Ignite Presentation

Offender Film       

Offender Film review 67% Rotten Tomatoes , 6.1/10 IMDb  and 2/5 Time out. 

"set against the topical background of the 2011 riots, Offender has the not unfamiliar plot of a man getting himself sent to jail in order to exact vengeance on some incarcerated criminals. In this case, a London teenager infiltrates a young offenders' institution to track down the gang who violently assaulted his pregnant girlfriend to prevent her giving evidence in a murder trial. The detail is realistic and it's a decent enough genre piece. But unlike its acknowledged model, Alan Clarke's Scum, the 1979 movie that launched Ray Winstone's career, Offender has little revealing or useful to say about the appalling conditions in juvenile prisons" - The Guardian

"Hot new talent Joe Cole ignites a masterpiece of explosive intensity in this powerful action suspense thriller. For Tommy Nix, his girlfriend and unborn child were his entire life and his reason for living. That is until one cruel day when they were brutally torn away as the collateral damage for a ruthless gang who pulled off an armed robbery-murder during the chaos of the London riots. As the city swelters and burns around him Tommy is left with nothing but rage inside. Launching a one-man-war against those responsible he will stop at nothing, even incarceration, to deliver his own form of blazing justice. A man who has lost everything becomes capable of anything..."  - Rotten Tomatoes

"I'm going to put this in simple english Offender is easily one of the most gritty UK films I have ever seen and can only be explained as a 2012 version of the Alan Clarke classic Scum with Offender not compromising anything or glorifying any situations instead it is a gritty and realistic  tale of Prison in the UK but ultimately a tale of Love,Revenge,Pride and Passion blended with some epic fight scenes and a look into the lives of a few of the Prisoners,how they ended up where they are and how they survive.

The cast Joe Cole,English Frank,G Frsh,Scorcher,Tyson Oba,Mic Righteous are all perfectly selected for the roles they play and this essentially makes the film move fluidly and the script is epic enough and well directed and filmed in a way which will keep the attention of the viewer throughout without loosing pace or focus whilst staying away from the typical clichés that have spoilt many of the other UK Films released recently.

Essentially Offender is a tale of Love and Revenge and this is what makes this film special and something both males and females from anywalk of life will be able to take something from as it covers many of the recent social and economic problems which affect us all in the UK,such as the recent UK Riots,Effects of the Recession,Corruption and Mental Health in their raw glory which is something many UK Films need to start doing more of. 

Without being disrespectful to anyone Offender ranks head and shoulders above Kiddult Hood,Victim,Ill Manors,Rolling with the 9's and makes many of its predecessors look like after school specials as this is a more of a complete film and the one we will look back on in the future and say this is exactly how it was in 2011/2012 

also the soundtrack and backdrops to this film are matched to perfection with a combination of Grime,Dubstep,Rap and oldschool classics working well as a sound bed to many of the most Epic scenes in this film making it something Director Ron Scalpello should receive many Accolades and Awards for." The Grime Report

"A vicious gang takes advantage of the anarchy caused by the 2011 London riots and rob a jewellery shop, killing the owner in the process. Elise (Kimberley Nixon) is a probation officer, and notices that one of her clients is wearing an expensive watch that the police are looking for in connection with the robbery. Her interest is noticed by the gang, and she is viciously attacked.  Her previously loving relationship with her boyfriend, Tommy (Joe Cole), crumbles under the strain of the attack, which has resulted in the loss their unborn child, and left her disfigured.

Tommy discovers that the gang has been imprisoned for stealing a car, and are locked up in a Youth Offender Institution. He deliberately attacks police officers so that he is sent to the same prison that the gang is in. His purpose in prison, as he informs his newly introduced cell mate, is to get “justice”. “Good luck getting that in here,” his cell mate replies, rolling his eyes.    

The rest of the film is dedicated to Tommy’s pursuit of the gang. The film has the usual, stereotypical characters that you’d expect in a poor prison drama. Besides the mindless, violent inmate leaders, there’s the snide character who hangs around one of the gang leaders, and a corrupt prison guard, Nash (Shaun Dooley), who takes drugs with the inmates he favours, while beating and stealing the belongings of those he doesn’t.   

The acting is mediocre at best. Facial contortions to demonstrate violence or pain isn’t a substitute for good acting, and the bizarre accent of English Frank would surely result in hysterics if repeated in front of a genuine London gang member.  Worse, it raises serious issues like the recent London riots in an attempt to pretend it is a credible film, only abruptly to drop the issue because it doesn't, in fact, have anything insightful to say. It’s a shallow film, full of gratuitous violence that is meant to entertain. That’s one thing this film emphatically fails to achieve, 3 out of 10.                

Offender starring Joe Cole (Tommy), Kimberley Nixon (Elise), Shaun Dooley (Nash), English Frank (Jake), Tyson Oba (Mason), G FrSH (Angelface), Daniel Kendrick (Sicko), Ruth Gemmell (Cassie), Mark Harris (Governor Davies), Jacob Anderson (Patrick), Vas Blackwood (Detective Boaz), Doon Mackichan (Doctor Patricia), Can Somer (Muslim Inmate), Michael Edwards (Prison Officer), Rimmel Daniel (Prison inmate). Directed by Ron Scalpello. Written by Paul Van Carter. Music by Chad Hobson. Studio: Gunslinger Films, Revolver Entertainment. Distributed by Revolver Entertainment. I watched this film on Thursday, 16th August 2012, at Manchester Odeon." - Ian's website and blog

English Frank as Jake 

English Frank is known for his work on Offender (2012), Brash Young Turks (2015) and Electric. Just give us a brief potted history of your music career so far.

My music career started in February 2011,I decided to approach the music game as a business, a career. So, yeah, that’s when it’s started.

How old were you when you started?

24. I kind of introduced myself through a video called ‘Live my Life’, quite underground. Then I went on SBTV and did a warm up. I took it from there and went down all the avenues. Invested money and time in proper PR, marketing and managed myself. I took the time to understand the industry and business, and then I just took it from there.

Did it start from SBTV?

No, from when I decided to take it more as a business. Even if I wasn't on SBTV I still would have propelled, so it’s not down to anyone, but myself.

I signed myself to an imaginary record. I studied what a record label would have done and just put my shine and character to it.

How did you come to be cast in the role of Jake in Offender?

Through the music, obviously. Also a friend of a friend knew someone who worked at Revolver that was involved in castings, and put my name forward for the role. I don’t think they would have thought of me if it weren't for her.  They watched the videos and said he seems angry la de da…. Then they got me in. I wasn't really acting in the videos, but when I do I can act and put it on because I'm usually quite calm. I've never acted before so I was like do they really want me to get angry? I hadn't done it for so many years, since drama in school. I did well. You know, practice makes perfect. The next film I'm going to give an even better performance.

What's the most appealing thing about portraying this particular character?

I don’t know if there’s much that’s appealing about portraying this character. Apart from somebody wouldn’t want to take the mickey out of you. He’s quite intimidating. Me, if I was talking to him I’d be like ‘bruv, you need some help.’

When they told you Jake was going to be an aggressive character why did you think I wouldn't mind playing that?

I wouldn’t mind playing any character because I know it’s just a character. I knew I could pull it off. I don’t see many people pull it off that well.

The only thing I didn’t pull off was my hair. You could see I wasn’t a youth offender; I’m starting to recede. When they were looking at the shots they were like, is he really 20? Apart from that, I pulled it off.

What character traits do you share with Jake?

I share his passion, enthusiasm, strength and ability to influence a crowd.

In what ways do you feel a career in rapping gives you good grounding to portray a character in a film?

It helps to get people down to see the film. It puts me on a bigger platform. But, I feel that if I wasn’t a rapper I’d still be able to do the job.

What are your personal memories of the Brixton riots in the 80s?

I don’t think I was in any of the riots in the 80s. I can’t remember… it wasn’t that bad, it was exciting to see as a youngster.

What were your thoughts when you saw the riots erupting in London and other cities last Summer?

I remember the Brixton riots, in the 80s – back then me and a couple of friends just ran through the streets, because everyone we knew was doing the same. It felt like a community thing. I was too young to fully understand at the time but it felt like a joining force. The riots last year were an unfortunate thing to happen, mainly because of how it was handled and controlled and the media’s reaction to it all.

I was on my way back home and encountered a few young, wimpy looking kids, who were obviously out as part of the riots. It was sad to see, but it was just a good time for them – an easy opportunity.

It’s hard for young kids to fully know what they’re doing, or how deep it’ll get them into a bad situation. The system we have at the moment needs to reflect this. At the moment, this is their way of life, this is all that they know by means of making money for food, bills or basic amenities – they’re poor and just trying to get by. I’m not condoning any crimes committed because of this, but I think the government needs to look into why these kids are committing these crimes, rather than just focusing on punishing them for it. Throwing young offenders in jail only adds to the cycle, which will most likely lead them to a full life of more crime, each one worse than the last, and a situation where they are constantly in and out of jail.

What can people expect from you next? Are there more film roles on the agenda, or is it back to the music?

Epic film and epic music. At the moment I’m writing with Paul Van Carter for another film, so look out for that.

G FrSH

The British urban music scene is gaining more respect and growing stronger by the day, but one star that’s making an immediate impact and bringing it to the masses is G FrSH. This south London rapper has been paving his own way without bending to rules or restraints since childhood and has brought his distinct blend of unwavering determination and fearless style out from the underground and into the light.

Having grown up on a council estate, G FrSH was determined to carve out a name for himself and began to realise his aspirations when he received a coveted scholarship to an acclaimed private school. His insatiable passion for knowledge and intrepid nature crept into every moment of his life, driving him forwards, and he eventually graduated from UCL with an impressive degree in economics. This unique bonding of a street education with a well-respected academic one gave him a new perspective and he eventually decided to apply his ambition, fervor, and innate business sense to music. 

G FrSH’s musical style is an edgy collision of bold arrangements and grime/hip-hop fusion, and his lyricism is born from his personal experiences and from the ‘now’. His dynamic appeal scored him a management deal with Disturbing London and in 2011, he returned to his old school, Dulwich College, to sign a lucrative recording contract with Parlophone/EMI/Disturbing London.

In 2010 he made his mark on the industry with the release of ‘Legoman - Where's My Brick?’ and in the summer of 2012, he unveiled a 7-track mixtape called ‘Purgatory’. In 2013 his highly anticipated new mixtape, ‘Legoman II’, which boasts collaborations with the likes of  Tinie Tempah, Skepta and Loick Essien, and also treated fans to a blinding live set at the Hoxton Hall in London. This year, G FrSH released the captivating singles 'Falling High' and 'Hardest Part' both featuring fellow Disturbing London artist Sonny Reeves, taken from G FrSH’s latest EP 'Alfie'.

 'Alfie' has been met with great acclaim, reaching Number 1 in the iTunes Hip Hop charts and Number 18 in the overall iTunes album charts and reveals a different style and side to G FrSH.

His self-made attitude is manifested in his video production company, FrSH Productions, and independent clothing line, FrSHwear, over which he has complete creative control. G FrSH’s ideas are fast flowing and his vision is innovative, enabling him to utilise his artistic license in all areas of his career from music to fashion, and to film.  

He completely embodies the brand that he has built for himself over the years and his work to date has earned him serious credibility not just within the genres he’s known for, but in the industry as a whole.  

Shaun Dooley as Jackie Nash

Dooley was born (1974) in Barnsley, West Riding of Yorkshire (to 31 March) or South Yorkshire (from 1 April). He studied at the Arden School of Theatre in Manchester between 1992 and 1995.

Dooley's first acting role was as Shaun in Groove on a Stanley Knife in 1997. He later played Ritchie Fitzgerald in Coronation Street from 1997 until 1998. He also appeared occasionally in EastEnders as Tom Stuart between 2001 and 2004 until he was replaced during his filming of The Street. He also had a role in P.O.W. alongside Joe Absolom.

Dooley played Peter Harper in BBC drama series The Street. He also featured in the 2007 television docudrama Diana: Last Days of a Princess. Dooley portrayed Kieran in the British horror film Salvage. He portrayed police inspector Dick Alderman in all three parts of the Red Riding trilogy.

In 2008, Dooley played Liam in the BBC miniseries Apparitions.

In 2009, Dooley played the lead in High Tide's acclaimed production of Stove pipe at the West 12 Shopping Centre in Shepherd's Bush. In 2010, he appeared in BBC One's Five Days and in ITV's Married Single Other.

In September 2010, he appeared as Derek Bennett in the BBC Four drama The Road to Coronation Street, as well as in "Gently Evil", an episode of the BBC One detective serial Inspector George Gently. On 9 March 2012 Dooley appeared as Pete Garvey in an episode of hit ITV comedy Benidorm, as the brother of long term character Mick Garvey, Pete is in Benidorm with his father for his stag party.

"Scorcher (real name Tayo Jarrett) is an English rapper, actor and producer from Enfield, North London. He began his career in Cold Blooded where he became known for his 'shank' bars, and would regularly attend pirate radio and work his way up through the North London grime circuit. It has been claimed Scorcher had to serve a prison sentence for a short period of time in 2006, for driving offense's, and while in jail his mix-tape Simply the Best dropped and was greeted with good reviews from the grime scene. After an incident with fellow Cold Blooded member Cookie, Scorcher left Cold Blooded to concentrate on a new collective known as The Movement which featured Scorcher alongside Wretch 32, Devlin, Mercston, and Ghetto. At this point he was involved in a momentous clash that saw him and fellow movement members go up against rival grime collective Boy Better Know. Scorcher did 3 dubs directed at Wiley, Jammer and Frisco. His debut single 'It's My Time' charted on the UK R&B chart at number 38. Scorcher's first single of 2012 was premiered on MistaJam's 1XTRA show on March 3." - IMDb Mini Biography By: Tigule

"Offender is a tense and unflinching revenge drama about a young man seeking vengeance who gets sent to a young offenders' institution deliberately to find the thugs who attacked his girlfriend. View's Matthew Turner talks with the lead actor Joe Cole about the rigours of the film's shoot and how the actor brought his break-out role to life.

So, with your role in the last series of Skins and now Offender, does this mean you’re cornering the market in young British psychopaths?

Joe Cole

Ha, I just take the jobs where they come, mate. I think it might be my face, I’m not entirely sure. This is a different character to the one in Skins. In Skins, he’s an out-and-out baddie and in this it’s fuelled by love and emotion, the revenge mission he goes on. He’s actually a good bad guy, so it’s something a bit different.

How did you get involved in the film?

Joe Cole

I was doing a play at the British Theatre, called The Knowledge, which was set in an ethnic school. The casting director for Offender came down and saw it; she cast me in Skins as well actually. I was actually tweeting a producer on another film that [director] Ron Scalpello was working on, and I went for coffee with him. We were talking about this other film, and how we could get it off the ground and Ron was there as well. While we were there, Ron got a phone call from Revolver offering him the job of Offender, which at the time was called Feltham, in reference to the young offenders' institute. And as I was there, we got talking about it and he said, ‘Oh Joe, you should definitely come in for this one.’ So, the casting director knew me, and Ron knew me. Then it was just a matter of getting the producers to know me.

So you were quite closely involved, right from the off?

Joe Cole

Right from the get-go, yeah. I mean obviously I wasn’t offered the part in the coffee shop, that would’ve been nice. I had to do a few rounds of auditions, and the rest of it. But it was quite nice, I saw the very first scripts, when it was called Feltham. I saw the whole process, and had some input in the outcome of the story and adapting to it myself. Originally the script was about this guy that puts on a tonne of muscle, gets a load of tattoos, shaves his head and goes in, in an animalistic way, and takes revenge. Then it was tailored a bit more towards me and made a little bit more real, finding the truth in the whole thing.

You didn’t have to shave your head then?

Joe Cole

Ha, not quite, although it's not far off is it? That’s schedules, I had to have the same haircut in the flashback stuff, and in the prison stuff. What they wanted to do was have my hair as it is now, a bit longer, and then cut it like that, but we had to sort of cut and shave it off, we had to find a mid-point.

When you have to do that, do you ever think ‘Nooooo, not the hair!’?

Joe Cole

Yeah, I did. I walked around London with no hair, and I’ve always had quite long hair, took me a bit of time to get used to it. But it is easy, I’d wake up in the morning, it would be dark, I’d wear a hat all day on set, it was bloody freezing, so that was good, just take it off and do the scene. Whereas that’s not the case with this bloody mop.

What was Ron Scalpello like, as a director, on set?

Joe Cole

I couldn’t have asked for more from Ron. We very quickly developed a rapport and an understanding about what we wanted to achieve and the direction of the film. The communication wasn’t even always required, there was a sense; we knew. Ron would just come up to me and say “Joe, up it. Joe, take it to the next level. Look at what’s happened to your character, your baby’s gone, your girlfriend’s gone, let’s step it up.” And he was brilliant. It was a cast with some trained actors, some non-actors, some rappers, some young offenders, it was a very testosterone-fuelled, masculine set. I think it was important to have someone like Ron, who is from the East End and looks more like a bouncer than a director, to bring that together and get the performances out of everyone that he managed to do. There was a mutual respect, from the off. I remember someone described him as like afootball coach, in a sense. And with me, not just giving me the pep talks and getting people fired up for the riot scenes and the big fight scenes, but also being able to come to me in the emotional stuff, and talk to me one-on-one. Yeah, there was a real trust. I think he allowed me to do what I wanted to do and I felt like he believed in me, which allowed me to thrive. He was nurturing me, pointing me in the right direction.

Did you have much rehearsal time beforehand, to work on stuff?

Joe Cole

We didn’t have much rehearsal time. I made sure I knew the script inside out and back to front. Obviously I got the part quite a while before we shot, a good six months. So I had time to get in the gym, I was just trying to shred the fat, to look as lean as I could. Going for that sort of Fight Club-esque look.

You were hardly fat in Skins...

Joe Cole

I was hardly fat, but just getting rid of the puppy fat. I was boxing, doing a bit of boxing, and I did ‘Mo Teague’, which is a street-fighting discipline. I wanted to be in a position where I felt like I could actually take on these guys, twice the size of me. I think it was important; young people in this country aren’t stupid, you know, they cannot be fooled. So if they have some rake of a man, who looks like he’s been living on peanut butter, going into this prison, fighting the likes of English Frank and Scorcher, who’re big lads, if it doesn’t look real, if it doesn't look like I could actually challenge them, then the film’s going to fall on its face. That, for me, was very important. In terms of rehearsals, I think Ron wanted to keep me separate from the rest of the cast, we didn’t interact with them a great deal. We obviously met them on the opening day, said hello, but apart from that there wasn’t too many jokes flying around, it was all about keeping me separate, because he is a separate entity from the rest of the offenders."

Media Representations 

Who is being represented? In what way? By whom?

The youth are being represented as dangerous. This is because the youth are committing crimes to make a statement. By the police and the courts.  

Why is the subject being represented in this way? 

This is because the subject attacked an officer outside a police station. Also during the time the riots were occurring in London.

Is the representation fair and accurate?

The representation is fair because the blame can't always go to the youth. It is fairly their fault for causing the riots and committing petty crimes to express their feelings.

Media Languages and Forms 

What are the non-verbal structures of meaning in the text (e.g. gesture, facial expression, positional communication, clothing, props etc)?  The main camera angle shots were medium close up and close up. These camera shots shows the audience the facial expression the character giving.

What is the significance of mise-en-scene/sets/settings (CLAMPS)?

The costumes throughout the film were dark clothing. When Tommy assaulted an officer he was wearing a black hooded jacket this is normally worn by the youth to blend in during the night.  Also this occurred during the riots and majority of the youth were wearing black, dark blue tracksuits to commit crimes. The props used in the film were guns, knives and baseball bats.

What work is being done by the sound track/commentary/language of the text?

what are the dominant images and iconography, and what is their relevance to the major themes of the text?

What sound and visual techniques are used to convey meaning (e.g. camera positioning, editing; the ways that images and sounds are combined to convey meaning)?

Narrative 

How is the narrative organised and structured?

The main character has one purpose in the film which is 'Justice needs to be served at Britain's most notorious young offenders institute'. The narrative contains two sets of time line one in the past and one in the present. This is because we're learning why the main character wanted to go to the young offenders institute.

  

How is the audience positioned in relation to the narrative?

The audience have no clue as in why the main character assaulted an officer. Majority of the time enigma code was created throughout the film. 

How are characters delineated? What is their narrative function? How are heroes and villains created? The Hero was made out be a villain at the start of the film. As the film went on we learnt that the reason he assaulted an officer was to get justice. The prison officers and jakes crew were the villain in the film. The head prison guard allows Jake and his crew to commit crime whilst under his watch. 

What techniques of identification and alienation are employed?

What is the role of such features as sound, music, iconography, genre, mise-en-scene, editing etc within the narrative?

The sound at the start was an instrumental and it built up tension till the main character approached the officer. The instrumental was non diegetic and the police siren was diegetic.  

What are the major themes of the narrative? What values/ideologies does it embody?

Genre 

To which genre does the text belong?

This film belongs to a Thriller genre.

What are the major generic conventions within the text?

What are the major iconographic features of the text?

What are the major generic themes?

To what extent are the characters generically determined?

To what extent are the audience’s generic expectations of the text fulfilled or cheated by the text? Does the text conform to the characteristics of the genre, or does it treat them playfully or ironically? The expectations of the film was that the main character wanted to go the young offenders institute to deal with personal business. We expected this when the main character walked up to an officer in front of a police station and attacked him. When the other officers approached the main character to arrest him he smiled. He also smiled during his court hearing  after receiving his sentence. In addition, we expected Jakes crew to be the main reason why Tommy's assaulted the officer. He entered shortly after Jake and his crew entered the Britain's most notorious young offenders institute. Jake and his crew walk around like they're invisible and the prison guards are their pets allowing them to anything. The expectation of this particular group was accurate.

Does the text feature a star, a director, a writer etc who is strongly associated with the genre? What meanings and associations do they have?

Media Institutions 

What is the institutional source of the text?

Gunslinger Films & Revolver Entertainment. An RDT Co-Production

In what ways has the text been influenced or shaped by the institution which produced it?

Is the source a public service or commercial institution? What difference does this make to the text?

Who owns and controls the institution concerned and does this matter?

How has the text been distributed?

The film has been distributed by Revolver Entertainment. They also distributed Ill Manors. The target audience for both of these film are quite the same. They both have artistic which are known to the youth that they're targeting.