Keanon Mcsween

Explore the ideologies and values communicated in the films 12 Years a Slave (2012) and
Adulthood (2008).

Firstly I am going to explore how the use of micro techniques used by Noel Clarke, director
of Adulthood (2008). Where a young man is released from prison and is on a mission to
make things right and change his ways. He then meets an old friend who agrees to help him
find who he wants to apologise to. Adulthood is BBFC certified 15 and is a crime drama. The
film is a sequel to the film Kidulthood. The narrative supports the theory of Levi Strauss,
binary oppositions protagonist vs. antagonist in this film. Adulthood also follows Propps
character theory with the hero represented by the protagonist Sam and the helper
represented by antagonist Lexi. When Sam is released from prison he meets Lexi who
agrees to help him find who he wants to apologise to. This communicates to the audience
the value of helping others.
Adulthood communicates ideologies of dominance and power to the audience about
characters from the first scene. The use of establishing shots, make the location, a party
under a motorway flyover clear to the audience. The use of the diegetic on-screen sound of
rap and hip hop music adds to the clarification of what is happening in this location. The
director then uses a jump to show a group shot of three young men and one girl plotting to
teach a man in an expensive car a lesson. Again communicating dominance to the audience.
This scene communicates the ideology of jealousy, people of a lower social economic group
for example the group of men are jealous of people of a higher social economic group for
example the man in the car this is shown as soon as the group of men notice the car. The
mise en scene used in this scene, the costumes each character is wearing such as the group
of boys in hoodies and tracksuits, further enhances the point the director is trying to make.
Later in the scene again the director uses a jump cut to show a profile shot of the man in the
car and the young men breaking into the car and fighting the man for his wallet. This
communicates the value of violence to show power and dominance to the audience whilst
connoting immaturity among the young men. In this scene the use of jump cuts in close
sequence intensifies the fighting action going on in the scene. The loud diegetic on screen
sound of the gunshot is used to make the audience jump and to add fear, violence and
exhilaration into this scene. As the gunshot goes off the director uses a medium close up of
one of the young mens face with a clear expression of fear with the diegetic background
sound off people screaming to further communicate fear to the audience. This suggests that
the narrative will have of excitement throughout because the opening scene of a film
foreshadows the themes through out the film. Clearly communicating to the audience the
directors value of exhilaration.
The fight scene in Adulthood between Sam and Jay, this scene communicates the values of
changing your ways and becoming a new person. This scene also communicates the
ideology that people can change. This is shown in this scene when Jay is ready to get his

Keanon Mcsween

revenge by fighting and killing Sam, but Sam just wants Jay to forgive him. In this scene, the
use of jump cuts to speed up the pace of the fight making it seem more violent to the
audience. The use of a 360-degree tracking shot focuses the audience attention to the
characters positioned in the centre of the frame; this intensifies the moment in the scene
making the already tense moment even more intense to the audience, invoking the feeling
of fear to the audience. Suggesting something bad is going to happen. The use of shot
reverse shot with minimal space above the characters head in the frame allowing the
audience to see the background of a council estate in London. The use dialogue further
communicates these ideologies and values. The protagonist Sam says We dont need to
do this Jay this indicates to the audience that he no longer wants to be that type of person
and wants to change his ways, communicating to the audience a sense of empathy. The
director uses make up such as eye shadow to make to characters face look bruised and to
make Jays cuts and bruises look more painful than. This shows the audience that Jay has
been beaten up a lot more than Sam suggesting to the audience that Sam is stronger than
Jay, but because he is trying to change his ways he does not wont to kill again he stops and
trys to reason with Jay. Clearly communicating to the audience Sams personal ideology of
changing his ways.
Secondly I will be also exploring how the use of micro techniques used by Steve McQueen
director if 12 Years a Slave, where a black man is kidnapped and sold into slavery and a story
is told of his fight for freedom and the struggles of black slaves of the time. 12 Years a Slave
(2013) has a BBFC certification of 15; the film is a biographic historical drama. The narrative
supports Todorovs narrative theory. The equilibrium being that Solomon Northup is a free
man. The disruption of the equilibrium is when Solomon is kidnapped, the attempt to
restore the equilibrium is when Solomon first asks a white man to send a letter to the man
who granted his freedom and the restoration of the equilibrium is when the man who
granted Solomon his freedom comes to collect Solomon and take him back to his family.
12 Years a Slave, the slave shop. This scene communicates ideologies that in the 1800s
slaves were treated like animals; this is shown when the slaves are sold like cattle based on
there size and looks. The use of character positioning of the slaves in the background in this
scene shows the slaves positioned in neat lines around the rooms, making them look army
like and just like cattle they can be inspected by their prospective buyer. Communicating to
the audience he slaves lack of choice, suggesting they have no power and little importance.
By having the slaves lines up around the room symbolises the oppression that the slaves
are put through. The use of non-diegetic background music makes the actions of selling
human beings like animals seem normal as if it is something that happens every day, whilst
still connoting feelings of discomfort to the audience watching. These feelings of discomfort
communicated to the audience are then changed to feelings of empathy as the director has
deliberately chosen the separate the slave from her children to represent how unimportant
she is, also how inferior she is and how unimportant her view on the situation is. McQueen
uses character positioning of the sales man and plantation owner in the foreground

Keanon Mcsween

positioned to the left and right of the screen, showing the audience that they have
importance with the slave clutching her children in the background showing her little
importance but positioned in the centre whilst pleading the plantation owner to buy them
as well, showing that she is still important to the scene. This ideology is repeated later in
the film, when Patsey is accused of running away. Although she came back her reason for
leaving was not good enough so she was punished. This communicates to the audience that
slaves were inferior and treated like property this also communicates the value of property
as the plantation owner would do anything to keep Patsey from ever leaving him. In
addition this also communicates the plantation owners ideology towards their slaves; a
man does what he likes with his property the careful choice of dialogue enhances this
point, clearly communicating to the audience the plantation owners personal ideology of it
his property so he can do what ever he wants with his property towards their slaves.
The use of mise en scene characters costumes and make up in both films highlighted who
had power. In 12 Years a Slave the characters who played the slaves wore clothes that were
dirty and torn with little or no makeup to show them looking rough and tired, suggesting to
the audience that the slaves had little or no power. Whereas the characters who played the
white people) wore clothes of a much higher quality that was neatly pressed with heavier
make up. Clearly communicating to the audience that they are the ones with power, this use
of Mise en scene is also used on Solomon played by Chiwetel Ejiofor throughout the film he
wears less make up as his freedom and power is taken away from him, showing to the
audience how he slowly loses his power. In contrast in adulthood many characters dress
alike so the director uses props and character positioning to show who has power for
example the characters who dont have much power are usually alone or only have one
person with them whereas the characters with power have many people around them or
always have a weapon making them more intimidating.
In conclusion, both films communicated strong ideologies and values to do with the time
that they were set in such as family and betrayal, with some values and ideologies
contributing in both films. The film Adulthood communicated the ideologies and values that;
family is number one because Sam would have done anything to keep his family safe.
Secondly enjoy your childhood because it wont last forever. This was explained when Lexi
realises that although she is an adult she has never felt more like a child. In my opinion that
ideology relates to people of my age especially because we are in a rush to grow up and be
adults and give up our childhood, without thinking what being an adult really means. In
addition that people can change, this is shown at the end of the film when Sam proves to
the audience that he has changed by stopping the fight with Jay. 12 Years a Slave
communicated ideologies and values of; its every man for himself, this is shown when
Solomon is betrayed by another slave who was also kidnapped. The ideology of betrayal was
mirrored in Adulthood when Sam found out that Lexi was the one who told jay he was
released. Also enjoy your freedom because it can be taken when you least expect it. This
was shown when Solomon was kidnapped. The value of family was a key concept in each

Keanon Mcsween

film because Solomon would have done anything in his power to get back to his family, just
as Sam would have done the same to keep his family safe. This clearly shows the link
between the ideological values of directors Noel Clarke and Steve McQueen and their
direction of dramatic films.
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