Misfits - Teen angst, Ethnicity and Class

Representation of Ethnicity

Ethnicity is a very sensitive subject in modern day television - but look at how things have changed since these two examples from the 1970's - what we consider to be 'racism' today was in fact, the 'norm' for a lot of people in the 1970's. Attitudes towards the influx of migrant workers (mostly West Indian and Pakistani) were very similar to what we see today from far right groups towards the issue of immigration. Only this was the attitude of your next door neighbour.
Many issues with ethnicity have been highlighted by TV in various sitcoms and dramas, which ones can you think of?

2014 Exam Clip - Downton Abbey - Class and Status

2015 Exam Clip - Treme - Ethnicity

Sunshine - Representation: Class and Gender

Easter Homework Clip

Watch from 45 minutes to about 50 minutes - discuss the technical codes and analyse how this clip represents CLASS:

Representation of Gender - Desperate Housewives and Primevil

Representation of Class (Modern)

May 2013 Regional Identity

May 2012 - Disability

What is the exam question?

Of course there's a new clip for every exam but the TV Drama exam question is always the same, only the representation will change.

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs representation of gender (or age or class, etc) using the following:

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

Representation of Sexuality - Little Britain

Technical Codes Memory Jogger

Open publication - Free publishing - More analysis

Sexuality - The Street (Jimmy McGovern)

Start watching the first clip from 7:30

Watch the second clip up until 2:08

Jan 2012 - Sexuality - Fingersmith

Open publication - Free publishing - More essay

Representation of Disability - Life's Too Short

Taboo subjects in Life's Too Short

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/15/warwick-davis-ricky-gervais-lifes-too-short_n_1279233.html

Technical Code: Camera

What the audience sees is
restricted to what the camera reveals.
The camera becomes our eyes
and leads us to what the
director wants
to show us.  

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.

Movement: pan, tilt, track, dolly, crane, steadicam, hand-held, zoom, reverse zoom.

Angle: high angle, low angle, canted angle.

Composition: framing, rule of thirds, depth of field – deep and shallow focus, focus pulls. 
memory jogger: SMAC

Technical Code: Mise-en-Scène

Scene from American Beauty.
Who is the most important character
in this scene?
What elements of  mise-en-scene
are used to highlight
this person?

    (French for 'put in the scene')
   Props
   Iconography
   Colour design
   Costume
   Lighting
   Actors
   Make-up
   Setting

   memory-jogger: PIC CLAMS

Technical code: Sound

Dialogue is usually the most
important element in a
drama (except in 'The Artist').

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. 

Describe music: loud, soft, synthesiser, percussion, solo instrument, strings, woodwind, crescendo, contrapuntal, fast pace, slow pace, sombre, eerie, etc.


memory jogger: Diegetic/Non-Diegetic - D/N

Technical code: Editing

Non-linear editing using software such
as Adobe Premiere replaced traditional
linear editing. This involved splicing
actual celluloid film strips together.
Non-linear editing makes editing, adding
effects, text, etc. so much easier, faster
and cheaper 

Continuity techniques: shot/reverse shot, eye-line match/POV, graphic match, action match, cutaway; insert, 180 degree rule.
Identification with characters: length of screen time, short/long take, POV and reaction shots, voice-over, close ups.
Transitions: cut, dissolve, fade-in, fade-out, wipe.
Effects: superimposition of images, titles, graphics and CGI (things added in post production). 
Editing to generate suspense: cross cutting, maipulation of time, jump cuts, pace of editing, ellipsis/expansion of time, speed changes.

memory jogger: Continuity, Identification, Transitions, Effects - CITEE