The Street - Mock exam answer

This clip focuses on two main families. It is presented to the audience that the spouses in both marriages are unhappy and there is tension within both families because of this. The first part of the clip shows a husband and wife arguing about money; due to the fact that they are arguing about money conveys that they have a struggle with money and therefore using the family to represent a normal, working class family. The camera shots used during this scene are quick when it focuses on the parents but slower when focusing on the children involved. This is done because the slow camera shot represents how the argument for the children is going slow and feels as though it is lasting a long time whereas with the parents it is instant and fast. The camera angles are also made to look as though the man and wife are in separate rooms by showing them through two different doors. This could have been done for two reasons; it has been done to show the separation between the husband and his wife and how they no longer seem as one. After the argument the husband leaves the house in an angry, aggressive manner and the wife kisses the daughter on the forehead, as though she is aware of what the children have just witnessed, and sends them to school. A short clip is then shown of the husband at work. At a first glance of the husband you would judge him to be a stereotypical builder, due to his size and dominion and this role is then shown of him at work. This scene within the clip is vital as it can represent the anger in which the husband is feeling after the argument. The camera shots show close ups of him to show the aggression and frustration in his expression. The camera shots are also quick to show how he is taking out his anger on his work. The sounds are also used to represent this. Although not all sounds are made by the husband, the atmosphere around him is used to represent his anger. For example there loud noises such as bangs and thuds from the work men and also passing trains; the loud noises presented in this scene are aggressive, therefore representing his rage.

The clip then flicks back to the wife. She is sitting alone in the kitchen eating her lunch which can be used to show the audience how she is alone and is seeking comfort. She then hears a strange noise from inside the cupboard. She is startled to find a pipe has burst and is now overpowering her and wrecking her kitchen. The camera angle of this shot is facing down to show the weakness against the water as she cannot fight it. She is panicking so the use of shouting and screaming is used to show the panic. She then finds a neighbour to help her with the situation and as he is helping both become flustered and stressed. When he has fixed the broken pipe both sit on the floor breathing heavily and laughing which suggests they are tired, but the laughter suggests joy and possible sexual tension in the room. Music then begins to play to make the audience certain of the sexual tension and both begin to kiss. The music is dramatic and in a way eerie to assure the audience that this should not be happening and that drama and secrets have just been formed. It is also clear to the audience that this is secretive because the camera focus fades from the man and wife to the food, this is also conveys that something will happen. Afterwards the camera pans to the pair sitting on the floor in very little clothing, with the music still playing, which tells the audience that they have just committed adultery. As the camera pans from behind the sofa it suggests that they needed privacy and that what they were doing needed to be secretive. A sign of secrecy is also given because although they are alone they are whispering, because they are aware that they are doing something which they should not be doing. The wife can be seen as weak and vulnerable because of her lack in dominance in the relationship and because she could not resist from committing adultery with the neighbor and throughout the clip her vulnerability and weakness is shown.

Focusing more on the male neighbor, he is seen as a professional and dominant father figure; however this perception of him is deceiving. When he is at home with his family he is frantically looking for something and ignoring what the family are saying, leaving his wife to control them. The image of him with his family is distant and blurred which conveys to the audience that he is distant from his family and not very involved. There is also a close up of his daughters report because this should be significant to him but it is not. We can tell this from this part of the clip because the close up makes the audience focus on whereas it should be the daughter’s father focusing on it. As he rushes out of the house he drives away and appears to be in a bad state, as though he is stressed. All of a sudden there is a screech of the car breaking and a thud. These sounds have been used to create drama and put the audience on the edge of their seat. The man remains in his car, startled by what just happened. His expression and actions show the shock and guilt he feels but also show weakness because he is unable to face what he had just done. Because of his actions our first views of him being a dominant professional father/husband figure have now changed to make the audience dislike him and make him appear pathetic and weak.

After the daughter has been hit by a car the whole neighborhood begins to care and worry. There are close ups of the neighbor's faces which show their panic, worry and fear for the girl. The camera angle also faces down on the daughter to show that she is weak and vulnerable. Panic and worry is also shown through shouting of neighbors and family, the mother of the daughter (the wife from the start of the clip) talks to the daughter in a low tone voice showing her fear and sadness.

Overall, the clip from ‘The Street’ successfully includes drama using camera angles, sounds, editing and mise en scene. The correct use can help give the audience something to relate to because the characters involved are average families and many families will have or are to go through similar situations within their lifetime. The working class family would be the typical family to watch this which is why that is the main focus within this clip and the way it has been filmed makes it appear as though it is real and can happen in every day life. However, it could be seen that it is very coincidental that all of that drama can happen within two families within a day, which could make it seem unbelievable.