Ken Loach (film making)

You need to compile a case study about 'independent film' as a contrast to the mainstream film that you have just studied. 

Firstly you need to conduct research about the film. I, Daniel Blake by following the information in the web-log and making notes.

Ideally, watch the film.

This blog post is a general introduction which will hopefully interest you in realist film and some of the techniques used in more 'independent' form of cinema.

Ken Loach can be considered an auteur because his films have a certain style. Films have been ungainly termed 'Loachian.' So what does this mean?

His films deal with similar themes such as;

• social injustice
• oppression
• exploitation
• injustice
• prejudice
• poverty
• abuse of power

Loach makes films in a different way to mainstream directors or classical Hollywood films where the script would dictate the days filming.  Actors in traditional films have their lines and step up to the mark when called.  For example, a classically trained actor like Patrick Stewart may find playing a character in X-Men quite straightforward. He turns up, says his lines and may not even watch the finished film. It is popcorn, a bit of fun and highly lucrative. However, another approach for an actor would be to take  a script and then inhabit the character.                                                 

Method acting taught by Stanislavsky and others became a big thing in America in the late 60's. Actors like Marlon Brando would invest in the character and try to live the role.  Actors needed to know their motivation if they were to be sincere. This is not quite the same in Loach's films but the idea is similar.  If the actor doesn't believe in the role then how will the audience?
For an authentic performance a more independently minded director might as an actor to risk a little and introduce a bit of licence for interpretation; a bit of jeopardy for the actor to explore their raw emotion.  Sometimes this works such as when Brando played Colonel Kurtz in 'Apocalypse Now' and other times it can be damaging to the psyche of the actor.  Robert De Niro got very fit to play Jake La Motta, then put on weight to play the boxer in later years. There are a number of stories of actors who have made sacrifices to inhabit a role.  In some cases like Heath Ledger this can have a debilitating effect.

Great actors are able to get a balance right and look forward to the challenge of working in this way with directors they admire. They often feel that their craft has been given more worth and that film is approaching the realm of art rather than commercial entertainment.  I will try to explain through a film from another great British director Mike Leigh.  If the acting is great we can believe in the characters and become immersed in the narrative.

Actors are given parts but not the whole script.  In 'Vera Drake' a backstreet abortionist helps local women when they have nowhere else to turn.  This is illegal and the audience become aware of the danger and the difficult ethical position Vera is in.    Omnipotent narration is the term used when the audience knows more than the characters. This creates suspense.  We know the truth but the family does not. When the police come knocking we feel tense as we know what will happen. Hitchcock explains this through the analogy of a bomb under the table. If it goes off and we are not aware of it, this creates shock rather than suspense.  The actors did not know until the scene was filmed that their mother aborted unwanted pregnancies.  The shock that we witness is real as the actors have invested in their characters. Arguably this lends more power to the performance.  There is a British tradition of this style of film-making where actors are asked to move out of the comfort zone of using a script. There is also a tradition of using film to inform and educate as well as to entertain which can be attributed to the BBC and public service broadcasting.

It is this authenticity that realist film looks for.  I think the most powerful film by Ken Loach is set in Ireland and deals with the reality of oppression of the Irish population by British colonising forces. The film is set post World War one and many of the soldiers sent to subdue the Irish independence movement are  traumatised by war themselves. This also won the Palme D'Or at the Cannes film festival.

The bitterness and tragic consequence of oppression, invasion, coercion and abuse of power is exposed. Film is used to tell stories and to illuminate history in the hope that audiences are educated and moved to understand the tragic consequences of injustice.  A writer can only hope to represent the actuality of events but with research they can aim for accuracy. This is the goal of 'realist' film. If a film engages on an emotional level it can have a huge impact.  It also helps to have a great actor and Cillian Murphy has a presence that few actors can achieve. Amongst modern actors perhaps Tom Hardy has this X factor also. It is interesting to see how television drama is becoming as worthy as film acting.

This film leaves an impact as this blog comment shows...

 'The Wind that Shakes the Barley was mostly shot in West Cork and, as far as I understand what Ken Loach did... he didn't give a script to the extras so much as gave them the idea and gist of what the scene was about. He then let it up to them to act/talk as they thought they should. The droll, laconic, sing-song nature and tones of Cork people shone through. It lent an authenticity and immediacy to the film.'

'Realist' film is admired by those who see themselves as lovers of film as an art form. These audiences feel that film has the power to move people on an emotional and artistic level. Film has the power to communicate important messages.  For example, French audiences are more likely to view film as an artistic achievement than mere than commercial entertainment. They may believe that films have the capacity to move you on a human level and must have something to say. This could be political or certainly emotive. The film should search for an emotional connection with the audience.


I will give two examples of the style of film-making that you will encounter in Ken Loach films. I encourage you to watch some of his work to gain a better understanding. We will then get onto your set text 'I, Daniel Blake.'

'Land and Freedom' is a film about the Spanish Civil War, a pre-cursor to WW2. This was a war that many British men travelled to Spain to fight in, against rising fascism. They went with the ideal that there was a binary opposition between good and bad, fascism and socialism.  This binary opposition is very clear in Pan's Labyrinth between the good socialists and the evil fascists. This is not always that clear cut in the theatre of war where atrocities are committed by both sides. The left fought between themselves and a lack of unity is one reason they tragically lost to the fascists who were supported by Hitler and Mussolini. The legacy of the war and the shared pain that Spain went through is clearly shown in the film 'Land and Freedom'. Families are torn apart and villages are set against each other. This legacy that still haunts generations of Spaniards.  In a key scene Loach set up cameras in the corner of the room so that they filmed long takes. He directed mise-en-scene as accurately as possible such as food, costume and even weaponry to try and get the detail correct.  He used villagers who had experience of this era or had parents who had gone through these times. The experience was still raw and painful emotions lie just below the surface. If you have ever tried drama and role played then this is a similar technique. Actors are asked to adopt a role and have empathy with a character.  As the discussion got more heated, Loach let the cameras roll.  He wanted the villagers to improvise and let the emotions build rather than provide a script.  In using real people rather than trained actors Loach often achieves a more 'realist' effect. Results can often produce very powerful film-making. This documentary taught me a lot about how Loach approaches film making and gives a great insight into his craft.  Perhaps it is a technique that you could try!

I have been asked to make direction for note-taking clearer. Therefore ensure that you have answered these questions in your notes;

What is an auteur?
What are the recurring themes in a Ken Loach film?
How is Loach's approach to film-making different to mainstream (Hollywood) film-making?
What is method acting?
Why would actors enjoy working with a director like Ken Loach?
What is omnipotent narration?
What is 'realist' film?
How might French audiences view film as an art form?
What are your first impressions of the films of Ken Loach?

Finally, watch this scene from 'I, Daniel Blake'. We will use this in class when we return, focusing on social issues and representations.

Write a paragraph analysing 'how the sequence creates 'realism'.

You could focus on the following;

• Mise-en-scene
• Accents
• Acting
• The scenario or situation
• Location
• Lighting
• Dialogue