Shank (2010)

An action film for the youth generation, set in a decaying future London. A gang set out on a chase to avenge the murder of one of their own.
Set in 2015, the setting is urban London, but with a twist it is now ruled by gangs and the problems that are a consequence of this.

How is the genre of the film conveyed?

the genre of the film is grime, I feel it is conveyed firstly through the pace of the editing, at the start of the trailer there are a series of jump cuts - as we see the boy in a boxing ring, this has connotations of violence and we instantly associate this aspect with the characters life, assuming that he is training for something. The mise-en-scene is bleak which is foreboding. there is a sound bridge of his brothers voice saying you know I love you, right? which overlaps onto a shot the young boy looking regretful the importance of the relationship is emphasised as the line is pro-longed. The fact that the boy looks despairing might indicate that something has happened to his brother. And that the film is going to be action packed and possibly, we might see the young boy seeking revenge. There is a contrast in the action and the pace of editing at 0:15 , the scene is in slow motion which might be used to highlight the urban desolate, destroyed streets of London in the future. The film a the trailer both strive to expose the reality of life on the streets, I feel the mise-en-scene plays a big part of this. Throughout the trailer there is jumpy music and similarly jumping editing this emphasises that there are a series of under-lying sub-plots and relationships between different gangs we suspect that the narrative of the film will be filled with suspense if it is a reflection of the trailer.

 There are various different forms of footage for example there is face paced action shown generally through long shots, there is establishing shots - so the audience get a feel for the setting, there are close ups and two shots reflecting of important conversations and prominent lines throughout the film, in conjunction with this there is also titles and footage from CCTV interrupting the structure of the trailer and making the story-line appear complex and fragmented. The variation in shot types show temporal shifts in time the structure is relatively linear as we see the new urban setting and what has happened to London, conveyed through the shot reading gangs have taken over. The intimidating use of a close up on the gangs eyes that follows makes us uneasy. Later on in the trailer we see conversations between the main characters and also their actions consquences of the problems they have to face in this new urban setting. The narrative is set up and we see that the protagonist is seeking revenge, there is a shot of him with blood on his hands which has conations of danger and death. The shots in which he is reflecting are relatively slow in comparison to the shots in which he take action and we see the vicious lifestyle and cycle of crime the boys are stuck in.

 The parts of the film that have been included in the trailer are significant, they all contribute to building suspense and suspicion amongst the audience. We are introduced briefly to the characters and the idea of the binary oppositions good vs evil is evoked. Most of the shots featured are action packed, they mark important stages in the narrative. Yet the whole plot is not revealed and therefore we want to watch on - to uncover what happens.

 I believe the target demographic is young adults and teenagers, it follows a similar construct to films such KiDULTHOOD and they seek to attract the same audience as they state at the start that it is from the same distributers. The film seeks to expose street-life and the problems that youths have to face in current day - even though the film is set in the future, Themes of death and gang war-fare are raised and so therefore the purpose of the film might be to raise awareness of these issues to young people.

 The typography of the titles are bold and prominent - it is written in bold black letters, which is symbolic of the importance of the film and issues raised in the plot The background of the titles looks urban and could be reflective of a street wall. We sub-consciously make associations between typography and messages and the genre of the film I feel that the titles reflect the genre of grime. They are fast paced and the editing between them is jumpy, they often follow action shots which helps us put the action into context, The stilted editing builds tension and we feel that we might miss something if we blink.

 Lines such as gangs have taken over and there is one rule[] KILL help build an narrative enigma the lines are significant and the flashing of the titles make the words stick in your head. They are effective as they are reflective of the action that follows each slide, this helps us to piece together bits of the narrative - but without revealing all of the plot, I feel that the titles keep in theme with the genre and keep the action fast paced.