'Attack the Block' - case study

Attack the Block was a hybrid genre film written and directed by British comedian Joe Cornish. It spanned across the sci-fi, horror, comedy and action genres which could've been one of the reasons why this film was financially unsuccessful as the audience is diluted. It was produced by Screen Gems, Film4, Studio canal and Big talk productions for around $13million with some funding from the UK film council and only made about half of that back in terms of box office takings. Apparently over time it eventually broke even but overall it was financially unsuccessful. The film featured John Boyega, Judie Whitaker and some less renowned actors. It was distributed in the UK by Optimum releasing and in the USA by Sony. 

Representation

At the beginning of this film the setting is established as well as the key characters and their alien opposition. It starts with a scene where predominantly black teenagers mug a white woman. Already we can see a plethora or stereotypes used to represent the characters. Jodie Whitaker is dressed as a stereotypical middle class woman with brighter clothing whilst John Boyega and his group are dressed in hoodies, baseball caps and bandanas (stereotypical). The surrounding graffiti and presence of knives heightens the negative representation of south London and its residents. The group speaks in thick south London dialect, using slang and a prominent accent to outline their residence and add to the stereotype. In contrast, Jodie Whitaker's character speaks with a more 'traditional' London accent. The ominous music used to establish danger is supported by the dark and cold lighting. In terms of camera work, low angles are used to add a sense of superiority to the gang, with high angles of the woman to make her appear weaker in comparison. Joe Cornish is aware that he is using many stereotypes and does this on purpose because the plot continues to unravel these stereotypes as it progresses.  

Following on from this section I watched the next 5 minutes. In this 5 minutes we are introduced to many new characters including a group of girls, an old woman and a boy called Brewis. We are presented more establishing shots of 'the block' from predominantly low angles to outline a sense of power. We can see a nail salon, the council estate and a social area which all support the working lass mood. Sam (Jodie Whitaker) meets this older white woman who is presented as middle class (like Sam) through the interior features of her apartment and her attire. She is dressed in what could be considered stereotypical clothing for an older upper class white woman which is supported by her well furnished and well lit apartment. When Sam is in this apartment with the lady the mood is very different. The soundtrack stops and the camera work is very slow and smooth with stable close-ups to outline Sam's comfortable and safe mental state in this setting. This is starkly contrasted by the dark lighting, non-diegetic sound, fast past cuts and handheld camera movement of the outdoor scenes including Moses and his gang. The sci-fi/hip-hop music which is used in the outdoor scenes to represent the situation and the characters featured adds further suspense. As well as using costuming, set design and dialect to create a stereotypical old white woman character the director also utilises these factors to introduce us to new stereotypes. The first stereotype represents working class girls from south London which is made evident by their abrasive outfits and thick south London dialect (slang and swearing) - similar to the group of boy. Brewis is an upper-class white man who only comes to the area to buy drugs, his outfit, hairstyle and accent all play into the upper-class stereotype which adds a sense of relatability and comedy when we hear him listening to boom-bap rap - possible admires the lifestyle of the other characters. 

Essay Question: "Representations in media texts are often simplistic and reinforce dominant ideologies so that audiences can make sense of them." Evaluate the ways that a media product you have studied has used or challenged simplistic representations. (12)     

"Attack the block" is a hybrid sci fi film directed by comedian Joe Cornish in 2011. Typically films use stereotypes more excessively than novels or series' as there is less time to form a detailed character development/ foundation. Attack the block is no exception from this convention however the director cleverly used stereotypes to create an underlying meaning in this light hearted film.  

At the start of the film Joe Cornish reinforces dominant UK ideologies through his use of stereotyping. It starts with a group of predominantly black youths in Brixton mugging a middle class white woman. This plays on white anxiety in London and reinforces the dominant ideologies of black youths being criminal and praying on white people, fuelled by the media. This is heavily supported through mis en scene, with the group of kids being stereotypically dressed in all black with bandanas, knives and baseball caps whilst the middle class woman is dressed in lighter and possibly less 'abrasive' clothing. This class divide is further illustrated through the use of dialogue — with the group speaking in a thick London accent and using slang whilst the woman speaks in 'proper english'. The dark setting with street art all serves to add to this dominant ideology and present the group of kids as dangerous to the woman. 

As the film progresses Joe Cornish starts to break and challenge these stereotypes which he established at the start of the film and I think that a key purpose of this film is to challenge the class system and dominant ideologies surrounding it in the UK. The main character Moses is firstly introduced as the most dangerous member of the group and the leader though his deeper voice, height difference and commanding mentality whilst also being the only person we see carry a knife. Towards the end we are able to see his true personality, the cowardly nature represented at the start is directly contrasted at the end when he becomes the hero and strives to save his block from the danger (which was originally him.) The inversion of his moral compass in this film paired with the companionship of the different classes and races portrayed in this block really flips the dominant ideologies reinforced at the start on their heads. The plot slowly unravels who Moses is as a character and shows that he is just a normal person like anyone else who's circumstances led him to go against who he truly is; this vulnerability and normality is outlined when Sam (white woman) is looking around his room and he has family portraits, spider-man bed covers etc. There is a pivotal and telling moment at the end when Sam is asked about Moses by the police, who think he is a criminal, when she says that he is just here neighbour. Unifying the class system. 

Genre 

Daniel Chandler's genre theory states that conventional definitions of genres tend to be based on the notion that they constitute particular conventions of content (such as themes or settings) and/or form (including structure and style) which shared by the texts which are regarded as belonging to them. Basically codes are things we see typically across productions in a genre and conventions are the methods they typically use. Attack the block genre codes and conventions: 

Referencing Attack the Block from 1:15 to 1:27, explain how generic codes and conventions have been used to create meaning (12) 

Attack the Block (d. Joe Cornish, 2011) is a hybrid genre film which does feature a slight socially commentary however the main purpose is for simple entertainment. The last 10 minutes display Attack the block's primary genres clearly and we are able to see the Horror/Action/Sci fi cross over conventions. 

Slow motion is a genre convention of most action films, in this section we can see the main protagonist Moses run in slow motion from the creatures. The director has done this because it adds tension and excitement to amplify the climax of the film to satisfy the audience's want for diversion and entertainment. Joe Cornish also uses the horror genre convention of slow paced editing and music at the start of the sequence in order to build tension and also heighten the severity of the climax and contrast the fast paced cuts in the ending sequence ― again this adds engagement and excitement. One convention implemented from the sci―fi genre is the use of CGI and although it may not be very high budget like the average scifi film it still represents and outerwordly being as with most films from this genre. This increases the unusual setting of the film, often a fictional event like this would occur in a big glamorous city or outer space however in this film aliens are invading a random council estate in south London never really shown in a horror, action or scifi film. This gives the film a USP in order to increase sales and memorability (even though unsuccessful.) As well as giving the film a unique selling point it also adds an aspect of interest for the audience as they aren't used to seeing it documented which has a deeper purpose ― attempting to tackle the asymmetrical judgment of the working class by the upper class. The single stranded narrative is typical of horror films and has been used in Attack the Block to give the audience a simple and predictable plot to follow, they don't have to watch the film with too much scrutiny and can just enjoy it which adds to the entertainment gratification. 

Narrative

Apply the concept of narrative to a media product you have studied (12)

'Attack the block' is a hybrid-genre film directed by comedian Joe Cornish in 2011. It focuses on a group of boys in South London fighting an alien invasion on their block. Narrative refers to the way in which stories are told, how meaning is constructed to achieve the understanding of the audience. In film, narrative is constructed through camera work, lighting, sound, mis-en-scene etc. We use them to make sense of our lives and the world. There are many approaches to understanding narratives devised by various philosophers over the years. 2000 years ago Aristotle observed that all narratives had a beginning, middle and end. Attack the block conforms to this as it has a very linear narrative with no flashbacks, multi-strands etc. The plot pretty much takes place in real time. There is a clear beginning where the boys are mugging the girl and a clear end where Moses is taken away in the police van. This film is also adherent to Toderov's narrative stages theory where there is a disturbance to equilibrium and then a resolution to form a new equilibrium. At the start of the film we see the stereotypical London equilibrium where a group of young black boys mug a middle class white woman. This equilibrium is then disturbed by an alien invasion on their block - the group of boys alongside the woman defeat these aliens (resolution) which creates the new equilibrium where the protagonist is seen as a hero as opposed to a coward. Theorist Vladimir Propp studied hundreds of Russian folk stories before deciding that all narratives have a common structure - they are shaped by different character types. He said there are 7 roles which any character may fall under in a narrative story. In Attack the Block there is a clear Villain (Aliens) and Hero (Moses.) Which indicates that this film also follows Levi Strauss' binary opposition theory where there is a conflict between one element and another and they directly contrast. In Attack the Block we are also able to notice most of Propp's other roles; Brewis is the donor in this film because he gives the hero knowledge that he wouldn't be able to restore equilibrium without. Many of the characters around the hero can be seen as helpers such as his friends, Sam etc because they make assist the hero in his quest. There is no clear false hero in this film and no clear dispatcher because they dispatch themselves. I would say that the 'Block' is probably the princess in this film as it is protected and seen as an objective by the hero. As I mentioned this film follows binary opposition theory where there is a conflict between two sides. Some examples of binary oppositions which Attack the Block displays include; black vs white, good vs evil, rich vs poor, boy vs girl, domestic vs foreign, young vs old and etc. In summary, Attack the Block is adhered to many narrative structures and theories such as Propp's character theory, Levi Strauss' binary opposition theory, Toderov's narrative stages theory and Aristotle's progression theory alongside many others. Its single stranded linear narrative means that it lends itself well to narrative codes and works well with the stereotypes and USP which is showcases. 

Regulation/effects theory

The BBFC is the film regulator in the UK. Their focus is on helping children and families choose which films are suitable to watch by providing them with guidance. Their responsibility/role is to protect children and vulnerable adults from imagery that will negatively affect them. They are industry funded and operated because the industry doesn't want government intervention as this creates further bias. The industry does not want to lose this privilege and therefore the BBFC is generally accurate and reliable. Trading standards and law enforcement officers have the power to seize illegal video works. The BBFC are designated by the department of culture, media and sport to provide evidence to help secure convictions under the terms of the video recordings act 1984. 

They have been classifying film in the UK for over 100 years and video for over 30. In 1909 the cinematograph act arrived which gave local authorities the power to provide or withold licenses for cinemas in their region. In 1912 the BBFC what created by the film industry to ensure uniformity for film classification decisions. Over the years legislation and categories developed to the (U,PG,12/12A,15,18,R) as well decisions over drugs and violence. They cut scenes out of many films in the past. The video recordings act was passed in 1984 and the BBFC was designated as the authority to regulate video (also changed form the British board of film censorship to the British board of film classification.) In 2002 12 was replaced by 12A meaning 12 or parent accompany. 

They regulate films exhibited at cinemas and video works such as television programmes, trailers, adverts, campaigns etc released in the UK. 

BBFC Age ratings: U - Suitable for all ages "should be set within a positive framework and should offered reassuring counterbalances to violence." PG - General viewing but some scenes may be unsuitable for young audiences "should not unsettle a child aged around eight or older." 12A - Not generally suitable for children aged under 12 and adults planning to take a child under 12 to a film must accompany them, no violent or antisocial behaviour endorsed. 15 - violent and unhealthy behaviour can be shown in further detail but on the whole it is not endorsed or dwelled on. 18- only exceptions to this are when it breaches law or is dangerous or explicit, no viewers under 18. 

Two case studies for example: 

Minions (Kyle Balda, 2015) distributed by Universal Pictures was given a U rating by the BBFC. They gave it this rating because there was only mild violence and language where no one is realistically hurt. There was controversy about this rating because of the torture scenes and noose in the trailer however I agree that overall it is suitable for everyone. 

13 reasons why (Tom McCarthy, 2016) distributed by Netflix was given an 18 after controversy about it's original 15 rating. This rating was increased because of how it dwelled on suicide alongside any other touchy subjects which they felt best placed it into 18. I agree with this decision because it could be too disturbing for a younger audience. 

Marketing

Ways in which 'Attack the Block' was advertised both above the line (ATL) and below the line (BTL.) 

Above the line marketing refers to forms of marketing which use mass media to market to a wide audience. Mediums such as radio, TV etc  when it is targeted wide instead of directly. The effectiveness and return investment is hard to calculate with ATL advertisement. One ATL method used to promote 'Attack the Block' was a website which had many tabs which gave information about the film, one of these tabs was called 'Game' which directed the viewer to iTunes where they were able to sell a soundtrack, podcast, the film itself and a game. They also released a Youtube trailer which got 2.5 million views and a positive like:dislike ratio which supports the overall positive reviews of the film on site like IMDb (6.8/10) Other methods of ATL used to promote the film include Posters, Magazine ads, Comic Con, Merchandise and social media pages. 

Below the line marketing refers to direct marketing where a person has had this film advertised to them based on their interests tailored by data collected on social media and google. What this means is that although many of the methods I talked about were ATL because anyone could stumble across them, the ways in which traffic was drawn to these platforms was most likely BTL through facebook ads, google analytics etc. For example if someone had watched a sci fi film trailer on youtube they may be recommended the Attack the Block trailer because they have been profiled as a sci fi fan.