Analysis of Still (BLK)

My chosen shot shows two teenagers attempting to break into a bike shed

Representation of genre:
The genre reflected in this shot is the urban/gang sub-genre of the thriller genre. In order to represent this genre, both characters are wearing appropriate costumes. Hoodies, jeans and casual trainers are typically worn by London teenagers. Both characters also have their hoods up, even though it is sunny, which suggests they are trying to conceal their face and are therefore up to no good. The padlock for the bike shed is visible and the boy is tinkering with it, whilst the girl is on lookout. This is a situation most Londoners can associate with - teenagers breaking into a bike shed. The shot itself is a Two-Shot Long Shot. This allows the bikes in the background to be visible, as well as the characters' full costumes. The fact that you cannot see the boy's face adds a mysterious element to the shot. Whereas, although you can see the girl's face, her expression makes her seem very sly and mysterious as well. This slight bit of uncertainty conforms more to the thriller genre.

Success of shot:
I believe the shot is quite successful in depicting the genre. The costumes, setting, characters' age, character expressions and actions are all very synergistic and show off the genre well. In particular, the character representation is extremely accurate and effective.

Possible improvements:
The worst part about the whole shot is the lighting. Ideally, the shot would be taken at night, with the main source of light coming from a bright bulb within the bike shed. This would conform to the conventions of a gang film. With lighting only coming from the shed, the characters will appear more like silhouettes, in turn adding a more intense and mysterious element to the shot. Secondly, I would refine the framing more, by not cutting off a bit of the feet and instead cutting more off of the top. I may even zoom out a bit, in order to make it clearer that the shed is indeed a bike shed. Thirdly, I would angle the camera so that the shot is a low angle shot. This will make the characters seem very powerful and is if they are seasoned veterans of breaking and entering, rather than two kids who are struggling with a lock, which is what the shot can be interpreted as now.