Representations of Disability

Disability:

-Different

-Strange

-outcasts

-broken

Inside I'm Dancing

First impressions:

It's unusual for there to be a film purely about people with disabilities. From the beginning the home doesn't look like

a very nice place. They're all watching a children's program which says something about their health mentally. It's

clear that the carers cant understand the guy michael in particular. It seems to be a very calm setting; more like an

old peoples home than a home for the disabled. The entrance of Rory is very contrasting to the original setting. It's

very stereotypical towards disabled people; treating them like children, they don't look happy or engaged.

What i think is going to happen in the film following his arrival:

I think that the entrance of Rory into the environment is going to be quite rebellious; he might even bring some fun

to the home. It is clear that he is going to cause havoc and that he will attempt to get out of the home at every opportunity

that he gets.

Semiotic analysis:

Image one:

Michael is staring with a unhappy looking face; this will be an expression of his emotions, he looks sad and his staring is almost a longing to be free from his wheel chair. His positioning shows he might be an outcast already between him and the others. His whole de-mina is muted; he cant control anything, it's a very stereotypical view of a disabled person, loneliness and restriction.

The background is all the wheelchair users in a line like soldiers; this may be the order and respect in the care home but also the lack of control they have over their own lives and the regimented, unchangeable lives they are unable to change.

Image two:

The blank expression on Rory's face shows his inside anger and lack of control, it is evident he doesn't want to be there.

His dress and hair style is very contrasting with the previous image; this could indicate a rebellious streak to him however it could be that he has just been living on the outside world unlike the small enclosed world that every in the home lives.

The facial piercing is also a clue to his persona; a different less mainstream sort of person; very contrasting to your regular stereotype of a disabled person.

Image three:

The bright colours that Rory is wearing shows his segregation already from the rest of the members; this shows his mental separation as well, he is physically but not mentally disabled.

The light behind Rory continues to help separate him from the other two characters in the image; they're both sitting in a more gloomy area with dull clothes and surrounding; this will be the mental barrier between Rory and the other people in the home.

Rory is sitting with has chin up which is contrasting to the others who are all slumped in an awkward position; this could be because of his disability but it could also be pride that he possess unlike many of the other characters.

What Rorys playlist would be:

Mr Brightside- The Killers

Welcome to my life- Simple Plan

To Youth- Flogging Molly

Through Glass- Stone Sour

Discuss the ways in which disability is represented in the extract:

The semiotics of the scene show not only what is happening but also the feelings and emotions of the residents; the clothing and position of the regular residents is very contrasting to the entrance of Rory; this is showing a breakthrough from the general stereotype of a typical disabled person. All of the residents seem to be in their own dull worlds but the entrance of Rory has the potential to make them more "normal" in terms of fashion, fun and also life skills.

Continuation, Others work:

With his introduction to the setup the mood quickly changes. His bright coloured clothing, dyed hair and punk appearance with a lot of jewellery and things no where near visible upon any of the other characters show how different his character is to the rest of them, and the fact that he is going to most probably turn their world upside down. He contrasts greatly with his background.

Camera Work is another aspect used. We see a lot of close-up shots of the disabled characters, giving us a clue to how they are feeling through their facial expressions. Also, we can see that the characters that are in wheelchairs are stationary. This could be shown through the lack of tracking shots, the only time this is used is the van transporting Rory.

Sound is used sparingly in this clip. The non-diagetic sounds used in this clip is basically only the music in the background. This music is also very sad and sedate as the piano plays slowly. The diagetic sounds in this clip are used quite well. When we hear the man on Bagpuss say 'Bagpuss was now tired' it relates to the people in the home. Editing is also used to portray disability, the scenes are jerky like their movements.

STAINES

What are the denotations and connotations of the images?
How do the images represent the region of choice?
Where did the images come from?
What is left out of the images in terms of representation?

The representation of Liverpool as a region

How is Liverpool representation as a region:

First impressions;

• rebellious
• busy
• grimy
• clashing religions?
• strong accents
• working women, poverty?
• down beat
• not a very nice place to live

Mise en scene

The mood to begin with is tense; the gloomy surrounding of the church help to represent Liverpool as a grimy area of the world. The lack of bright colours and pattern show the depression and times of poverty.

The lighting through-out is fairly dull especially when he is by himself in the church; this could be a representation of the priests mind set at the time.

The costumes used in the scene are very unusual however show clearly the role of each character; the main characters are all wearing their priests out fits, this shows their role in society at the time. The children in the gang at the beginning are all wearing clothes of a poor quality; none of them seem to be wearing many bright colours, possibly a reflection of society. The women we see towards the end of the clip are all wearing "working outfits", they're quite rugged.

The positioning of the children towards the priest show his position in society, the crowding and clambering effect show the lack of respect the children have for the priest, this shows the audience of their rebellious streak.

Sound

There's a continuous non-diajetic other tune, it's quite upbeat but with an underlying sad tone to it; this is especially evident when the priest is storming off with the cross and the children are following. The use of volume is also evident in the clip, the louder the music gets the more intense it seems to become.

There is quite a lot of synchronised music used in the text; the use of crowd noises and the chiming of bells seem to be present through-out.

Crowd noise and children screaming help to build up the intensity of the scene; they almost create the bustling atmosphere that is contained in the priest mind.

The drum beat in the over tune is quite prominent when he is walking;t his helps build up the tension even more.

The use of the diajetic sound of the priest screaming helps to conclude the final opening scene; it's powerful and creates a "bang" ending.

The contrast into the priests office is silent, this helps to portray the two different situations, the program then cuts back to the first priest, the music returns this helps to keep the two situations separate.

Editing

The editing of the clip is natural and fairly uneventful; this helps to keep the representation of the area realistic and believable. The lack of editing could also reflect the moods and thoughts of the main characters; there aren't a lot of ideas flicking about but merely one though process shown by the continuos story line.

camera work

Through out the camera work is fairly natural; the long shots used in the church show the setting, the close up of the priests face then shows his mood and reaction to what he's seeing.

The camera continues to be a long shot when the priest is walking away from the church towards the children; when looking at the children there is a range of camera shots used, some close ups and long shots, this will help to get to a more overall view of the crowd and what they're like and thinking all from their body language and facial expressions. The use of leading lines is also present; this helps to make the eye follow through the scene to show the direction that the story is to follow.

The cutting between the angry priest and the priest at the window help to show the "two sides of the story" and the two rival priests that the story shall be following.

Summarising the extract:

Liverpool is represented as a poverty stricken, inner city with a grimy feel to it. We are presented with a negative feel towards the place; it looks run down and tired.

The mise en scene shows the poverty level of the children; they're all in track suits and trainers a representation usually of people with little money. The priest sitting in an empty church shows the lack of religion in the area; the church is empty when it should be full showing the plain disregard for society.

There's a continuous non-diajetic over tune, it's quite upbeat but with an underlying sad tone to it; this is especially evident when the priest is storming off with the cross and the children are following. The use of volume is also evident in the clip, the louder the music gets the more intense it seems to become.

There is quite a lot of synchronised music used in the text; the use of crowd noises and the chiming of bells seem to be present through-out.

Crowd noise and children screaming help to build up the intensity of the scene; they almost create the bustling atmosphere that is contained in the priest mind.

Through out the camera work is fairly natural; the long shots used in the church show the setting, the close up of the priests face then shows his mood and reaction to what he's seeing.

The camera continues to be a long shot when the priest is walking away from the church towards the children; when looking at the children there is a range of camera shots used, some close ups and long shots, this will help to get to a more overall view of the crowd and what they're like and thinking all from their body language and facial expressions. The use of leading lines is also present; this helps to make the eye follow through the scene to show the direction that the story is to follow.

The cutting between the angry priest and the priest at the window help to show the "two sides of the story" and the two rival priests that the story shall be following.

The editing of the clip is natural and fairly uneventful; this helps to keep the representation of the area realistic and believable. The lack of editing could also reflect the moods and thoughts of the main characters; there aren't a lot of ideas flicking about but merely one though process shown by the continuos story line.

Semiotics analysis; Sugar Rush

The image displayed has a very girly feel to it; the pink background suggests the audience at which the program shall be targeted at. The image of the two girls on the front could just show a close friendship; the ginger girl is looking sideways at the girl with the dark, almost in admiration; this could suggest more than just a friendship. The age of the character and the font used suggest it has a teenage cast and therefore more likely to be aimed at "typical" teenagers; however the editing in the picture is unnatural as it'a pink. The stones they're lying suggest that they live somewhere near the beach; in fact it is set in Brighton, this is also implied by the ice-creams that they're holding. The elements on the cover suggest their location, sexuality and the realism that shall be contained in the program.

The image itself is light in colour and very bright; a reflection of personality and also content. There is little text and gives us little information as to what the program is about, perhaps to encourage you to watch it and find out.

The Issue Of Status

The aim of the session:

To explore the subject of status within a television drama extract; An episode of "The Street".

Semiotics

"The language of signs" The distinction between denotation (what's unveiled to you, what you can actually see) and connotation (what's implied with the sign, what associations we make with a certain image).

Denotation Babysitter Connotation Single mother, no "other half"

Denotation Wad of cash Connotation The woman has a night job, cash in hand work

Denotation Cold Shower Connotation Lack of money

Denotation The woman and her sons clothes Connotation Her class and financial situation, also her marital status.

Denotation The look of the woman, her pale skin & messy hair. Connotation She's tired and overworked; in the morning you should be "fresh"

Denotation The mess of her house, small rooms & dingy lights Connotation How much money she has.

What's the purpose of sound in media texts?

To add atmosphere and create a sense of realism; sounds can create natural or unnatural atmospheres and give the text a "normal" feel that we as the audience can relate too. Sound can be used to portray moods as well; loud heavy sounds for an angry mood for example. The use of silence can also be used to create tension and awkward situations.

Voice tones can be used to show mood and also class- accents can be used to show different levels of society.

Different types of sound:

Diagetic: Sound that comes from the world of the text itself(like from a radio or a DJ in a night club)

Non-diagetic: Sound that is added as an extra over the top of a scene; not contained in the scene, added at the editing level of the production, e.g a theme tune or music that's used to add mood such as music in an explosion scene.

Synchronised sound: When there is a match between the visual and a sound a track; an action on the screen being bought to life; for example if we see an explosion in an action we would get an appropriate sound such a big bangs.

Selective sound: Used to emphasis to particular moments of dialogue or certain features of the text; music, sound effect or particular parts of dialogue.

Another extract from The Street:

Diagetic

None

Non-diagetic

Opening credits theme tune- helps link the program and a noise

(Dull and ambient) Very average type of program; ordinary life.

Synchronised sound

Car door slamming

front door keys

rustling of money

Water in the shower

The woman's scream in the cold shower

Selective

The kids shoutings- creates stress and tension.

You hear certain phrases over the rest; picks out the most important lines.

How the issue of social status is represented:

Status shows power differences, people exerting control and people being more upper class than other; money.

Is there a sense of status in this clip:

The mother is clearly in control; she marches her children down the corridor

pulling them by their arms.The body language of the more powerful people in shows that their more powerful as their leaning in as if they're leaning in properly.The woman feels she has to prove herself to the board she explains every point that she is making. She has to plead to the people with power.Her pleads and sobs become her only key to trying to get what she wants. You can tell by the clothes the woman and her children are wearing that they are at a fancy school as the board are dressed very smartly. Just the look of the mother compared to the board show a clear class difference. The camera angle is pointing upwards at the board as if they are a lot more important than the woman and her children.

How sound contributes to the representation of status in the clip:

The silence of the waiting room creates tension and angst as to what is to come; there are only faint sounds of children in the background. The silence of the mother as well also shows that she is nervous as to whats to come, perhaps a meeting with important people. The car noises (selective sound) creates a sense of realism for the peace. The dialogue of the mother is quite energetic and desperate. The mother speaks very quickly and hurriedly; however the replies of the woman are very posh and very slowly spoken; as if she is higher class and not very concerned with the situation. The lack of non-diagetic music helps us to concentrate of the importance of what she's saying, however a very ambient song begins to play as the woman becomes more and more desperate; creating a sense of sadness and helplessness.

Discuss ways in which status is represented in the clip:

In this answer you must use:

• media vocabulary and terminology
• Discuss the types of sound by name
• The answer is detailed; mise en scene, camera work, editing.

Camera work:

Long shots are used to show the grandness of the school, this also applies inside the school, the large amount of detailed contained in the shot helps show the superiority of the school compared to the woman and her man. The use of close ups on the woman's face helps us to focus on her dialogue. When talking to the board the camera looks subtly down on the woman and slightly up to the board; this shows the different of class between the two. The use of camera angles slightly exaggerates the size of the woman and her children compared with the board, thus showing the status of the woman in proportion to the board.

Editing:

There's no use of extreme editing; all of the scenes have a natural, subtly transition, the use of out of focus helps us to concentrate on the most important elements of the scene; this could have been the editing or the initial camera work.

Mise en scene:

The costumes of the woman and her son as quite scruffy and unpleasant; this is very contrasting to the outfits worn by the board, they're dressed sharply and look "more important" purely because they look like they have spent time and money on their appearances. There has been little to no use of make up on the board; however it's a different situation for the mother and the son. There has been considerable amount of stage make-up used to create black eyes for both the mother and the son, this helps to emphasis the point the woman is making in order to get into the school; this make up helps to create the sense of realness in the scene. The positioning of the woman and her family compared to the board shows how authoritative the board are, they're sat directly in front of them on a large table, this could help show the over whelming sense of the board in ratio of the woman to the board. the woman is sitting close to her children to show her protective sense toward hers children. The lighting although natural is very dark and dingy; this could be a reflexion of the mood of the woman and also the unforgiving(dark) attitude of the board towards the woman; it helps set the unpleasant mood that the scene contains.

Sound:

The use of non-diagetic music in the final few lines of her dialogue helps emphasis her point and make her case seem even more desperate than she was before. However the lack of non-diagetic music through-out the majority of the piece makes sure that we are focusing on what the woman has to say and that we are not distracted. The use of synchronised sounds of cars in the background help to confirm it's a TV drama as it makes the piece more realistic. The use of silence in the waiting room helps to create the tension of what's to come; perhaps a confrontation or a nerve-raking situation. The dialogue of the mother

is quite energetic and desperate. The mother speaks very quickly and hurriedly; however the replies of the woman are very posh and very slowly spoken; as if she is higher class and not very concerned with the situation. Selective sound also helps create an atmosphere the word please is emphasised and repeated over and over.

Questions posed in tv drama presentations 23/11/2009

Group 1- The OC:

In what ways the mood of the scene created?

mise en scene

Dark,low key lighting creating very pronounces shadows on their faces,"grimy" setting of the street and natural clothing creates a sad but realistic mood to the performance.

camera work

very focused on their faces, the use silhouettes when the man is carrying Marisa away from the scene of the car on fire, its very james bond style. Often the camera looks down on Marisa as if it were the view of the man, however we can see the side of his face, again when the camera is focussing on the man its as if it's from Marisa's perspective.

sound

soothing, low, quiet music, gentle humming to create the mood. a man is singing a sad song with no music, negative. Very heavy loud breathing. Fading in and out of music to change the mood from negative to positive back to negative. The chosen song hallelujah is very sad in itself and very emotional. The lyrics are very moving. It's slightly bought back to reality by the background noises of the crickets. When she actual dies it's silent however then the music comes back in, giving it a kind of eery feel. Good use of diagetic music(sound outside of the context, adding to atmosphere)

editing

Chopping of scenes, blurring between scenes to show two places at once, representing memories.

The over all elements of the scene create a very depressing, emotional and upsetting, this is a natural reaction to a death. The music however I feel creates most of the mood.

Group 2- Waterloo Road:

What does this extract show about the attitudes towards teens?

The extract portrays a very "typical teenager" situation, there are quite a few noticeable themes, relationships when one of the girls is referred to as slaggy, another is rivalry, they are both of two sides. The two groups are either in red or blue, the red could represent anger and the blue the coolness of the other group. The music in the piece is very modern and quite upbeat to fit with the scene. Its a representation of what older people generally think about younger people. The "cat fight" is quite common in TV drama's, however not actually that realistic. The interveening adult, who in the case the teacher is always there to sort out the situations. The costumes of the three separate group of people helps to segregate them. I personally feel that this isn't a very accurate portrayal of teenagers in today society, we don't have such extreme groups and such segregation of "classes"

Television Drama

What is Television Drama?
A series on televisions thats content is scripted and normally fictional. This excludes, for example, sports, news, reality and game. Usually has recurring actors and often a running story line. Typically explores real life situations in a fixed setting such as a street or village.
What are the key conventions of a television drama?
Real life situations, story lines we can relate to, normally "goodies and baddies", character relationships, appropriate mise en scene and a fixed setting.
Television dramas:
Hollyoaks
Skins
Coronation street
Neighbours
Eastenders
Home and Away
CSI
Without a trace
The Bill
The IT Crowd
Peep Show
Two ways in which CSI and Hollyoaks are similar:
They both have staring characters that continue through episodes, they also both have set scenes(Hollyoaks in Hollyoaks and CSI either in Miami or something or in the crime labs)
Two ways in which CSI and Hollyoaks are different:
CSI is more educational and has situations you wouldn't usually yourself come across, whereas hollyoaks has more down to earth situations(generally) such as relationships. CSI generally has a much darker miss en scene and stronger plot lines, the plot lines are also usually contained in one episode, whereas in Hollyoaks the same story can be going on for weeks.

Discuss the ways mood is represented in the clip:
Mise en scene
The mood is tense and theres a lot of emotions, perhaps sadness and anger. There's lots of clips of people standing very far apart from the father in particular, when the father is talking to the son he is kept in the doorway, also when he is talking to the mother he is again in the doorway, this shows segregation form the rest of the family.The shaky hands shows anger, the darkness of the rooms makes the whole scene looks smaller and even more miserable. The facial expression from the mum and dad is particular is very "rabbit in head lights" they are both keeping their eyes very wide and they're not blinking, this, for the woman especially, is to fight back the tears, you can see the "glaze" of tears in her eyes. The father finds it very hard to make eye contact with the woman however she is staring him straight in the eyes in a very confrontational way. When he tells her about "everything" he did she had to avert her eyes in a very "disgusted" way. When the father is talking to luke, luke can't bear to look at his father, this just confirms the segregation element of the scene. The make-up is very subtle, the woman is not wearing a lot and is looking pale and washed out. The urn-natural lighting in the house creates shadows that make it a lot more intense. The outfits all of the characters are wearing are very "typical and normal" theres nothing particularly special about them, the only thing we could pick up on is the dull colours used, this helps to create the negative mood. There are no props used in the setting, non that are particularly significant.
Sounds
The contrast of the screaming and shouting at the beginning of the scene when the father is chasing the son up the stairs helps to create the tension as the loudness/quietness contrast is very sudden.The phone ringing breaks the very tense situation, however it also creates it as well. The lack of music in the scenes make the awkward silences a lot worse. The lack of sounds in the scene helps the audience to concentrate on the dialogue, also we can hear the breathing of the characters which creates a very tense atmosphere.
Camera Work
The use of shot reverse shot is very important in this scene, there is a lot of conversation between he mother and father, in order to see both reactions they use the shot reverse shot technique. Typically they zoom in on the mans face when he is talking to see his intense expressions, however when the woman is talking there is a slightly longer shot and you can she the upper half of the man in silhouette form. This camera work lasts the majority of the scene. As it comes to the end of the talk between mother and father the shots are getting closer and closer to the faces. Upstairs however when the father is talking to luke they use mainly long shots, this help create the distance between them, although there are occasional shots of Lukes face really to help express his emotions. The closing scene when the father is looking at the mother they use the longest shot, this helps show distance again of the father and his family.
Editing
The shots are quite choppy, there's no active shot transitions in the scene, the clips are all relatively similar in terms of the way they are set out, they use the rule of thirds in all shots. There are no dramatic effects in the scene, in fact there are no effects, it is quite a natural which affirms the fact it's a television drama as all elements of the clip is "normal", even the angles of the camera are from the other characters perspective, the camera is slightly under he man and the camera is slightly above the woman.

The different levels of textual analysis
Basic
-A basic understand of what has happened in the scene
-Knowledge of the 4 elements you need to examine
Proficient
-A general break up of the elements in the scene
-A detailed description of the 4 elements and what they are doing to the scene
Excellent
-A detailed examination of the 4 elements, what they're doing to the scene and what they could be creating mood etc.
-Elaborate, specific, technical language and detailed answers, references and ideas of our own.

Discuss ways in which mood is represented in the clip
There are many elements in the scene which help to represent mood. Mise en scene is always a clear choice to examine when looking at a media piece. The miss en scene helps to not only create mood but to also change it at key points. In this scene there are many issues that are emphasised due to the miss en scene,however it's not just the mise en scene but a combination of sounds, camera work and editing that create the overall piece. Theres an obvious tense situation when we first look at the scene, beginning with the loud shouting between the Luke and his father, it's a very cluttered scene; there's a mixture of shouts from both people, a jumble of limbs as they clamber up the stairs and also they very "unnatural" lighting in the hall way. This is general can be seen to be expressing an angry emotion, the scene then develops and the emotions become more complex.
The contrast of loud shouting to extreme silence helps to create a very tense situation, the positioning of the characters is also very key, there is the mother and the girl on one side of the room and the father quite obviously distant on the other side of the room. The unnatural lighting of the living room is helping illuminate the mother and also to make a more sinister shadow to her. The camera is slightly looking down on the mother as if we were looking at her from the fathers point of view. The body language of the girl is quite relaxed which is very different to that of the mothers who is standing up right and staring straight forwards. The "two sides" of characters helps to show separation between the two, this is almost foreshadowing the conversation that is to come, a very "sided" argument. The tense mood is broken by a very high pitched telephone ring, this almost makes the audience feel a little more relaxed, however it's short lived as the rudeness of the father on the phone and the bringing back on the silence just makes the atmosphere even more awkward and tense than before.The lack of music in the scene emphasises how awkward the moments actually are.
The movement of the camera to focus on the hand of the mother elaborates the importance, we see her hand shaking quite violently, this is clear expression of anger and perhaps even of sadness. The awkward mood created i personally feel is almost of sadness, however looking at the father i think it is almost a feeling of guilt.
The use of shot reverse shot is very important in this scene, there is a lot of conversation between he mother and father, in order to see both reactions they use the shot reverse shot technique. Typically they zoom in on the mans face when he is talking to see his intense expressions, however when the woman is talking there is a slightly longer shot and you can she the upper half of the man in silhouette form. This camera work lasts the majority of the scene. I feel it helps us to see "both sides of the argument", the mood is tense enough but the facial expression e are able to see help to clarify how both characters are actually feeling( in the womanise case mainly anger and disgust but in the mans case sadness and guilt). The combination of the two characters creates a very complicated mood.
The shots are quite choppy, there's no active shot transitions in the scene, the clips are all relatively similar in terms of the way they are set out, they use the rule of thirds in all shots. The choppy shots create a very cluttered, indecisive mood between the couple.
The darkness of the rooms makes the whole scene looks smaller and even more miserable. The facial expression from the mum and dad is particular is very "rabbit in head lights" they are both keeping their eyes very wide and they're not blinking, this, for the woman especially, is to fight back the tears, you can see the "glaze" of tears in her eyes. The father finds it very hard to make eye contact with the woman however she is staring him straight in the eyes in a very confrontational way. When he tells her about "everything" he did she had to avert her eyes in a very "disgusted" way.
The general mise en scene of all scenes is very plain and normal, the dark colours represent the dark situation and the tone of voice and lack of sound effects create the tension. The lack of sounds in the scene helps the audience to concentrate on the dialogue, also we can hear the breathing of the characters which creates a very tense atmosphere.
When the setting changes from the living room to Lukes bedroom the mood also changes again,When the father is talking to luke, luke can't bear to look at his father, this just confirms the segregation element of the scene.when the father is talking to luke they use mainly long shots, this help create the distance between them, although there are occasional shots of Lukes face really to help express his emotions. The closing scene when the father is looking at the mother they use the longest shot, this helps show distance again of the father and his family.There are no dramatic effects in the scene, in fact there are no effects, it is quite a natural which affirms the fact it's a television drama as all elements of the clip is "normal", even the angles of the camera are from the other characters perspective, the camera is slightly under he man and the camera is slightly above the woman.