Doctor Who Extract

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6b4NqcAWRc

Hotel Babylon Extract

http://beauchampmedia.ning.com/video/video/show?id=4455190%3AVideo%3A61

Task: Ethnicity

Select one TV drama and write in detail about the way ethnicity is represented. Use the same skills you would use in the exam to construct your essay. Explore the technical codes in a particular scene and link to representation. Try to refer to the points below. Here is a list of programmes that you could use:

• The Wire


• Eastenders & E20


• Hotel Babylon


• Yasmin


• Britz


• Dexter

Aim for the usual 1000 words! I will use the same mark scheme that I use for the exam practice, here is what level 4 looks like:

What the Exam Board Say...

Key Issues

Status

• character role


• occupation


• job authority


• social authority
  

Physical Attributes

• race


• age


• accent


• physical attractiveness


• dress/costume
  

Character Traits

• motivation


• work ethic


• respect


• intelligence


• articulation


• termperament


• physical aggression


• verbal aggression

Representation of Ethnicity

Four Key Themes in Racial Representations

*exotic
*dangerous
*humorous
*pitied
(Alvarado et al. 1987: 153)

Key Questions about Specific Representations
*What is being represented?
*How is it represented? Using what codes? Within what genre?
*How is the representation made to seem 'true', 'commonsense' or 'natural'?
*What is foregrounded and what is backgrounded? Are there any notable absences?
*Whose representation is it? Whose interests does it reflect? How do you know?
*At whom is this representation targeted? How do you know?
*What does the representation mean to you? What does the representation mean to others? *How do you account for the differences?
*How do people make sense of it? According to what codes?
*With what alternative representations could it be compared? How does it differ?

Some of these questions may be useful when analysing moving image or print based texts in your AS course.

The following information is taken from an the notes of a lecturer at York University. Although you do not need to know or understand all the points or ideas raised, it would be a good idea to have some knowledge of different representations:

Ideology and Hegemony
The term "hegemony" is derived from the Greek hegemon which means leader, ruler or guide. Historically, this term referred to the control or influence of one nation over another and was adopted, in twentieth century Marxism, to explain the control of the dominant class within a capitalism economic framework. Simply put, hegemony is the social practice, other than the use of force or intimidation and coercion, by a dominant group seeking to aggressively expand its influence and control over other less powerful groups in the collective; this practice, or series of interrelated practices, is often "invisible" or naturalized and presented in terms of adherence or compliance to the normative values and belief systems which reinforce and maintain the dominant ideological apparatus of the social or cultural formation. Hegemony is thus concerned with the maintenance of social privilege and power and refers specifically to the institutional practices, by the mass media and other social institutions such as the church, school and family, which seek to present a coherent justification for the domination of one group over others in order to elicit political and economic consent from those in positions of social subordination.

Of course, the ideas of the ruling class will never be fully accepted in a passive manner and they will need to be modified according to the needs and interests of the subordinate classes in a series of negotiations which allow these ideas to be adapted to the realities of everyday existence. Finally, it is possible for individuals to maintain contradictory ideological positions, some grounded in hegemonic practices and the others conforming to everyday life. An understanding of this contradictory positions allows the critical analysis of how subordinate groups actively respond to and resist economic and political domination.

Representations of Race in the Mass Media
Following Grey's argument, we can divide representations of race in the mass media into two major approaches, namely the "dystopian vision" and the "utopian vision" which become articulated through texts and other forms of mediated representations, such as images, advertisements and so forth.

The Utopian Vision of Race in the Mass Media
This vision is based on the capitalist assumption of limitless social progress or mobility and transformation which is said to provide the individual or group within the collective with ever-increasing freedom from previous forms of alienation, strife and adversity. This vision is based, in part, on an "idealized" version of collective life and constantly refers the reader or viewer to this "ideal" in terms of how things "might be" or "will be" given adherence and compliance to the normative principles of collective life. Most often, this utopian vision finds its expression in some form of consumerist fantasy grounded in the commodification of human activity and behaviour. In other words, by orienting the interpellated individual to lifestyle proposed as a desirable and attainable representation of the social self, the mass media industries serve as the ideological filters which promote and illustrate the narrow range of desired and condoned social practices and values.

Grey argues that, within this "utopian" framework, representations of African-American life can be understood in terms of the struggle to overcome various forms of adversity, racial, economic, political and otherwise. These narrative of achievement and overcoming therefore present the dominant values of the ruling class, in this case, those of middle-class white Americans, as the normative social order that should be aspired to and might be attained through hard work and effort, values that are intended to be internalized by viewers. In the creation of such narratives, any trace of the specificity and historical basis of these struggles is often marginalized if not completely forgotten in favor of a universalizing myth whose ideological function is to reframe economic and political debates surrounding race and ethnicity. By moving these away from any discussion regarding the historical grounds for social inequities, the mass media can thus present to its audience singular narratives of transcendence which bear little if any connection with the lived realities of everyday life but which, nonetheless, conform to the dominant ideological imperatives of those in positions of social, economic and political power. Finally, by identifying particular cases where individuals from the disenfranchised minorities have succeeded in crossing the barriers of class and social status and making them the focus of "utopian" narratives, the producers of mass mediated texts propose a move from the particularity of individual existence to some form of social universality, obscuring, in the process, those elements in the social sphere which continue to undermine and negate the possibility of such social movements, simply stating, in other words, that if one individual can overcome the limitations of their socioeconomic environment and background, all members of such a group can do the same thing.

The Dystopian Vision of Race in the Mass Media
This approach is used to identify and characterize minorities as the sources of existing social problems, a process known as "scapegoating." The solutions to these perceived and identified social problems are then presented in terms of a politics of hegemonic assimilation or further radical marginalization of the alien threatening "other." These narratives of social paranoia and fear are expressed in the media through persistent representation of minorities as shiftless or criminal elements who pose a threat to the status quo of civil society and the social order. This social logic is replicated, therefore, in commercial productions which, in turn, fuel public discourse on the social problems posed by so-called threatening minority groups, a point made by Gerbner et al. in his famous studies of media "acculturation." Contingently, the need for the mass media to maximize profits by appealing to the largest and most lucrative demographic sector, namely, white American middle-class consumers, allows these forms of negative representation to persist since they encounter little if any resistance from their viewing audience that might be considered economically meaningful.

Holby City

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9Ujn9kZs2E&feature=related

Holby City focusing on gender...again!

4 pages by Friday!

Example Answer

The scene opens with a low angle shot of an older woman standing at her bedroom window looking out onto a street. A shot reverse shot edit shows that she is looking at a young boy across the road who is also looking out of his living room window up at her. Gail is positioned higher up than Todd to show that she has the power in the sequence. Todd cowers away from the window and a reverse shot shows that Gail is still standing there watching him. Her body language and facial expression shows pursed lips and head held high. The representation throughout this sequence largely challenges stereotypical ideal about women. For example, here, Gail is show to be aggressive through her body language where as the stereotype is for women to be passive.

As Sarah lays on the couch, Gail enters the scene and again is presented from a low angle shot from Sarah’s perspective. A close up shot reveals how emotional and angry Gail is and the diegetic sound of dialogue informs us that she is ‘sick of being the victim’. Her tone is strong and her voice is loud. Gail storms across the cobbled street in her bathrobe. This costume again shows that her character challenges the stereotype. She is not represented as beautiful or sexually attractive, instead she is seen as unattractive and hot headed. The mise-en-scene also tells us that this is a working class area through the cobbled streets and tenement houses. The representation in this scene is certainly of working class women and so challenges a lot stereotypes which may be seen as more middle class.

The scene cuts to a two-shot Kevin and Sally, however Sally is positioned behind Kevin as he spies on the commotion outside. The fact that Kevin is spying on the neighbours challenges gender ideals because it is usually women who are said to be nosey or gossips. At the same time Kevin constantly positions himself with his back to Sally indicating that she is an annoyance to him and he is not interested in what she has to say. This is more stereotypical of the married man.

The scene cuts back to the street commotion. A focus pull takes our attention from a close up on Gail shouting to a couple in the background. A two-shot is used to represent them and the sound perspective changes. In the background we can still hear Gail shouting in the street but the diegetic sound of the other woman’s voice shows her to be more passive and gentle, a more stereotypical representation.

Eileen comes to the door and an over-the-shoulder shot show Gail shouting at her with Sarah in the background. These women are being represented as matriarchs. There is apparently no father in either household and the dialogue reveals this to be true. They therefore take on the lead role in both households. The over-the-shoulder shot shows that Gail is protecting her daughter as she is positioned in front of her. The women exchange insults and shot-reverse-shot editing is used, typical of soap opera, to show both women’s reactions. Their body language is strong and their tones fierce. Again, the stereotypical media representations of femininity are challenged here. In addition working class women are represented as having no intellectual pursuits.

A cross cut edit takes us inside Eileen’s house where her son, Todd, is cowering behind the sofa. Sound perspective allows us to hear the argument as he does. A close-up shot shows us he is scared until he gets the bravery to challenge the matriarchs. Throughout the scene Todd is represented as caring and passive, a trait associated with femininity. This is further expressed later in the scene when his ‘masculine’ brother comes along wearing construction work wear. A two-shot of the brothers lets use compare the two. Todd stands with his shoulders slumped whereas his brother stands tall with his hands in his pockets, one clearly more feminine and the other overtly masculine.

A circular shot is used to build the tension between the women and the escalating row as well as showing that Todd has jumped between the two. This represents women as childish and having to be calmed down by their children. Frenetic handheld camera work is used when the two women break into a fight to build the tension. A close up shallow focus on Sarah shows her embarrassment at her mum’s behaviour as a focus pull allows us to the see the crowds that have gathered. As the women wrestle to the floor a reverse shot shows a young man in the crowd whose facial expression clearly shows that he is enjoying the fight. There is a sense that the sight of two older women fighting is quite ridiculous.

Practice Examination

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX6-vYeTCcw

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs representations of gender using the following:

•Camera shots / angles, movement and composition
•Editing
•Sound
•Mise-en-scene

Soap Opera - Learning technical codes and conventions

Aim: To demonstrate understanding of Soap Opera conventions by creating a 2 minute soap opera sequence.

You will be working in groups of 4 to create your sequence. You will need a cameraman, a director and actors. You can all contribute to the editing process.

Create a 2 minute sequence

A conversation between characters

Conversation should drive the narrative

Something dramatic should happen in the scen
Remember the technical codes of the genre

Consider how you represent one group in your sequence e.g. gender or class

Camera Shots you can choose from:

establishing Shot

close-up

mid-shot

long-shot

two –shot

point-of-view

over-the-shoulder-shot

high angle

low angle

Sounds:

diegetic and non-diegetic sounds

synchronous sound

sound Bridge

dialogue

ambient sound

Editing:

shot/reverse shot

eye-line match

action match up

cross-cutting

A Grade Response!

The extract opens with a long shot of an 8 year old girl dancing like a ballerina around her clean and tidy bright pink bedroom. Slow motion editing is used to give the shot a dream or fantasy like quality as the voice over tells the fairy tale story of a gremlin that eats humans to protect her children. At first the impression given is that this is a middle class bedroom as it has co-ordinated furnishings and is impeccably neat and tidy. The girl has poise as she dances giving the impression that she is educated.

There is a fade to white and we are drawn out of the dream world and into a working class reality. A tracking shot follow Frank as he stumbles along the street. A close up shot of the post-man reveals his distain at this apparently frequent occurrence. Frank pats a woman on the backside as she carried her milk bottles home. Again she has an expression of disgust on her face and there is the suggestion that this is fairly routine.

Frank’s costume is dirty and old and his hair is dishevelled. Make-up is used to make his face appear very red with cracked veins connoting that he is an alcoholic or that he doesn’t live a healthy lifestyle. This representation of working class lifestyle is fairly stereotypical as he seems to be quite worthless.

An establishing shot shows the estate that Frank is walking through. In the distance is the typical run down 1960s tower block and the street is lined with small cramped housing and gardens that no one cares for. In the Gallagher’s front garden is a camper van, again a stereotypical representation of the lower working class.

The set design of the interior of the house is old and shabby indicating that the family does not have much money to spend on luxuries like nice furniture or décor. A close up shot shows one of the sons being handed fried egg on toast for his breakfast by his older sister. The dad bursts through the door knocking the food out of his sons hands, but seems to be distracted. There is a comical panning shot of the kitchen as all five of the children check their watches, clearly confused by their dad’s sudden appearance. There is the suggestion that the dad doesn’t live with the children and has only come because he wants to collect his ‘giro’. Again this is a negative and fairly stereotypical representation of the lower working class.

To add to this Frank behaves like a rabid dog when the post man arrives. A close up shot shows Franks kneeling down and grabbing the post in his teeth and the diegetic sound of him growling like a dog suggests a feral like nature. The non-diegetic music which plays is reminiscent of old game shows and a high angle shot looking down on Frank as the post rains down upon him suggests that he is the final contestant and he must search frantically through the post to find the final prize – the childrens’ support benefit. Short ellipsis editing is used here to give the impression that the post is coming through the door for a long time. The synchronous sound of the post falling through the letter box emphasises this. Close up shots reveal that the letters are final demands from various companies. Eye-line match editing cuts between the expressions of despair on the childrens’ faces and the various final demand letters.

The dialogue between the characters suggests that the dad takes no responsibility for the families problems, he has no family values. However, mid-long shots are constantly used throughout this scene to represent the children of the family and their unity. They are almost opposite to the dad. The children are dressed for school and eating breakfast when he arrives. This indicates that they value their education and can cope without their father. This representation has a number of connotations. Firstly it suggests that working class families are broken families. Here it is the older sister that is caring for the family. In addition it also suggests that working class families do have strong values, in this case education and family. It is clear from the costumes that this family doesn’t have a lot of money and the children attend a local state school. Their school shirts hang out of their trousers, their ties are not well done and their top shirt button is open. There is the suggestion that these children do not have access to a top education because of their poverty.

Frank experiences a flash back to when he purchased the television that got them in to debt. A warped visual effect is used to create a sense of disorientation, really giving the audience a sense of Frank’s state of mind. In the diegetic sound his speech is slurred and he talks about buying the television for “fags and blow”. His loose moral values are demonstrated again and his children are going to pay for it.

Two debt collectors arrive at the door. Their costume and make-up indicates that they are thuggish as they have stereotypical shaved heads and unclean teeth. A low-angle two-shot indicates their unity and threat to the family. The connotations of their appearance is that they are illegal debt collector and not from a legitimate bailiffs which suggests the dodgy dealings of the dad. Frank runs from the house and a hand held camera track him as he sprints through the run down estate. The unsteady camera movement of the hand held camera really gives the scene a sense of adrenaline and underpins the instability of the family, the chaos that they face everyday. The diegetic sound of a car alarm in the distance reinforces the criminality of the working class people who live there.

When the children are left confronted by the debt collectors the shot composition constantly represents the children’s unity. A low angle close up shot shows one of the debt collectors threatening the older girl, asking her where her dad is. Shot reverse shot shows her reaction. She is terrified but doesn’t say anything. This again shows the family values that the children have. The dad might have given them up, but they won’t do the same to him.

The story of the monster that the voice over tells at the beginning of the story seems ironic. No parent has come to protect these children. They are alone.

It seems that there are both positive and negative representations of the working class here. The father represents a more stereotypical character. Even though the narrative revolves around their poverty and criminal activity, the overriding feeling is one of strong family values and unity under the pressure of poverty and abandonment.

Key Words You Need To Know!

Camera Shots, Angle, Movement and Composition
• Shots: establishing shot, master shot, close-up, mid-shot, long shot, wide shot, two-shot, aerial shot, point of view shot, over the shoulder shot, and variations of these.
• Angle: high angle, low angle, canted angle.
• Movement: pan, tilt, track, dolly, crane, steadicam, hand-held, zoom, reverse zoom.
• Composition: framing, rule of thirds, depth of field – deep and shallow focus, focus pulls.

Editing
Includes transition of image and sound – continuity and non-continuity systems.
• Cutting: shot/reverse shot, eyeline match, graphic match, action match, jump cut, crosscutting, parallel editing, cutaway; insert.
• Other transitions, dissolve, fade-in, fade-out, wipe, superimposition, long take, short take, slow motion, ellipsis and expansion of time, post-production, visual effects.

Sound
• Diegetic and non-diegetic sound; synchronous/asynchronous sound; sound effects; sound motif, sound bridge, dialogue, voiceover, mode of address/direct address, sound mixing, sound perspective.
• Soundtrack: score, incidental music, themes and stings, ambient sound.

Mise-en-Scène
• Production design: location, studio, set design, costume and make-up, properties.
• Lighting; colour design.

Shameless Analysis

How are representations of class constructed in this short sequence from Shameless?


Explore the following elements:
mise-en-scene
cinematography
sound
editing


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoDH7awBCfM&has_verified=1

White Girl - Assessed Task 1

Video Extract
TV Drama Sequence: White Girl

Answer the question below with detailed reference to specific examples from the extract only.

1. Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of religion using the following:
· Camera shots, angles and movements
· Mise-en-scene
· Sound

Denotation/Connotation Reading of Skins Posters

Characters
Character dress: dress provides lots of information about a character’s job, behaviour, status and many other details.

Additional Props

Props complete a characters dress by adding more particular detail and refining our picture of the character

Settings

Location architecture: the basic architecture of a location, be it a house, hospital or beach, is very similar in it’s functionality to a character’s dress. It provides a lot of information about the persons that fit in it, and sometimes about what is most likely to take place.

Interior Design:

Actual design, layout and selection of style, provides another reference point that allows us to learn more about the locations and the related character/sAdditional props: like characters, locations are also a sum of their parts. Props can add additional information about what this specific location is and about the person it belongs to.

Colour:

An important part of mise-en-scene in that it creates mood and atmosphere. Colour can be created by the objects themselves being a certain colour or by the set being ‘washed’ in a certain colour through the use of coloured lighting, or a coloured filter on a lens.

Lighting:

whether is it natural or artificial lighting, high or low key, lighting makes us look in

specific places. Absence of light can be as significant as what is shown by light. What atmosphere is being created by the lighting (think about the connotations of a room lit by candles)? A room that is brightly lit by neon lights might seem to be sterile or a shadowy room might be eerie or scary.

Conclusions
1. How are teenagers being represented in these posters? Is it a realistic portrayal? Is it plausible or believable? Do you consider this to be a positive or negative representation, or maybe a mix of both?
2. What different responses might audience members make to these representations?
3. Do you think that anyone would find these images offensive? Did they cause any reaction or controversy?