WARNING: Contains violence and strong language.

Filmed on location in Thamesmead, The Guvnors stars Rizzle Kicks’ Harley Sylvester terrorising a south London estate and coming up against its old ‘Guvnors’.

With the movie’s DVD release coming at the end of the month, Vibe caught up with director Gabe Turner to discuss a key scene filmed at The Barge Pole.

The scene begins with gang leader Adam (Sylvester) entering the pub – the last refuge of the older generation - with his young hoodlums in order to track down the estate’s former ‘Guvnor’ (Doug Allen).

He picks a fight with old man Mickey (David Essex), who knocks him out.

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The incident is important in the context of the film, Gabe said, because it acts as a ‘trigger’ for the violence and drama to come.

He said: “All of your actions have consequences. A lot of people get in situations where they are frustrated and want to lash out and a lot of people don’t lash out because they don’t want it to continue.

“The only way to end the cycle of violence is to walk away.

“It’s very early on in the film but it sets the tone for the film. Once that happens, the wheels are in motion for a mighty collision.”

It was also a chance to align the audience’s allegiance behind the older residents.

“You want in the cinema for people to be moved in a way that they want to act,” said Gabe. “I wanted to get that feeling that you as the audience want the old man to do that.”

News Shopper: PubSpy reviews The Barge Pole, Thamesmead

Gabe, whose credits include Manchester United documentary The Class of 92, said the pub was essential to the scene.

He said: “It’s a really striking pub at the top of the estate and everyone goes there.

“We wanted that vibrancy and feel that this was a place that people met.

“The decor was slightly dated and that was important for us – we had to take down the flat screen TVs –  because it was the old British pub which we wanted  because they are coming in and taking over the estate, everywhere but that pub.”

The shooting took place during the day with the windows blacked out and Gabe said his inspiration came from an unusual source.

He said: “Myself and the producer Leo (Pearlman) always send funny videos to each other: stuff on the internet, viral clips or whatever and there’s actually a video from ages ago.”

The clip shows a chav relentlessly provoking an older man on his doorstep – and getting knocked out.

Gabe said: “It was just a video that me and Leo saw and thought ‘that’s brilliant’.

“I wrote that based on that clip. I wanted to write a scene in the film where people felt frustrated for David Essex’s character and, at that point in the film, for them to be on that side before you built any sympathy for Harley’s character.

“It was derivative of that internet clip and the reason that’s interesting – or maybe it isn’t – is because of the way viral or online content affects you now.

“It’s something that wasn’t around before to get you creativity flowing.

“There is Gran Torino and Harry Brown and stuff like that (influencing the scene), but actually to be honest that particular scene came from that viral clip.

“It makes it exciting that there is so much content out there that can inspire you.

“Really all your job is is to convey emotions on screen and you can do that with a small camera capturing a moment somewhere without necessarily being a professional.”

Hearing Gabe describe how he went about actually shooting the scene, is a bit like listening to a logic puzzle.

He said: “When you’re doing fight stuff, you’re quite snookered as to how to do it.

“To sell the punch, you have got to choose various angles to make it believable.

“Before I started directing, someone told me to imagine you are tying a piece of string from the camera to the person’s jaw you are hitting.

“The arm has to cross that line to make the punch register. So then it’s picking an angle where you can cross that line.”

He added: “I wanted to have a high angle CCTV shot that Mitch (Allen) would watch on the computer later and I wanted that to be behind the old man looking at the boy. I knew that position. I knew we also wanted another position.

“I knew also that we might want to sell the punch with a cut.

“You cover it like you cover most things, it wasn’t like the fight scene at the end where there was loads of action, it was one punch.

“You ‘re building your angle so you’re building the tension of the old coming together against the young.

“There was a wide master which is influenced by Western stand-offs and then you have got your close-ups of the major protagonists to build the tension.

“Once you have got your space, like that pub, you know you have got to shoot into the bar.”

The Guvnors (18) is out on DVD and Blu-ray on December 29.