Sexuality is represented as something that would have been illegal in the time that the programme was made. The use of mise-en-scene immediately signifies that it is a period drama, which further emphasises the controversy of such sought after desire. We are invited to sympathise with Miss Maud, as the camerawork constructs the story from her point of view. The extracts presents very atypical representations of lesbians.
Miss Maud's gaze at the other women shows her lust for her and the dripping of the red paint is significant for an array of reasons. The red paint is symbolic of the loss of virginity, danger and passion, the red on white shows a real loss of innocence. Her desire over powers her and she climaxes, although this puts her in a dangerous position which the soundtrack reflects. The man see's her gaze and becomes aware of her feelings for the woman. Her labored breathing also highlights her strong desires for the other woman, which is the moment the man seizes her.
The man is shown trying to restore his dominance, and is essentially chasing after a woman he knows doesn't want him, and he seeks to change that. The scene behind the tree where he slowly removes her glove signifies the most risque act he can undertake, as he is exposing her flesh and licks it. This is him reclaiming her and he regains his dominance.
The straight cuts where we see the woman lying awkwardly asleep by the boat allow Miss Maud to paint her. Not only is this a usual occupation for women of the time, but acts as a proxy so she can gaze frequently at her and paint her. As it is from her perspective, as the audience we are thus forced to look at her in this way too.
Moreover, the scene in the bedroom where they are lying in bed together is important as it is where we first establish that she has strong feelings for this woman. She is slowly gliding her hands over the other woman's body, but not actually touching her. This hints at the fact that it would have been forbidden, which could arouse her and make her want it even more
Friday, 10 May 2013
Sunday, 5 May 2013
Hotel Babylon - Ethnicity EXAM PRACTICE
''Discuss the ways in which representations of ethnicity are constructed''
The extract presents representations of different ethnic groups including white immigration officers, the illegal immigrants themselves and the hotel staff who seek to protect them. The audience are automatically positioned against the immigration officers, shown through the camerawork where the fast tracking towards the woman at the reception desk reveals she is the one they are approaching. This is also seen in the amount of camera movement to show the chaos in the kitchen. Moreover, the formation of three that they enter in, draws attention to their authority and power.
The camerawork at the start of the extract is slow and steady, but begins to get jumpy as Ben is given the code to go and hide the illegal immigrants. This reflects the panic that the characters are in. Moreover, the shot reverse shot at the reception desk where the woman smirks, shows she knows they will not find the illegal immigrants, which causes the audience to side with her even more as she is helping to protect them. A non diegetic soundtrack is then heard that creates suspense for the audience, as we are desperate to know whether they all hide in time. The mise-en-scene is important as it can show status. Ben, a character of ethnic minority is in a suit, which automatically gives him status over other characters of ethnic minority, who wear maid uniforms. This close attention to costumes also relates to the uniform worn by the police at the beginning of the extract, and shows the power they have over the hotel staff and the illegal immigrants. Furthermore, by incorporating foreign languages, the illegal immigrants are represented as 'other' s they do not understand our language, which ultimately excludes them from our society.
The close up shots of the keys and the lock, seen through the shutters, are another form of mise-en-scene that emphasise the illegal immigrants entrapment. The use of tight frame in the room shows they are trapped in a small place. This entrapment echoes the fact that people of an ethnic minority usually have to work illegally as they cannot return back to their own country, and are essentially trapped no matter where they go. Furthermore, straight cuts are used to show a sample of who is locked in the room and a combination of close ups an medium shots are used to draw attention to the distressing situation these characters find themselves in. The script itself is a vital part of the representation of the illegal immigrants.The words 'I wasn't always a cleaner' bring to light the fact that this man is trained in a particular profession but is working as a cleaner to earn a living. This is due to them surviving horrible circumstances and having to flee their home countries in order to live. The woman looks at him and questions what he is doing as she presumes he is just a cleaner. She wrongly assumes he is uneducated because of his ethnic background, which reinforces our western stereotypical views of people from ethnic minority groups.
The editing technique used when the illegal immigrants are in the cupboard is cross cutting. The scenes cut back to those of the immigration officers searching the hotel for them, and also of Ibrahim obliviously cleaning. The effect of cross cutting between the two situations is that it increases tension for the audience who sympathise with the illegal immigrants. Ibrahim is defined by his job which is evident through the tilt shot that firstly shows the hoover and then moves up to reveal him.
When the immigration officers capture Ibrahim, it becomes clear that they are binary opposites of the hotel staff. It is a case of good and evil as the officer cold heartedly says 'it's the rules of the game'. This is a crucial moment for the audience as we feel even more sympathy for the illegal immigrants, as it is not a game, it is their lives. The hotel staff resemble the good people as they take a genuine interest in looking after all of their staff, not just the ones who legally work there.
As the soundtrack changes to a more sympathetic tune, the mood drastically changes as people reflect on what has happened and the danger that Ibrahim now faces. This is followed by various close up shots of the remaining illegal immigrant workers surrounding what was Ibrahim's locker, as the woman sifts through his things. These shots show their emotion and reveal a sense of loss and show how vulnerable they are to officials, because of their ethnicity. The mise-en-scene here shows the personal belongings of Ibrahim, with photos of what we can only presume are his family. This shows that behind each illegal immigrant, there is a tragic story of why they have come to England to seek work and our anger grows towards the immigration officers.
The extract draws to a close with a long tracking shot of the cafeteria and exposes the variety of ethnic groups working there and provides a sense of community within the hotel staff. Lastly, it is the early audience positioning that causes us to side with the immigrants and see them as victims but also as people, who essentially just want to get by whilst fearing for their lives.
Camera shots:
Steady camera work at the beginning, then it gets much jumpier as Ben is panicking and tells the others the code
Lots of camera movement to reflect chaos in the kitchen
Fast tracking towards woman at front desk - as if being attacked
Straight cuts used to show a sample of who is there, close ups/medium shots to show the distress
Tight frame-No more long shots in room, emphasies they are trapped in small room, when woman collapses
Long tracking in the lunch hall show the variety of ethnic groups eating together
Lots of close up on immigrants by locker to show emotion and sense of loss
Editing:
Shot reverse shot at the front desk
Fast zooms
Cross cuts in the room where they are trapped to the men looking for them.
Sound:
Code used to buy time, music that creates suspense is heard (non diegetic)
'rules of the game' not a game, peoples lives
Soundtrack changes to something more sympathetic, mood changes, increases sadness.
Use of foreign languages
Mise-en-scene:
Police uniform
Suits
Smile after giving code
Emphasis on the shutters, keys, lock highlight their entrapment
Ibrahim defined by his job, hoover is first thing we see (tilt)
Photos from his locker show behind each illegal immigrant there is a tragic story
Immigration officers: formation of three as they approach front desk, suggests authority and power. Audience are positioned against him
Illegal immigrants: Script is important as our sympathy for them is heightened as they have escaped horrible situations and try and survive by doing any job, even when they are trained in a particular profession - ''I wasn't always a cleaner'' The woman looks at him as if to say what are you doing and wrongly assumes he is uneducated. Has same presumptions as us because of where she comes from, western country.
Hotel staff: Care for their staff in comparison to the immigration officers. Binary opposites, good vs evil.
The extract presents representations of different ethnic groups including white immigration officers, the illegal immigrants themselves and the hotel staff who seek to protect them. The audience are automatically positioned against the immigration officers, shown through the camerawork where the fast tracking towards the woman at the reception desk reveals she is the one they are approaching. This is also seen in the amount of camera movement to show the chaos in the kitchen. Moreover, the formation of three that they enter in, draws attention to their authority and power.
The camerawork at the start of the extract is slow and steady, but begins to get jumpy as Ben is given the code to go and hide the illegal immigrants. This reflects the panic that the characters are in. Moreover, the shot reverse shot at the reception desk where the woman smirks, shows she knows they will not find the illegal immigrants, which causes the audience to side with her even more as she is helping to protect them. A non diegetic soundtrack is then heard that creates suspense for the audience, as we are desperate to know whether they all hide in time. The mise-en-scene is important as it can show status. Ben, a character of ethnic minority is in a suit, which automatically gives him status over other characters of ethnic minority, who wear maid uniforms. This close attention to costumes also relates to the uniform worn by the police at the beginning of the extract, and shows the power they have over the hotel staff and the illegal immigrants. Furthermore, by incorporating foreign languages, the illegal immigrants are represented as 'other' s they do not understand our language, which ultimately excludes them from our society.
The close up shots of the keys and the lock, seen through the shutters, are another form of mise-en-scene that emphasise the illegal immigrants entrapment. The use of tight frame in the room shows they are trapped in a small place. This entrapment echoes the fact that people of an ethnic minority usually have to work illegally as they cannot return back to their own country, and are essentially trapped no matter where they go. Furthermore, straight cuts are used to show a sample of who is locked in the room and a combination of close ups an medium shots are used to draw attention to the distressing situation these characters find themselves in. The script itself is a vital part of the representation of the illegal immigrants.The words 'I wasn't always a cleaner' bring to light the fact that this man is trained in a particular profession but is working as a cleaner to earn a living. This is due to them surviving horrible circumstances and having to flee their home countries in order to live. The woman looks at him and questions what he is doing as she presumes he is just a cleaner. She wrongly assumes he is uneducated because of his ethnic background, which reinforces our western stereotypical views of people from ethnic minority groups.
The editing technique used when the illegal immigrants are in the cupboard is cross cutting. The scenes cut back to those of the immigration officers searching the hotel for them, and also of Ibrahim obliviously cleaning. The effect of cross cutting between the two situations is that it increases tension for the audience who sympathise with the illegal immigrants. Ibrahim is defined by his job which is evident through the tilt shot that firstly shows the hoover and then moves up to reveal him.
When the immigration officers capture Ibrahim, it becomes clear that they are binary opposites of the hotel staff. It is a case of good and evil as the officer cold heartedly says 'it's the rules of the game'. This is a crucial moment for the audience as we feel even more sympathy for the illegal immigrants, as it is not a game, it is their lives. The hotel staff resemble the good people as they take a genuine interest in looking after all of their staff, not just the ones who legally work there.
As the soundtrack changes to a more sympathetic tune, the mood drastically changes as people reflect on what has happened and the danger that Ibrahim now faces. This is followed by various close up shots of the remaining illegal immigrant workers surrounding what was Ibrahim's locker, as the woman sifts through his things. These shots show their emotion and reveal a sense of loss and show how vulnerable they are to officials, because of their ethnicity. The mise-en-scene here shows the personal belongings of Ibrahim, with photos of what we can only presume are his family. This shows that behind each illegal immigrant, there is a tragic story of why they have come to England to seek work and our anger grows towards the immigration officers.
The extract draws to a close with a long tracking shot of the cafeteria and exposes the variety of ethnic groups working there and provides a sense of community within the hotel staff. Lastly, it is the early audience positioning that causes us to side with the immigrants and see them as victims but also as people, who essentially just want to get by whilst fearing for their lives.
Friday, 3 May 2013
Spooks - Status and Power/Ethnicity
Sampson is white and educated but is a racist member of the British Way who have extremist views. We see another man who is presumably coordinating the violence, and stirring the hatred on the estate.
Camerawork is crucial in the representation of Sampson, there is a low angle view of him speaking on the stage and close up shots of his face to emphasise his power. Moreover, the over the shoulder shots reveal his influence on his audience and highlights how they are being manipulated. The shots of the estate were shot with a hand held camera that follows the victims and makes us feel like we are actually there. It is raw footage and we are thrown right into the middle of it. This also shows they are a rough party and are not a well coordinated party. This creates a sense of versimilitude where a feeling of reality is created.
The mise-en-scene contributes to our perception of him as he is in a suit which signifies importance and status. Also, through his facial expressions we can see his determination as he is fierce and angry. The groups on the estate causing the violent fights are dressed in big jackets, with their faces covered which makes them look very cowardly. There is a shot of the other guy and then a focus pull happens and we see Sampson clearly, from this we suspect that other guy is in the shadows and does all the dirty work. He has a lot of power and Sampson has the status.
Sound is important through his speech and the power he exerts on the audience, this could be seen as brain washing. He tells them he is the only British party representing their views. Very extremist views are being expressed here, to the white people from the estate. The cross cutting used non diegetic sounds such as 'whooshing' sounds to reflect the speed of the shots and highlight the jumpiness of the shots and makes the viewers feel tense.
Editing is shown through the cross cutting that reveals the meeting on the inside where he claims to 'condemn the violence on the estate' and the violence that is taking place outside on the estate. Because of this we can see that he has some involvement in these violent acts which makes us distrust him and audience positioning makes us not sympathise with him. The straight cuts of the medium shots allows us to see a sample of the people he has a voice for (is representing).
The Spooks have a lot of status, we look up to them as they are the good guys, they are there to protect us. they are represented in a positive light as they are seen as the heroes who have a lot of power. We are positioned to side with the. You could even go as far as to say they are binary opposites of the British Way and the narrative follows a good vs evil plot.
Fiona is there undercover and has the only gadget that we see. This straight away shows us that she is part of the Spooks team.
Crowd is made up of white people who include elderly people and women who look ''normal'' and just like us. Disadvantaged as they have fears of unemployment. Easily swayed to support these views because of their fears. We should hate them because they are supporting someone who is Islamophobic but because they appear ''normal'' the audience feel they are just being brainwashed.
The victims of the violence on the estate are the ethnic minorities, they have the least status and power in the extract. They are not given a voice, but instead are shown to be helpless and are even dragged out of cars. There is a black woman and an asian man amongst the victims. There is a high angle shot of the woman when she is pulled out of the car which makes her look completely vulnerable.
At the beginning of the scene there is a shot reverse shot and eye line match which suggests that all the Spooks around the table look up to him- he is obviously the boss.
*Think about social groups being represented
- Politicians
- The spooks themselves
Camerawork is crucial in the representation of Sampson, there is a low angle view of him speaking on the stage and close up shots of his face to emphasise his power. Moreover, the over the shoulder shots reveal his influence on his audience and highlights how they are being manipulated. The shots of the estate were shot with a hand held camera that follows the victims and makes us feel like we are actually there. It is raw footage and we are thrown right into the middle of it. This also shows they are a rough party and are not a well coordinated party. This creates a sense of versimilitude where a feeling of reality is created.
The mise-en-scene contributes to our perception of him as he is in a suit which signifies importance and status. Also, through his facial expressions we can see his determination as he is fierce and angry. The groups on the estate causing the violent fights are dressed in big jackets, with their faces covered which makes them look very cowardly. There is a shot of the other guy and then a focus pull happens and we see Sampson clearly, from this we suspect that other guy is in the shadows and does all the dirty work. He has a lot of power and Sampson has the status.
Sound is important through his speech and the power he exerts on the audience, this could be seen as brain washing. He tells them he is the only British party representing their views. Very extremist views are being expressed here, to the white people from the estate. The cross cutting used non diegetic sounds such as 'whooshing' sounds to reflect the speed of the shots and highlight the jumpiness of the shots and makes the viewers feel tense.
Editing is shown through the cross cutting that reveals the meeting on the inside where he claims to 'condemn the violence on the estate' and the violence that is taking place outside on the estate. Because of this we can see that he has some involvement in these violent acts which makes us distrust him and audience positioning makes us not sympathise with him. The straight cuts of the medium shots allows us to see a sample of the people he has a voice for (is representing).
The Spooks have a lot of status, we look up to them as they are the good guys, they are there to protect us. they are represented in a positive light as they are seen as the heroes who have a lot of power. We are positioned to side with the. You could even go as far as to say they are binary opposites of the British Way and the narrative follows a good vs evil plot.
Fiona is there undercover and has the only gadget that we see. This straight away shows us that she is part of the Spooks team.
Crowd is made up of white people who include elderly people and women who look ''normal'' and just like us. Disadvantaged as they have fears of unemployment. Easily swayed to support these views because of their fears. We should hate them because they are supporting someone who is Islamophobic but because they appear ''normal'' the audience feel they are just being brainwashed.
The victims of the violence on the estate are the ethnic minorities, they have the least status and power in the extract. They are not given a voice, but instead are shown to be helpless and are even dragged out of cars. There is a black woman and an asian man amongst the victims. There is a high angle shot of the woman when she is pulled out of the car which makes her look completely vulnerable.
At the beginning of the scene there is a shot reverse shot and eye line match which suggests that all the Spooks around the table look up to him- he is obviously the boss.
*Think about social groups being represented
- Politicians
- The spooks themselves
Sunday, 28 April 2013
Skins series 3 episode 1
Freddie is a risk taker which is something we can admire. From an adults point of view he breaks the law by skating down the busy road and putting others at risk. He is also closely associated with the grunge subculture seen through his clothes, weed sign on his skateboard and smoking weed and being around alcohol in the morning before college. Sign of a rebellion. Something the target audience will align themselves with by thinking he is one of them and therefore they like him. His behavior is reprehensible from an adults perspective, but he is not as hopeless as characters such as Cook. As Freddie is the first character to be shown, the audience are positioned to sympathise with him and his friends, against the other characters in Skins, for example the police or the teachers.
Cook is portrayed as a typical teenage boy not interested in school, this is a common stereotype for young boys as they are seen to behave as 'lads'. The fact he has a word with the woman serving the food, to get her to sell them alcohol shows he is used to getting what he wants, but also that he is a bad influence.
The binary opposite is the law, seen through the policeman who is portrayed as ridiculous and stupid and incompetent. He is useless at his job and is the butt of the joke. His misfortune creates humor for the audience so there is no way we can look up to him as he is a fool. Our sympathy lie with the youngsters rather than with the adults.
Woman in the food hut is condoning the drinking in the morning. They are breaking the law by underage drinking and smoking weed on her premises and she is presented as a bad role model as she is allowing them to do it. Cook even had a word with her to get her to sell them alcohol.
Cook is portrayed as a typical teenage boy not interested in school, this is a common stereotype for young boys as they are seen to behave as 'lads'. The fact he has a word with the woman serving the food, to get her to sell them alcohol shows he is used to getting what he wants, but also that he is a bad influence.
The binary opposite is the law, seen through the policeman who is portrayed as ridiculous and stupid and incompetent. He is useless at his job and is the butt of the joke. His misfortune creates humor for the audience so there is no way we can look up to him as he is a fool. Our sympathy lie with the youngsters rather than with the adults.
Woman in the food hut is condoning the drinking in the morning. They are breaking the law by underage drinking and smoking weed on her premises and she is presented as a bad role model as she is allowing them to do it. Cook even had a word with her to get her to sell them alcohol.
Friday, 26 April 2013
Representation of age
Binary opposition: Every narrative is propelled forward by conflicting themes such as good vs evil.
In the case of Skins, the binary opposites could be:
-teenagers vs police
-teenagers vs adults
-teenagers vs parents
Setting: Factory is a reminder that it is an urban setting and that it is a bit grim. The skatepark is seen as their hang out and they are sat comfortably there. Could be a place where they escape from adults. The graffiti could be seen as either art or vandalism, depending on the perspective of the viewer. To them, it is their stamp on the place, but to officials it would be classed as vandalism. It's the middle of the day and they are sat drinking so it would seem they have no where else to go. Sky is captured through the low angle and suggests they are children and there could still be hope.
Cook is sat in the middle and emphasises his status as the other two boys are turned towards him. He seems casual and just drinking his beer. The low angle gives them power and creates a sense of 'we are here' this is our place. The composition of the shot is important as they are bang in the middle. Also, a long shot was used to establish them in their world.
When it first came out, it was something that had never been done before. The producers recruited some young people to help them write the scripts for the first episode. When the railer came out there was a huge outrage in the media, on Facebook, someone even organised a Skins party.
Dismemberment - focusing in on parts of the girls body as she is undressing, with focus on her crotch and her underwear.
Through the eye line match it is clear she knows he is watching and it could be suggested she enjoys it. He checks his watch as if to say he knows what time she gets dressed every morning and that this is a regular routine for him.
Audience positioning - The audience are positioned to side with the youngsters. Despite the fact that the children are behaving in a reprehensible way, the audience still like them and feel sympathetic towards them, party because of the humor, and partly because of the incompetence of the parents as role models.
Impotent - when a man cannot make love/have kids. Father is impotent as he has no power over Tony who has made him look like a fool.
In the case of Skins, the binary opposites could be:
-teenagers vs police
-teenagers vs adults
-teenagers vs parents
Setting: Factory is a reminder that it is an urban setting and that it is a bit grim. The skatepark is seen as their hang out and they are sat comfortably there. Could be a place where they escape from adults. The graffiti could be seen as either art or vandalism, depending on the perspective of the viewer. To them, it is their stamp on the place, but to officials it would be classed as vandalism. It's the middle of the day and they are sat drinking so it would seem they have no where else to go. Sky is captured through the low angle and suggests they are children and there could still be hope.
Cook is sat in the middle and emphasises his status as the other two boys are turned towards him. He seems casual and just drinking his beer. The low angle gives them power and creates a sense of 'we are here' this is our place. The composition of the shot is important as they are bang in the middle. Also, a long shot was used to establish them in their world.
When it first came out, it was something that had never been done before. The producers recruited some young people to help them write the scripts for the first episode. When the railer came out there was a huge outrage in the media, on Facebook, someone even organised a Skins party.
Dismemberment - focusing in on parts of the girls body as she is undressing, with focus on her crotch and her underwear.
Through the eye line match it is clear she knows he is watching and it could be suggested she enjoys it. He checks his watch as if to say he knows what time she gets dressed every morning and that this is a regular routine for him.
Audience positioning - The audience are positioned to side with the youngsters. Despite the fact that the children are behaving in a reprehensible way, the audience still like them and feel sympathetic towards them, party because of the humor, and partly because of the incompetence of the parents as role models.
Impotent - when a man cannot make love/have kids. Father is impotent as he has no power over Tony who has made him look like a fool.
Questions
'Analyse opening sequence of Skins, looking particularly at Tony's representation'
1. What can you deduce about the setting (and specifically the house) from the mise-en scene?
From the long shot of the girl walking home on the street, it becomes clear that the family are middle class, seen through the houses on their road. From the way the girl is dressed, it is evident she has been out all night in very provocative clothing. This therefore encourages the male gaze. From all the make up she is wearing, she looks older then she probably is, and due to it being smudged, it shows she has had a wild night out. This is confirmed when she is seen sneaking back into the family home after a night out and changing into a school uniform, which highlights she is very young and that this behavior is wrong for a girl of her age. Tony's bedroom is unusually clean for that of a teenage boy which could suggest he is a bit of a control freak. His duvet covers in particular are shocking as they are of a naked man and women which is shown within the first few seconds of the first episode! Not only does this show his interest in sex, but it is also another way of annoying his parents and showing they do not have much of a say in what he does.
The backwards tracking shot reveals him in his environment and positions the audience to side with him as he is the first character to appear on screen, showing the narrative will most likely revolve around him. The scene of Tony in the bathroom reading 'Nausea' shows that, although he is participating in rebellious behavior, he has an education and is probably at sixth form, again reinforcing the idea that they are a middle class family. Then, the mother is shown in the kitchen, another reflection of them being middle class. This supports the traditional housewife role, presenting her as a caring mother making the children breakfast before school.
The father is represented as a parent that has no control over his children. This is explicitly seen through the low angle shot in the kitchen where he is standing over Tony. Usually, this would signify that he has the power, and if we had not watched the first few minutes we would have thought this. However, we know that the son has the power as he is winding up the father and making him look like a fool. In other words, the father is made to look impotent. Moreover, the music Tony plays as a distraction for Effy undermines the fathers authority, as Tony has engineered a chain of events to 1. allow the sister to sneak back in and 2. purposely wind up his father. An example of this is when there is a mid shot of the door, which highlights the anticipation of the fathers arrival as Tony is waiting for him to burst in and react to the loud music being played.
2. What do you think Tony's representation is? Think about camera shots and his behavior. Are stereotypes or/and counter-types used?
Tony is represented as a confident, masculine young man which can be seen through the shot of him standing in front of the window lifting weights in his boxer shorts. There is then a shot of him checking his watch before standing boldly in by the window watching a female neighbour change. We get the sense that this a regular routine as he knows what time she will be dressing. Later on, there is a scene of him brushing his teeth outside the house and the woman standing across the road looking at him. This proposed situation would be ideal for teenage boys, who would love the playful attention of an older woman. We know she is aware that he watches her change as she turns her head and their is an eye-line match between the two characters.
Tony's behavior is cheeky and adds a sense of humor to the show as he continually annoys his father. There is a particular shot where he exchanges eye contact with his sister which shows a knowing moment between the two siblings.
A counter - type is used in the form of Tony's room being exceptionally tidy and organised for a teenage boy of his age. This is contrasted with his friend's room that is later shown and would stereotypically fit the image of what a teenagers room would look like. He is also presented as clever as he is seen reading philosophy books.
The family is portrayed as a normal middle class family, comfortable in their house. They also have a large kitchen where they eat breakfast together, again emphasising their class. However, the behavior of the father and the lack of teamwork between the parents, to control the children, exposes them to in fact be a dysfunctional family.
3. What is the genre? How does Tony's representation fit in to the genre?
The genre of Skins is a teenage drama/comedy. Tony fits into the genre as he seem to be an interesting protagonist as he is a typical teenage boy, although he is clever which counterpoints his rebellious ways.
5. We start with the shot of Tony in bed with the camera in a close up of him - why use this shot? Then we see him in his under pants - why?
The significance of using this shot is that the audience are automatically positioned with Tony as he is the first character introduced. This shot then develops and we see him lying in bed. The importance of this is that it shows him in his environment. As we are literally in his face, we are brought closer to him as we are there when he wakes up. Tony's duvet cover in itself shows the type of character he is and immediately, we like him.
The purpose of including a shot of him in his underpants shows that he is a confident character, happy with the way he is and not caring that he showing himself off. This then creates an attractive character that female audience members will favour and thus, want to watch the rest of the series. Finally, this also shows him as a very masculine and possibly mischievous character.
6. Discuss the mise-en-scene, particularly of his bedroom. Does it tell us anything about Tony's lifestyle?
The obvious piece of mise-en-scene is the duet cover, presumably brought for him by a friend or girlfriend. This shows his interest in sex and reveals more about his character. The weights show him taking pride in his appearance which evokes a sense of him being vain or arrogant. The stereo system that he plays to distract the father is important as it becomes known that he does this every morning. Not only does this imply he gets a sense of enjoyment out of annoying his father, but it becomes obvious that Effy is out every night which is surprising considering her age.
8. Do the binary oppositions reinforce others' representations?
The mother is immediately presented as a typical housewife as we are first introduced to her as she is cooking in the kitchen. She comes across as relaxed in response to the children s behavior and does not stick up with the dad when he is rowing with Tony. From this, we get the gist that her and her husband are not a team when it comes to arguing with the kids, as she does not get involved and dish out any punishments for Tony's behavior. It seems this is a regular occurance in their house. This then highlights the fact that the father cannot control his own children and looks a bit useless. This reinforces the idea that the children cannot be controlled by their parents, on a larger scale, teenagers in general.
The mother is immediately presented as a typical housewife as we are first introduced to her as she is cooking in the kitchen. She comes across as relaxed in response to the children s behavior and does not stick up with the dad when he is rowing with Tony. From this, we get the gist that her and her husband are not a team when it comes to arguing with the kids, as she does not get involved and dish out any punishments for Tony's behavior. It seems this is a regular occurance in their house. This then highlights the fact that the father cannot control his own children and looks a bit useless. This reinforces the idea that the children cannot be controlled by their parents, on a larger scale, teenagers in general.
Social class
'How do the two extracts construct representations of social class? Refer to the micro-elements'
Outnumbered: Middle class
Eastenders: Predominantly working class
4 points of contrast:
- Eastenders is screened on the streets, in the cafe, pub, market whereas in Outnumbered it is filmed in a end of terrace house where the action takes place in the extended kitchen which is well equipped.
- The family in outnumbered is presented as a strong unit, where as in Eastenders you just see various characters, when Whitney is distressed she does not go home to seek support from her family, she sits alone in the laundrette.
- The characters in Eastenders do not use standard English, but instead use some slang, where as in Outnumbered they speak standard English and appear well educated.
- The characters are white in Outnumbered where as in Eastenders it is very multicultural which reflects the location.
The middle class people in Outnumbered are presented in a sympathetic light, however it allows us to mock them. The title itself is ironic as 'Outnumbered' suggests the parents are overwhelmed with the three children and provides a gentle commentary on what we ourselves are like.§
Mise -en-scene:
In Eastenders, the character of Lucy is seen in a corset type top which is voyeuristic as (the man) Tyler, knows he shouldn't be involved with her, but goes ahead with it anyway. It is not unusual that the woman is portrayed in this way when the man is in standard clothing, as women are often presented as sexually available.
Outnumbered: Middle class
Eastenders: Predominantly working class
4 points of contrast:
- Eastenders is screened on the streets, in the cafe, pub, market whereas in Outnumbered it is filmed in a end of terrace house where the action takes place in the extended kitchen which is well equipped.
- The family in outnumbered is presented as a strong unit, where as in Eastenders you just see various characters, when Whitney is distressed she does not go home to seek support from her family, she sits alone in the laundrette.
- The characters in Eastenders do not use standard English, but instead use some slang, where as in Outnumbered they speak standard English and appear well educated.
- The characters are white in Outnumbered where as in Eastenders it is very multicultural which reflects the location.
The middle class people in Outnumbered are presented in a sympathetic light, however it allows us to mock them. The title itself is ironic as 'Outnumbered' suggests the parents are overwhelmed with the three children and provides a gentle commentary on what we ourselves are like.§
Mise -en-scene:
In Eastenders, the character of Lucy is seen in a corset type top which is voyeuristic as (the man) Tyler, knows he shouldn't be involved with her, but goes ahead with it anyway. It is not unusual that the woman is portrayed in this way when the man is in standard clothing, as women are often presented as sexually available.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)