I, Daniel Blake - DVD Cover (BBC Films)

I, Daniel Blake - DVD Cover (BBC Films)

NARRATIVE - PLOT SUMMARY:
Having recently suffered a major heart attack at work, Newcastle's 59 - year - old widowed carpenter Daniel Blake has been ordered by his doctors to stay out of any vigorous action and rest, however, after a negative employment support assessment, he is deemed ineligible for compensation, not scoring enough points to obtain benefits. Without any income or a pension, desperate and frustrated from the endless, dead - end conversations over the phone with the impersonal government health - care agents, Daniel will visit the welfare office to make an appeal, only to face in person the harsh civil servants and to be consumed by a faceless system and its inflexible jargon. Against all odds, with perseverance and courage, Daniel Blake, as an original, modern working - class hero, will boldly stand up for himself and for those in need, withstanding nobly the humiliation while reminding that, above all, we are human by default.

ANALYSIS OF THE DVD COVER:

• Daniel Blake is seen adhering to the rule of thirds, catching the audiences eye by him being off centre. Perhaps this implies he doesn't want to be the centre of attention but instead wants to leave his mark, linking to the use of the graffiti. His gesture of his strong clenched fist suggests a rebellion or revolt symbolised through the tension in his hand and arm and matching aggressive facial expression. This strain connotes a narrative that may follow some kind of change or injustice to him that causes this need for rebellion and anger. The pose held by Daniel indicates that he is some sort of hero, but not stereotypical, indicating that this is not a big - budget mainstream film as it defies stereotypical conventions of what we assume a hero to be
• The unsaturated grey colour scheme gives us an indication of the genre as it seems very ordinary and overcast hinting that this could be of the social realist genre, as there is nothing energetic, vibrant or flamboyant. Therefore, the red visually heavy array of reviews stands out against the bleak background emphasising their importance and communicating to the audience the films positive critical comments. This is extremely important for an independent film with unknown actors as the niche audience needs to be assured of the quality of the film through other means
• The graffiti style font used for the title gives us insight about the social realism genre because of its withheld connotations with violence and the working class. Those associated with vandalism are more likely to live in a more rough low class area where they would be more influenced to be involved with petty crime. It's messy and reckless feel symbolises this film is of more gritty genuine themes that won't be glamorised for the purpose of entertainment
• The fact Daniel stands alone paired with the use of the pronoun 'I' conveys to the audience they will be following the journey of one man with perhaps a lot of pressure on his shoulders to influence change; the fact that he is not in a group makes the issues at hand even more personal and the fact he is fighting them alone makes him even more brave and compelling. As well as this, with the use of the title being a statement, this gives power and meaning to the film and links well to the storyline 
• The font of the title is very alternative and impacting. The dark, black colour allows the graffiti to stand out and the simple block lettering style evokes that the graffiti wasn't done for art, it was done to make an impact 
• The protagonists mise - en - scene in the form of costuming is very casual and ordinary; this reinforces the hints of the social realism genre as it is very genuine, average working class clothing. Furthermore, because of this he looks quite dishevelled and unkempt therefore supporting themes of poverty and the struggles those of the working class face
• There is a hint at the narrative twists through the juxtaposition of this very average elderly man in comparison to the vandalism and aggressive nature where he is standing up for a change. This mentality is usually more prominent in the younger generation as we are fighting for our futures, therefore this passion and drive is hinted to be something that drives the narrative and is highlighted by the obvious contrast between stereotypical representations of the elderly and the graffiti that is very unusual for him to be linked with side by side
• The bold enlarged capitalised text of the director and producers name is important to a media literate audience as noticing Ken Loach’s name would automatically let them know this is of the social realism genre and that it will be dealing with the harsh realities of real life because that is what most of his work is renowned for