How does my British Gangster film BLOW represent particular social groups? In the very first scene of my opening it begins with a close up of Tonys face. His face is in the centre of the screen and fills up most of the screen. His eyes are facing down in concentration. The fact that a close up of his face is the first thing that the audience sees suggests that he is the main character. The lighting in this scene is quite low which makes his blue sweater stand out. During this first scene there is a voice over which is accompanied by non - diegetic slow music. Whilst these two shots are on screen Tony says in his voice over this is me which shows that this is him in the present day and suggests there could be a flash back to follow. The close up of Tonys face stays on screen for barely two seconds before cutting to a side view of tony rolling a cigarette whilst the camera vertically pans up. The low level lighting creates quite a dark atmosphere and the slow motion shows Tony to look relaxed but makes the audience feel like something is going to happen. In this scene tony looks like he is at home and in control of what he is doing. He doesn't look like he has anything to worry about.

After the first introduction to the main character, Tony. The camera cuts to a flash back of tony. The audience knows it is a flash back because the voice over says this was me. Also, Tony is wearing different clothing as he is now in a red adidas hoodie with grey joggers. These clothes stereotypically make him look chavy and that he hangs around on the streets a lot. He looks happy and comfortable at home which is backed up by the voice over saying life was good and i was the top boy. The phrase top boy suggests that he is the leader of some kind of gang and is very successful especially with making money. This is shown through the expensive Ciroc vodka that he is casually drinking whilst smoking a cigarette. This mid-shot of tony is effective in making him look like a dominant character because the low level lighting makes his clothing stand out and he fills most of the screen. The camera in this scene vertically pans up slowly whilst his movements have been edited to a fast pace. The eery, tense non-diegetic music that continues to play indicates that something is about to happen. The close up of Tonys face from the previous present day scene begins to fade back in on screen as the camera pans up to reveal Tonys face.

Here, the camera cuts back to the same shot as in the beginning and it is back in the present tense. The lighting is still quite dark and the non-diegetic music continues to sound more tense. The voice over on this scene says Trust meant something to people where i was from, well at least i thought it did. The phrase at least i thought it did suggests that someone has been un-loyal to Tony and something bad is about to happen. The tone of his voice in the voice over is very strong and confident throughout but towards the end you can begin to hear a tone of disappointment in his words. Although, someone has just intruded his home which is indicated by the loud diegetic door slam Tony remains to look strong and dominant with a slightly confused look on his face but he is not in a huge panic. This shows the ideas of a modern representation of men. This represents his character as being fearless which contributed to his great success as a gang leader. The person behind the trigger remains unknown but could suggest this is because it is someone he knows. As tony turns back around the audience is unsure what he is going to do but then he grabs his chest while the loud diegetic gun shot goes off and his body flys forward.

After Tony gets shot and the production company titles come on screen the camera cuts to an extreme close up of Tonys eyes as he lays there dead on the floor. The camera tracks out to reveal his face and a slight bit of blood coming out the corner of his mouth. This shows that his unknown enemy has defeated him and here he is represented to be the opposite of what he was and now looks like a weak character which is the opposite to a modern representation of men. The music has changed to fit the dark mood and becomes louder as the camera tracks out. The audience sympathises with the character. Tonys best friend Max is introduced next. Time has been reversed 24 hours earlier and is the time before Tony got shot. His body is positioned in the centre of the screen and only reveals his legs as the camera is at a low angle. The opening then cuts to a long shot of Max walking down the lane.The audience can immediately associate him with Tony by the similar looking clothing he wears which is stereotypically chavy and could be quite intimidating to people. He is wearing dark black and blue clothing with a Nike bag and hat. The high level of lighting in this scene makes his bold dark clothing stand out. The hat he is wearing suggests that he doesn't want himself to be recognised by people as he wouldn't normally be wearing a hat in the sunny weather. The bag he has over his shoulder reflects some femininity within him which could potentially mean he is a weaker character compared to Tony and has less authority. This contributes to the film well as there are no main female roles in the film and in order for a successful story line there is always a weaker, less dominant character which is potentially a female. However, in contrast to this the fast pace non - diegetic music and his strong posture whilst walking reflects a strong representation of a male figure and his heavy steps links to the way a confident gangster would walk. Sprayed graffiti on the wall of the lane also emphasises the gangster life style. The audience can tell he doesn't hold as much authority as Tony because he has his back to the camera the whole time and his face isn't revealed fully. This two shot of Tony and Max reveals that they indeed do have a close friendship. This shot is taken from a low angle and shows how Tony is welcoming him into his house. The lighting in this scene is at a high exposure and their similar blue clothing stands out. Maxs back is still all we can see of him at this stage in the film which reflects a clear lack of importance and emphasises on Tonys dominance throughout the film and their gang which is supposedly a joint leadership. By looking at their surroundings the audience can tell its not a well kept area, intercity and rundown. This is significant to show that they are part of a rough gang operating in a less privileged area where unemployment is high. Therefore, criminal activity is rife.

Here, we meet a new character Mitch. By watching the opening it isn't revealed how tony knows him or if they are supposedly friends. His body language makes him come across very intimidating and some what aggressive. He is wearing dark clothes with his hood up and he is facing the floor. This suggests that he doesn't want his face to be seen and possibly doesn't want Tony to recognise him. The lighting in this scene is quite bright and is filmed at a low angle to make Mitch look bigger and more threatening. This could suggest that he is a possible enemy of Tony if he is portrayed by the camera in a negative way. I edited Mitchs movements walking towards Tony into jump cuts so it looks like he is walking towards him even faster. His sudden change in movements creates power and suggests he holds a lot of power and may take control in this situation. During this scene there is a change in tempo within the non-diegetic music signifying a new character and the opening coming to an end. Again, the fact that this scene is filmed in a lane again portrays the inner city, rough, gangster life style. His arm movements at the end of the opening shows that something physical is about to happen creating a lot of suspense. However, the audience get left on a cliff hanger.Absence of women: I have deliberately not included any main female roles in my film opening. However, if I was to create the whole film I would include some minor female roles but not so much that they hold any dominance. My opening is aimed at mainly a male audience and as a full film it is clear it would involve a lot of violence, drugs and weapons. Stereotypically, you wouldn't see a main female role in a film based on these particular themes. The male characters in my opening very strong and hold a lot of power. A female role wouldn't fit well with my British gangster theme as it may make the female look extremely weak which wouldn't be a good modern representation of a women and my opening is a very modern film. In contrast to this, I would include a female role as a minor character (e.g. girlfriend of Tony or Max) so more characters are introduced and there could be more of a personal story for each of the main male characters.