Poster Analysis - This Is England & Quadrophenia

Just by looking at both of these posters, you can tell they have very similar layouts out and character representations.

This is England uses the colours red, white and blue in the title which links to it as they are the colours of the union jack. This gives the audience a strong sense of what the film is about just by seeing the colour of the title and the title itself. The layout of the poster has the characters at the bottom half of the poster which suggests that as important as the characters are throughout the film, there are other factors that are also important. This is shown through the metal fencing they are stood in front of that is separating them from the houses that we see in the background. The title is placed above their heads in very large printed letters. The font is also done so that it has the effect that it is printed onto the metal fence which suggests that it is permanent and also that they are possible the gates to England and the gang are the guards of it. The characters are stood in a long line, showing they are a united gang. Even though the characters do have similarities in clothes for example the boys are skin heads, they wear the same boots and jeans and shirts, and they are all stood in their own individual position which shows that even though they are part of a gang, they each have an individual identity. The colours they are wearing consist of blues, blacks, whites and red where this shows that even the colours of the title are leaking into what they wear. The tag line reads “Summer 1983. A time to stand out from the crowd.” This gives the audience a greater understanding of what to expect from the film, such as the idea that they are a group that are trying to form their own identity with new values and appearance that will be new to this time period.

The Quadrophenia poster also includes the colours red white and blue which makes the audience aware that it is a British film. It has the target in the middle of the ‘Q’ which is the same symbol of the band ‘The Who’ which were also popular during this time which makes us understand what they are representing. The title is in colour which makes it stand out from the background image. The tagline “ A way of life” font is almost as if someone has written it on the poster which represents the rebellious side of the gang. The image is in Black and white which maybe trying to suggest that their gang is simple and straight forward. The audience may also think the film is black and white. The group are stood in front of a wooden fence which again suggests separation from something or they are like guards trying to keep the audience out. Again the characters are stood in a line to show they are a united force but each have their individual personality which is shown their clothes. Some dressed in long rain coats and others in full suits, which suggests that they are professionals. The clothes can also be a sign of their gang and also link to fashion during that time. There are only two girls in the poster which shows that it is a male dominated film, and as neither of them are stood at the end of the line, the men protect them from harm.

This Is England

This Is England is a 2006 British drama film written and directed by Shane Meadows. The story centres on young skinheads in England in 1983. The film illustrates that skinhead subculture, whose 1960s roots include elements of black culture especially ska, soul, and reggae music, became adopted by white nationalists, which led to divisions within the skinhead scene.

The movie is taut, tense, relentless. It shows why Shaun feels he needs to belong to a gang, what he gets out of it and how it goes wrong. Without saying so, it also explains why skinheads are skinheads: Any threatened group has a tendency to require its members to adopt various costumes, hair or presentation styles that mark them as members, so they can't deny it or escape it, and the group can exercise authority even at a distance.

What happens at the end is part of history: Skinheads became allied with the neo-Nazi National Front. They became violent toward nonwhites and immigrants. It wasn't so much that they hated them, perhaps, as that they needed an enemy to validate themselves, because they felt as worthless as they said their opponents were. Whenever you see one group demonizing another group, what they charge the others with is often what they fear about themselves. For Shaun, this is more than he was looking for. Better to be lonely than to be deprived of the right to be alone. [Roger Ebert]

Skins (TV series) vs Trainspotting

Trainspotting is a Danny Boyle film made in 1996 about a group of drug addicts living in Edinburgh in the 1980s. The film shows the gang going through life, trying to beat their addiction and moving on. Renton (McGregor) is the main character throughout who is represented at first as a young drugged up adult who is unable to change his ways and beat his addiction. We see him try countless times to quit, but always returns to heroin. His parents are first shown as relaxed parents not really taken an interest in what Renton does which is highlighted in the pub scene where they celebrate him not being sent to jail, this shows that they are glad he has got away with it, however do not show any punishment for him getting into trouble in the first place. However when he needs to quit the drugs his parents are the only ones who lock him in his room so that he successfully goes ‘cold turkey’ which shows that they love him and will do what they can to help him, showing that he is an independent young adult but his parents are always there when he needs them. This is also identified with Diane’s parents who allow their underage daughter to smoke, sleep with older men and go out clubbing. Skins is a popular teenage drama which started in 2007. The show follows the lives of a group of teenagers at college as they cope with school work, social pressures and self identity. Through all 5 series, the show as touched on many different issues and character such as drugs, sex, homosexuality and illnesses. They also introduce character by letting them have an episode each which allowed the audience to get closer to the characters. The differences between Trainspotting and skins are mainly the fashion and attitudes. Throughout Trainspotting, they mainly where plan t-shirts and skinny jeans which represent the fashion during that time and also the stereotype of drug addicts who don’t particularly care about how they look. This contrasts with Skins where the fashion does tell the audience a lot about the character they are for example Maxxie from the first series wears bright colours, low cut tops etc which shows that he is comfortable and confident and also likes to make himself look nice. The attitudes have changed because Skins does cover more ground because it is an ongoing show, whereas Trainspotting only focus on drugs and how they affect the male’s lives. The similarities are the issues of drugs, sex and friendship which are represented through situations the characters are put in. They both revolve around a group of friends who each how their own personality to contribute which is something that easy to relate to in any time period whether it is 1990s or 2011.