The genre of movie we have chosen to do is a British Gangster movie with a very slight Teenage Comedy twist. When looking at other movies of this kind ('Snatch', 'Pineapple Express' etc) it is clear to see that certain 'guidelines' are in place when makeing these films. Guy Richie sticks very closely to these guidelines, especially when dealing with character stereotypes and who the expected audience is.
When looking at Snatch it is clear to see that the movie is aimed at men aged 18 to probably about 30. It is quiet action packed and smart, with use of very coarse language and violent scenes. For these reasons, it couldn't be aimed at people younger, even though they probably will be interested in it. For our movie, we wanted it to be aimed at a slightly younger age group (from 17 to about 25). This group of people will know who is starring in the movie (giving them more interest in seeing it) and also may be more able to relate to the problems the characters face. We didn't want our characters to be as heavily stereotyped as the cockney lads from other similar British Gangster flicks. One of the main reasons is that our movie isn't going to be set in inner London, but in an unamed city in East Anglia. If the characters all spoke in rhyming slang and wore flat caps they would seem very out of place and a little too comical. Instead we want our main characters to be reckless and head strong teenagers.
When looking at representation of teenagers in media, it is clear to see there are four main groups that our characters could be put into. Michael Bolt is a superfical teen whos more worried about makeing money then anything else. Nathan Rover fits perfectly into the sarcastic, self-aware but bitter group and Peter Smith is clearly a juvenile delinquent. The only one that doesn't fit nicely into one of these catagories is James Kavangh. He is a juvenile delinquent, but not in the same way Peter is. He could be seen as a dumb teen, but I don't think this would really go well with the characters past. I think the fact he cant be grouped as easily as the others is a good thing. It shows he isn't just a normal kid and kind of defeats the idea of stereotypical teens. Sound in this genre is used for alot of different reasons. Non-Diagetic sounds can sometimes be used to make a scene seem calm, or give it a fun and up beat feeling. Heavier, louder music can also be used to create a feeling of action or danger. This contrast can be clearly seen in the opening to Snatch. Diagetic sounds are often of street noises, (people talking, cars etc). This is used to give the movie an urban feel that sets the scene and feel through-out.
The props and over all mise-en-scene used in gangster genre movies is usually very similar. The gangster boss alway resides in a finely decorated yet very dark room. This use of light makes this character seem even more menacing and dangerous. The main characters often live somewhere less then desirable, with dingy rooms and broken windows. However, the lighting in these sets is much brighter. The contrast between the 'good' and 'bad' characters is really emphasised by the use of light in these movies and that is something we will definately use when filming our own introduction.
The costumes that are worn are always very similar too. The gangster boss always wear expensive looking suites with their fingers covered in gold soverigns and other various flashy rings. The other characters are more normally dressed, in jeans or work trousers, with shoes and shirts. This again shows the difference between the powerful crime lord and his lowely servants. 