Fish tank could be said to be a very typical social realism film due to the generic conventions shown to the audience in the extract shown. The use of hand held camera shots and natural lighting give the film a minimalistic look, expected by the niche audience of social realistic films. This could also be seen to portray the economic factors of the film. The basic camera shots, lighting and mise-en-scene used show a low budget is likely to be used; the film has a very documentary type feel, as if the audience were there with the characters. Empathy is strong. However, the film was released in 2009. The culture of society may be seen to impact on the storyline of the film as the main character shown in the extract is a teenage girl. The audience then may become more mainstream due to the teenage issues such as drugs, violence and relationships that are now expected, relating to a large teenage audience.

The very first shot within this extract is a medium shot of a teenage girl, wearing a tracksuit and a top, in a bleak, empty room, panting. This instantly shows the director is trying to represent the council estate teenagers of society. The use of the medium shot gives the audience a sense of setting, where the girls is, and help to show the emptiness of the room. There is nothing to be seen behind her put fading paint work. The director may be seen to use such a shot to start to make the audience imagine. The questions of 'why is nothing there?' and 'why is she there, out of breath?' are brought to mind. The answers to such questions are ambiguous, the audience now want to know more; they are intrigued.


The costume within this shot, help the director to represent the typical council flat teenager. The use of tracksuit bottoms and a top are expected clothing for teenagers of this type. The audience now know the type of film this is and who it is about. They can expect to see issues linked with teenagers of this type in reality to be represented here such as drugs and alcohol abuse. It also helps to establish who the director is aiming the film at. These new expectations can be easily related to all teenagers as they all have lived through these issues; they can empathise with the situations and ideas raised – the audience can empathise with the character. This is then a much more mainstream audience compared to that of a typical social realism film. Traditional and pure social realism films have a more intellectual and higher class audience such as films like 'Poor Cow' and 'Kes' where issues of lower classes were raised, but it was thought that the higher classes would be attracted to such films as they could understand and depict the issues. This is different to Fish Tank as within the culture we are within, the main audience of films are that of the people that the issues directly effect. In 'Kidulthood' violence and alcohol are depicted by Menhaj Huda and the main audience of this film was the large teenage audience as they were faced with issues of this type in day to day reality. This is similar to Fish Tank. Due to the way the character is represented and the setting is established in the start of the film, we can expect certain issues and themes to be raised that would relate to a conventional teenager, making the target audience of this film a mainstream, teenage one.

Although it may seem that the film has moved away from the social realism genre, the next hand held camera panning shot used help to show the film is still within that genre. The shot is a medium one, circulating around the back of the character as she gets out her phone and calls someone. The use of a hand held shot here after the ambiguous start, help show the true genre of the film. This shot gives out a very documentary, improvised feel. As if it were reality and we were really there. It gives a the audience a sense that they are there within the scene with the character. The director may have chosen to use such a shot to help the audience empathise with the character as the feel is that we are there with her, in the bare room.

However this shot does not focus on the character, it focuses out of the window. The character is then put into darkness due to the light coming from the outside. The use of the natural lighting is a expected convention of a social realism film, showing it is still within the genre even though the ideas raised may have been changed due to the change in culture over time. Also the shot may focus on the outside to further establish the setting of the film. It shows high-rise council estates, this then helps to emphasise the representation of the type of character that is shown. We can see that she is also in one of the high-rise estates, most likely in a flat. The audience then are able to infer that the character is most likely to be of low income due to the place she is in and the costume she is wearing that helps to depict this idea. It also gives the film a strong verisimilitude. The setting and the character shown relate to one another. It is believable that the two would be related.

Another reason for why the shot may be focused on the outside, is that it leaves the character unclear. The character is already ambiguous from the very first shot where answers for the questions for why she was there and why the place was empty were concealed. This then helps to add to the mystery of the character as we cannot see her properly, she is out of focus. Within this shot  the character packs her bag with items, unseen to the audience. The director may have decided to make the character so ambiguous and her actions unexplained, to draw the audience in. They are left confused, wanting answers. They know very little about the character and she is left in this way through the composition of the first two shots.

Within this same hand held shot, the dialogue used gives the audience a extension on the idea of who the target audience of the film is. The use of the words 'bitch' and 'pissed' show the regulatory context of the film. Due to the nature of these words the BBFC gave the film a 15 rating. This meant that the film would can only be watched by an audience of 15 years and older. This builds on the idea of the target audience being teenagers. The language used is almost essential to a realistic portrayal of council flat teenagers; it is expected in dialogue of teenagers of current society. Once more it helps to build a strong believability and verisimilitude within the opening of this film as the typical expectations of representing a character of this type are met with accuracy.