Editing in the Representation of Ethnicity in Hotel Babylon.

In the clip whilst the two men are having a conversation, it switches to a two shot where you can see a black line on the white wall behind them dividing the two men. This shows that there is a binary opposition between them and shows their different types of ethnic stereotype.
They use quick cuts that move quickly from one chef to the other showing that they have a strained relationship and dislike each other. He is opposite from the posh English man and woman as they do talk like this but instead in a calm and presentable manner instead of talking in an abusive way. This is a binary opposition. 
Differentiation in ellipses allows for ethnicity to be represented in this clip as often those who are depicted as 'foreign' are shot following a consecutive jump cuts with very little ellipses potentially signifying a fear of the oppressive white English characters in the scene, therefore stating that white characters have a greater power over other ethnicity. To support this the ellipses in the transitions between ethnic characters and white character is often slower suggesting that the white character has a authoritative command over certain situations highlighted by deliberation of the shot.

Downton Abbey Meaning Making Moments

Representational Issue of Class & Status; Downton Abbey

Argument:

The clip portrays a massive gulf in class between characters, despite an apparent theme of unity given the context.

 

Mis-en-scene:

- Servants gathered around a cramped wooden table in a downstairs kitchen eating porridge juxtaposed with the upper class lord and ladies of the manor eating at a grand table with a plethora of both cutlery and food types, immediately showing the gulfs in classes in the clip.

- Servants pictured in darker lighting behind more important higher classed characters such as the Lord, when a servant is pictured in the darkened background scurrying between jobs where as the lord is pictured in the light slowly descending the stairs.

 

Editing:

- Shot reverse shot with focus on the lard and lady whilst the servant is seemingly irrelevant.

- Pace changes between different scenes, identifying when  class and status changes between different characters and cliques. Such as the transition between the slow and deliberate stair scene and the hectic servant kitchen scene.

 

Camera:

- Tracking shot of lord going down stairs showing his status as an individual however, the use of shot reverse shot in breakfast scene between butler and lord shos equality as there are no angle changes, preventing the connotation of a character having greater authority or power, which can be shown in the use of high to low angles.
- Close up of the lord after reading telegram builds up suspense.

- Overshoulder shot of paper showing the article about the titanic giving purpose for the scene and reasoning for the reactions.

 

Sound:

- Non diegetic sound; Classical music during the stair scene connotively suggests the characters high class.

- Diegtic;  Constant dialogue drawing reference to 'his lordship' is cataphotic reference to a character of higher class and status to who will innevitably be introduced later in the clip, suggesting an apparent change in class.

Representation of Class in Downton Abbey

Representation of Gender

Gender and representation print from sandraoddy2

Representation of Gender

Media Essay on Gender Represented in Primeval

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of gender using the following: camera techniques, editing, sound and mise-en-scene

Gender is represented in this extract of primeval through the use of camera techniques, editing, sound and mise-en-scene. Primeval is a TV programme of the genre Sci-fi where the males are usually presented to be dominant and heroic, whereas the females are typically presented to be weaker and vulnerable.

Despite this, the first scene that gives the audience a chance to interpret characters shows Abby sitting in control of a digger. A digger is often associated as a masculine object because it’s heavy machinery stature. The sound diegetic sound of the digger also re-enforces the masculinity of the object, this is used to emphasise Abbeys role in the programme. This immediately denotes that Abby isn't our typical female protagonist. This is supported by the clothing Abby is wearing; black leather jacket and black outdoor boots. This was very clear to the audience by the use of a slow zoom in by the camera. In this scene, it could be interpreted that the roles of the characters are in reverse by the way the characters are positioned within the frame. The shot showed the female in the digger where we would usually expect the male protagonist to be controlling the heavy machinery. This was certainly a representation of gender as the male is dressed in comfortable clothing instructing the woman as she steered the vehicle, almost taking the female role completely. The camera then quickly cuts a mid-shot of another male character that is shown to be slowly placing down bait; the shot reveals to the viewer exactly what the character is doing. The audience’s perspective of this character is that he is quite feminine and not of high importance. This is because of the clothing he is wearing; hat, scarf, pink shirt and black waistcoat. The director may have used his clothing as an indexical sign to the audience to portray him to be well educated yet weak and feminine. Both the feminine man and Abby contrast normal expectations of gender.

The next scene reveals a mid-shot of Abby in the digger. The use of the camera angle denotes that Abby is in power by remaining eye-level or at a low-angle shot looking up at her. This is shortly followed by Nick on the ground which re-enforces his lower status of this scene. The majority of the time Nick is on scene he is usually presented the audience in a high angle shot looking down on him signifying him to be inferior. The scene is quickly interrupted by a non-diegetic sound of a sabre-toothed roar signifying danger. The eye-level shot of Nick quickly changes to a high-angle shot as he cowardly jumps into the ditch emphasising his atypical role of the extract. As Nick is helplessly in the ditch the camera switches to Abby in the digger who distracts the feline away protecting Nick. A shot reverse shot is used whilst Abby is fighting off the sabre-tooth to emphasise her bravery and fearlessness. The use of the editing in this scene including mise-en-scene helps the viewer understand the power Abby contains in comparison to Nick and the tiger. Despite this, the audience is presented with a short moment of usual roles within the characters as Nick builds up some courage to shout at the sabre-tooth to lure him away from Abby. This then restores the audience’s typical expectations of the male protagonist to save the vulnerable woman. Despite this, the camera angle shows Nick in a long-shot view whilst calling the cat which then dims down his importance, as he is shown to be small and ready to run away. The camera work then rapidly speeds up as Nick rushes through the woods being chased by the tiger until he reaches a ladder. The camera then moves to a bird eye view of the situation signifying still that he is inferior. The short sharp editing of Nick removing his belt for the zip line denotes the audience that he is thinking fast and has courage. However, as Nick reaches the end of the line he stumbles over helplessly about to be attacked by the sabre-tooth. Despite this, the camera then quickly changes to show Abby running opposite holding a rifle. Abby then positions her gun quickly and shoots towards the tiger scaring it away just in time. This shot doesn’t show much realism as it would be very difficult for most strongly built men to perform this action where Abby does it with ease. Furthermore, by showing Abby save Nick again their roles change back to what they were.

The next shot goes back to the original digger scene. In this scene a high angle shot of Nick back in the ditch who seems to be discovering a dead body. It could be interpreted that this is a typical role of the male character as it’s a dirty job with the horror of finding a dead body. The setting then changes as the camera presents three male characters along with Abby. This re-enforces Abby’s masculine role in the programme as she is the only woman alongside the men. It is important to note that the two most feminine characters are either side of the group emphasising the weaker characters to be less centralised within the shot. Despite this, the camera angle shows all of them in the shot not focusing primarily on one character also with eye-level shots throughout. As the scene progresses we see a more expected prospection of gender within the group. With Abby being the only woman within the group she doesn’t get as much screen time as the other male characters suggesting her opinions aren’t as important. The camera then pans around the group expressing each characters facial expression; revealing the men’s faces to be serious as if they are now in control of the situation.

The extract ends in a change of setting. The frame of the shot reveals a man and a woman talking in a small barn. Whilst they are talking the camera is positioned over the shoulder switching from both characters signifying them to be equal. The woman’s clothing denotes high status and intelligence, yet weak physicality. Whereas the male characters clothing denotes a low status and of small intelligence yet strong physicality. As the scene goes on, the viewer sees the woman to take control as she threatens the man to get what she wants. The camera then shows a mid-long shot of the man walking away creating short suspension as he goes to reach for something. The man then quickly pulls out a gun pointing it towards the woman changing whos in charge of the situation. A shot reverse shot then indicates the fear on the female characters eyes re-enforcing whos more powerful in the scene. We then see the man push the lady over on her back with the gun still pointed directly at her. The high camera angle emphasises her vulnerability at this stage. This shot represents a more traditional stereotyping of gender with the woman helpless and the man in charge. At this point Abby, the feminine man and another male character enter the barn to save the helpless woman. The male character is pointing a gun towards the farmer presenting a typical projection of the male protagonist; saving the woman. The more feminine man is positioned behind him who grabs a shovel as a weapon rather than being handed a gun. This puts emphasis on the fact hes less superior to the other characters within the extract. This also re-enforced as even Abby is holding a gun as a weapon, still positioned behind the male protagonist. Overall, the end of the extract revealed that both men and woman are presented atypically with a few traditional signs of stereotypical representation of gender.

Representation of Ethnicity: Hotel Babylon

Representation of ‘Ethnicity’ in ‘Hotel Babylon’

Brett Moore; BrettMooreG322

Ethnicity is represented in a variety of different manners from the onset and throughout in this clip from hit television drama ‘Hotel Babylon’, invariably so from the establishing shot.

The establishing shot details a white male character wearing a suit and later in the scene two –again- white police officers are also shown. The very nature of the characters including their attire and apparent stature accentuates this clips continual portrayal of ethnically based hierarchy’s with white characters seemingly at the highest point in said hierarchy, with each of the three characters expressing power-respectively- through mis-en-scene. Despite the use of mis-en-scene however the scenes prominent use of camera work exceptionally shows the representation of ethnicity in this scene. Firstly a head shot is used which allows for the facial expressions to be magnified. This is vital because the shot shows the white male character looking down, which connotatively could suggest the white ethnic power at the for-front of this clip; as  someone with power is often said to be someone of whom looks down upon those with much less superiority in situ thus representing ethnicity. In addition as the shot evolves, the camera zooms and pans around the room – tracking- and displays the entire mis-en-scene and sets the tone for the rest of the extract in that an industrious picture is presented, which may cause the viewers to paint a stereotypical view of the ethnic groups of which may work in said settings thus foreshadowing later scenes. Once more the diegetic sound of movement and footsteps in the same scene builds tension and foreshadows the later events of the clip.

The very next scene is particularly interesting in terms of the mis-en-scene notably the character attires. The scene shows two female characters standing behind a desk in a receptionist’s role however the interest in the scene comes in through the outfits the characters are wearing. The white female character is wearing a white dress. White can be related to innocence, peacefulness and purity. The Asian female character however his depicted in black a colour representational of negativity or impurity thus suggesting that this clip is further implementing a white supremacist notion in that any other ethnicity is indubitably impure.

Later in the same scene three white male characters of whom are wearing suits much like the very first white male in the establishing shot, are presented further signifying the authoritarian power that surrounds a lot of the white, English characters in this clip. Slow paced editing as well as a tracking shot are also in use at this point, thus adding tension and emphasising the sheer power the prominent white male character exerts in the scene. This is also accentuated by the use of non-diegetic sound of atmospheric music as the music signifies the reoccurring theme of power.

The next scene uses a POV – point of view - shot very effectively picturing the ‘immigrants’ through a metal gate. This is a powerful image as it depicts the immigrant workers being chaperoned almost single file into a store cupboard, of which may lead many of the viewers to draw reference to many historical dictatorships that enforced such cruel acts upon perceptually less ethnic groups. The gate itself may resemble that of an ‘iron curtain’ of which is also synonymous with dictatorships and a controlled society in which those deemed to be below the highest power are treated in a manner that completely contradicts that of those who follow the expected patterns. In this instance therefore it is presented in manner that details the white male immigration officers being the dictators of a cruel and ethically unjust system that seems to prey on opposing ethnic groups. In addition the scene shows fast pace editing, effective in portraying the angst felt by the immigrant workers in knowing of the fate they may ensue should the immigration officers discover them.  Furthermore the low key lighting leads the picture to be dull and unsatisfying. This dullness is matched by the simplistic nature of the workers clothing potentially signifying the insignificance of the immigrants, in that they just blend in to the mis-en-scene whereas the white, English characters for example are presented in attire that makes them stand out, and are instantly recognisable within scenes unlike the immigrant workers.

The following scene depicts the immigrant workers within the small cupboard with low key lighting to suit the dark meaningful purpose of the acts. A wide shot is used to accentuate the vast amount of immigrant workers within Hotel Babylon of which is particularly poignant because despite the population density of immigrants here, still the white, English immigration officers and figure heads, instantaneously have a hold over such a vast amount of immigrants pictured, further signifying the clips depiction of white power and ethnic dictatorship over all others.

Therefore in conclusion the representation of ethnicity in the ‘Hotel Babylon’ scene is one the supports a dated thesis that white – in this case English – characters are always in superiority over opposing ethnic groups accentuated by the vast contrasts in attire, portrayal and the stereotypical, low skilled, low paid jobs the immigrant workers are assigned to ultimately constitute to an democratic portrayal and representation of ethnicity.

Monarch Of The Glen Essay

Task:

Our task was to watch the clip below, and draw analysis of how different techniques such as; editing, sounds, lighting and camera angles or shots, helped the clips portrayal of the perception of age of the characters.

 



Essay:

The 'Monarch of the Glen' accentuates age (throughout the clip) using a variety of key techniques, relative to; sounds, camera, editing and mis-en-scene.

Firstly, in one particular scene, two protagonists are pictured arguing. The use of camera angles and editing particularly help to relay that there is indeed a difference in age between the protagonists. Here overhead shots are used relentlessly, but most notably the shot of the man is taken from a higher point looking down upon the female character. Similarly a low shot looking up upon the male character further represents and accentuates the gulf in age between the two protagonists with the higher overhead shot expressing higher authority over the female character. The connotations of this are of course that of an older person having authority over the younger person in the scene.

The age of the girl is an over riding factor within this clip. This is further accentuated by the editing, in a scene in which the girl attempts to drive a car. The initial connotations will suggest that she is of a legal to drive. However as she drives away the scene directly cuts to a close up of a seemingly suspicious or concerned character, leading the audience to begin to feel anxious. The camera shot remains constant before the crash, but almost immediately cuts to the next scene in which Amy's (the girl) adolescence becomes apparent and therefore the use of straight cuts expresses a problem, in which connotations of this, question Amy's age.

Mis-en-scene is also an integral part to categorising the age groups of many of the clips protagonists. Most notably in the scene where the main male character invites Amy's headteacher into a special, adult themed room. The introduction of this as well as dialogue to coincide, which allows the audience to collate perceptions of the age of the headteacher in particular. Once more this is the first time in the clip we are introduced to the three tier age hierarchy, descending from the headteacher, to the male character and finally to Amy, all presented as a result of Mis-en-scene.  

Directly after Amy running away, the shot cuts to that of a rainbow during the transition between scenes. Given the nature of what has just happened in the clip and the character, I find this a particularly poignant cut and transition. Rainbows are often associated with nursery schools, due to their use in the depiction of primary colours, in said context, and so the editing at this stage helps the audience to depict the possibility of Amy's ever materialising, adolescence.

Relating to a previous point - about the crash scene- the use of non diegetic sound is also very important in terms of age perception, as the introduction of the crash sound accentuates further as to how Amy's age may be a problem. 

Furthermore the use of non diegetic sounds throughout the clip in my opinion adds to Amy's adolescence, particularly in many of the working scenes in which one would expect a more masculine or mature piece of accompanying music instead it is that of a somewhat juvenile melody, all congregating into connotations of Amy's young age.

Despite the juvenile sounds, the lighting used in the headteacher and the room scene resembled that of a mature nature. Notably Amy was not present in this scene, potentially providing reason for the sudden escalation in the ageing of the scene, which directly contrasts to the rest of the clip in which Amy is largely present, that seems to portray are more adolescent mood, thus further and most poignantly expressing the gulf in age between Amy and the headteacher, and between Amy and the rest of the adult authoritarians pictured in this clip.