Section C - Fish Tank (Arnold, 2009) Flashcards
Chav
Fish Tank
Insult for young person whose clothes, language and behaviour shows their low social class
Mia = chav
Demonisation
Fish Tank
Representing something as evil
Many demonise lower class; council estates, etc.
Social class
Fish Tank
Division of society based on social/economic status
Class divide heavily emphasised:
Mia’s family = underclass (unemployed)
Connor = lower middle class
Dependency Culture
Fish Tank
Lifestyle characterised by dependency on state benefits
Mia’s family = unemployed
Society
Fish Tank
People living together in relatively ordered community
2 societies within main society - council estate/housing estate
Binary Oppositions
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Pair of related terms that are opposites
Natural vs Industrial: Mia trapped in council estate. Connor takes her to river, nature.
Grey area - horse tethered on industrial estate
Feminine vs Tomboy: Mia challenges stereotypes (androgynous costume, swears, drinks) Keeley/Joanne = feminine, clashes with her
Grey area - what is feminine? Mia puts on her mum’s makeup, told to take her hair down
Verisimilitude
Fish Tank
How close media text comes to reality
Fish Tank = lots of verisimilitude, meant to mirror reality
Open ended narrative
Fish Tank
Narrative without resolution
Fish Tank = open-ended narrative - leave in car
Feminism
Fish Tank
Advocacy of women’s right for equality of the sexes
Fish Tank = feminist film - young woman trying to find her place in the world
Feminine
Fish Tank
Having qualities typical of women - delicacy, kindness, etc.
Mia is not very feminine, her mother, Joanne, is
Tomboy
Fish Tank
Girl who enjoys ‘rough’ activities associated with boys
Mia = tomboy; rough around the edges, yet likes dancing (feminine)
Stereotypical
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Relating to widely held oversimplified idea of a type of thing
Joanne = stereotypically feminine (makeup, etc.)
Counter Typical
Fish Tank
Acting against stereotype
Mia acts counter typically of teenage girl - violent/swearing
Broken Britain
Fish Tank
Term used by Conservative party and press to describe social decay in the U.K
Mia’s actions/home environment = example of Broken Britain
The Male Gaze
Fish Tank
Way media texts objectify women through camera taking perspective of straight man whilst viewing them
Female characters in film subjected to male gaze at some point
Awards won
Fish Tank
BAFTA - Best British Film
BIFA - Best Director
CONTEXTS
New Labour
Main policies
Government 1997-2010 (Tony Blair, Gordon Brown)
Optimistic after Thatcher -> more caring society
Tried appealing to middle/upper class Attempted to join socialism & capitalism - emphasis on social justice
CONTEXTS
Why people lost trust in New Labour?
During New Labour: Iraq war, financial crisis, 9/11, 7/7, 2007 floods
Blair called puppet of American government
CONTEXTS Name 5 (supposedly interlinked) issues 'Broken Britain' describes
Failing social services -> child neglect (Baby P, Shannon Matthews) Binge/underage drinking Teenage pregnancy VIP paedophilia scandals Poor education system
CONTEXTS
What did David Cameron blame 2011 England riots on?
“Moral collapse”
Irresponsibility Selfishness Behaving like actions have no consequences Fatherless children Schools without discipline Reward without effort Unpunished crimes Rights without responsibilities
CONTEXTS
Baby P case
Broken Britain
1 year old Peter Connelly died North London, 2007. Opportunities save him from child abuse not taken
Social responsibility: doctors & social services
CONTEXTS
Shannon Matthews
Broken Britain
9 year old Shannon Matthews kidnapped by mother, kept drugged under bed in mother’s boyfriend’s uncle’s house - meant -> ‘found’ by uncle, cash in on reward money
Large family dependent on benefits: desperate for money, social services failed them
CONTEXTS
Expenses scandal
Broken Britain
Expenses = own money you needed to spend for your job
Expenses claims = get that money back
MPs put in ridiculous claims - taxpayer money spent on prostitutes and duck houses
Government can’t be trusted
CONTEXTS
2011 UK riots
Broken Britain
6th-11th August - innocent man shot dead by police
Riots against government -> police vs people
Spread across country - people vs government (though many just wanted to loot)
Working class against government
CONTEXTS
Name 2 pieces of evidence that support Broken Britain
Fish Tank
Sworn at, has to stay in room whilst mum parties, “what do you think this is, a cafe?” - neglectful mother, no father (Broken family)
Connor uses Mia for sex, Mia abuses Kiera - no repercussions for actions
CONTEXTS
Production contexts
Fish Tank
Premiered Cannes Film Festival
Funded by Limelight Fund, BBC Films and UK Film Council’s New Cinema Fund
Shot on location, chronological order: gave Katie Jarvis (Mia) day’s worth of script at time -> make sense to her
IDEOLOGY
How Mia moves up/down Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs?
Start: Mia = bottom of hierarchy - food, clothes, bed, not much else
Spends film trying to reach second level: tries getting job, building relationships with others
NARRATIVE
Syd Field’s 3 Act Model
Fish Tank
Act 1: Beginning of film -> Connor uses Mia
Act 2: Mia and Connor have ‘sex’
Act 3: Mia runs away to Wales
NARRATIVE
Vogler’s Hero Model
Fish Tank
Ordinary World: Mia trying -> dancer, escape her underclass beginnings
Meets someone/given something: Meets Billy (gives her support) & Connor (support, camera for audition)
New world: After sex scene, v.annoyed, goes after his daughter
Greatest ordeal: Audition - strip club, leaves, makes own path
Returns enlightened: Leaves with Billy, open-ended
NARRATIVE
Todorov’s Equilibrium Model
Fish Tank
Equilibrium: Mia living with neglectful/abusive mother & little sister
Disruption: Connor (as a whole)
New Equilibrium: Mia takes charge & runs away
NARRATIVE
Type of narrative - why?
Fish Tank
Linear
Realistic; multiple storylines, worlds or flashbacks distract from narrative
NARRATIVE
Enigma Codes
Fish Tank
Mia’s flat: where are Mia/Tyler’s dad/dads?
Never resolved - does Mia know who he is? (Broken Britain)
Connor introduced: what is he hiding?
Hiding a girlfriend & daughter - absent father (Broken Britain)
NARRATIVE
Action Codes
Fish Tank
Dance audition: Mia walks away from the strip club
First good action of the film - she changes her life for the better
Keira’s kidnapping: Pushes Keira into water, yet saves her.
Mia never goes back to Connor - first step to closure
Mia’s first step to becoming more responsible - SAVES her
CINEMATOGRAPHY
How back shot of Mia foreshadows?
Opening sequence - Fish Tank
Mia looking at city through window - foreshadows her leaving, getting to take on the world
Glass = trapped there, like fish in fish tank
MISE-EN-SCENE
Significance of Mia’s costume
Fish Tank
Hoody - chav-like, violent gangster associations
Androgynous - not particularly masculine or feminine, like Mia
Grey - no colour, blends in, bland, depressing: like her situation
MISE-EN-SCENE
How set design of Mia’s flat reflects Mia’s life?
Fish Tank
Flat & council estate - dodgy area, little money
Hammer (weapon) kept in kitchen drawer, easily accessible - violent area, need protecting
Tyler watching hours tour on TV - custom-made heart-shape bedhead. Opposite of their lifestyle
EDITING
How editing pace reflects Mia’s emotions when freeing the horse?
Fish Tank
Fast pacing - urgency to free the horse
Dog barks, boys arrive -> faster, urgency to run
CINEMATOGRAPHY
How extreme close ups reflect Mia’s situation?
ECUs of flat - how small it is, lack of space
Fish struggling to breathe on land - Mia struggling in her life
SOUND
How diegetic sound creates meaning?
Freeing the horse - Fish Tank
Heightens tension
Doesn’t distract from moment
Only natural sound - no city background
REPRESENTATIONS
How Mia represented as stereotypical chav?
Fish Tank
Violent to others - start of film: head butts another girl. Sound effects & bleeding emphasise this
Swearing throughout film - “call me back later bitch” on phone
Costume - black tank top, grey tracksuit
REPRESENTATIONS
How Mia represented as counter type to stereotypical chav?
Fish Tank
Kind (to extent), caring for horse - tries freeing it twice, smashing chains - goes back after being chased away
Ambitious beyond her place in society - keeps trying to become a dancer, even when faced with challenges
Saves Keira, even after pushing her - binary oppositions within Mia, more than stereotype
REPRESENTATION
How feminism is explored through Joanne?
Fish Tank
Stereotypical ‘woman’:
Wears makeup
Long blonde hair
Dresses seductively
Very irresponsible - unemployed, depended on Connor
REPRESENTATION
How feminism is explored through Tyler & Keira?
Fish Tank
Both young, small children
Kids clothes, messy hair
Keira = lower-middle class background, innocent, dressed like princess
Tyler = underclass background, not innocent, drinks & smokes
REPRESENTATION
How feminism is explored through Mia?
Fish Tank
Mia = teenage tomboy
Counter type to femininity
Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory
Camera perspective of heterosexual man - sexually objectifies women: focuses on body using slow-mo, deliberate camera movement & cutaways
Traditional gender roles in film
Male = active role, pushing narrative
Female = passive, exist for visual pleasure, slow narrative: act as temptation or inspiration
REPRESENTATIONS
How Mia is subjected to male gaze?
Fish Tank
Dancing in pyjamas in kitchen (first meet Connor) - low angle, medium shot. Focuses on her butt
Connor puts her to bed - P.O.V shot from Mia, see him taking her joggers off
REPRESENTATION
How Mia = agent of male gaze?
Fish Tank
Filming Connor: medium long shot of his shirtless. See through camera what she sees - zooms in
Stares at girl at stripper audition: P.O.V shot from Mia - stripper in middle of shot, centre object
