Theory: Raymond Williams

Raymond Williams was a critic who focused his work on politics, culture and the mass media, Raymond came up with four common factors which appeared in social realist films those were...



Contemporary Scene: 

 

This meant that it was obvious what time the film was produced, due to the Mis-en-scene and the social issues which were occurring at that time and therefore presented to the audience in the film, this also meant we may be able to see a considerable difference in the characters in the film compared to the audience watching it, for example Shane Meadows 'This Is England' which was based in the 1980's when The MOD culture was at its high.



Social Extension: 



Willimas noticed an element of social extension, which mean that groups in society which usually are under represented become the highlight, this may include people from a lower class background or youth who engage in violence.



Political Ideas:



William also noticed how often the film portrayed the political ideas of the director either through the characters or the events that happen within the film, For example you may argue that the political idea in the Social Realist film 'Fish Tank' by Andrea Arnold is that the younger generation, especially girls do not get enough help and support and therefore may turn to crime and deviance to survive.



Secular Society: ​



Secular society were also a common factor in Social Realism films, the characters based there ideas on logic and reason rather mythical and religious views.

 

Definition of social realism by Raymond Williams

Definitions of Social Realism from SOCIAL REALISM IN THE BRITISH CONTEXT The term ‘social realism’ is one which is often used uncritically and indiscriminately in popular film criticism. It is something of a catch-all term which conveys an idea of a text’s content, its concerns, and its visual style. Social realist texts are described as ‘gritty’ and ‘raw’, offering a ‘slice of life’ or a view of ‘life as it really is’. What makes the term particularly confusing is that it is often used interchangeably with other terms, like ‘kitchen sink’ realism, or ‘working class’ realism. This chapter seeks to unpack the term ‘social realism’, before moving on to explore social realism in the context of British cinema.‘social realism’– term is often used uncritically and indiscriminately in popular film criticism.– a catch-all term which conveys an idea of a text’s content, its concerns, and its visual style.– social realist texts are described as ‘gritty’ and ‘raw’, offering a ‘slice of life’ or a view of ‘life as it really is’.– term is often used interchangeably with others, like ‘kitchen sink’ realism, or ‘working class’ realism.– term must be unpacked before exploring social realism texts in the context of British cinema.‘Social realism’In popular film criticism ‘social realism’ is a term which is often used uncritically and indiscriminately. It is used in a catch-all way to communicate thinking about a text’s content, its concerns, and its visual style. Social realist texts are characterised as ‘gritty’ and ‘raw’, offering a ‘slice of life’ or a view of ‘life as it really is’. What makes the term particularly difficult is that it is often used interchangeably with other terms, like ‘kitchen sink’ realism, or ‘working class’ realism. Before we can go on to look at social realism in the context of British cinema, we have to unpack the term ‘social realism’.1 Social Realism in the British ContextPopular film critics often use the phrase ‘social realism’ in a loose way which lacks careful thought about its context and significance. The term is employed all-inclusively to describe a film text’s content, concerns and visual style and is commonly accompanied by set of supporting phrases – ‘gritty’, ‘raw’, ‘slice of life’, ‘life as it really is’ – which serve as criteria for what qualifies as ‘social realism’. To make matters worse, the phrase ‘social realism’ is often treated synonymously with other phrases such as ‘kitchen sink’ realism and ‘working class’ realism. Before we can begin to use the phrase ‘social realism’ critically in writing about British Cinema, our first job is to break it down and bring more clarity to what it signifies. Definition of social realism by Raymond Williams - That it is grounded in the contemporary scene in terms of setting, characters and social issues.- That it contains an element of social extension by which previously under-represented groupings in society become represented.- These films are secular - they are about logic and reason - not mystical or religious.