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| Grimsby poster |
This is NOT a social realist film! We are, however, using this comedy (spy/action satire) to help us clarify the characteristics of social realist films: we'll contrast the media language of this with what we've observed is conventional for the social realist genre...
PRODUCTION: Working Title, Big Talk, Village Roadshow [US partner] +2 others
DISTRIBUTION: Sony (UK), Colombia (UK); [no China] 36 territories
BUDGET: $35m
BOX OFFICE: UK $7.5m, US $7m; World $25m
PRODUCTION: Working Title, Big Talk, Village Roadshow [US partner] +2 others
DISTRIBUTION: Sony (UK), Colombia (UK); [no China] 36 territories
BUDGET: $35m
BOX OFFICE: UK $7.5m, US $7m; World $25m
BBFC 15, MPAA R (quite high)
SOME CONTEXT: An example of the impact of the changed, reduced status of WT within its parent big six conglomerate, NBC-Universal. WT had been receiving $600m funding every 7 years, with clearance to greenlight any project up to a $25m budget - but that has been reduced to a 'first look' deal, meaning Universal can decide whether they want to 'pick up' a WT project or not. In this case they didn't, Sony (and its subsidiary Colombia) did ... and maybe Universal were wise, as it failed to even recoup its budget, never mind the 2-3 times budget generally accepted as needed to move into profit.
The Gant rule obviously doesn't apply: its a very British film - so much so that the title had to be changed for US and international markets as the place name Grimsby has no recognition and is essentially meaningless and confusing outside the UK (unlike London).
SOME CONTEXT: An example of the impact of the changed, reduced status of WT within its parent big six conglomerate, NBC-Universal. WT had been receiving $600m funding every 7 years, with clearance to greenlight any project up to a $25m budget - but that has been reduced to a 'first look' deal, meaning Universal can decide whether they want to 'pick up' a WT project or not. In this case they didn't, Sony (and its subsidiary Colombia) did ... and maybe Universal were wise, as it failed to even recoup its budget, never mind the 2-3 times budget generally accepted as needed to move into profit.
The Gant rule obviously doesn't apply: its a very British film - so much so that the title had to be changed for US and international markets as the place name Grimsby has no recognition and is essentially meaningless and confusing outside the UK (unlike London).
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IDENTS
- Sony ident is the first
- Big Six production
- Very unlikely to see a Big Six name on a social realist film
- Columbia
- subsidiary of Sony
- Village Roadshow Pictures
- US production partner
- virtually unheard of for UK social realist flick (unlike for comedy
- WT did not get an ident
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SOUND
- Begins with famous song (R Kelly)
- small indie companies do not have the budget to get copyright licenses
- non diegetic well-known commercial track as an audiobridge over idents to main scene
- social realist films do not usually start with music (often have incidental music)
- lyrical music is also uncommon for social realist
- e.g. Tyrannosaur, but This is England has some
- OST features Ed Sheeran!
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FIRST SHOTS
- Not ELS establishing shot
MCU -back tattoo, sweat, beer can, football shirt - unusual choice of MCU
- no fade-in (black screen before shot after ident 4)
- Close-up of huge back tattoo ('ENGLAND' and 3 lions)
- football tattoo
- sweat
- beer cans visible in background
- Master shot
- reveals scene to be a bed shop
- Tightly framed shots for the opening sex scene are made comic by use of a master shot revealing the location
- poverty is being signified by massive sale posters hanging all over the shop ('lowest prices in Grimsby')
- very low prices $89.99 for a double bed
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| master shot - low prices, sale |
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REPRESENTATION
- Stereotyping begins immediately
MCU (cropped) - facial hair, scruffy look - overgrown hair and facial hair
- sideburns
- ridiculous tattoo
- football top
- beer can
- and then reveal of moronic antisocial behaviour
- Comparison to social realist:
- The realism of social realist films can lead to showing antisocial behaviour
- e.g. Tyrannosaur protagonist is violent, racist and unemployed
- e.g. This is England swearing throughout, violence, underage drinking etc.
- Immediate heteronormativity
- opening sex scene
- idea of male provider (the male protagonist is the one to say "we'll take [the bed]")
- though this also signifies that he is the protagonist as it cuts back to his face/reactions
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Is very short for an opening scene - contrast with This is England and Tyrannosaur etc.
just 30 seconds into the opening sequence which is then followed by another famous commercial song (Blur)
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TITLES
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| titles |
- Serif font
- shot 1 is typical of a social realist though
- grim street red brick terraced houses, heavily graffitied
- many houses are loaded up
- Mise-en-scene
- contrast to This is England - Shaun leaves his bike outside showing the community of the working class neighbourhood as he trusts it won't get stolen
- Grimsby only shows the decay (harsh 2 dimensional stereotype of working class)
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This just needs re-naming, as its not an SR film!
ReplyDeleteIt is perfect for showcasing just how studio productions tend to treat working-class characters though; makes for a perfect contrast with Tyrannosaur - both opening scenes can be read as highly stereotypical, but ... theory alert ... we can see more of a HERO'S JOURNEY with Tyr (Campbell's monomyth), starting with the crying in the charity shop
titles: 'many houses are loaded up' - you mean boarded. Compare to MBL!
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