Representation of Ethnicity; Luther

Mise-en-scene.

 The costuming used for the first two characters were complete opposites and made the audience second-guess who was more superior. At first we though the man in the suit was the more superior one and the man in the hoodie was inferior. This is because usually, men in suits are of a higher status than those in hoodies. Furthermore, stereotypically it could be said that black people are more of the criminals than white people.

Low key lighting was used throughout the scene along with artificial when there was the police cars. With the low key lighting in the warehouse, it showed their story was shrouded with mystery and if lighting was used, it was mainly on the man in the suit and the man in the hoodie was somewhat in the shadows.

Editing.

The pace of the scene was used also to show the opposite characters. The pace was rushed when the suited man was in shot, whereas when the hoodie was on camera, the pace slowed and seemed a lot calmer. This showing that the hoodied man has more control, therefore is more intimidating than the panicked suited man. This again is stereotypical, as black men are seen as the more frightening of the two. Further in the scene, we find the roles have been reversed, making the pace of the scene become clear and in fact, the suited man is in fact the criminal. Action match is used to show the hooded mans actions; a hand on a railing and the dropping of the metal off the bridge. The action match of the piece of metal, gives a sense of foreboding as we know something bad will happen due to a part being missing/broken from the walkway.

Sound.

A sound track is used throughout the ‘chase’ scene, and sound mixing is further used to create suspense and build tension. This is shown when the suited man is running. The scene is somewhat quiet but as soon as the hooded man finds him, the music becomes louder. This makes the suited man seem vulnerable in comparison to the hooded man who still comes across as calm; despite the loud music. This shows how the hooded man is more superior because it could be said that the music used is somewhat of a sound motif. Dialogue is also used to show how the suited man is in fact the criminal as he is hiding something and wont tell the superiorities what has happened. We only just find out what has happened near the end of the scene, adding mystery to both men.

Cinematography.

An establishing shot is used at the start to set the scene and show the audience, where this scene is taking place. Selective focus was used on both men, but more so for the hooded guy. This is because, at the start we assume stereotypically that the black man is the criminal. Therefore, we do not see his face at all just certain parts of his body. To further show the contrast between the two men, there is a birds eye view of the hooded man walking; showing his calmness. Whereas, with the suited man there are more close ups and mid shots to show his panicky posture. When the two men join together, a close up of both is shown. The hooded man looks determined yet still calm, whereas the suited man looks worried, panicked and somewhat murderous. Once the suited man falls, a high angle is used to show his desperation and inferiority. A low angle is used upon the hooded man to show that he is superior and now in control.

Representation of Gender - The Bill

At the start of the extract, an establishing shot is used to show the area in which a crime has been committed. Ambient sounds of police sirens, radios and people talking add to the event and make it seem more realistic. The camera somewhat tracks a car straight away and long shots are used throughout on the women that gets out the car. Straight away we know this women is of some importance due to the amount of camera time on her. Furthermore, she doesn't wear the normal police uniform, offering the idea that she is higher up and of more importance to those around her.

The camera then tracks her and another man, out of uniform; a low angle is used on both the man and women, this suggests that they both have the same amount of power but are of more superior than the others on duty. This is also shown through the high angle on the girl on the floor, somewhat belittling her even more and making her seem even more smaller, vulnerable and inferior. We don't get to see this girls face and her name is non-existent; again making her seem irrelevant although the case is about her.

A sound bridge is then used to hear a man speaking about the events that has just occurred, this links in with the women hearing him and not believing what he is saying to the officers. Here we see her have complete control and power over the man as she belittles him by asking him about 'CCTV' etc. Which he denies they have. At this point, the 180 degree rule is not broken, which gives us a sense of how important it is to find information on the events.

Throughout the short extract, we see a strong, independent women being mostly in charge and being of a more superior than those who work with her. Yet with a complete contrast there is a girl who is vulnerable and is dependent on others that she doesn't know which gets her into trouble. This could be due to the generation difference of both women, one knowing that women have equal rights whereas the other allows men to treat her badly and in ways that could hurt her.

Hotel Babylon Analysis

Hotel Babylon – Ethnicity

In this extract, a soundtrack is used throughout to build the pace and tension. There is a contrast within the soundtrack, the pace is more frantic when on the people rushing to hide whereas it slows down and is more calm when the camera is on the police; this shows that they are in control and have the upper hand. Rule of thirds is also used at the beginning to show which officer is in more power.  A handheld camera is used at some points to build on the pace, it makes us as an audience feel uneasy and on edge and somewhat apart of the frantic rush.

To add to the tension, parallel editing is used to fasten the pace of the scene; it creates tension and makes the audience empathise the panic. By using parallel editing, it makes the transitions a lot smoother and makes the scenes a lot more realistic in the sense of the panic and pace. To add to the panic, ambient sound is used, the shouting of workmen and women and the heavy breathing of those in the room; this gives us a sense of how they are feeling; panicked and worried for their safety.

Mise-en-scene is used to give a complete contrast on how the different ethnicities are treated; the front desk is spacious, light and clean whereas the office in which the foreign women works in is cramped, dark and looks like where they store boxes. This shows who is more superior within the work place and conveys the idea that because the woman at the front desk is not foreign, she is treated a lot nicer. The use of colour is also used; the immigrants are wearing reds and dirty white uniforms whereas the non-immigrants are wearing pure whites or suits; therefore they are conveyed as more pure and powerful and that they belong there more than the others.

Overall, colour and setting is used to show how a different ethnicity affects others in a workplace. The sound used plays an important role as well as it shows the audience how in control and superior the policemen are in comparison to the panicked immigrants. 

'Doc Martin' Essay

Doc Martin Essay – Regional Identity

The extract starts off with a mid shot of two men talking; another man then enters in the background. Instantly, we know there is a complete contrast between the two men and the one in the suit; Mise-en-scene plays an important part in this scene as Doc Martin is wearing a suit, therefore holds more authority and seems to be in power. The other two men are wearing what seem to be mechanical jump suits; this shows us that they are working class. Furthermore, we can tell that Doc Martin holds more power over the two men as the camera angle is at a low angle, making Doc Martin stand over the men. On the other hand, Doc Martin is distanced from the other men; this is shown through the long shot of him standing above the men.

Contrast between the men is shown through long and short takes, the long takes on the country men imply that they are a lot more slow paced in how they talk and act. Furthermore, the long takes slows down the scene and makes us feel part of their conversation, making them come across friendly and chatty. On the other hand, short takes are used on Doc Martin, suggesting that he works quicker therefore, giving us the idea he is more educated than the workmen.

When the pipe bursts, you can tell that the workmen aren't fazed by the situation, they keep calm but Doc Martin is panicked and you can tell he is not used to working with such de-focused men. The panicked atmosphere is heightened by the use of sound mixing, the ambient sound of the phone ringing and the dog barking along with the workmen’s dialogue.  This creates a fast pace and we can tell by Doc Martins performance that he is not coping well with the situation at hand. This is shown through him shouting instructions at the other people present, making him seem somewhat controlling.

A sound bridge is then used; a happy sort of song is played in the background when Doc Martin is walking with the dog. The song has a complete contrast to the emotions that Doc Martin is feeling and contrasts with his personality. The setting of the scene has a contrast to Doc Martin; the setting is quiet and friendly whereas Doc Martin is somewhat anti-social and loud, as he is used to being in a busy city.

Overall, stereotypes are used to convey a contrast between regional identities; the workmen are lazy and eating while on a job. They are in a untidy and dark lighted location, suggesting that they aren’t as educated and all there. Whereas, Doc Martin is the typical arrogant and demanding middle class citizen who is well dressed and educated. The contrast is clear to see by their accents and personalities shown through camera angles and shots. 

Coming down the Mountain - Disabled representation

Coming down the Mountain - Essay

The extract starts with a bird’s eye view of a bedroom, shared by two brothers. We can tell straight away that there is a complete contrast between the two boys; there is a divide down the middle of the room. The Disabled brother’s half is brightly coloured, implying that he is quite childish. Whereas David’s side is plain black and white, showing us that he is a lot more mature in comparison to his brother, Ben. Furthermore, with David’s bedding being stripped, it could show that he feels trapped and stuck in the same routine with his brother. The camera pans around David at this point, this makes us as an audience member feel very intimate with David and because of it being a close up shot, we can see all of his personal angles and thoughts.

Furthermore, within this scene there is a voice over/ the subjective voice of David speaking. This conveys the idea that the only way to communicate is to talk directly to the audience, this shows us that this extract is in his point of view and could be relatable to the majority of the audience as he is more superior to his brother. Shown by the use of his voice over and his disabled brother not really having much of an opinion.  A montage is used to show the stages of evolution, the clip is black and white; this links with David’s bedroom and implies that David thinks that we all came from the same thing, therefore we shouldn’t be treated any different. In addition to this, a sound motif is used when David has a voice over and this same soundtrack is used within all of his voice overs, conveying the idea that he slips into his own world and the music only stops when someone interrupts his train of thought.

There is then an establishing shot of where this particular family lives, in an estate of flats.  There is a sound bridge of a song when we get taken into the kitchen/dining room, which continues to play on what we can assume to be a radio. Already we know that they are quite family orientated due to them having breakfast together. Shot reverse shot is used within this scene, where David realises that Ben has eaten all the Weetabix. The shots are close-ups so as an audience, we feel quite awkward and emphathise for David and his anger for his brother getting away with eating all the cereal.  The shots are also eye level; showing that they all have equal importance in the house. In this scene, we also see a divide in the two brothers and how they are treat by their parents. The attention is focused on Ben in the house; this is shown through the selective focus. Ben is in focus whereas David is usually slightly blurred; furthermore, their mother only kisses Ben when she leaves for work. There is a reaction shot of David, he seems disheartened and slightly fed up at that they get treated differently. It seems that in the household, Ben is more superior than David because his parents treat him a lot more like a child and focus more on him and his needs rather than what David wants/likes. Moreover, it is also shown that Ben, being disabled, needs more help than David; he needs help to the toilet so there isn’t another ‘accident’ implies this. Implying that disabled people aren’t very dependent and rely on others.

In the next scene, Ben and David are at the bus stop; because the scene is now set outside, the focus is more on David and the camera focus/shots single out Ben. At the bus stop, a montage/passage of time is used during David’s voice over, this indicates that, again there is a difference between the two brothers. David can sit and wait patiently whereas Ben has to walk around and be constantly moving. There are different insert shots used; close ups, mid shots and long shots to show the speeding up of time and to emphasise Ben’s impatience. During this scene, there are flashbacks to holidays/trips that the family have been on, throughout these flashbacks, David is at a higher angle than Ben (when he is getting the kite out the tree) this indicates that he is superior Ben even when with the family but only when outside of the house. It could also show that Ben looks up to David when outside of his comfort zone and uses him as his barrier to block out the world in which he is different.

In the next scene, David has more screen time than Ben, this shows that Ben is insignificant when outside the house and people tend to ignore him. When David is talking to a friend, there is a cutaway where just behind David, Ben is standing and waiting for his brother. There is selective focus here and Ben is cut off from David and his able friend; this implies that again, people don’t associate with Ben and he gets left out a lot. It is also shown that Ben is out of his comfort zone outside of the house as he is clutching to his bag and says “I want to go home” which seems to be where he is most comfortable. It is further shown that Ben is not independent and is uncomfortable outside when he is on the bus by himself. There is a clear difference between him and the able students on the bus; because he is alone, he sits still and tries to be as unnoticeable as possible. His un-comfort is shown through the close-up as we can see all his emotions.

Overall, throughout the extract David (being the abled brother) is more superior than his disabled brother Ben. This is shown through the camera angles and focus during the scenes, furthermore, when outside of the house, Ben is almost hidden and blocked out into the background. Whereas, David has the majority of the camera time. Ben, as a disabled person, is represented as being dependent on others, quiet and somewhat invisible to those around him at school. 

'Oliver Twist' Analysis

Oliver Twist Essay – Representation of Class

The extract starts with the camera panning across a line of children, this sets the scene and instantly we know that the children are being used as slaves. There is blue lighting which has connotations of depression and sadness; this contrasts with how children that age would usually act as they would be best described as hyper and uncontrollable not quiet and robotic-like. When Mr Bumble enters the set, we know straight away that he is superior to all the others present. This is because no one gains eye contacts with him and try to avoid looking at him. We also know that he is more superior by the low angle, he is higher up from all the children and from the audience, making us feel intimidated by him.

                   In the next scene, a birds eye view angle is used to show the setting of the room where the children eat, the camera tracks Mr Bumble, again with no one making eye contact with him. The camera then goes to a close up of Mr Bumble and pans out to see two women standing behind him, we can tell that Mr Bumble is more superior than the two women but the women are still more superior than the children. We know the Mr Bumble is more important than the women as he is in the middle of the camera and standing closer. The Camera then zooms out to show a quote ‘God seest thou’, this gives power to Mr Bumble as if the children are looking in his direction, they will be able to see the quote, knowing that Mr Bumble, alike sees everything.

                   Composition is used to show how ordered and routined the orphanage is, they are all in lines and Mr Bumble has the power as to when they can eat. He is a cruel character as he makes the children wait even long, just because he can as they won’t disobey him; once they start eating, it is implied that they are inferior due to their lack of self control. Lighting is again used in this scene, this time it is used to give the effect that the children are trapped; the light through the window gives the effect of being stuck inside a prison with bars. This again gives the children no power as they have no way of getting out of their daily routines. The colour of the room is dull yet again, which demonstrates that the children are bored and fed up of the same old routine that they live each day. 

                   There is a cut in of Oliver’s porridge, it seems to have some sort of insect in it, yet he still indulges in the spoonful; conveying the idea how desperate he is to be full and satisfied. There is then a Point of view shot of Oliver looking at the boy who previously got beaten by Mr Bumble for stealing, this is the shot in which Oliver is determined and wants things to change. The music seems to build when Oliver walks up to Mr Bumble, building tension and making the audience afraid for Oliver. Reaction shots are used of the other children, implying that no one has ever dared to stand up before Mr Bumble to ask for ‘more’ food. The fact that Oliver asks for more, shows how desperate he really is; and Mr Bumbles reaction conveys the idea that he thinks it is a complete disgrace to ask for more as he thinks that how the children are treat are at a satisfactory standard. There is an over the shoulder shot of Oliver, and here we see a child look directly at Mr Bumble; this threatens Mr Bumbles position in power, hence why his reaction comes somewhat of a shock to him. A big close up is then used when Oliver repeats his question; “Please sir, can I have some more?”. This gives the audience a complete insight of Oliver’s emotions and makes us sympathise towards him and his desperate actions.

                   The next scene, the camera pans across the food and then up to a man. This shot shows the audience how the others, who are more superior to the children indulge in riches foods while the ones who are hard at work get given worm-invested porridge. Although Mr Bumble is more superior to the children, in this room with the other men, we notice that he has little power in comparison to them; he stutters and rushes his sentences in front of them, likewise with how the children are with him. There is a reaction shot of the men when Oliver speaks up; “he didn’t need to be beaten”. There is a sense of foreboding as we know that no child has ever thought to speak up, nevermind in front of Mr Bumble but especially in front of those in a much higher power than him. Mr Bumble leans down at this point and the camera angle is at high level between him and Oliver; this suggests that at this point, Oliver has the upper hand.

                  Altogether, throughout this extract, class is shown that the adults have more superior than the children, shown through the camera angles. Furthermore, the women are inferior with the men but are still superior to the children, this is shown through composition of characters. Overall, we notice that when the adults are challenge by someone with less power; they do not know how to react as for a moment, there power has been completely stripped from them.

'Mad Men' analysis

Mad Men

At the start of the scene, it showed a women getting dressed. It started with a pan shot of the dress; this implies that woman are seen as an object as we do not see her face straight away but rather her dress/body. There was then a dissolve to show another woman getting ready to emphasise that woman take care of themselves and worry about their appearance because they aren't valued for anything other than their appearance to the opposite sex. The next dissolve went on too a men getting ready with his wife's assistance; implying that he demands attention and has the upper hand and his wife is inferior to him. The sound used for this scene, was upbeat and contrasted with the slow paced actions by the characters. The music furthermore shows that it is a necessity to take care of themselves which they have become accustomed too. We know this because if the music was dull then we would know that it would be more of a chore and burden too them.

There is parallel editing between a women on a horse and the man at the doctors. This is too show what different genders do at the same time. It is shown that men are more independent than women as even doing something she enjoys, the women is still getting told what to do. Furthermore, the women at the doctors is used to do the 'dirty' work and is dismissed by the male doctor when he arrives. Showing again, that she is inferior to the male characters in the room. It could be said that men don't like to admit that there is something wrong, we know this as the man at the doctors is being secretive towards the doctor. While at the doctors, there is ambient sound to give the scene a sense of realism.

Throughout all the scenes, we know that the men are more superior to the women as they are on the screen longer than the women. Furthermore, when the woman is helping her husband get ready, she is off to the side whereas he is in the middle. This is the rule of thirds and with him being in the middle, we are more likely to look at him. Again, at the doctors, even when the women nurse is speaking; the camera still focuses on the men in the room. The women was barely on camera during the scene although she played an important part, whereas both the men shared equal camera time. We would think that the doctor would have more screen time because of his job, therefore this conveys the idea that the man must have an equally important job or because he is the main focus of the episode.