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Cinematography is an appealing feature when applied as a conscious device. A good shot or camera movement can define a film. In the 2007 release Atonement the cinematographer Seamus McGarvey was praised notably for his 5 minute tracking shot depicting World War II soldiers awaiting the evacuation of Dunkirk. In an interview he talked about his love affair with the moving image and shared some of his lesser known techniques including the reincarnation of Dior stockings as a lens filter. He was nominated for an Oscar for Atonement and has won several other awards in his career.
Cinema as a visual medium should please aesthetically whether it is for the sake of realism or to transport the viewer to a land of colourful impossibilities. My most preferred use by the cinematographer is the ‘photo shot’ in which a scene can be reminiscent of a captivating photograph. This technique can make a difference to a flat script or mediocre performance.
One of my favourite examples is Dear Frankie (2004, Shona Auerbach) set on location in Greenock a port town in the west of Scotland. The story is simple following a family of three (young mother, her deaf son and his grandmother) as they move into the area. It soon transpires that Frankie and his mother have moved around frequently. They are on the run from Frankie’s abusive father unbeknownst to the boy. Instead his mother has invented an alternate life for him working away at sea. She encourages Frankie to write letters to his ‘dad’ posting them to a sorting office in the city. Frankie receives a reply once a month written by his mother who collects each letter.
As they settle into the new town, Frankie explores the harbour, the library and the streets meeting people and learning about friendship. In reality Greenock is a town which has suffered severe industrial decline over the last ten years, if a resident were asked to comment on the location ‘hauntingly beautiful’ is a description I doubt would spring to their mind. Yet every shot seems to capture a perfect moment. The town and docks look similar to a painting with wide open empty shots capturing that initial sense of isolation of the family.
The cinematography is also symbolic of Frankie’s approach to life. As a child he sees the world as a different place, he is under the illusion his violent father leads a charmed life sailing around the globe. As a deaf boy he relies heavily upon his sight for lip reading and so his perspective focuses on a child-like wonder. Every object he encounters takes on a visually delightful appeal. Cinematography in this case acts as a narrative devise as well as a visual art form.
Although the narrative is not challenging and could easily be accused of whimsy, it can be forgiven. The imagery strengthens the story and is highly enjoyable as a result. From a personal perspective, it was intriguing to see a local place portrayed as such knowing that it was achieved through subtle cinematographic techniques. The cinematography opened my eyes to the natural beauty of the town.

This review can viewed at www.cinemawithoutborders.com

Shane Meadows has undoubtedly carved a career as a filmmaker of New British Cinema. Winning critical acclaim for both writing and directing he comes from a rather unassuming background in middle England which has ultimately provided the stirring content to his creativity.

Cinema focusing in particular on the British gangster scene has in recent years been glamourised by the likes of Guy Ritchie’s Snatch, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and subsequent imitators in Layer Cake and The Business. Ritchie introduced a more ‘Americanised’ style to film using high-paid internationally recognised actors such as Brad Pitt and New Hollywood methods of cinematography. Not least the spectacle of fast paced scenes set to popular music. It reinforced a series of representations of Britain or more specifically London rife with gangsters, organised crime and brutality. Meadows’ success is in his accuracy of portraying ‘villains’ without spectacle taking precedence over the narrative.

Drawing on his youth on a council estate in East Staffordshire Meadows’ films arguably contains autobiographical content. Noted in the film This is England (2006), a young boy growing up with an absent father represents issues in Meadows’ own childhood. The film also focuses on the development of characters from small communities similar to his. This is also tackled in his film Dead Man’s Shoes (2004). In the latter, the ‘gangsters’ are represented in a believable way shirking the London based, leather jacket wearing cockney geezers.

The villains are considered to be more believable by both their characterisation of deeply flawed human beings and their portrayal by the actors who play them. The weaknesses found reinforce the reality of the situation. In one scene in Dead Man’s Shoes a group of thugs leave their flat carrying weapons intent on attacking the main character. They do not succeed. On arriving back the flat is trashed with threats daubed in red paint all over the walls. The bravado instantly evaporates as the viewer is introduced to several reaction shots of intimidated, anxious and perturbed men.

Another technique Meadows’ successfully applies to his work is the use of improvisation. Having studied dramatic arts and starred in films Meadows has chosen this method to invoke again the reality and believability of the scene. This has often led to darkly humorous dialogue. Above all it leaves the viewer with an overwhelming sense of having witnessed or become involved in the events.

Therefore although the content of his films never shy away from delivering brutal, shocking scenes, the use of distinctive characterisation and the style of performance provide the genre with a sense of substance over the usual spectacle associated with British gangster films. Shane Meadows has been recognised and awarded accordingly for this input.

This review can be viewed at www.cinemawithoutborders.com