Trainspotting -Social and cultural context

How does the mise-en-scene and the music in Trainspotting reflect the social and cultural contexts of the film's setting?

Trainspotting reflects the social and cultural context by the use of mise-en-scene and music. The social context in the film reflects the aftermath of Thatcherism and the effect her policies had on the nation, because of her belief in a free market and small state this led to mass unemployment, that mainly impacted those who worked in industries such as factories or mines which were those that lived in working class areas, because of this this then led to under development among the young in these areas, which is reflected in Trainspotting by the setting of the council-like estates. The social context is also reflected by the drug and rave culture in the 90's, because of the under development of youths in the working class areas they weren't able to become employed or either weren't motivated to get a job for example this is presented when Spud intentionally ruins his job interview because he had chose to take drugs beforehand, this reflects the young working class attitude in the 1990's and also the attitudes they had. Another representation of this is the use of a voice over when Renton says " I chose not to choose life, I chose something else and the reasons? There are no reasons, who needs reasons when you've got heroin". Because mostly the youth in the working class couldn't get employed they converted to the use of drugs and going to raves, which is seen where Renton meets Diane in a club named 'Volcano'. The music in Trainspotting is asynchronous which is when the music doesn't correspond with the scene of the film therefore makes that specific scene ironic because it doesn't parallel to what is happening for example when Iggy Pop's ' Lust for life' plays in the opening scene this makes Renton's voiceover when he begins to say, that he would rather choose drugs over life, more ironic because he doesn't have a lust for life but instead it shows the destruction of himself because of how he is abusing drugs. Also the use of classical music in the scene where he is in the bathroom makes this more ironic because it shows how he can't stop using drugs which makes this disturbing scene because of his addictiveness, more uplifting. Another scene where the music is used asynchronously is when 'Perfect life' by Lou reed is playing whilst Renton is being taken to the hospital because he has overdosed which is ironic because Renton doesn't had a ' perfect life' but instead the opposite. Different elements of Scottishness are represented in this film by the Clydeism which is shown throughout Trainspotting as it is set in the underprivileged-working class areas of Scotland, this reflects the social view of Scotland in how the citizens have a lack of determination and do not contribute to society, this is represented through the roughness and dirtiness of the setting. Tartanry is challenged in Trainspotting because stereotypically the image of a Scottish person is someone who wears a kilt or someone who is ginger, some elements of Tartanry are reinforced such as Begbie's character who is mainly always a violent drunk. Kailyardism is represented in Trainspotting by the setting of  rural areas in Scotland, the lighting throughout the film is dull and bleak which can reflects the lack of hope that the characters have and how their characters are represented.

Captain Fantastic - spectator responses

• Captain Fantastic and Inception, both employ techniques to try and create emotional responses. In Captain Fantastic some spectators will be emotionally affected by this film because of who they are, how the film is consumed - in a cinema or at home - or whether they are alone or have company. In the opening scene some spectators could feel anger and disapproval towards the eldest son (Bo) when he brutally kills the stag, this could be due to spectators life choices such as being a vegetarian and so killing any animal to them is seen as inhumane, which would create anger. The use of no sound in this scene creates a more realistic picture of how they hunt for food and how they live isolated from society, which could make the spectators feel more strongly about their emotion. Also in Captain Fantastic some spectators could feel agreement when the children are cremating their mother, spectators could feel this because they are obeying her wishes of being cremated, also the use of diegetic music, which the children are creating could create joy for the spectators because although she has died the children are all happy and optimistic, but some other spectators may feel sympathy for them because of this, or empathy if the spectator has experienced a loss. In Inception some spectators might feel shock and sympathy in the scene when Mal commits suicide by jumping off the window ledge. The spectators could feel this by the mise-en-scene, which includes the performance of Cobb when she does jump as he gives a realistic reaction of what losing someone would be like, because of the realistic depiction this could heighten the spectators emotions. Also the placement of Cobb and Mal creates enough space between them so that Cobb can't save her which could make the spectator feel more sympathetic towards him because he couldn't save her in time. Also the end scene of Inception is left open-ended, this is when Cobb returns back home and sees his children and his totem is still spinning, which could mean that he is still in a dream but the spectators are unaware because the close up of the totem doesn't show whether it stops or not before it cuts to a black screen. This could make the spectators feel joy because he is back with his children but also anger because it may be a dream and they are unaware of the ending

• The factors that affect how different spectators might respond to certain elements of the films are; their age - this could affect them because a younger spectator might not understand the aspect of mental illness shown in Captain Fantastic but also may be uneducated about suicide as well which is shown in both films. Gender may also affect their response because both Inception and Captain fantastic show flawed masculinity, which to spectators who aren't female, might not relate to and so possibly won't have a stronger response than male spectators. Other factors that can affect the way spectators respond is how the film is consumed - whether it is at home, where you are comfortable and possibly be distracted by other things surrounding you so could be disconnected from the film whereas in a cinema the surround sound and big screen makes you more fixated on the screen because you can't be distracted by other things so may have a stronger connection when watching the film leading to a differed emotional response than watching it at home. Also whether you watch a film alone or in company can affect the spectators response because when in company they can be easily distracted and so aren't concentrating but when watching the film alone they may feel more tension because they aren't distracted by others. In Captain fantastic the spectators social and cultural beliefs might affect their response because if the spectators disagree with capitalists views within society they may relate more to Ben and the way he is bringing up his children away from today's society whereas those who agree with capitalists views may reject Ben's ideas of being isolated from society. In Inception the spectators social and cultural beliefs might also affect their response when watching this film dependent on whether they agree with the capitalist views or not if they themselves are a capitalist or hold capitalist views then they would disagree with the idea of ruining someones business purely to benefit those who aren't whereas non-capitalists would agree with Cobb and his job to take apart Fischer's business. The spectators personal experiences may affect the way the respond to both films, in Captain Fantastic the spectators who have maybe lost a family member to suicide or a mental illness or suffers from this themselves might have a stronger response to this film whereas the spectators who haven't will not be able to have a stronger response when watching the film, also in Inception the spectators who have may have a stronger response of sympathy when Mal dies if they have lost someone themselves whereas someone who hasn't experienced this won't have a stronger connection.

Inception - narrative/ portrayal of male characters/ non-linear narrative

• Outline with examples how the film's narrative is designed to mirror the way video games are constructed               

This films narrative is designed to mirror the way video games are constructed by the multiple scenes there are in a lift when they are all within the dream, the lift represents the different levels in a video game and how in each layer they are going up.

• How does the film portray male anxiety and trauma

The film portrays male anxiety by the fundamental ideas of having a dream and that within the dream the significant person is hiding key information from people and it is Cobb's job to be the 'extractor' of this an example of this is when Cobb uses him to plant an idea in his head to dissolve his father's company (which he is the heir to) as his father has recently passed away. This then also links to trauma as he has lost his father, and also how Cobb is struggling from the loss of his wife and how in the dream she is a projection of his subconscious.

• How does the non-linear and multi-linear narrative in the film create meaning for the spectator 

The non-linear and multi-linear narrative in the film creates meaning for the spectator as the film is about dreams the spectator can easily understand all the different ideas that form a dream and how they never follow a pattern which mirrors the narrative of the film. The open ending of the film shows his totem is left spinning and the end never reveals if he is still in a dream or not which can also reflect how dreams end because you can never remember the ending of a dream.

Answer for the British films

Explore how narrative structure or narrational devices are used in both of your chosen films [40]

This essay will explore the use of narrative structure (story and plot, Story refers to the dramatic action as it might be described in chronological order and the plot refers to how the story is told) in 'This is England' and the use narrational devices (how a story is told through flashbacks, voice overs, open endings) in 'Trainspotting'.

The use of narrative structure in This is England refers to the story - the action of the film and how it is shown in chronological order and in a linear way,  and it also refers to the plot - which is how the story is told. The opening sequence of This is England begins with Shaun (the protagonist) cycling on his bike after finishing school, this parallels to the ending of the film when Shaun - now with a shaved head -  is again cycling his bike. The difference is his appearance is a representation of the passing of time. The film is an example of the Equilibrium theory : at the beginning there is a state of symmetry and there are no disruptions but as the film progresses the antagonist (Combo) is introduced and he begins to display his national front beliefs on the Falklands war and his racist views. The recognition of Combo's beliefs begin to divide Woody and Shaun as Shaun's dad died in the Falklands. The climax of the film is when Combo beats Milky up because of his ethnicity and this easily leads Shaun to be disheartened and he comes to recognise that he is being led down the wrong path. In This is England there isn't a resolution, as the ending shows Shaun throwing away his England flag which may only represent that his views on Combo and his own racist remarks are no longer there. Also This is England has a dual narrative, firstly when Shaun meets Woody and he instantly positions himself as his 'father figure'. The second part of the narrative is when Combo replaces Woody as Shaun's 'father figure' and within this second half more racism and violence is exposed because of his character. This is England is left open-ended, as the spectator doesn't get a clear indication of what has happened to Milky, or whether Shaun rejoins Woody or if he remains isolated.

Narrational devices are used in Trainspotting, this refers to how the story is told through flashbacks , open endings, voice overs, flashbacks, flashfowards and the use of real footage.The opening sequence sets the scene as Renton and Spud are seen fleeing from the police, a voiceover of Renton plays over the action and the music , he says "choose life, choose a career, choose a family [...]" he says this sarcastically to suggest he doesn't care about these things but instead he cares about drugs and he chooses drugs over these, but by the end of the film he aspires to have all these things in his life and says it sincerely. His narration is used to bring a lighter tone in contrast to the seriousness of the topics and the brutal imagery which could represent how they have become desensitised by the use of drugs.Imagery is used in Transporting for example when a close up shot of a needle Renton injects himself with shows the blood flow back into the needle, this could indicate the biological harm that the drugs are causing but also could be a representation of how it is sucking the life out of him. This imagery could also foreshadow his overdose later on in the film and how HIV affects his friends as the transmission of blood through needles is how it is spread to other people who share them and this is also how Tommy dies. The closing sequence shows Renton with the bag of money at the end of the film crossing the bridge and repeating his 'choose life speech' which shows his views of the importance of life has changed and now he lists all the objects again which he aspires to have in his life, this imagery could also suggest that he is starting over and indicates a new beginning.

This Is England

The film affects the audience by how the characters are represented. Combo is presented as very aggressive and controversial, he becomes a father figure for shaun although he isn't a good role model for him Combo introduces him to the 'skinhead' culture. Shaun is the protagonist in the film, he is a likeable character although he is taken down the wrong root by Combo. Woody who at the beginning takes Shaun under his wing after he is being bullied, becomes a father figure to Shaun but Shaun ends up choosing Combo over Woody. This shows the relevance of the characters lifes and how many people are fatherless and represents the way that hateful people can manipulate others.

The film affects the audience by the Mise-en-scene, when throughout the film there is no mention of where it is set this is purely to emphasise that there is no specific area where this film is set so shows that these problems are happening all other the country and not just in one area. The costumes are very appropriate for the time period in which the film is set and they are all appropriate for their social class ; hand me downs are stereotpyically used for working class