characters are seen with a large water pistol, the teenage gang have fireworks and blunt instruments with Hi-Hatz, the villain, using a pistol (top of the chain)
• where did cornish get the idea of the BMX bikes from?

  ET
• • Each floor of the 'block' is designated by a floor number that is painted on the walls in a style that resembles a stencilling effect, the kind of aesthetic used in sci-fi films (remind us of a spaceship or a prison)
• • The inside of Moses' apartment (which we only see at the end) we see how chaotic his home life is, how messy and deprived it is and how he's been forced to grow up quickly and fend for himself (as spectators we start to root for him)
  • The dark colour palette, the use of the props to create a mess directly contrast with the cosy, clean and inviting apartment that Sam has created
• • The opening scenes;
  • feature an interesting use of jump cut, with the main credits being intercut and breaking up Sam's journey home. As the titles appear on screen the sound as well as the images 'stop' and it creates a somewhat jarring and dischortant 'flow
• • Fights with the alien in sequence one;
  • rapid editing shows the nature of the frenzied attack. It also helps to ensure that the audience never get a clear view of the alien to help create a somewhat ambiguous understanding of what is happening( much in the same way as the characters feel at that time
• • The second time we see the alien;
  • shows 'bangers' to light it, again causing it to be seen very briefly, almost in flashes via editing that is rapid and not lingering on any shot. This again helps to create mystery but reveal just enough visual information to help entice the audience
• • Whilst the editing throughout the film is largely motivated, some moments of tension are created partly through the editing by slowing down and holding on a key angle or movement to restrict the audience's viewpoint. During the sequence from 1:00:15, the editing flicks between differing MCUs to help create confusion but also prevent the audience from fully seeing the corridor to create tension
• • There is a use of a 'Spielbergian' trope; the ('delayed POV shot throughout.) This involves a character looking off-screen, usually towards the audience but to one side. Crucially, the edit does not immediately cut as the character reacts to what they see. Instead, the shot holds on the characters' face and we experience their reaction first, before a delayed POV shot reveals to the audience what the character is seeing
• sound;

  we hear key london teenager slang - sets the location
• sound;

  Brass instruments

  are used to create a darkly thematic refrain

  that suits the tone and atmosphere of the

  film,
• sound;

  There are also ‘futuristic’ beeps and sound

  effects and the soundtrack also features heavy

  bass, reminiscent of bassline, grime, garage

  and hip-hop. These elements combine to help

  instruct of where we are, what genre we’re

  watching and suggest an overall tone.
• context;

  joe cornish interviewed teenagers, and asked them what they would fight with in an alien attack