Evaluation - question 1

 

Evaluation Question 1

When we were creating this first 3 minutes and opening title sequence of a film we have used many codes and conventions of films within the football hooligan genre to allow the audience to understand what genre it is. At the start of the film there is a strong use of iconography with lots of shots of clothing brands which are instantly recognisable as being involved with football hooligans, alcohol and drugs.
 


 

Throughout this opening sequence there is an indie rock song played which is the genre of music popular within this culture. We made this music very loud as this film is a feel good film and we wanted to get the audience excited and anticipated for whats to come from the very beginning of the film. We however decided to tone it down when the lads are just sat in the house and just include the diegetic sound of the TV in the background as they are all just relaxing and it makes the film feel realistic as this is a very down to earth moment and shows their lives don't just revolve around violence. In this film we established the narrative through the conversations between the characters as they talk about their predicted score for the Sheffield Wednesday game today and also through a flashback as we see one of the characters in a previous fight which confirms to the audience that these characters are hooligans and are most likely going to get in a fight.

 Our use of mise en scene in this opening sequence is very similar to other films of this genre as the costumes we used include many clothing items which are associated with football hooligans with the brands and type of clothing. This helps make the film feel realistic as it is similar clothing seen in other films such as Green Street and The Football Factory and makes these characters feel like they are real football hooligans. We also used props with bottles of beer as we did it subtly with the characters sat drinking before the match which seems as if it is a common occurrence that they do a lot. 

Within this opening sequence we used a lot of fast paced editing to fit with the pace of the film. We also used rhythmic editing to fit with the non-diegetic music which I think creates a very nice effect where we incorporate jump cuts to fit with the beat of the song. The cinematography of the film we used many long shots and medium shots to show both the actions of the characters and their costumes for example when the characters are walking to the house. However we also used close ups for when the characters are just relaxed talking so you can see the facial expressions between them as they have their conversations. For the actual titles of the film we decided to use a very simple but sophisticated font and also just the colour white for them. This is because from researching other films within this genre such as Green Street this is how the titles are and I believe it looks very nice and works extremely well.

a day aht' in sheff - final film

Iconography

Iconography is an important part of a film. It is used to distinct a film to a certain genre. In a football hooligan film such as ours the types of iconography that we would use will be the types of clothing that the characters wear. Examples of these are Stone Island, Ralph Lauren, CP Company.

 







 






















Another part of iconography within a football hooligan film is the football clubs used. The clubs usually used in a football hooligan film are typically from London for example West Ham or Milwall. Since our film is set in Sheffield we will be using both Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United.                 

                   

Iconography in football hooligan films

Iconography in a film is very important as it can give the audience an immediate understanding of the genre of the film. For a football hooligan film, a big part of iconography would be the clothing brands that these characters wear. These brands are of the following: Stone Island, Ralph Lauren, CP Company, Adidas Originals, Peaceful Hooligan, Pretty Green and The North Face. All the brands listed are as shown below.

 


Another big part of iconography within football hooligan films would be the football badges themselves of which these hooligans follow. Typically these football teams are within London because of the reputation that rivalries between London clubs get. A few of the typical teams that appear within football hooligan films are of the likes of: Chelsea, Millwall, West Ham and Tottenham. These badges are as shown below.

But because of the location of my own film, which is Sheffield, the two football badges to potentially be shown within my film will be of Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United. These two badges are as shown below.
        

Camerawork/Cinematography in football hooligan films

The type of camera work used in football hooligan films is important for the viewer so they get a realistic feel of what "hooligans" get up to and feel on a Saturday afternoon at, before and after the football match has taken place. Due to the intensity in the fight scenes of theses films math on action is heavily used to emphasize the chaos that takes place. To also emphasize the chaos within these fight scenes, face paced editing is used all the way throughout. The effect that fast pace editing has on these scenes is that it also makes it realistic and brutal. An example of match on action and fast pace editing is used throughout this clip of the fight from 'The Football Factory' between the Chelsea and Millwall firm.
There are usually two types of shots used within a football hooligan fight scene; long shot and close up. A close up shot is used to show the facial expressions of the "hooligans" which may be fearful or fearless. It is also to show the damage they have faced throughout the fight. An example of this is shown below in a clip from 'Green Street Hooligans' where Matt Buckner (Elijah Wood) is being attacked by the Birmingham firm.


Then a long shot is usually used to introduce the fight as the two groups of men run at one another. A long shot is also often used within the middle of the fight scene to show the destruction the two sets of fans create amongst one another. An example of a long shot being used to introduce the fight is shown below in this clip from 'Green Street Hooligans' where the West Ham firm (closest on screen) are ready to attack the Millwall firm.

Setting/Location in football hooligan films

The setting within football hooligan films give a lot away about the culture of the people who are involved in football hooliganism. The films usually are set around a rivalry of two clubs within London so the location tends to be in London. Another reason behind why these films are located in London is because the city is stereotypically known to be filled with areas that are for the less wealthy of people. Also, the film setting is typically set within a council estate or an estate of lower quality to show the kind of lifestyle these characters live; turning down other opportunity costs with their saving to spend them on a weekend at the football. The setting is usually dull and raining because it creates a sense of danger which the culture involves itself.


Another typical setting for these film are the football grounds of the teams these characters are3 supporting. Within the arguably best football hooligan film created, 'Green Street', the home ground of West Ham Football Club is used as the firm within the film, 'Green Street Elite' support this football team.
 

Shot List

Iconography

Iconography is an important part of films as it allows people to instantly understand what genre of film it is. In football hooligan films there are a lot of things that all feature in iconography. One example of this is clothing such as Stone Island, North Face, Pretty Green, Ralph Lauren, Adidas and many more, this is because these are all common brands that are associated with football hooligans and when these brands appear in films you know that the characters are apart of this culture.

 

Another part of iconography are the football teams badges. This is because obviously football is a huge part of this culture and the teams are the reason people are fighting. This makes the teams badges very recognisable for football hooligan films and allows people to instantly identify the film as having to do with football and then with the other iconography with the clothes people recognise it as being a football hooligan film.

This is something we are definitely going to include in our film as we want people to understand straight away what genre of film they are watching and iconography is extremely useful in doing this.

Character Profiles

Name - James McGovern
Age - 19
Hobbies - Football, fighting, drinking
Bio - James McGovern was born and raised in Sheffield by his mother and father, Angela and Paul McGovern. He was inspired by football hooliganism from an early age and always wished to follow his fathers footsteps in the Owls Crime Squad, the Sheffield Wednesday FC firm. Growing up within Chapeltown he went to Ecclesfield Secondary School where he found his two best mates who shared his unique passion, Jack and Harry. Ever since they met the three of them have been going to every match possible. James have never been shy to jumping into violence, sometimes it even seems that he enjoys the fights more than the football itself.

Name - Harry Wall
Age - 18
Hobbies - Football, fighting, fishing and drinking
Bio - Harry Wall was born in Manchester then moved to Sheffield after a few months of being born. Growing up around Sheffield he quickly became accustomed to the main two Sheffield football teams. Even though his parents support Manchester City he began to support Sheffield Wednesday due to his friends at Ecclesfield Secondary School. He has always liked fighting due to his Dad being a boxing instructor and always teaching him to hold his own ground and stand up for himself. This made him and James get on very well when they first learnt about what they loved to do. This was a friendship that has lasted through many scraps through the years.

Name - Jack Smith
Age - 19
Hobbies - Football, drinking and music
Bio - Jack Smith was born and raised in Hillsborough, Sheffield by a single Dad due to his Mum dying in childbirth and has been a massive Sheffield Wednesday fan since being a young kid. Growing up all his life revolved around was football, due to his dad being a massive fan and taking him to every game he could. This helped form a great friendship between him, Harry and James. Unlike the other boys, Jack has never wanted to go looking for fights and doesn't enjoy them as much as the others. However his love and loyalty for the two gets him involved in the fights just to help his best mates, but ultimately it is his passion for the game that keeps him coming back every week.

Iconography

Iconography in films like football hooligan films are quite noticeable and help represent what the hooligan is wearing and or what club they support. Symbols such as branded clothes and football team badges.

Stone Island: Stone island Is a commonly worn clothing line and sometimes shows when someone is prepared to fight.






North Face: Another commonly worn clothing line from football hooligans.




Here are more examples...















If shown well, it can really improve a films representation.

Football badges also show what teams are playing for example...









These will be the only two badges used if we was to use them in the film as these are the two teams playing.