How and why are a number of different social issues represented in the film Crash to engage its audience?

For my independent study I will be focusing on the film crash as a number of different issues such as racism, stereotyping, class division and prejudices on a number of different people are raised in the film. I used different types of research from a number of different sources to collect the information needed. The film Crash will be the main text and I will be referring to this text throughout my study. The main part of my research was mainly from the internet and different articles reviewing the film. The main websites visited were http://www.google.com/, http://www.imbd.com/, http://www.crashfilm.com/ and http://www.guardian.co.uk/.

Media Language:
A number of close up shots used to emphasise facial expressions- allowing the audience to identify with different characters.
Mise en scene- The realistic streets of Los Angeles showing that racism does take place there. Therefore this shows social conflict in this specific area.
Sound- the tensed soundtrack leading up to the events in the film. Therefore this keeps the audience engaged as the social events taking place all collide together engaging the audience to see how this event has happened.

Institution:
Refer to other films which raise the same type of issues such as Bullet Boy.

Genre:
The main genre of the film is action, linking to the different issues raised which triggers them off. Action in the film keeps the audience engaged- From the beginning scene raising an issue of death.

Representation:
Many characters in the film are represented to be racist to different types of people. This therefore causes social conflict as conflict between different races is being presented to the audience-This engages the audience as they are able to sympathise with characters in the film.
The representation of women by being weak and emotional. This links to the mother in Bullet Boy.
Men also having more authority and power then women (stereotyping). This therefore causes social conflict between family members.

Audience:
Targeted at both males and females-middle class art house audience. Also aimed at different races in the audience to appeal to everyone-multicultural audience.

Values and Ideologies:
In an urban society we all crash in to each other with out us knowing this and we are all linked together in many different ways.
The idea that racism and conflict happens everywhere in the world.


The effects of the social issues used, such as racism are also used to engage the audience and make them more aware of there issues.
That we are living in a patriarchal society by the issue of family conflict being raised.

Narrative:
The different narrative roles used, for example the “Hero” and the “Villain”, again causing social conflict in the film.
The idea of a linear narrative.
The audience see many different characters and social situations and eventually the stories will collide therefore engaging the audience.

Social Context:
That nowadays in society racism does still exist.
Different prejudices about people in society.
Historical context:
Social issues in past history- the idea that social issues do still exist today but nowadays there are more campaigns on how to beat these issues.
Economic context:
The different class divided in society, for example the “rich” and the “poor”.
Political context:
The political violence between the “white” and the “black” classes in society.
The “lower class” and the “upper class”.