head on

1. AS MEDIA STUDIES:
HEAD ON
By Jatin Dhillon

2. Themes in my Social Realism Opening.
• Financial problems
• Family problems
• Negative influences
• Criminal Activity

3. Protagonist - Ryan
Name: Ryan
Age: 17
Location: North, West London
Profile
Ryan has recently received his GCSE results and has decided to make a move to a College in West London. As he has
a strong passion for Fine Art, he chooses to study a 2 year Fine Art course at his new college. He feels very strongly
about Art, and believes that a new start is the best option for him to leave his past behind him.
Hobbies
Ryan likes going out with his friends and loves socialising with new people.
Childhood
Ryan had a complicated childhood. This involves being brought up mainly by his grandparents as his parents were
experiencing financial problems. This meant that his parents had to work most of the time.
Family
Ryan lives with his mother, father and his pet dog.
Close relationships
Ryan is extremely close to two of his friends from his previous school and still communicates with them. However, Ryan
did have a close relationship with his grandfather who tragically died last year after being diagnosed with cancer. After
the death of his grandfather, he changed drastically and began doing the wrong to numb the pain.

4. Plot
• A 17 year old teenager originating from a financially unstable
household, gets drawn into negative influences during his time at his
new college. He gets himself involved with the wrong crowd at college
and witnesses them steal from other people just to make quick and
easy cash. The teenager becomes a part of these criminal activities
as he finds it hard to ask his parents for money due to their
circumstances of insufficient funds. He begins to change as a person
and becomes more money minded. He fools his parents by acting as
an angel at home but lives a thug life outside. He starts to arrive
home late from college just to sell the stolen goods but uses the
excuse of attending clubs to his parents. His parents are convinced
that he’s settling down at his new college however this all changes.

5. Pivotal Moment
• Ryan gets caught by his father stealing from a person
down the alley near to where they live. His father rushes
to the scene and grabs Ryan from his bag and pulls him
away from the victim. His dad couldn’t believe what he
had witnessed and felt emotionless. He took Ryan home
and began to raid his room to find more stolen goods. His
dad finds an extensive amount of stolen goods under his
bed and began to question Ryan.
• Ryan told his father that he got himself involved in crime
to help raise money for his parents.

6. In-Depth Analysis of the Opening
• Financial difficulties
• He is involved in criminal activity to raise money as parents cannot
provide for him.
• Ryan voiceover – what have I become? regretful
- I’m doing what needs to be done to protect my family
- Don’t need anyone – I’m fine all on my own…survival of the fittest
His father spots Ryan stealing from a person on the way home.
He takes Ryan home.
His father raids his bedroom and discovers a stack of stolen goods hidden in his
bedroom.