Textual Analysis:
Camera:
The film starts with a black screen as for the audience to focus on the sound of the opening scene. Then there is a long shot, tracking shot which shows some children walking to school on the other side of the street. The movement of the camera give the impression that we are walking to school with them. As it is a wide shot we can clearly see all of the rubbish lying around and the stray dogs showing us the bad area that these children live in.
There is a match on action shot of the children entering the crime scene which makes for a fluid sequence which shows the normality of a crime scene and what the boys are used to being exposed to. After this sequence of talking about the blood and plasma it fades into a classroom which also helps to signify the normal like reality that these boys experience.
There is also a static wide shot of the boy walking past a fight from a drug deal on the way home from school which shows the normality for this boy to be exposed to this kind of violence.
Sound:
It starts with, what sounds like african american accents, shouting and swearing in a noisy public place. We then hear a loud tyre screeching and what sounds like an automatic gun fire. Within the first 29 second of the film the sound alone has portrayed a very dangerous scene which shows the setting and general theme of the film.
These sounds without imagery on screen gives more impact and intensity to the sounds. The way that we hear the children speak shows their last of education and that they are taught how to speak by their parents. In the classroom the teacher speaks with a bored and almost patronising tone to the class. The way that she speaks to the children shows that she believes she is better than the children. The fact that the teacher sounds bored when she is speaking shows that she is a bad teacher which furthermore portrays the fact of the children living in a very bad area. When the mother speaks about the teacher it shows that her children will then act like this towards the teacher therefore resulting in bad behaviour and the wrong attitude towards authority. It also shows that the mother does not agree with the stereotypes of the area.
Camera:
The film starts with a black screen as for the audience to focus on the sound of the opening scene. Then there is a long shot, tracking shot which shows some children walking to school on the other side of the street. The movement of the camera give the impression that we are walking to school with them. As it is a wide shot we can clearly see all of the rubbish lying around and the stray dogs showing us the bad area that these children live in.
There is a match on action shot of the children entering the crime scene which makes for a fluid sequence which shows the normality of a crime scene and what the boys are used to being exposed to. After this sequence of talking about the blood and plasma it fades into a classroom which also helps to signify the normal like reality that these boys experience.
There is also a static wide shot of the boy walking past a fight from a drug deal on the way home from school which shows the normality for this boy to be exposed to this kind of violence.
Sound:
It starts with, what sounds like african american accents, shouting and swearing in a noisy public place. We then hear a loud tyre screeching and what sounds like an automatic gun fire. Within the first 29 second of the film the sound alone has portrayed a very dangerous scene which shows the setting and general theme of the film.
These sounds without imagery on screen gives more impact and intensity to the sounds. The way that we hear the children speak shows their last of education and that they are taught how to speak by their parents. In the classroom the teacher speaks with a bored and almost patronising tone to the class. The way that she speaks to the children shows that she believes she is better than the children. The fact that the teacher sounds bored when she is speaking shows that she is a bad teacher which furthermore portrays the fact of the children living in a very bad area. When the mother speaks about the teacher it shows that her children will then act like this towards the teacher therefore resulting in bad behaviour and the wrong attitude towards authority. It also shows that the mother does not agree with the stereotypes of the area.
Editing:
The editing is completed chronologically as we hear the gang attack and then the children see it the next day when walking to school. The pace of the editing isn't fast or too slow, this could be done to show that the scenes the audience sees are just part of the everyday life of these children.
Mise en Scene:
What the children are wearing is important as it shows that they are still smartly dressed however the clothes that they are wearing look dirty, old and cheap which further shows the poorness of the neighbourhood. The crime scene show danger by showing blood, bullet holes and a crash which are all symbols of danger, death and pain which further highlights the children situation.