adopted conventions?
Weapons
Another convention used in gangster films would be the use of the prop weapons. Weapons help to emphasise the genre. I found my film could easily of been portrayed as a different genre so the use of weapons made it more obvious. I ensured i used theft, spray painting cans and the use of the bat to suggest it was a crime film.
Weapons are a sign of danger as they can cause a lot of harm if in the hands of the wrong person. The bat was definitely in the hands of the wrong people in my film. Causing harm to things/people is a typical convention of a gangster film so i Incorporated it into my film.
The weapon in my film was being held in such a way to portray it's nothing to the gang... It's just a toy. The fact that it was being held so carelessly implies to the audience that it's natural for them to have weapons and they are very established in using them.
Clothing
By exploring the elements in Mise en scene i made sure the clothing choice would represent a British gangsters. This involves joggers, tracksuits, hoodies and dark clothes as they mask the characters identity. The enigma generated from the unknown is scary and that's why i included this in my film. I want my actors to portray a dangerous, mysterious and intimidating persona to represent the genre best as possible. The other film openings i investigated didn't really include big baggy clothes to hide identity so i challenged conventions in this aspect.
Challenging Conventions
A way in which i challenged conventions was my choice to make the main character a girl. Boys are commonly associated with crimes in films rather than a girl so it is refreshing to see i have changed it up.
The fact it is a girl preserves some sort of innocence so when she regrets what she has done we instantly feel sympathy and regret for her. We would want to carry on watching the film to see what she will do to make it right, we want to follow her on her journey as a part of us wants to see her succeed. This is the concept i wanted to achieve.
adopted conventions?
A typical convention of a gangster film is dark lighting. I have gained inspiration from this and used it in my film as it conveys enigma and fits the mood. As the lighting is made up of dark tones it emphasises the dark nature of the scene. The scene was an upsetting scene so the dark lighting just added to the mood perfectly just like most gangster films. This concept is typical in the films Legend and Snatch that i have already analysed.
It was hard to achieve dark lighting as the lightbulb in the room i was filming in was very bright and i didn't have the equipment to film in the dark. I toned down the lighting as much as i could by using filters on the machine i was working on. Although by turning the natural lighting down to create low level lighting it made my film look almost grey so i turned it down as much as i could without it appearing too edited to achieve the look i desired.
Location
back of a van
I chose to locate my film in an area that appeared to be poverty stricken and deprived. By locating it here i have achieved the perfect area where crimes can easily be committed. In most gangster films, crimes are commonly taken place in estates that appear rough due to graffiti and gangs of teenagers that mess around. I have adopted this typical convention and featured an ideal place that includes graffiti, teenagers, flats and alleyways. The film opening Snatch also included places that are easy to commit crimes such as a warehouse.
The girl lives in a flat and i ensured i captured her leaving it to really reflect the girls background and upbringing. All these factors emphasise the gangster genre and we can have an insight on what the girl is like by the location.
The film Snatch that I previously analysed has discreet locations for crimes such as a caravan, warehouse and the back of a van.
caravan
currently in the warehouse