1. The New BoyA short film directed by Steph Green

2. Observations (chronological)The diegetic sound of the childrens voicesindicates that communication is key to their sense ofconnection and belonging. This is juxtaposed toJosephs silence in the Irish school. His lack ofcommunication inhibits his ability to belong early onthe in the film, and is not broken until he findscommon ground with his classmates and imitates histeacher Now. 3. Positioning of the title New Boy on the left hand side of the frameindicates that the new boy will be powerless. 4. Notice that, from Josephs point of view, his new classmates are blurry andconfusing. This is an example of shallow focus, as well as a point of viewshot, and indicates that Joseph does not understand his new peers orsurroundings, nor does he feel a connection to either. 5. The motif of raising the hands is symbolic of surrender and highlights theteachers perception of belonging being synonymous with conformity. Theuse of shallow focus indicates Josephs lack of understanding of thisbehaviour, because to him it signifies danger. Despite this, his desire tobelong sees him slowly copy his peers.The push for conformity is emphasised by the diegetic sound of thechildren simultaneously putting their hands down. 6. Despite the scarcity of furniture in the set design of the African school,colour is used to show the vibrancy of this place and the strength ofJosephs connection to it. The high-saturation yellow worn by this teachersuggests happiness and vibrancy. 7. In Africa, students are seated side by side on bench seats. This highlightstheir connection. On the other hand, students in Ireland sit at separatetables, indicating their disconnectedness. 8. This midshot demonstrates that this student is also disengaged. Thissuggests that everybody experiences a lack of belonging in some form,either through disengagement from activities, lack of respect, differentculture, being different (e.g. wearing glasses) or learning difficulty. 9. Clip One The long shot of the children running andcheering as they leave for a break indicates a lackof true belonging in the classroom for all of thestudents as they are so keen to be away from thatparticular place. Joseph is shown alone, unable to understand whythe children left so excitedly when his classmatesin Africa had not behaved in this way. His inabilityto behave like his peers alienates him from them. 10. Clip Two Notice the use of sound in this sequence. Thediegetic sound of children playing is typical of aprimary school playground, but the traditionalAfrican musical score is not. This indicates thatthe past and present are going to collide forJoseph. In a point of view shot, the camera pans theplayground, following Josephs scan of what isoccurring. He remains framed alone, while theother children are shown in groups. Thisemphasises his sense of isolation anddisconnection. 11. Clip Three Initially, the midshot of the three boys indicates noconnection between them. Their eyes are downcastand their dialogue (such as I didnt do anything) isdefensive. The teacher is depicted using a low angle shot,suggesting that the pressure to belong in the way thatshe thinks is correct is strong. The connection between students relies on theircombined strength against their teacher. Even thoughHazel is dobbing him in, Christian still laughs at herconfrontation with the teacher, including Hazels wit Iam standing. 12. Clip Three cont. When Seth makes the observation She thinks shesrobbing a f**king bank, his body language changes,with a midshot showing his outside shoulder leaningin towards the other two boys. This suggests that he ismore open to a connection with both boys now. Josephs first dialogue in the Irish school is an imitationof his teacher, Now. This helps to establish a bondwith his peers. The diegetic sound at this point alsoincludes laughing and the boys begin to make eyecontact with each other. This suggests theestablishment of a new positive relationship andperception of belonging for all three boys. 13. Seth Quinn Seth feels a lack of belonging due his learningdifficulties. He responds by acting out (Miss, SethQuinn threw me book out the window) anddenying any knowledge of problems (Nothin) His type of character demonstrates that differentpeople experience different ideas aboutbelonging. They have different criteria forbelonging, different barriers and differentresponses to these experiences. Consider howSeth differs from Joseph. 14. A sense of belongingchanges over time.The film demonstrates three key stages in Josephs experience ofbelonging:1. At school in Africa, Joseph clearly belonged. The diegetic sound of the students answering together signifies their connection as they are able to participate simultaneously and successfully.2. Early in his time at the Irish school, Joseph felt isolated and disconnected.3. By the end of the film, Joseph had found a way to belong among his Irish classmates, but this connection was not forged in the same way as his connection to his African peers. While the Irish children bond over imitating their teacher, the African children were unwaveringly respectful.This demonstrates that Josephs experience of belonging changed over 15. Perceptions of belonging vary between individuals.Consider how each of the following people feelsabout belonging. Do they belong? What are theircriteria for belonging? What are their consequencesfor not belonging? Joseph Seth Teacher 16. For some, conformity and belonging are synonymous.The Irish class teacher feels a sense of belongingwhen her world is disciplined and ordered. Herrepeated instructions Hands in the air is a motifthat indicates the childrens surrender as raisedhands is usually associated with surrender. Thechildren are not valued as individuals (like themigrants in many poems), but are required toconform similar to the students of St PatricksCollege. For Joseph, this behaviour is particularlydamaging as he would associate it with violence anddanger before conformity. 17. A lack of belonging can leavea person weak or vulnerable.Josephs obvious discomfort in the new classroommakes him a target for the class bully, ChristianKelly. Christians dialogue towards Joseph isderogatory and provocative. Christian addressesJoseph as Live Aid insinuating that he is a charitycase. He also highlights Josephs cultural differencevia the rhetorical question Do they know itsChristmas? This sets Joseph apart from his newclassmates because he has different traditions.Christian also uses a threatening tone in hisrepeated warnings, Youre dead. 18. A lack of understanding of the community one isentering into can limit their opportunity to belong. Joseph clearly does not understand the community he is entering into when he begins at the Irish school. This is demonstrated through the use a point of view shot as he surveys the classroom for the first time, coupled with the use of shallow focus. The point of view shot allows the responder to empathise with Josephs fear and alienation from the class group, as they are seated together and he is alone. The shallow focus further emphasises his lack of understanding, as the new environment seems blurry and unreadable. 19. A common understandingstrengthens an individuals sense ofbelonging.Joseph and his father shared a strong connectionand common understanding. A midshot of hisfathers face as he was led out of the schoolhouseimplored Joseph to stay silent and hidden. Joseph,although understandably distressed, obeyed. Thiscommon understanding saved Josephs life.Common understanding also exists at the end of thefilm between Joseph, Christian and Seth (seedetailed analysis of Clip Three) 20. Strong relationships with others areessential for a true sense of belonging. The significance of relationships for Joseph is highlighted by the stark lack of these relationships for the majority of the film. It is not until the final scene, when the three boys are depicted in a midshot, standing shoulder to shoulder, that Joseph feels any sense of connection to his peers. This stems from a common goal, the joking at the expense of the teacher. It is conveyed through the close- up of Josephs face as he laughs at his Seths She thinks shes robbing a bank, and then at his own imitation of his teacher. This is also significant because it is the first time that Joseph has spoken in the Irish setting. 21. The past can present a barrier for belonging in the present.For Joseph, his past is something that he is constantlyreminded of. He experiences flashbacks to his time as astudent in Africa. The high colour saturation andtraditional musical score used in these scenes indicatethat Joseph felt happy and at ease in that environment.On the other hand, the washed out lighting andJosephs silence at school in Ireland indicate that hedoes not feel a sense of belonging in Ireland, and insteadescapes to the happier memories of his past.The significance of his past is also evident when the pastand present collide in the simultaneous occurrence of themilk container hitting Joseph and the gunshot.