Case Study: Essex Boys

Directed by Terry Winsor in 2000

The film is based loosely around events in December 1995 that led to the murders of three drug dealers in Essex.

LightingWhen Billy is driving through the tunnel the reflection of light creates prison bar imagery, connoting Jason’s ex prison life and inferring Billy’s future in prison after helping Jason. The prison bars also represent isolation and entrapment, a key feature in classic thriller films.

The use of chiaroscuro lighting in this scene reinforces the derelict and claustrophobic environment with a single white light shining behind Jason. The white light represents the ‘good’ life Jason could have led, surrounded by darkness which shows his criminal attributes and establishes the film as a thriller. This scene also contrasts with the marshes scene in regards to lighting and space, because the marshes is a vast open piece of land unlike the garage which is dark and confined.

Characters: Billy and JasonJason is first introduced in the garage, through the dirty windscreen wipers of the car. This medium point of view shot shows his lack of emotion and detachment to the world around him except getting revenge. This enables the audience to anticipate his violent behaviour in the fish market and establish Jason as the ‘bad guy’ in Essex Boys.

We are introduced to Billy from the start as his narrative opens the film. He is sitting in the car of the dark and dismal garage, a conventional location for a thriller. Billy appears to not be directly involved in the violence, for he is just the driver for Jason. Metaphorically, Billy is driving into Jason’s world full of danger and violence.

CostumeJason’s loud yellow and black psychedelic shirt shows that he is confident and wants to attract attention. He finds it appealing to intimidate others, so that people are wary of him. Jason also has a strong Essex accent which is a cultural signifier in ‘Essex Boys’.

The white van is very stereotypical of an Essex man to be driving and also has connotations with the thriller genre because the audience do not know who or what may be inside them. Generally, white vans are common and ‘Essex Boys’ is all about an ordinary situation being turned extraordinary. Jason seeks his revenge on the man who ‘grassed’ him up by chucking acid at his face, which shows how determined and ruthless Jason is as a character.

Camera shots and angles

Billy’s point of view shot gives the audience an insight through Billy’s eyes, making the film more interesting and realistic. It also connotes that Jason’s life is surrounded by corruption and he cannot escape.

A shot reverse shot is also used when Billy and Jason are in the van to show that the two characters are looking at each other, showing how they confide and trust each other.

LocationsThe dirty, wet streets are a typical thriller convention as Billy as Jason drive into the tunnel. The tunnel connotes gun imagery as if they are driving through the barrel of a gun, an object also associated with thriller films. The tunnel also produces a vanishing point, where the audience may fear what is at the end of the tunnel (the unknown).

The predatory landscape of the marshes leaves no where to hide and this contrasts to the scene previous at the fish market and the claustrophobic garage. Jason dumps his victim in the marshes, vulnerable in the secluded landscape. The marsh itself is a metaphor for Jason’s lack of morals.