Setting: East London
Ethnicity: Pakistani, British
Camera
- Mostly mid shots
- Medium three shot
- Close up on phone
- Low angle showing bin and girl when letter is thrown in the bin
- Fast panning shot of Pakistani woman to show anger over being miss-classed
- Mid 2 shows surroundings
Editing
- Cut in on phone
- Fast paced straight cuts, indicate busy atmosphere in terms of working and internal affairs
- Long shot duration on cut in to picture of max, shows problems of love are universal across the classes
Mise en scene
Within the extract of this clip from British soap 'Eastenders', we are shown a representation of what life in the middle class in east London is like. Themes such as stereotypes are addressed as well as the question as to the verity of the stereotypes being presented in contrast to the people depicted.
Firstly, manipulation of sound and camera as well as mise-en-scene enables the audience to piece together where the location for this media text is set. One of the scenes shown in a medium three shot of two daughters and their mother, they are all shown wearing basic clothing. The clothes are typical of that of people who live in east London due to the fact that the financial bracket for people in this region is very different to that of the financial intuition of those in central London. Due to the fact that basic clothing such as the simple tops that the girls are wearing are fairly cheap to make and therefore are cheap to buy, they have been associated as archetypal clothing for people outside of London on lower wages. Furthermore, during the cafe scene, 'Whistle' by Flo Rida is the diegetic sound playing in the background. Furthermore during he bedroom scene where a woman is shown sorting out possessions for a person named 'Max' (who we later learn is her now ex husband), 'Under the Sun' by Cheryl Cole is the deistic sound playing in the background. These two back ground tracks are parallel sounds due to the fact that artists like Cheryl Cole and Flo Rida create music that is typically listened to by those in the working and middle classes due to the sexual content within the songs, typically deemed to vulgar for those in upper classes. In addition, during a medium two shot at the beginning, we are shown the state of the house from the outside. What is shown are pillars that have been eroded over time, and conforming to Barthes Referential Code, we can assume this has been due to rain. The connotations of the rain eroded pillars that are also very old looking shows that maintenance of the streets is very limited. This further conforms to the stereotypes of those in the middle and working classes living in places that aren't very extravagant and their lack of money is shown by the way in which the aesthetic of the street would appear old, neglected and not looked after, all conforming to stereotypes associated with people living in the eastern region of London being lower class. Furthermore, all of the characters bar the Pakistani woman speak with east London accents. Due to the fact that the east end accent doesn't compare to the Received Pronunciation that is associated with London, gaining the title of the business accent due to the influx of commercial affairs that occur in London, it shows that just from their accent, people living here are of a lower class than others. This is a depiction of their regional identity and conform to the typical stereotypes associated with people living in the east end being confrontational, as shown in the medium two shot discussed earlier where the line "you take one more step and it will be your last" was said. This shows how the setting, accent, clothing and music allows the audience to be able to have an idea as to where the media text is based, due to features within these two categories conforming to the typical stereotypes associated with those in lower classes.
Moreover, the use of stereotypes is exerted through the use of miss en scene and the type of editing used within the media text. The audience is shown a very cramped kitchen area during a medium three long shot whilst a family is seen eating breakfast. The connotations of this are that the people living there don't have that much money and therefore are unable to have a big house with a spacious kitchen. The denoted own brand of orange juice on the table also conforms to this, seeing as if they'd had the money to, they could've bought branded orange juice instead, however own brand is cheaper. Around the kitchen and in the bedroom upstarts, the decor is shown as very basic with patterns being shown from wallpapers as opposed to physical things within the rooms that depict elegancy. This is another demonstration of how the financial bracket that this family are in has had an effect on their way of life: having to settle for more basic things as opposed to the nicer more luxury products and surroundings. Furthermore, there are quick scene transitions in the form of straight cuts. This connotes a fast pace in terms of either work or internal affairs. Furthermore, the theme of racism paired with stereotyping is explored. When a Pakistani character complains to the shop attendant about local maintenance, the dialogue of "at least the council will fix it for you" implying that the woman is a council tenant. This is based off of race purely due to the fact that the woman was dressed in formal wear, showing that she is an. this shows how seeing as the woman was from Pakistan, there is the typical stereotype that is shared across the classes of immigrants coming to the country and taking over the jobs and council estates that the government has built. This is a negative depiction of regional identity, however is unfortunately at times a true representation of how people from abroad get treated when they come to England. However, there is subversion from the differences that have been shown thus far. The use of editing in conjunction with miss en scene shows that there, in terms of emotional factors, similarities between the classes. The shot duration during the cut in of the picture of the woman and her husband on their wedding day is quite long. This connotes feelings of high emotional connections and allows the audience to draw the conclusion that the woman is sad at the outcome of her marriage. This shows how when it comes to material things, yes there are many differences, however at the core of being a person, it doesn't matter what class you are in or how your regional identity is affected, love and pain are themes that continue across the classes.
To conclude, this media text depicts how regional class is displayed in terms of accent and stereotypes. The characters are shown being from East London in middle to working class to have regimented somewhat whitewashed views on the world around them.
- Cramped kitchen area, simplicity of decor depicts low class
- Stereotype enforced: Asian lady lives in a council estate - depicts difference in class
- Clothing is basic and not overly stylistic
- Diegetic sound of Whistle by Flo Rida and under the sun Cheryl Cole in the back ground is parallel, hip hop song which is a typical genre to listen to in east London
- Heavy east London accent from all characters. Sound isn't crisp like RP shows lower class
Essay
Firstly, manipulation of sound and camera as well as mise-en-scene enables the audience to piece together where the location for this media text is set. One of the scenes shown in a medium three shot of two daughters and their mother, they are all shown wearing basic clothing. The clothes are typical of that of people who live in east London due to the fact that the financial bracket for people in this region is very different to that of the financial intuition of those in central London. Due to the fact that basic clothing such as the simple tops that the girls are wearing are fairly cheap to make and therefore are cheap to buy, they have been associated as archetypal clothing for people outside of London on lower wages. Furthermore, during the cafe scene, 'Whistle' by Flo Rida is the diegetic sound playing in the background. Furthermore during he bedroom scene where a woman is shown sorting out possessions for a person named 'Max' (who we later learn is her now ex husband), 'Under the Sun' by Cheryl Cole is the deistic sound playing in the background. These two back ground tracks are parallel sounds due to the fact that artists like Cheryl Cole and Flo Rida create music that is typically listened to by those in the working and middle classes due to the sexual content within the songs, typically deemed to vulgar for those in upper classes. In addition, during a medium two shot at the beginning, we are shown the state of the house from the outside. What is shown are pillars that have been eroded over time, and conforming to Barthes Referential Code, we can assume this has been due to rain. The connotations of the rain eroded pillars that are also very old looking shows that maintenance of the streets is very limited. This further conforms to the stereotypes of those in the middle and working classes living in places that aren't very extravagant and their lack of money is shown by the way in which the aesthetic of the street would appear old, neglected and not looked after, all conforming to stereotypes associated with people living in the eastern region of London being lower class. Furthermore, all of the characters bar the Pakistani woman speak with east London accents. Due to the fact that the east end accent doesn't compare to the Received Pronunciation that is associated with London, gaining the title of the business accent due to the influx of commercial affairs that occur in London, it shows that just from their accent, people living here are of a lower class than others. This is a depiction of their regional identity and conform to the typical stereotypes associated with people living in the east end being confrontational, as shown in the medium two shot discussed earlier where the line "you take one more step and it will be your last" was said. This shows how the setting, accent, clothing and music allows the audience to be able to have an idea as to where the media text is based, due to features within these two categories conforming to the typical stereotypes associated with those in lower classes.
Moreover, the use of stereotypes is exerted through the use of miss en scene and the type of editing used within the media text. The audience is shown a very cramped kitchen area during a medium three long shot whilst a family is seen eating breakfast. The connotations of this are that the people living there don't have that much money and therefore are unable to have a big house with a spacious kitchen. The denoted own brand of orange juice on the table also conforms to this, seeing as if they'd had the money to, they could've bought branded orange juice instead, however own brand is cheaper. Around the kitchen and in the bedroom upstarts, the decor is shown as very basic with patterns being shown from wallpapers as opposed to physical things within the rooms that depict elegancy. This is another demonstration of how the financial bracket that this family are in has had an effect on their way of life: having to settle for more basic things as opposed to the nicer more luxury products and surroundings. Furthermore, there are quick scene transitions in the form of straight cuts. This connotes a fast pace in terms of either work or internal affairs. Furthermore, the theme of racism paired with stereotyping is explored. When a Pakistani character complains to the shop attendant about local maintenance, the dialogue of "at least the council will fix it for you" implying that the woman is a council tenant. This is based off of race purely due to the fact that the woman was dressed in formal wear, showing that she is an. this shows how seeing as the woman was from Pakistan, there is the typical stereotype that is shared across the classes of immigrants coming to the country and taking over the jobs and council estates that the government has built. This is a negative depiction of regional identity, however is unfortunately at times a true representation of how people from abroad get treated when they come to England. However, there is subversion from the differences that have been shown thus far. The use of editing in conjunction with miss en scene shows that there, in terms of emotional factors, similarities between the classes. The shot duration during the cut in of the picture of the woman and her husband on their wedding day is quite long. This connotes feelings of high emotional connections and allows the audience to draw the conclusion that the woman is sad at the outcome of her marriage. This shows how when it comes to material things, yes there are many differences, however at the core of being a person, it doesn't matter what class you are in or how your regional identity is affected, love and pain are themes that continue across the classes.
To conclude, this media text depicts how regional class is displayed in terms of accent and stereotypes. The characters are shown being from East London in middle to working class to have regimented somewhat whitewashed views on the world around them.
Hi Dylan, I think overall, a good evaluation… There are a few points I need to make though (1) grammar and spelling, as you are not under exam pressure you need to ensure that your spelling is good.. I think by speed typing and we all do it that you are not checking as you write sentences hence Pakistan is spelt pakistan and diegetic is spelt dietic… there are numerous typo's and grammatical errors above so please can you correct… (central london) (2) next PEE or TEA application.. vernacular language try to pick up on some of the accents and words used that help the viewer to locate the region to London… Use the words spoken and their accents as examples (PEE/TEA) cleverly Eastenders has a range of characters so we are not just listening to Cockney.. you have an asian accent. you should (3) I think you have covered the music bit well perhaps be more concise though e.g. "urban music" being played helps locate the drama to a major urban centre.. I am not sure what you meant by Barthes referential code… (4) the relationship/interaction between to separate identities (race and regional identity) I think you have covered… you might also comment on the differences between the male Pakistani man and the woman in terms of accent and dress (miss-en-scene)…. (5) the setting I think you have covered how region is denoted by the claustrophobic environment of the rooms, the grim environment..
ReplyDeleteoverall a job well done…