Topic Research
CRIME:
A large focus of my film will be on the decision of the protagonist to turn to a life of crime. I wish to make him as sympathetic as possible (at least at the start), someone my audience will be able to relate to and empathise with. In order to do this I need his turn to criminal activities be one that is motivated by good intentions. Looking into Crime and its causes show me that there are two primary positions or lenses through which to view its causality and potential remedy. These two positions are that of Individualism and Collectivism. Below I have summed up in brief what each of these mean in this context. |
- FACTORS OF CRIME -
GENDER
statistically, men commit far more crime than women, with women being responsible for only about 20 percent of crimes reported in most categories. female representation is by far the the highest in the non-violent crime section. The graphs from the UK Government's official website depict the crime statistics from 2019. It is clear to see that women are more responsible for domestic and non-violent crimes, as opposed to men who are often the perpetrators of a more violent kind of criminal activity. N/A. (N/A). Gender and Crime Differences Between Male And Female Offending Patterns Read more: Gender and Crime - Differences Between Male And Female Offending Patterns - Categories, Women, Crimes, and Arrests . Available: https://law.jrank.org/pages/1250/Gender-Crime-Differences-between-male-female-offending-patterns.html. Last accessed 4th Feb 2022. It seems that aside from domestic abuse, women also hold the crown in terms of petty domestic crime. They really do be loving evading TV licences, huh.
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The fact that despite being the majority of the overall population (albeit by a measly one percent), Women only make up 5 percent of the prison population. It's almost offensive how underrepresented they are. Hehehhe.
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WHAT I CAN TAKE FROM THIS
The crime depicted in my film will most likely be of a gang or violent nature. Thus, the decision to make my lead character male is one that I can back up with copious statistics. It was something I was already pretty set on, but it's good to always be sure and confident in your decisions. To fit in with my Target audience I will make the main character not only male, but a young adult. This will hopefully not only make it easier for the audience to sympathise with him and also make it easier for me to cast this part. I also really like the idea that the lead's youth gives him a sort of sympathetic naïveté, and he's going into a really adult world somewhat unprepared, and out of sheer desperation.
The crime depicted in my film will most likely be of a gang or violent nature. Thus, the decision to make my lead character male is one that I can back up with copious statistics. It was something I was already pretty set on, but it's good to always be sure and confident in your decisions. To fit in with my Target audience I will make the main character not only male, but a young adult. This will hopefully not only make it easier for the audience to sympathise with him and also make it easier for me to cast this part. I also really like the idea that the lead's youth gives him a sort of sympathetic naïveté, and he's going into a really adult world somewhat unprepared, and out of sheer desperation.
GEOGRAPHIC
I think looking at the geography of crime could be useful in regards to the developmental stages of my FMP process. I plan to set my film in a city, and as such the vast majority (if not all) of the film will be centred around a very urban area. Since my production is futuristic it's probably safe to say that cities have gotten pretty vast in 40 odd years or so. I think it will be likened to the population boom of the industrial revolution. Population booms usually result in overcrowding a subsequent lowering of living standards. This in itself can be a motive for crime.
I think looking at the geography of crime could be useful in regards to the developmental stages of my FMP process. I plan to set my film in a city, and as such the vast majority (if not all) of the film will be centred around a very urban area. Since my production is futuristic it's probably safe to say that cities have gotten pretty vast in 40 odd years or so. I think it will be likened to the population boom of the industrial revolution. Population booms usually result in overcrowding a subsequent lowering of living standards. This in itself can be a motive for crime.
in the search for an accurate idea of crime in a dystopian mega-city, I went and looked at the crime statistics of the biggest city I could think of; London. Using the Metropolitan Police's official website, I took a look at the sum total of the crime numbers from 2014 to 2021. The results are here on the right. The Fact that Theft and Violence against the person are by far the most common informs me that the crime in my film should probably be of this nature, in order to reflect the reality and likelihood of such things continuing into the future. |
The very practical side of the geography is also something to look at. The back streets and alleys of such large urban areas lend themselves perfectly to criminal activity and general good-for-nothing sneakiness. Be it assaults, muggings, drug deals, or basic thefts, a dingy backstreet is the perfect place for such things. WHAT I CAN TAKE FROM THIS Well, as mentioned, I can focus on the more standard and common crimes, and set the crime in an out of the way urban area. As it's quite central to my plot I need to be sure that it's well thought through, logical and realistically portrayed. This research has informed to the extent that I am far more confident of doing a good job in accurately representing such criminal actions. |
ADDITIONAL INFO
This Graph below, with some crime stats from Scotland of all places, led me to decide that my lead character's entryway into a criminal life will be through one of the three highlighted reasons. The First two, and most likely two, are middling in their commonality, and therefore very plausible reasons. The plausibility is important to involve the audience in the story and make them believe it could really happen. The third option; accommodation type, is mainly just a backup, but with the futuristic setting it could be a good aspect to explore.
- Big Brother -