Regional Identity - Skins - Bristol

Holby City Essay

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How representations of gender are created using cinematography, editing, sound and mise-en-scene for Holby City

 There are many different representations of gender in this Holby City extract which are all shown in many different ways. This essay will explore these stereotypes through the use of certain examples in the extract.

In the very first scene, we see a doctor in scrubs called Michael acting very aggressively to the woman who called his name. He attempts to end their relationship in the hallway of the hospital. While he does this, his voice is loud and definite which shows he plays the more dominant role in this scene. However, when the woman he is talking to threatens to tell their boss about his mistake in an operation, his voice alters from being an aggressive tone to being very concerned and distressed about the consequences if she actually told them. In the next scene, the dominant male doctor from the previous scene meets his colleague in the corridor. When this happens, he doesn’t seem to be as confident as the last time we saw him, but instead he appears quieter and slightly nervous. The colleague seems to have superiority over Michael and he has a raised voice and demands Michael to do a task.

In a later scene, Michael is clearly in a rush, and because of this, his voice is quite sarcastic. This sarcasm is noticed by Hal and he therefore becomes very angry. His voice is raised and is shouting at Michael about how he has ruined Amelia's implants. Amelia’s father continues to stick up for her as though because she is a girl, she cannot stand up for herself as well as he could do it for her. In the following scene, when the men are talking about their broken bones whilst playing sports, they refer to each others sports as 'girl's games'. This displays their gender bias; the fact that they believe they are the more dominant sex and that ‘girls’ sports don’t mean as much and aren’t as competitive for example. When Michael comes to apologises to Amelia, the scene shows that he isn't as strong and dominant as the audience thinks he is as he then gives into what other people have been telling him to do.

As for the women in the extract, the representations differ. In the first scene, the woman is initially shown to be the weaker sex as she is being dumped by Michael. However, she changes this stereotype when she reveals that she knows about the mishap in the operation. By saying this, she gains authority over the situation to let it be steered her own way. However, this is short-lived as he replies saying that he doesn’t care.

During the next scene, we see a woman who is screaming down a phone trying to call her dad as though she were a young child. This action shows that she is very weak as it implies that she relies on a man. Amelia’s self-confidence is increased when she is told by Hal that he loves her. After this happens, Amelia goes from thinking she was a ‘nobody’ to respecting herself the way she is, and agrees for Michael to put her back to the way she was before the operation went wrong.               

The sound in the extract is entirely diegetic, due to the natural sounds such as people walking around the corridors, and patient’s beds being pushed. We can also hear the phones in the reception ringing and background talking, along with machine beeps. Throughout the scene, the transitions are quick to fasten the pace of the scene which successfully creates tension and suspense when the characters argue. A shot-reaction-shot is used when Michael tells the woman in the first scene that their relationship is over. As this happens, it is clear by the reaction shot of his face that he is serious and angry. The last reaction shot is where the woman looks worried and upset that he has broken up with her and therefore feeling vulnerable.

Continuity editing is used when the men playing sports are talking whilst looking at the x-rays of their broken bones.  Many different styles of editing is used throughout the scene to build enigma and general mystery to give clues to the audience about what might happens later in the episode.  For example, when the woman is screaming down the phone, the audience don’t know the result of this storyline. There are many different techniques in the cinematography used in the extract. An aerial shot is used when we see Michael and the woman walk away from each other in the corridor. This shot transfers into a medium shot where we see the two characters waist-up so we know where to focus our attention; on their conversation. The extract includes close-up shots of both characters when certain things are said which shows their facial expressions which subsequently allowed the audience to understand how they are feeling. An over-the-shoulder shot is used when Michael walks away from the conversation so the audience can see the true feelings of the person who is being left through their expression. Finally, when Michael and Hal argue about the operation that went wrong, the camera is at a low-angle which shows that both of the men are equally dominant characters.

The mise-en-scene that is evident in the extract is very iconic making it obvious that the set is a hospital. These icons include props such as scrubs, lots of rooms and all the machines that are walked past during the extract. The lighting in the scene of argument is low-key lighting which connotates sadness, but when they finish arguing, the lights become brighter meaning something good is about to happen. This is evident because later in the extract, Michael apologises and everything is settled. All the doctors are in scrubs apart from the two characters who are looking at their x-rays, whereas the patients are clearly patients due to the stereotypical night gowns. Everything in the extracts looks like it was in a hospital otherwise the drama would not be the way that it should be. 

Ethnicity Essay on the Spooks Extract

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of ethnicity using the following; cinematography, editing, sound and mise-en-scene.

The protagonist character in the scene is an Iraqi man who maintains a smart appearance through his dress-sense as he is in a suit. He is also clean-shaven and well-presented which implies he is wealthy and significant in society. This goes against some major ethnic stereotypes as it is a very common representation of the Iraqi population to be living in poverty and need of wealth and help for example. His physical appearance challenges the stereotype of a typical Iraqi because they are commonly known to wear turbans and have facial hair such as a beard. The public is most likely to have adopted this stereotype due to publicly-known Muslims such as Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden who both, despite having a significant event to their names, both conform to this representation in having facial hair and not dressing smartly.

The scene is set in a dark and eerie room in an apartment which appears to be empty and abandoned. However, we can tell that the room is in a high class apartment as it is very large and has stylish and tasteful wall designs. This also challenges the stereotype of Iraqi citizens, as people would not expect to see such class. The only source of light is the sun shining through the window. This reinforces the significance of the room being dark so it is harder for people to see in. The beginning of the scene begins via an establishing shot. The sunlight through the window is only shining on the two British characters (the ones being held captive) which represents their characters being the 'goodies', whereas the Iraqi man and his guard stand in the dark suggesting they are evil and playing darker and more villainous roles. This establishing shot soon cuts to a low-angle shot of the Iraqi man, representing his status as a powerful man his high levels of authority and power. The scene also uses a very minimal amount of props which manages to create an unnerving atmosphere. The only decoration is a thin layer of net used in the place of a curtain which highlights the fact that nobody on the outside can see in, which implies a dangerous feeling to the audience that if nobody could see in, anything could happen in the room without anyone knowing which therefore gives a fear of the unknown. Another of the very few props in the scene is a smallish item under a white sheet in the corner of the room. As this object is unknown to the audience, it successfully creates tension through a fear of the unknown, as neither the audience nor British characters know what is under it.

Throughout the scene, there is a very low string sound playing in the background, which creates a highly tense atmosphere. At the beginning of the scene, this non-diegetic music is less noticeable, but as the scene continues and the female spy tells her hostage-taker that her spies already know his next move, the music becomes louder and more noticeable as more instruments are added which helps to build tension at the same time as more action and threats towards the British spies take place.

  It is a possibility that the Iraqi man is not the only character who challenges typical stereotypes but also the British spies in hostage. This is due to the more dominant spy being a woman, and the other is a black man, which audiences may not expect as black men typically take the role of the villain or criminal in TV dramas. Having these particular people as these characters challenges the stereotype that only white males are British spies, and also that women are usually the ones who need to be saved. These predictable yet unused stereotypes were highlighted in Propp’s theory, in which both these characters would normally have fallen. Both of these characters are also smartly dressed in suits, which has connotations of significance and power. This tells the audience that the British spies and the Iraqi man are all fairly upper-class and are of equal power, which results in adding more tension anxiousness to the scene as the audience do not know how the situation will conclude.

The guard in the room is dressed completely in black with just his eyes visible through a balaclava, which has strong connotations that he is a ruthless and intimidating character who is their purely to keep them in line. The guard also wears a leather jacket which suggests he is likely to be more physically violent than the Iraqi man as usually, criminals and many villains wear a leather jacket because it is represented to be ‘tough’.

A steady-cam is used frequently throughout the scene for an edgy and jumpy effect which makes the audience feel as though they are in the scene, which ultimately adds to the tension and suspense to the overall feel. There is also the use of shot-reaction-shot which shows some close-ups of the expressions of each character in the scene. One time where this happens is when the Iraqi man questions the British spies about an agent who he has just had his men kill, and as the agent’s name is said by the man, the shot cuts from the man talking, to the female spy who looks scared and shocked. The third part of this shot-reaction-shot is when the camera focuses on the black British spy who stares at the woman with the same look of fear on his face. There is also the use of an extreme close-up of the eye of the guard which is perfectly timed with the dark and sinister sound of a drum that sounds like the explosion of a bomb in the distance. As this sound is the sound of a bomb, it automatically connotates a feeling of fear within the audience. 

All these shots have been specifically chosen to make the scene cohesive; so it flows well and it’s easy to understand. If it was not edited in this way, the built up tense atmosphere would be completely lost. to be edited together by the editor to hint to the audience that even though the woman instinctively denies knowing anything, the spies do actually know what the Iraqi man is talking about as both spies have worried and uncomfortable facial expressions, especially as the Iraqi man puts down the image of the dead agent on the table. At this time, there is a non-diegetic knife-sharpening sound as the camera flashes white and the scene suddenly cuts to a close-up of the image. This technique helps to generate a very dramatic effect as the British people realise the Iraqi man knows they are lying about knowing everything. This is a major key point in the scene, as it is exactly when the Iraqi man loses his patience and starts physically threatening the spies by pulling up the woman from her chair and harshly pushing her on another chair – in front of the mysterious object in the sheet .The non-diegetic music also becomes more prominent as the situation gets even more tense and dangerous. This music gets louder and slightly more fast-paced as the scene goes on, reinforcing that something bad is happening.

Ethnicity Essay

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs representations of ethnicity using camera shots/angles/movement, lighting, sound, mise-en-scene and editing

Hannah Baines

In the Hotel Babylon extract, there are a variety of different ethnicities that are portrayed very stereotypically, including; Italian, White British, Japanese, Mixed race/oriental, Eastern European, and also members of the Black race.

The first scene mainly involves two dominant characters. The two confident owns are black men; one being a resident at the hotel getting out of the pool, and the other being a smart, well-dressed waiter working in the hotel. There is also a white man in the background lounging by the pool, about to be served by the black waiter which is a typical stereotype of a black man having to serve a white man, as this is the way it used to be a long time ago. However, what happens next is the black hotel resident gets out the pool implying that the black waiter also serves other black men. The black hotel-worker is very well-dressed as he is the only one in a suit suggesting he is more superior to the other normal waiters, which also implies he might be a manager. Stereotypically in TV dramas, and other media forms, black people usually play the character of maids, a chef or other house-workers. They are often the characters with minor importance and little power, so the black man working as a manager subverts the usual conventions of the representation of black people in TV drama. However, the second black man is more stereotypical of usual conventions. He is represented as a ‘gangster’ type as he wears gold chains and he uses typical gangster language such as saying “bro” and “homie”. The audience can also make a guess that he is from Jamaica due to not only his language but also his taste in clothes; he wears a tropical coloured pair of swim shorts, and these colourful patterns are very typical of the Jamaican culture. Camera movements of shot reaction shots, close-ups and zooms highlight the facial expressions of both the characters which give off the atmosphere that they produce; for example, the waiter seems to be nervous and uncomfortable when he talks to the resident, which makes the audience feel on-edge. Whereas the resident seems calmed and ‘chilled’ which gives off a relaxed feeling to the audience. From these camera movements and from how uncomfortable the worker looks, it implies a sexual meaning within the scene; it gradually suggests that the waiter is homosexual, and this is due to prolonged shots of the resident’s body, followed by the reaction of the waiter clearly staring at his body looking surprised by his muscular figure. There is also romantic music with this scene which implies a similar thing.

The second scene includes two maids going in to a resident’s bedroom. The maids appear to be Eastern-European, and we can tell this because of their accents, but also their small-builds and also their skin tone. It soon becomes clear that they are working as prostitutes, and this is a typical convention as the foreign people tend to have the jobs with a lower authority. The two women have very different representations to each other. Both of them look very similar on the outside but they both have alternate personality traits. One of the women is very timid and quiet both vocally and in their body language. Also, there is a major symbolic meaning through the wear of a cross necklace, which signifies that she is a Christian. The other woman in the scene is very confident and self-assured, and this suggests that she has been in the trade for much longer. She has a very blunt dialogue saying “he pays double, for double”, which suggests she takes part in sexual favours for the extra money. They both begin to undress and it soon becomes clear they are about to make money from delivering services to a Japanese resident, which is a very common representation of this ethnicity. The ‘Japanese businessman’ is a very well-known stereotype and it is often used in TV dramas. They are also often known for being very sexual; in particular, Asian women are known for selling themselves for money, and Asian men are a major part of that trade. As the women undress, the difference in their personalities and experience are suggested through their under-clothing and body language. The shy maid wears plain, white underwear which has connotations of purity and innocence, and she seems reluctant to take part in the services. This is contrasting to the other maid who wears black underwear which has major connotations of sex and seduction. This juxtaposition is very suggestive of their differing personalities. This maid, compared to the other one, follows the representation that foreign women from a poorer background are in desperate need for money because it is harder to get well-paying work. It also follows the convention that they have no self-respect. However, the other maid from the same background subverts this convention. The music accompanying the characters scene is quite tense as it builds up, suggesting they are doing something wrong.

The third scene is significantly shorter than the others. It is a scene of a mixed race woman trotting to assist to a resident giving them toilet paper. Because it is such a short scene, the character doesn’t portray a very strong representation because there is no sign of particular stereotype or convention. However, it is clear that she is also of a fairly superior position due to her smart clothing and her upright posture and posh body language. However, she plays a rather submissive character when it comes to serving the resident, suggesting that she is still being partly represented as not very superior following a typical representation.  

The fourth scene includes the two White British hotel owners. Their occupation is clear as they are smartly dressed but not in uniform, and they are treated with respect from the other staff working in the hotel. It follows a conventional representation that white people are the most superior in contrast to other ethnicities. Also achieving this purpose is the camera shots and movements. The camera uses a long shot to show the audience that the managers are dressed smartly and professionally to show their superiority in the hierarchy of importance. There is also continuity editing in the camera edits of the scene as at the end of the scene, it stops tracking the characters movement and focuses out as they walk towards the camera which allows the following scene to follow on without a transition.

The fifth scene is in the chef’s kitchen. It involves the managers, and two head chefs, and also other chefs. One of the two head chefs is British. We can tell this because he is big, tall, white, fairly chubby and wears a big white hat which is a convention for a British head chef. The second head chef appears to be either Italian or Mediterranean. There are indications that he could be from either background. We could say that he is Mediterranean due to his general appearance and accent. He is dark skinned, dark-haired and is fairly aggressive in his actions and general persona. However you could also guess that he is from a place such a Greece due to the kiss on the other chef’s forehead, and this is a Greek habit. Similarly, he also does a kissing action with his hand which then he releases in the air next to him, which is typically Italian. However there is most evidence that he is from a Mediterranean background. The representation of the aggressive, violent chef is common and can be identified through his speech. He uses the word “English” as an insult hinting that he does not have any respect or time for British people.

The last scene is scene six. It involves the promiscuous Eastern-European maid leaving the Japanese man’s hotel room. It also shows the mixed-race/oriental woman catching the maid in action doing up her buttons, showing the difference in their ethnic representations; the maid being represented as very professional and the other being very provocative. There is also music playing in the scene which is similar to burlesque music, further showing her sexual representation.