ethnicity work

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y094LCAUMTo

Eastenders is based in an area of London which is very multi-cultural. This means they have to represent different ethnicities in their soap. They represent white working class families, Asian families and Caribbean families. The particular scene I am focusing on is a Caribbean family.

In the scene the family is sitting around the table, while the granddad is telling them about what life was like for him when he was younger and first came to England.

Firstly, mise-en-scene like props is used to show how wealthy the family are. For example, wine and food show the family are living comfortably. This shows that even though black people have faced hard challenges in the past, they now have improved lives and times are changing, especially after the dialogue he uses where he talks about ‘teddy boys’ and how black people always had to face racism.

Also, the social status of the granddad shows how positively black people are portrayed in Eastenders. He is popular member of the community and owns his own shop that the rest of the characters all used. This shows that black people can be successful and popular in the community.

Editing is also used in this scene. For example, cross cutting is used as the family are talking about the granddads past. This is used to show how involved and interested the whole family are on the subject of being a black person coming to England for the first time. This positively represents black people because it shows how interested the younger generation are in what their elders had to go through, so it shows they are interested in their history.

Diagetic sound is also used in this scene to represent ethnicity. There is Caribbean playing in the background while the family is conversing. This is used to reinforce the fact to the audience that the family are Caribbean and it is showing part of their culture in a positive light because the music is upbeat and fun.

There is a predominant use of close up shots used to show the granddad. This is because it shows he is the main figure in this scene and that he is the man telling the audience about his time living in England.

More mise-en –scene, namely costume, is used to represent this Caribbean family. The granddad is wearing a buttoned shirt and a waist jacket, whereas the rest of the family who are all younger are wearing much more modern and popular clothing. The granddad’s attire shows he is a smart and well-dressed person, positively representing the older black generation as well respected people. The difference in his clothing to the rest of the family shows that event though they are the same ethnicity, the difference in their generation means they are different in the clothing they wear.

soap opera constructs reality

There are many different ways in which soap opera's attempt to construct reality. Writers have to try and create a balance of realism and also entertainment so the viewer enjoys what they are watching but don't find it too over-the-top or far-fetched that they will be put off from watching it because it is too unrealistic. To do this writers of soap operas often write about taboo subjects such as murder, rape, domestic abuse and so on. These are all subjects that happen in the world we live in, so they are realistic and also interesting and intriguing to watch. Soaps constructs reality through themes, technical codes, theories of realism and characters.

Soaps can construct reality through mise-en-scene. This can be where the soap is portrayed, the characters dress or make-up and the interior design of houses, pubs etc. So for example one soap I examined was Coronation street. Because the soap is set in Manchester the setting is what people expect a typical Manchester street to look like, the streets are cobbled and it looks very old and original. Because the characters in the soap are meant to be working-class people, there costumes are very bland and not extravagant, normal clothes, what we expect normal people to wear. Although, some of the women characters who are portrayed as flirty and fun, wear quite revealing outfits which helps to support the notion that they are flirty women.The interior design of the houses are also what we expect from a normal working class family. They are very small, the furniture is not very good and they look like the typical interior design of a working class family. So mise-en-scene is crucial for soaps to construct reality because if an unrealistic setting is used for working-class families it would be hard to believe in any of the story lines or characters in the soap.

Themes, especially taboo subjects are also an important tool in constructing reality in soaps. The aim of a soap is to entertain and intrigue the viewers, but to also have enough realism so they are not ridiculous, so the themes in soaps have to be entertaining but also contain a strong sense of realism. An example of this in a soap is Eastenders. One storyline in their soap was about paedophilia, where an older man was having a secret relationship with an underage girl. So although this is interesting and entertaining to watch for the viewers it also is realistic because we know younger people are victims of this every year. It also shows that soaps are an important feature in life because it gives publicity to taboo subjects people don't want to talk about, so the audience has an insight in to these subjects and it may help victims to gain the encouragement to come forward and get help, thanks to the realistic themes.

Characters in soap operas, especially archetypal characters, are important in constructing reality in soaps.There are a variety of different characters in soaps but a lot of soaps, especially Eastenders use stereotypical characters to try to construct reality. For example in Eastenders, there are characters such as Billy Mitchell, who people living outside of the east end of London would generalize as a typical east London man because of his cockney accent, his scruffy appearance and that he is lower working class. This makes the soap seem more realistic to people who live outside of east London. Archetypal characters are also important because they add to the realism and help construct reality. This is because in many peoples lives there are usually matriarchal characters who seem to be in control of people and seem to be like a boss type. In Eastenders, Peggy Mitchell is the archetypal character as she is portrayed as a matriarch     f the pub, one of the main settings in the soap.

Soaps construct reality through cinematography aswell. This consists of camera angles, lighting and editing.

Essay of Queen Elizabeth Film

Mise-en-scene
The oppening of the film is blue washed and quite grey and dull. This shows that the feeling in the room is sad, depressing and cold. It could also show the Queen is compossed, prepared and emotionless. As the film begins we see a lady cutting the queens hair and she is crying wheras the queen remains stern faced. This could meen she needs to have short hair like a man to look powerful and she is keeping a stern face as she wants to remain compossed to be the new queen. The queen is wearing a white dress, with red lipstick and a white painted face. This type of fashion and make up could symbolise purity as she says she is the virgin Queen. We also see a flashback for Elizabeth when she was with her lover (not sure) where there is a lot more colour and brightness which I think means this was a much more happier time in Elizabeths life compared to what is happening to her at that present time. When the Queen walks into the court, there is a high-key light behind her. This could have religious conotations behind it because she seems angelic and it is like God has sent her to be Queen. When she is walking through the court everyone parts so she can walk through them, which shows how much power and control she now has and it is also like a wedding as she says she is marrying England, so it looks like a wedding ceremony. When the Queen speaks at the end, her voice is very loud and stern, it's also very authoratative showing that she is ready to be Queen.

Camera Angles
In the opening we get a close up of the Queens head which shows she is sad but also she looks very serious and authoratative. A close up is also shown of the Queens hair falling out of the lady's hands. This could metaphoricaly mean that the Queens life is sliping out of her hand and she now has to live the life of a Queen, so everything she's done in the past she has to let go of and move on. During the flashback we are shown a two-shot of Elizabeth and her lover. This shows they were comfortable in eachothers company and had a friendly, possibly romantic relationship. There is a long shot of the Queen when she is standing in the court as she just walks in which is used to fully show of the Queen's brand new beautifal royal clothes. There is also a wide shot and high angle point of view shot of all the people in the court as she just enters. This is to show just how many people are there to see her coronation and how she has all of their full attention as she is their new Queen. As she walks through the court we see a close up of the man she was with in the flashback's head. He looks anguished and very upset. This could be because now she is becoming Queen they can never have a relationship and their love for eachother has now got to end. At the end of the sequence we are shown a close up of the Queen as she sits in her throne. This is used to make it look like an old portrait of a Queen and to fully cement in the viewers mind that she is now the Queen.

Skins posters homework

Analysis of skins poster 1
1. In this poster teenagers are depicted to be dirty, hopeless and suicidal. This is because he is laying in dirty bathwater in a dirty bathroom, making people who look at this poster think all teens are dirty and it looks like he is drowning himself in the bath because of the hopeless expression on his face. I don't think this is plausible for all teenagers because not all teenagers are dirty and sad, although it is belivable in a way because their are alot of teenagers who are underpressure because of their surroundings and life and may feel suicidal. This is a negative reperensation of teenagers because it portrays them as unclean, which is a common connection with teens and because it seems he wants to commit suicide, links teenagers to death.

2. Depending on the audience there are different interpretations to this poster. Other teenagers may feel annoyed because this is just another negative interpreatation of them and there is alot of this in the media. Adults and other older people may respond by thinking that teens are bad and this is just another piece of evidence to suggest this about teenagers. Some people may feel sorry for teens because of this poster because he looks depressed and suicidal, making you think teenagers at whole are sad people and none of them are happy.

3. This image could cause offence to many people. This is because people who have had family members or friends that have commited suicide could be offended by them using someone who appears to be commiting suicide to promote their television series.

Poster 2
Characters: The characters dress informs me they may all be irresponsible and sexually active. Becuase the teens are all not wearing much clothes this suggests they may all be sexually active.The girl in the middle looks upset and if she has been crying because of the mascara running down her face. This makes me think she does not like everything happening around her. The boy laying in bed still has his hat on and looks scared which suggests he may be insecure and not enjoying everything going on around him.

Additional Props: One additional prop in this poster is the lamp. Because the lamp looks old this makes me think it's an adults bedroom, meaning the teens should not be in their. Also it is on during daytime. This may be because they want to clearly show the boy on the bed so the viewer notices him straight away. They may want us to notice him more because he is an important character or it is unusual that he is featured in this poster. Another additional prop used is the painting on the wall. Again it is an old fashioned, dull painting which suggests they are in an adults room where they are not meant to be. They may have chose to do this in an adults room rather than their own bedrooms because they feel more like adults because of what they are doing. The bed in the background is a double bed and only the boy in the hat and the girl crying seem to either be sitting or laying in the bed. This suggests they may have done something together in it becuse I also think he is looking at her guiltily.

Setting: The setting seems to be an adults bedroom, presumabaly the girls bedroom. This makes me think the girl is crying because she may feel guilty about what she has done possibly with the boy in the bed. The bedroom also seems rundown because of all the wall paper that has been torn down, which may symbolise how all of those teens lives have been torn apart because of their actions. The wall paper also seems old fashioned, another reason to think they are in an adults bedroom.

Colour: In the poster their is not much colour apart from the girls bra and it seems it has been washed grey This suggests that even though the people are kissing, the mood in the room is sad and serious. The look on the girl's face also seems to prove this