Location is not only the place where a film is set but it is also the time, date and age in which the film is set. In just one cut in a film it can transport you from one location, day and time, into another. The location of a film is the platform of every movie, as soon as the audience understands where the film is located; they understand the characters involved and typical situations. Get Carter directed by Mike Hodges 1971 and Ill Manors, Ben Drew 2012 have both various significant locations and are in fact the locations which impact the lives and situations of the main protagonists in the film.

Get Carter opens up with a wide shot of the protagonist, Jack Carter (Caine), as he gazes outside a window of which seems to be an apartment in London. Carter is dressed in a nice black tailored suit which shows us that he is wealthy and with one hand in the pocket and the other holding a glass of scotch, he gives the audience a James Bond kind of vibe as he comes across as a stereotypical London spy or some sort, also the non-diegetic music in the background reinforces the crime/spy genre. Few moments later we see the interior of the apartment and the mis-en-scene shows us that  it is luxurious, expensive and classy as we see different shades of gold, marble tables, scotch and bourbon bottles of crystal accompanied by crystal glass, which reveals us that Carter is wealthy, classy and sophisticated. But it also shows us that London is a place of wealth and class as the apartment is located there. The audience understand that Jack belongs in this environment as it is his comfort zone and if he is distanced away from his location, he is out of his comfort zone.

Ill Manors opens up with a time lapse wide establishing shot of the chosen location of the film which is south east London. The shot slowly zooms in as the frame is in fast motion which reveals us that the location of this film is key for the narrative of the characters in the film. Having it in fast motion simply dramatizes the location itself and lets us live in the location for a day as we see cars zooming past and people buzzing away until the sun slowly goes to set and darkness invades the screen. In the shot we see the multibillion dollar Olympics investment already half way through development as it contrasts the council estate high rises next to it. We also see a peaceful area of large suburban houses with a gentle park opposite, and the city on the top right which contrasts the estates again as it is a place of wealth and business. Having the establishing shot of the location, Ben Drew shows us that in London everything is un balanced, as you can have a rich big mansion and in the next road you can have a block of gritty flats, and next door to it you can have big business buildings. Ben Drew shows us this through his establishing shots but also by his lyrics later on in the film where he says, “David Cameron’s broken Britain”, the smart alliteration explains us that what Ben Drew is saying, we are seeing it.

As Carter arrives in Newcastle we get a different opinion to it than of London as we get a few establishing shots of the industrial working class of Newcastle along with the grey, cloudy wet weather as it all seems so negative. The establishing shots dramatize and enlarge the enormity of the tightness and limited space of the community in Newcastle as all the houses are small and tight with each other which give the audience a sort of claustrophobic feeling. The interior of the house where Carter arrives in Newcastle is the exact opposite and it some way contrasts the interior of the London apartment as it is gritty, grey, ugly, and dirty and nearly falling apart as wallpaper is ripping off and the materials of the house are all refusing to stay together. All these things about Newcastle scares the audience as it isn’t pleasant to view but also we feel scared for Carter as we know he is out of his comfort zone as he is use to the high life of London. Newcastle seems dangerous and should not be explored which is why it intrigues us more as Carter explores the rough streets of Newcastle for his ultimate motive to find out what happened to his brother.

Ill Manors has a lot of locations in which are stereotypically known to the gangster/crime genre, and one of them is the abandoned warehouse which young Jake is accompanied by his ‘older’, Marcel. Ben Drew uses the power of juxtaposition as the sun is shining, birds are tweaking and the sky is blue and right in the middle is this grey, rusty dangerous abandoned old warehouse. Abandoned locations is ideal in gangster genres as it hints danger as it is abandoned for a reason but also because no one ever goes there so anything can happen without supervision.  Inside the warehouse is a man tied up to a pole with a cloth wrapped around his mouth. The torture scene is typical in the gangster genre as characters torture over characters to get certain information or because they have crossed the line someway. Ben Drew reminds us that even though technology is moving on and more different people are getting into the world of crime, e.g - kids, the old tactics of gangs such as torture still live on.

In Get Carter, we know that Newcastle is a place of crime, grittiness, dullness and poverty, but if you pay the right price you can still live the high life. Kinnear’s house is a massive mansion with a trophy girlfriend, American style Cadillac’s, and throws big drug, sex parties.  This shows us that anywhere, any location, even if it is poor, if you break the rules and do things your own way and lead a life of crime, you can have big houses and indulge yourself in vast parties. This shows that to live how you want, you have to break the law and hurt people. This also shows the motivation of the people up north wanting have a better life and live as if they are in London.

In Ill Manors, along with Get Carter, the location of the pub is ideal and significant in both films as it has turned into the British gangster hangout spot in Crime movies. In Ill Manors the pub is the location for the drug dealing and prostitution of the young woman. The pub in the film is known to hold criminals and bad people as Ed goes in there to offer the men the young woman to prostitute. The pub is significant in the British culture to be a relaxing place to have a drink and a laugh, and similar to American movies with their bars, Ben Drew uses the location of the pub as a stage for the violence and grittiness we see, as it is always there, even until the very last scenes of the film when it is burned down. 

Location in the two films is important as it conveys meaning to the audience by explaining different situations and different aspects of community and society. Location in both films is also a state of mind as many characters in the films want to achieve something and reach somewhere, for example Carter wants to live with a peaceful mind at rest in South America as he keeps saying it throughout the film. In Ill Manors, many of the characters want to live and be somewhere with aims but it is their current location that drags them down from their dreams. 

How important is location to the films you have studied for this topic?
(Get Carter)

Key location is ideal for any movie with any genre. Location sets the scene and the rest of the film and is what supports and sustains the whole film. Location is not only the setting but the time, day and age as well. Location can create deep meaning and also question the audience which creates over all interest in the film.

Get carter (1971), directed by Mike Hodges and starring Michael Caine as "Jack Carter", talks about a British gangster from London travelling to Newcastle to find out what really happened at the time of his brother's death. The film opens up on a wide shot of Jack Carter gazing outside a window of what appears to be a luxurious  apartment. This directly gives the audience the impression that London is a high society place filled with luxurious apartments and as Jack Carter is dressed in a well tailored suit, it suggests that people from London are pretty wealthy as well. As the scene goes on we see the interior of the apartment, the mis-en-scene reinforces the wealth of London as we get a close up of Jack pouring scotch into a crystal glass from a crystal bottle. The chosen materials and props show the audience that the protagonist is wealthy and that London is a wealthy city meaning that it is also Jack's comfort zone and if he is taken away from London, he is out of his comfort zone.

The first impression of Newcastle on the other hand is that its a city filled with poverty, violence and grittiness as we get several establishing shots of the industrial sceneries in Newcastle. Also the colours in the shots are much more grey and bland as its gives the audience a negative atmosphere but could also symbolise the ugliness and grit of Newcastle. As jack enters the house where he is staying, he talks to the landlady, we get a low angled shot of the two walking up the stairs. As she is the first woman from Newcastle we have met in the film and the way she is introduced is through her backside shows how men thought about women in the late 60s and early 70s. The house were he is staying is as gritty as the outside of Newcastle as the walls are of a dirty grey with ripped wallpaper and tight small rooms, this shows the audience the vast difference in economy north England has rather than in south as poverty affects most charcters in film.

Although criminals in the film such as Kinnear have advantages and a certain amount of wealth that other characters don't in the film. The film shows us that although set in a poor place, the criminals and gangsters with the money are still able to live with luxury  and differently than the orthodox working class. Kinnear owns a massive mansion, american style cars and has big parties, which shows the audience that in the north you have to break the law to get what you want and to live a single inch of luxury. Woman again are seen as trophies and objects as they are ordered to fetch drinks by their gangster boyfriend which refers back to the time this film was made and how women were seen and portrayed in films and in real life up north. 

The final scene were Jack chases Eric through the muddy dirty wasteland of a beach really shows the audience what north of England really is. As seasides and beaches usually symbolise happiness and summer, in Get carter it symbolises the end, death, and ugliness as the beach is filled with rubbish, industrial items and is covered in trash and muddy dirty sand. The audience understand that Jack really is in a hell hole as he has to run through mud in the fake beach. Also ironically the two men both wear fine suits which contrast the unattractive wasteland beach they are running through. The scene uses a lot of establishing shots to show the enormity of the dirty seaside but also to show the never ending leading grey sea which symbolises the never ending search that Jack has but is now about to end. The scene also uses a lot of shots of the sea water rolling in to refer back to how his brother was killed and left in the water. But it could also refer to the last bit of nature as something bad is about to happen. The shots of the sea is also a juxtoposition of the two men wanting to kill eachother as they run through a peacfeful yet dirty beach. 

Overall location is important in the film chosen as it signifies meaning and shows the audience the context of time and setting of the film. It also lets out different styles of atmospheres and feelings and emotions for the audience.