How important is location to the films you have studied for this topic?

Both films are set in South London which is a place renowned for crime occurrences. It is clear that Wild Bill is set in Stratford because throughout the film we can see the Olympic stadium being built just outside the block of flats. Being that London is the capital of England and it is a common ideology that it is filled with posh people, the contrast between that and the issues raised in the film creates a different representation of Britain.
In Wild Bill there is a high importance of the location within London. The flat in which they live looks out onto the Olympic stadium - they are looking onto wealth but are unable to touch it. The scene in which Bill and Roxy are out on the balcony and Roxy tells Bill about Jimmy's involvement in crime, we see the Olympic stadium in the background. The wealth is always there but they are unable to access it due to their social handicap. Also, surrounding the apartment block is a fence which connotes that they are trapped in this environment and lifestyle.
In Harry Brown the environment is one of the key aspects of the film. Harry lives in a similar underclass housing estate as Bill does. In the beginning of the film, we see a long shot of Harry leaving his flat, there is a clear contrast between the outside of his flat and the outside of the surrounding ones as there is no graffiti on Harry's; this shows that Harry has high morals and likes to take care of his environment. Harry walks along the path and stops when there's a fork in the road and looks over to the subway where there is gang of youths. The subway is a connotation of the crime which occurs in this area - it is the underbelly of London.
Harry stabs gang member Dean in self defense and it takes place on a canal. To get to the canal, Harry walks down a set of stairs which is a visual metaphor for Harry descending in crime; following this stabbing is when Harry's criminal activities start to take place.
In both films the characters feel safe in their homes. In Harry Brown, the scene in which Harry is looking down onto the violence occurring, he is peering through his window. The light inside the house is very high key with a yellow tint on it which connotes the feeling of warmth and homeliness. In Wild Bill after Jimmy disposes of the cocaine down the drain, he runs home and curls up in bed which gives him a sense of security.
Finally, in both films the resolution takes place in the local pub which is a key element of Britishness. A pub is a common place for the locals to go to and socialise and is often the centre of British soaps.

What is the significance about setting and/or place in your chosen American films?

In both Badlands and Natural Born Killers (NBK) the setting plays a large role in the representation of the characters and the narrative. Oliver Stone who directed NBK used the desert as a connotation of freedom amongst the lovers which is a common feature of the 'Lovers on the lam sub-genre'. The use of desert and wilderness is also used in Terrance Malick's Badlands for the same reasons. One of the genres of this sub-genre is 'Road'; the fact that they're on the road and have no grounded place or home shows they feel they should not abide by normal rules and that they're different.
The setting is particularly important in the scene in which Micky and Mallory turn off the road. There are shots of desert animals such as wolves and snakes which is a symbolism of Mickey and Mallory's true mindset. There is a tilt shot of Mickey as he is vomiting from taking magic mushrooms, it starts from his shoes that have snakes on them. The snakes are a connotation of evil and sickness due to their common green colour. As it tilts up to his face we see they're in a very wide and open space, almost as if they're abandoned or lost there.

How far do American films (Badlands + Natural Born Killers) depend on well established narrative genre conventions?

One of the main conventions in 'lovers on the lam' (LOTL) is romance. In Badlands it's presented in a less passionate way than in Natural Born Killers (NBK) in that we see no real romance amongst Kit and Holly, this is a connotation of the immaturity and innocence of the two; however in NBK the romance is very obvious and strong amongst the two. We see them cut their hands and press them together to transfer their blood into each other's blood streams; this is seen as a commitment amongst some. They do this action in their 'wedding ceremony' that Mickey performs. In Badlands they don't do much to commemorate their love other than that Kit wants to take home a rock, the day they first had sex.
Holly never seems too bothered about their love or making a mark like Kit does. This is to show her innocence, it's saying that a girl of  her age isn't aware of love in the real world and the consequences of it all. In NBK whenever Mickey and Mallory commit murders, they keep one clerk alive to tell the tale of Mickey and Mallory Knox - they are making their mark and hiding in plain sight.

British Independent Film: Submarine

Plot Summary: 15-year-old Oliver Tate has two objectives: To lose his virginity before his next birthday, and to extinguish the flame between his mother and an ex-lover who has resurfaced in her life.

Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance/Coming of Age

Director: Richard Ayoade

Release Date: March 2011

Marketing: A distinctive marketing campaign was set along side the soundtrack written and performed by Arctic Monkey's Alex Turner.

Certificate: 15

Box Office: $4,581,397

Budget: $1,900,000
                                                       

British Blockbuster: The Hobbit- The Desolation of Smaug

Release Date: 13th December
Genre: Fantasy
Production Budget: $560000
Box Office: $299.634,000 (estimated)
Certificate: 12A
Marketing: The first trailer was released in the ad break of the X Factor, the marketers obviously knew millions of people would be watching and it would be the perfect time to premier a film they know will be majorly successful. Posters were on buses, bus shelters, billboards etc and lots of merchandise was released such as posters, t-shirts, figurines and jewellery .
Plot Summary: The dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their quest to reclaim Erebor, their homeland, from Smaug.
                                                               

Foreign Film: Pan's Labyrinth

Pan's Labyrinth is a dark-fantasy written and directed by Spanish director Guillermo del Toro.




Plot summary: In the fascist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.

Production: $13, 500, 000

Box office: $37, 623, 143

Certificate: 15

2006 release January

Genre: Dark-fantasy
                                                    
             

American Independent Film: Donnie Darko (2001)

Donnie Darko deals with the controversial issue of mental illnesses. He suffers from schizophrenia and there is a deeper meaning to this as the schizophrenia is made apparent to the viewers in that the viewers are very involved in the multiple personality.
There are 4 production companies involved with this film- Pandora Cinema, Flower Films, Adam Fields Productions and Gaylord Films. All of these production companies have only produced independent films.

It had a budget of $6 million and had a box office of $1, 270, 522.
Director: Richard Kelly
Release Date: 26 October 2001 (Halloween time)
Certificate: 15

Awards:
Best film to not receive a proper release in Canada-Toronto Film Critics Association Awards
Best Feature- Sweden Fanatic Film Festival
Best Film- Catalonian International Film Festival
Best Screenplay- San Diego Film Critics Society Awards
Premiere Award- Geredmer Film Festival
Audience Awards- Cineygma Luxemburg International Film Festival
Best Screenplay
                                                  -Chlotrudis Awards
Best Actor (Jake Gyllenhaal)
Silver Screen Awards- Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival
Young Filmmaker's Showcase- Academy of Science Fiction etc