British Drama research- Trainspotting

Trainspotting is a British crime drama, released in 1996 on the 23rd of February in the United Kingdome. Directed by Danny Boyle, the plot is based on Irvine Welsh's novel of the same name and was one of the most successful British independents of all time making £72 million worldwide at the box office from only a £1.5 million budget.. The film follows the lives of several drug addicts in a late 1980s economically suffering area of Edinburgh and their passage through life.




The scene begins with two characters sprinting away from two men in suits who we can assume are apart of the law as the two characters appear to have just stolen some items as we can see them dropping long the pavement as the run. The fact that the opening scene to this film begins right in the middle of an action scene implies that this is a flash-forward which is really effective in films, especially British Dramas and thrillers as it provides the audience with information prior to the plot actually beginning.

The audience predominantly learn that there is an unfair class system at this time through the use of mise en scene. The two characters being chased are wearing very basic clothing that may be labelled as scruffy or rag-like by the audience. Their clothing implies they are both very low class-either working class or underclass- more likely to be underclass on the basis that they are involved with crime and stealing to earn a living.  On the other hand the men chasing them are dressed very smartly in neat suits who are clearly middle or upper class. The fact that they are chasing the lower class men further highlight the dominance of the upper class showing that they are above them in society.
 Moreover, the stereotype of poor people being involved with crime is introduced early on with the use of props of stolen items which are dropped as they run away.

Shortly after the clip begins the main character starts to speak over the clip of them running from the smartly dressed men giving the audience an impression that he is recounting the situation as if it was a regret. "Choose life," is the first thing he says in this voice over which comes across as a sort of message to the audience not to go down the wrong path as he sound regretful. He goes on to list several aspects of life that he advises the audience to chose such as "An electric tin opener" and "A big television," which are mostly items for the bourgeoisie, thus his overall message was don't end up at the bottom of the social system.

The tracking shot used during the chase is beneficial for the audience as it allows them to know who the voiceover belongs to and whom they should be following. The close up of the character's feet heighten the sensation of thinking these men  are involved with crime as it shows the high speeds they are running at to escape the people in the background.

The characters are introduced to the audience one by one with a clever technique of freeing the clip when they are in the shot and including text of their names. This is useful for the audience as it helps us to understand who each character is and essential what role they play. In the football scene the majority of the characters are met and we begin to question whether the order the friends are introduced is representational to their importance to this narrative.