Task- stereotypes and TV dramas examples for regional identity

•    Scottish

Scotland is a nation with a big personality, they proudly display their heritage and preferences to outsiders this is why they are an easy candidate to build stereotypes upon. Many of their stereotypes include the clothing they were which usually consists of tartan patterns in red and green colors and kilts. These are outfits known to be worn by Scottish ancestors for centuries and of course there is the adjacent tradition that underwear is simply not in the question, whatever the temperature. The obvious foods that a stereotypical scot would eat would mainly include haggis (a meat made from sheep’s stomach and various other types of offal) and a wide variety of hearty foods like curries and vast amounts of seafood, washing it all down with 1 or 10 pints of beer. There are also, because of this large quantity of food and drink consumption, stereotypically seen as overweight and sometimes rude or abrupt. Their appearance is seen to also be very stereotypical; they are often represented in different types of media as red haired, pale, freckled, overweight men; which is obviously not 100% correct.

•    Liverpool

Liverpool and Liverpudlians have been stereotyped and Ostracised by middle and upper class inhabitants of London, South east England and much of leafy suburban and comfortable middle England for years as being thieves, violent, uneducated, uncultured and hopeless. This is partly down to right wing conservative ideologies combined with a contempt for the working class. As a result any media generalisations and stereotypes over the past 50 or so years portraying Merseyside and her people have been derogatory, demeaning and belittling to the denizens of Liverpool and its Environs. They are seen as fairly confident people that are not to shy away from conflict but are also friendly and willing to have a chat with anyone. Lots of liverpudlian women are stereotyped to wear very fake accessories, lots of make-up and dress up for every occasion no matter how overdressed they may seem

•    Newcastle

The stereotypical Geordie is drunk, brawling, red-haired, red-faced, and loud! Dressed in their Newcastle football kit, they trawl from pub to pub talking gibberish and getting drunk on Newcastle Brown Ale which they buy with their unemployment money. It's one of the ugliest stereotypes we have for the people of the UK, and one of most unfounded. A 'Geordie' is a person from Newcastle, UK. They have been named the nicest in Britain. Famous people such as Cheryl Cole and Joe McElderry are Geordies. Not all people from Newcastle have strong accents, there is a stereotype of Geordies that they are rough, common slobs who nest in council houses and suckle on 'Newcastle Brown Ale' and 'Guinness' all day. They are also seen as a region that is extremely well known for underage pregnancies and the tendency for people to have an abundance of children dressed in tracksuits and uneducated.

•    Yorkshire

The Yorkshire dialect and accent is distinctive, although use of dialect words is receding. The most common stereotype of a Yorkshire person is as tight with money: there is a British saying that "a Yorkshireman is a Scotsman with all the generosity squeezed out of him", which references how Scots are also stereotyped as being tight but not as tight as Yorkshire folk. Yorkshire people are often stereotyped as friendly but "bloody-minded", stubborn (also known as "Yorkshire-stubborn") and argumentative. Indeed throughout the history of the area, going back to the time of the tribal Brigantes, through the Norman period and the Wars of the Roses, the region has seen a number of rebellions against non-Yorkshire or non-Northern rulers. It is this stereotype which is referred to in the saying 'You can always tell a Yorkshireman, but you can't tell him much'. One social stereotype of a Yorkshireman had a tendency to include such accessories as a flat cap and a whippet; this alludes to rural life. The cuisine of Yorkshire and that of Northern England in general is known for its rich ingredients, especially in sweet dishes. Foods that are commonly associated with the Yorkshire region include: Yorkshire puddings, potatoes, Wensleydale cheese and gingerbread!below is a picture of Zac dingle from emmerdale farm, he shows the idea of the typical farmer, he has a broad accent and is a fairly stubborn character which links to the points I made above.

•    Birmingham

A study was conducted in 2008 where people were asked to grade the intelligence of a person based on their accent and the Brummie accent was ranked as the least intelligent accent. It even scored lower than being silent, an example of the stereotype attached to the Brummie accent. A common misconception is that everyone in Birmingham speaks the same accent. It could be argued Brummie is an accent rather than a dialect as in Black Country which is a dialect with unique words and phrases, as in owamya? For How are you? Which many comment is not used in Brummie speech. Similarly Brummies pronounce 'I' as 'oy' whereas Black Country uses the dialect 'Ah' as in 'Ah bin' meaning I have been. They are often seen as commonly British as they are seen to drink lots of tea and eat traditional pub curries! They are also often seen as lower class because of their unintelligent sounding accent and serious football fans supporting teams such as Manchester United, Birmingham city and Aston villa.

•    Welsh

There is one main stereotype associated with welsh people and that is that they are very close to sheep, the country is generally seen as having great farmland that is ideal for farming animals like sheep, they have become a kind of emblem to people all over the world to represent the country. The daffodil and the leek are national flowers of Wales. One species of daffodil, narcissus obvallaris, is found only in a small area around Tenby which explains how the flowers have become associated with the regional area. Wales is sometimes known as the land of song, and is famed for its singers for instance Aled Jones and Tom Jones. A sport that is commonly associated with Wales and the welsh people is rugby which they are known to be very good at, this creates the stereotype that everyone plays it, which is clearly untrue. The welsh have a very strong accent which again can be easily picked up however they also have their own language which is the main difference between this region compared to others.
This is a picture of some of the characters from 'Gavin and Stacey' which included lots of welsh characters which were often seen to be very confident speaking and have strong accents, also saying phrases that are common of welsh people like 'whats occurring?'

•    Irish

An assumption for Irish people is generally that they drink too much, this is a stereotype that could be proven true but after many polls it is unconfirmed. The area is linked to the popular drink Guinness that has come to Ireland as some kind of representative symbol. Along with the idea of eating habits, the potato has also become widely known through media as a foot type that generalizes the Irish people and there love for its different varieties. There is a main color that is highly representative of Ireland and its inhabitants and that is green; from the idea of lucky clovers to the outfits of fictional lepricorns, it’s a color that has been built upon the island for hundreds of years. Regarding the people living in Ireland and there general behaviors there is the typical view that every Irish home has a ‘mammy’ a woman that over protects her children and is essentially a housewife. This idea has been used throughout lots of TV dramas in the modern day. Religion is also seen to be a large part of the Irish peoples lives through the strong belief of Catholicism, many Irish people are seen to be vicars or holy people that try to empower non believers with stories of god and the bible. this is the cast of 'Mrs browns boys' which features the classic 'mammy' they are often seen to be drinking beers in the local pub and they are Catholics that keep very in touch with the local vicar.

•    London

There are different types of stereotypes for Londoners depending upon the area exactly that they live or are from. Chelsea and Kensington areas of London are seen to be the most upper class area of the UK; the houses are all marketed for extremely high prices worth millions of pounds each. The accent is also very easily recognized are they are very well spoken, polite and seen to be posh. This region is therefore identified as an area where the people have to be extremely ‘well-off’, wear designer brands and have a very formal or smart appearance, swept back hair and/or shirts and suit trousers. Because of the formal language and dress the people are usually stereotyped to be fairly intelligent with good education, possibly private school children and well paid professional jobs. They do not have a specific foot type that they are stereotyped to eat however it cloud be seen that they eat high quality foods such as good cuts of meat and often eating at acclaimed restaurants. The east end of London is seen as a lot more lower social class that the Chelsea, they are often seen to have very strong accents and are often seen as very confident, ‘mouthy’ and confrontational through the stereotypes created by media. They are known for their famous pubs and often live in terrace style houses in close knit areas. below is a picture of the cast from the reality TV show made in Chelsea, although this is not a TV drama it is a great example of how the people are stereotyped and represented as they are all extremely intelligent, rich and formal speaking and looking.

this picture is a great example from eastenders of people from the east side of London, they are dressed informally, are seen to be hard-faced and lower class because of their clothing and even their breed of dog. they live in a pub in a very social area of London.

•    Essex

Essex has been extremely popularized in recent years through media and its influences on the entire population. There has even been phrases added to the dictionary such as ‘Essex girl’ to describe women from Essex and the broad stereotype that its created. Essex girl, as a pejorative stereotype in the United Kingdom, applies to a female viewed as overly promiscuous and unintelligent, characteristics jocularly attributed to women from Essex. It is applied widely throughout the country and has gained popularity over time, dating from the 1980s and 1990s. it is primarily associated with variations of dumb blonde jokes and often sexualized. Some positive stereotypes have however came from Essex including the idea that women have a lot of entrepreneurial power in owning there own businesses and franchises. This however does not overpower the general image given to Essex women which consists of bright orange fake tans, fake white teeth, surgically enhanced features, fake hair and eyelashes and the extreme love for anything glitzy!

Cornwall/South West

Cornish cuisine is a regional variety of British cuisine, strongly rooted in a tradition of using local produce,^] which is used to create relatively simple dishes. Most prominent in Cornish cuisine is the pasty (sometimes known as the Cornish pasty) made from diced beef, potato, onion and swede (commonly called 'turnip' by the Cornish), enclosed within a pastry crust and then baked.One idea of its origins suggests that it evolved as a portable lunch for Cornish miners, the crust serving as a disposable handle that could be held by a miner's hand without soiling the filling. Fish was an important element of the Cornish diet, but international commercial fishing was also well established by the 16th century, and tons of pilchards were exported from Cornwall to France, Italy and Spain every year. Stargazy pie is an occasional festive Cornish dish with the heads of fish standing on their tails, originally pilchards, piercing a pastry crust. The saffron bun, also known as the tea treat bun, is a sweet bread with its origins in Cornwall.surfing was popularized in Cornwall during the late 20th century, and has since become readily associated with Cornishness.The waves around the Cornish coastline are created by low pressure systems from the Atlantic Ocean which unleash powerful swells eastwards creating multiple, excellent surfing conditions in some parts of the coast of Cornwall.

Clip analysis (hotel Babylon) ethnicity representation

Clip analysis (hotel Babylon) ethnicity representation

At the start of the clip there is an establishing shot which immediately sets the scene for the audience, we can see that there is a white man laying on a sun lounger in a bathrobe and a black man wearing a suit is serving him, this could be seen as a very stereotypical image that black people are lower than white people as he is seen to be waiting on him. It links to historical context that black people where seen as slaves. This scene is accompanied by the sound of water running giving the impression that the scene is set in a spa or hotel type accommodation and there is music playing in the background that is very soft and neutral creating a calming atmosphere for the characters.

There is then a long shot which pans following the movements of the black assistant, it shows the pool and surroundings including columns surrounding the pool which make it look more luxurious and palatial. The pool is giving off a blue lighting but the editing enhances this colour which is typically used by pools as It represents hygiene and cleanliness. The panning shows the man to be walking at a fast pace, showing that his job involves him to carry out jobs faster as he is seen as inferior to the guests that he is serving.

An over the shoulder shot follows the conversation of the black assistant and a younger looking guest that is also seen to be of afro/Caribbean origin. The younger man is wearing swimming shorts which appear to have the colours of the Jamaican flag, also hinting at his ethnicity. The language that they use is a representation of the speech used by this ethnic group, he uses a lot of slang including words like’bro’ and ‘man’. The older character shows how he is uncomfortable by the situation as he seems to have tense body language and puts his hands up to his face. He is trying to be someone that looks formal however he doesn’t want to offend his friend so try’s to play the role of a typical Caribbean man by imitating the stereotypical speech and humour.

There is then a mid shot of two women that seem to be eastern European from their accents, from this shot the audience can see that there is cleaning products in front of them and they are wearing classic cleaning maid’s uniforms. This is a stereotypical image of this ethnic group, lots of TV dramas use Latvian, polish or Romanian women as the basis for assistants or maids as they are usually seen to have emigrated to England for work, so they will do the less appealing jobs to earn little money.

When the women go into the room they begin to undress for an oriental looking man, this again adds to the stereotypical image that they will do anything for the money, he has offered to pay double so they carry out work that they are not allowed to do. Sexual upbeat music is playing as the women start to undress and a close up shot of his face is included; his mouth slightly open as if mesmerized by the women which links to the idea of the male gaze as he is using the women for there aesthetic appeal. The fact that he looks t be Chinese/Japanese links to a clear stereotype that he is represented to be intelligent as he has a lot of money, it makes the audience think that his ethnic group would have to be intelligent to acquire a job that is highly paid so that he can afford to pay these women to undress for him, he is therefore seen as superior to them as he is controlling their behaviour for his pleasure. The music picks up pace as one of the women is shown to obviously be very uncomfortable by the situation, it represents her heartbeat as it is increasing in speed and intensity.

A mid shot shows two white people walking through a busy atmosphere, through corridors and kitchens. The camera is all the time focussed on them whilst other ethnicities and people walk around them showing the bus atmosphere as tension between the pairs conversation also increases. The fact that the camera focus’s on them represents that their ethnic group is superior to others as the camera doesn’t focus on anyone else and they are seen to stand taller than others around them.

An Italian chef and a British chef are seen to be arguing, the Italian character is seen to be petite whereas the British one looks a lot taller and larger. These are classic stereotypes of nationalities and their sizes, people from America or Britain are seen to be a lot fatter than many other countries like France or Italy. The Italian chef is seen as very feisty and passionate as he is shouting and looks aggressive and the jump cuts between them also adds to the tense atmosphere of anger and insult. The portrayal of the characters and their appearance and behaviour could be caused by the influence of real life popular chefs that inspire the creators of the drama to exaggerate that common stereotype between them both.

Clip analysis (skins)- Status and social class represntation

Skins- class and status representation

The use of camera is the main focus on how the characters have been represented throughout the clip but also through the use of mise-en-scene, sound and editing. Firstly is a mid shot of the main character, this gives the audience a first off impression of him, his costume and his general appearance, which is stereotypically middle class, he is wearing scruffy pyjamas and has long oily looking hair, generally not looking in great condition.

There is then a over the shoulder shot which enables the audience to see the other characters from his point of view, we can see their body language and facial expression to what he is saying, in this scene they look disgusted but we can also see in the background that there are lots of empty beer cans/bottles and other drinks containers scattered around the windows and other surfaces, this gives us the idea that the character is a heavy drinker, we can also tell this by the slur that has been added to his voice. In the background is also grey cold-looking breeze block walls, and that the characters have not decorated, or been able to afford to decorate, so it looks harsh and not warm or homely. This sound and mise-en-scene allows the audience to see a representation of these lower class characters, it gives the impression that lower class people are heavy drinkers, careless and that they typically cannot afford comforts in their homes that other families may have.

 The sound in the background at this point is very different to the overall atmosphere of the scene; it sounds oriental which could be seen as totally random or that it has a hallucinogenic feel to it, as the main character already seems to be fairly intoxicated because of his speech and behavior it gives the idea that he is in ‘another world’ to the rest of the characters.

A close up zoom is used on one of the male characters as his mood changes; it zooms sharply as if a sudden change in the atmosphere as he becomes more frustrated by the older character. This gives off the idea that lower class people are easily wound up, and that they can snap quickly when aggravated.

There is a lot of swearing throughout this first scene which also gives a representation that lower class people are bad mannered or even uneducated as they haven’t learnt the more formal way of talking to each other. It can again make them also look aggressive as a lot of the bad language is used to express their anger or frustration.

There is a use of fast jump cuts where the main male character is shouting random sounds and noises that don’t make a lot of sense to the audience apart from the idea that his behaviour is psychotic probably through the use of alcohol. The jump cuts make the scene feel manic, that he cannot control himself anymore and represent his thought patterns. This again gives the idea to the audience that lower class people who have less status than others are left to make wrong choices in regards to alcohol which ultimately turns them into people without any sense of control especially seen as his movements and speech is so loud and abrupt that they actually become fairly scary.

The editing throughout the entire clip is quite a bright effect to the lighting and camera filter; this gives a cold atmosphere, which fits the scene well as it look to be a wintery day in England. The area that the clip is filmed in also looks uninviting, it looks like a council estate which is stereotypically where lower class characters and people are seen to live.

There is ambient sound at the end of this scene before the cast go outside which is emotional and sounds sad, it shows the main characters realization that his children miss him- it acts as a sobering tone as he seems to suddenly react and grasp control over his previous erratic behavior. In the next scene we also see that the sound picks upbeat and becomes more cheerful because the main character has been able to take control of the situation for the better.

A long shot that pans shows the entire range of characters reaction to what they are seeing, they all look unimpressed and this also allows the audience to take into consideration their costume and body language at the time. The girl who only looks young herself is holding her baby which is a representation in itself that lower class people are careless so have children underage that they cannot afford to look after. We can also see that the young boys are wearing very informal tracksuits and all have short haircuts that are very similar in style. Their overall appearance seems to be plain as if they cannot afford higher quality clothing because of their status and social class.

Finally before the end of the clip is an areal shot which shows not only all of the characters, but the area which looks to be a lower-class area because of the look of the house and objects that are around it including a scruffy old sofa sitting outside, this gives the impression to the audience for the last time that they are poor because the whole area looks informal and tatty.

Class and Status in TV drama

There are many different stereotypes for the area of class and status and many of these can lead to audiences judging characters or living people through other types of representations. Generally people of lower class are seen to be lacking intelligence and to not have much disposable income. They are generally seen to wear stereotypical cheap clothing, usually tracksuits or branded clothing that is specifically associated with lower class people. Upper class people are seeing to be clever and well spoken, living in areas that are upper class such as stately homes or property in the countryside. They are usually seen to be wearing smart clothing that is formal and modest, not to have tattoos or piercings of any type. Status is very similar in the way that it is perceived stereotypically as class only people with more status are generally seen as people to be fearful of because they have greater amount of power or control.

 

Regarding the four areas of textual analysis there are again many ways of representing class and status. Camera angles are usually shown to make a character with higher class and status to be higher or above people with lower class and status to show control. Editing can be used to make people with more status look more elegant or soft looking, using camera filters lighting can appear to make a character seem more subtle and blur out blemishes or fault in an upper class characters appearance. Mise en scene is very common to show how status and class is determined within TV dramas. Upper class people are usually shown to be wearing costumes that are very modest and look expensive using materials that look luxurious or jewellery. Sound is also used to create an effect with the idea of class and status; lower class people can be seen to talk under their breaths or change their volume a lot whereas upper class people are generally seen to be well spoken and keep to a stable volume of talking. There are also background noises that would show an area that a character may be living such as noisy cars and music or church bells and heeled shoes that could give the audience an idea of the class of the environment the character is in.

When linking this representation of class and status to age there are many different ideas that can be seen for example an older person is generally seen as having higher class as they dress fairly modestly and because of the era’s they are brought up in they can be shown to be well spoken and polite. However this can be shown negatively as older people in TV dramas can also be shown to be snooty or look down on other people. Younger people in TV dramas are generally seen as middle class with a low status but sometimes they can be shown to be higher class and in this case they are usually seen to own lots of expensive gadgets and be people that are working a lot in high paid jobs in cities wearing expensive looking clothing.

Concerning gender and class and status it is stereotypically men that are shown ot have more status in TV dramas they are usually seen as business men that own lots of shares or run various companies, however this is not to say that there are no women that have power as well.

Usually regarding ethnicity white people are seen to have more social status in TV dramas over other ethnicities; they are usually seen to have more power however this could be because they are generally the biggest population of actors/actresses in UK TV dramas.

 

Sexuality hasn’t got much connection with class and status as it is not usually specified in TV dramas and there is not usually a clear indication of the characters sexuality. However generally dominating this area of representation are heterosexual people although this would a lot of the time be a generalised guess as it isn’t specified.

It is not common to see a TV character that has a lot of class and status that is severely disabled this could be because it is generally seen that to have status and class you have to have a substation amount of money and this money has to be earnt; for someone who is disabled this could be very hard. Some characters gain status through their ability as they can use power and aggression to gain status from people in their environment even though it is not for positive reasons.

Lots of different regions have some type of lower and higher class people living within them. Cities such as London are a large example as there are many people seen to be living in these areas with very little money who are seen to be lower class because of their dialect and other characteristics they may have and then there is the idea of high paid business men that own large shares and are see to have a lot of authority over people like Alan Sugar. In the countryside you get the idea that there are many people who live in remote places such as on farms working a lot but never being widely known and earning very little money to receive education etc and then there is the idea that there could be people living in large stately homes, eating fine food and having titles such as lady or lord of the manor.

 

This is a picture of the characters and setting in downton abbey. Its characters are shown to be upper class as they are well spoken, polite, intelligent and rich. they are also seen to have a lot of status because of this wealth and because many of them are titles lady or lord giving the idea to the audience that they have a lot of authority in their environment. The setting of the drama is typical of the idea of upper class countryside living as they live in a very large stately home with lots of land and antique styled architecture. This also links to the idea of older people generally having more class and a higher level of status as many of the characters that have lots of status in the programme are seen to be older than middle age. they where smart clothing that is periodic and gives a sense of class. The suits are very formal usually dark colours with lots of tailoring and layers. The female characters wear light colours never showing much skin and wearing posh hats and accessories that look expensive for instance brooches and necklaces.


This is a family in waterloo road that are represented as being lower class and status. The children rarely go to school, they are seen to cause trouble and use lots of slang phrases in their speech which gives the impression that they are uneducated. Their clothing is typical of a lower class family, they wear cheap looking clothing including tracksuits and sports brands and lots of their clothing is tattered and marked to show that they cannot afford replacements. The mother is single and has lots of children even though she, herself, is fairly young. 

 

Ethnicity in TV drama

There are many extremely harsh stereotypes considering the use of ethnicity in media. An ethnic stereotype, national stereotype, or national character is a system of beliefs about typical characteristics of members of a given ethnic group or nationality, their status, society and cultural norms. National stereotypes may be either about their own ethnicity/nationality or about others. Stereotypes about their own nation may aid in maintaining the national identity. black people are generally stereotyped to be aggressive, linked with drugs or crime and a major problem within society as they are seen to be usually members of knife gang culture and street assaults. Asian people are generally stereotyped to be lower class, living in busy cities and have multiple children. there are not so many stereotypes associated with oriental or eastern European nationalities that are specific enough to be labelled a stereotype. White people are seen in many different types of media and are generally seen to be upper class and have more power over other nationalities such as Afrikaans.
in TV dramas the use of the four parts of textual analysis is clear and it c an give off a range of different meaning and effects. Camera shots and angles can be used to make certain nationalities look more powerful than others, for example a camera angle that is tilted up from the floor makes a character seem more powerful and strong whereas if someone is seen to be lower than another character it shows that they are socially lower than others or more deprived. Mise-en-scene is used to show how some nationalities or ethnicity are richer or poorer than others. Clothing and costume can be used to make people look more financially deprived which can be used to give the idea that certain ethnicity are poor or deprived.personally i don't think that the use of sound and editing are big parts to how ethnicity is represented in TV drama as it isn't really linked to certain stereotypes however there are certain specific ways that it could be used such as dark lighting to show how someone is smaller or weaker than someone else.

- When linking ethnicity to the representation of women, there are certain stereotypes that are assigned to certain ethnic backgrounds, for instance Indian or Asian women are sometimes seen to be lower than their husbands, they are often seen to cook and clean whilst men work.

- Ethnicity is shown through the representation of age in a number of ways, older ethnic people are shown to be very traditional depending upon their specific nationality. They are often seen to be wiser and full of stories from the past whereas younger people aren't generally stereotyped into a certain category but can be seen as extremely intelligent or intellectual

- When representing sexuality there is fewer stereotypes however from traditional ethnicity such as Indian or Chinese there seems to be a lot fewer characters that are portrayed to be homosexual or bisexual, its mainly heterosexual

-Social class is shown through ethnicity in many ways. Generally in TV drama people living in the UK from other countries are shown to be mainly of lower/middle social class and look poor, this could be because of the idea that they have moved to the UK from poorer countries to achieve a better lifestyle. Its rarely shown for people from different nationalities to be of high class.

-Ability and disability isn't really a main representation regarding ethnicity, there doesn't seem to be a pattern between how people are portrayed to be more able or less able however generally black men are shown to be stronger than many other ethnicity's as they are sometimes shown to be more aggressive or masculine.

- Regional identity plays a large part of the representation of ethnicity, generally people that have emigrated from other countries are seen to live in cities, rarely rural parts of countries or countryside. This is not to say that they live in apartment blocks or city buildings but they are usually seen to live in places like London or Leicester.

This is the Masood family from the soap opera Eastenders this backs up the idea that ethnic families are seen to be traditional so the idea of one of their sons 'coming out' was a huge setback for the family, there was a huge amount of arguments and outrage from all areas of the family unit and ended up with the family disowning their son. The mother of the family also supports the idea that she is a very good cook, she works selling Indian curry's on the local market. This family also support the idea that ethnic families usually live in large cities as they live in east London. The other son is also portrayed to be extremely clever and mature with his age, he is seen to be studying a lot and it is clear that he knows a lot about current affairs in the news.

7 areas of representation & the 4 areas of textual analysis

4 areas of textual analysis

Camera Shots, Angle, Movement, Composition

• 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.
• Angle: high angle, low angle, canted angle.
• Movement: pan, tilt, track, dolly, crane, steadicam, hand-held, zoom, reverse zoom.
• Composition: framing, rule of thirds, depth of field – deep and shallow focus, focus pulls.

Editing

Includes transition of image and sound – continuity and non-continuity systems.

• Cutting: shot/reverse shot, eyeline match, graphic match, action match, jump cut, crosscutting, parallel editing, cutaway; insert.
• Other transitions, dissolve, fade-in, fade-out, wipe, superimposition, long take, short take, slow motion, ellipsis and expansion of time, post-production, visual effects.

　Sound

• Soundtrack: score, incidental music, themes and stings, ambient sound.
• 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.

Mise-en-Scène

• Production design: location, studio, set design, costume and make-up, properties.
• Lighting; colour design.

7 areas of representation

gender

age 

ethnicity

sexuality

social class

ability/disability

regional identity

disability in TV drama task

disability is represented in a variety of different ways through media including the 4 areas of textual analysis and through the other 6 areas of representation as disability will affect all of these in some way. stereotypes of disabled people include the study by Paul Hunt in 1991 which outlined the 10 stereotypes commonly affecting the disabled, these include:
- pitiable
- objects of curiosity and violence
- sinister/evil
- super cripple
- as atmosphere
- laughable
- his/her own worst enemy
- burdens to others
- non-sexual
- unable to participate in everyday activities/tasks
throughout TV dramas disabled people are usually seen from camera angles that are taken from a low point to show their perspective and point of view but also from a tilted birds eye view to make them seem even smaller and more inferior to able bodied people. the cameras are also less likely to pan as many disabled people are in wheelchairs so unable to walk or move easily so are often shown to be still. there isn't a specific type of editing that is involved when using the idea of disabled characters although depending on the disability the shots can be fairly erratic and jumpy to show how their mentality and thought patterns are all over the place. the dialogue of many disabled characters is made to sound immature or make noises that don't generally make sense to show mental issues, music is sometimes slow and sad to show the sympathy of the audience about certain situations that disabled characters are put in. finally the mise-en-scene of these TV dramas usually includes the characters wearing plain clothing, lots of dark or boring colours to make out that they don't want to attract attention to themselves because of their disabilities. other times a setting is created to make the person seem childish as if they cannot look after themselves and need to be cared for because of their disabilities this represents them as something people should pity because they are unable to look after themselves like fully able people.
- disability in relation to gender has got definite differences through the way they are perceived, disabled men are usually seen as the 'butt' of the jokes and are made fun of or used for humor whereas woman are usually empathized with more and are made to be pitiable and a cause of sadness or upset because of the way they are portrayed. Jean from eastenders would be an example of a character that is sympathized for, she suffers from bi polar but is seen as a very fragile person who has a lot of hard times, she is rarely ever used for the effect of humor unlike many other characters in TV dramas for example Derek which has had a lot of controversial storylines. the main male character in this TV drama has some type of mental disorder but is used as a humorous effect in the programme, he is not felt sympathy for but instead laughed at by the audience.

- in relation to age disability again has lots of differences. younger disabled people are a lot of the time seen as heroic especially when it is referring to young children then are often seen to be out of the ordinary and take part in things to out way the stereotypical idea that all disabled people cant carry out everyday tasks. older people are often seen as burdens on other people, they are stereotyped to all live in care homes and be suffering from types of dementia and memory loss, this again is used to create humor. an example of how older people are viewed as disabled would be grandpa from the Simpsons as he is seen as someone who is obviously suffering from some time of memory problem, he looks wacky and mad to audiences and is used as humor.

- there are not as many stereotypes on the way disabled people are perceived through different races however its slightly more uncommon to see people of oriental or African ethnicity to be seen as disabled it is usually white people.
- again with the area of sexuality it is not normally homosexual people that are characterized as disabled its not normally specified though but without obvious signs that are stereotyped to homosexuality such as being overly camp then it is hard for the audience to distinguish what sexuality the character is so is normally seen as heterosexual.
- upper class people in TV dramas are not usually seen to have obvious disabilities however in lower class casts the characters are sometimes made out to look as though they cannot afford treatment or help for certain disabilities so it adds to the idea that they have little disposable income. an example of a lower class disabled person would be this character from little Britain, he is seen to be living on what looks like a council estate flat, you can tell from his clothing and dialect that he was obviously not brought up in a rich or upper class area. his disability is also used for humor as it is actually false but he does seem to also have some type of lower mentality than other characters by the way he speaks and acts as he constantly repeats things.

-regional identity i don't personally believe affects the stereotypes and images that are associated with disability in TV dramas, there isn't an obvious region or place that disability is seen as more common, however regional identity can sometimes link to peoples social class so the points above are the affects in this situation.

Secret diary of a call girl- representation of disability task

secret diary of a call girl- writing task on the representation of disability

there are a variety of different ways that the three characters that are featured in the clip are represented. starting with the female character (call girl) who is not seen as a stereotypical image of what people imagine to be a call girl. she is wearing fairly formal clothing and heels but isn't overdone without looking masculine. she is fairly simple looking, no extravagant uses of makeup or hairstyles but looks smart and well dressed. she is represented as a caring person as she try's to make the disabled character feel comfortable around her and she also gives the impression that she is fairly shy or embarrassed to offend him as she stutters on some of her words and seems to say 'hm' and 'erm' a lot as if trying to hide the awkward feelings between them. it could be awkward for her as she see's the disabled boy as non-sexual so it may feel wrong for her to realise that he actually is. this also links to one of Paul Hunt's 10 stereotypes of disabled people.

the disabled boy is represented as pitiable and the audience sympathise with him, this again is one of Paul Hunt's 10 stereotypes. this is because he is seen as weak so the audience feel sorry for him as he cannot carry out everyday tasks that most people take for granted. we also feel bad for his situation as he obviously has to rely on his dad and can look like a burden to him. the fact that the other characters are always seen s higher than him in shots also make him look small and weak, his father even carries him like a small child. he looks quite scared of the situation as in the first scene he raises his eyebrows to in a way end the awkward silence, his facial expressions tell a lot throughout the clip as he looks nervous and not very confident. his clothing is typical for a boy of his age (late teens) he looks to be wearing a band T-shirt which is in dark colours, which shows how he could be trying to stay out of the limelight because of his lack of confidence because of his disability.

the boys dad is represented as a caring person who's best intention is to look after his son. he is seen as strong as he has broad shoulders and looks tall and powerful he is also seen to carry his son. he also like the call girl acts fairly awkwardly in the situation but is constantly asking his son if he is OK and checking that everything that needed to be sorted was sorted before he left. he could look like he is burdened by his disabled son but he doesn't seem like a character that would see his son as a burden as he obviously loves him. he looks like a stereotypical masculine person as he is wearing overalls like a painter or decorator which is seen as a physical job usually carried out by a man rather than a woman because they are seen as labourers and strong.

the mise-en-scene includes the scene setup and how the style represents different key features of the clip. the colour of the flat including the decoration is mainly pinks, this could be seen as how the disabled boy is in a very feminine area, suggesting how he is seen as not masculine because of his disability. there is also a red, warm tone to the lighting and decoration this is seen as romantic and a warm atmosphere that the call girls 'customers' would feel comfortable and intimate in. there is also a stylised picture of a mouth and lips in the background as she opens the door which is seen as sexual and also feminine as lips are a feature that is generally suggestive of sex. in the bedroom the bed is the key feature, its the main point that the camera focus's on and because of its size and amount of luxurious looking sheets and colours is looks fairly classy so makes the men feel as though they are being treated adding to the idea of the male gaze, seeing the woman as a treat or something that should be enjoyed and used. the setting of the clip becomes clear when a shot is shown of the boys father looking out of the window, we can see it is a city style view maybe London or another large city and because of the height we see that she lives in a flat, this is stereotypically the type of surroundings that would be associated with the use of call-girls and escorts.

there is very little editing involved in this particular clip but the scenes are generally quite long when the male and female characters are together, this could show how the atmosphere is fairly relaxed and their thought patterns aren't erratic. the scene when the boys father is in the car does however contain jump cuts where he is doing different things, obviously bored, to pass the time. this type of editing makes it clear to the audience that he is bored and time is passing fairly slowly for him.

there are a variety of camera shots: first is the shot when she opens the door, the camera pans upwards from the son in the wheelchair up to his fathers face, this shows how he is smaller than his father like his dad is strong and able but he is not because of his obvious disabilities. there is then an establishing shot featuring all three characters which allows the audience to see the scene and setting that the clip is taking place in, it allows them to get an idea of what is happening and the mood of the room. there is a shot of the boy in his wheelchair which is a mid shot of him but seen at a low angle so you can just see the legs of the other characters, this again gives the audience the idea of his point of view and how he is seen as lower than able bodied people. there's many over the shoulder shots including when the female character walks back into the bedroom and watches from a distance what the two men are doing, this is showing the audience what she is seeing and her perspective of the scene. throughout the filming of the dad and call girl the camera often pans and moves with them but when the disabled boy is filmed in bed it is the same mid shot used over and over again which again gives the effect that he, unlike the others, cannot get up an move around freely because of his disabilities which makes the audience pity him and he is unable to carry out everyday things that many people take for granted such as walking or going up and down steps. a shot of the woman sees her behind a curtain like veil, this could have deep meaning of how her job is hiding the person she really is, there is a obvious stigma around the stereotype of how call girls and escorts are associated with. they are generally seen as promiscuous and not modest but she seems like a genuinely caring person just by the way she smiles and compliments the disabled boy. her job is like the veil of her life, everyone sees the fact that she is a call girl before they see the genuine woman behind it.

the sound in this clip includes the sound of the window and seat when the dad is in the car waiting for his son, this sound is blunt and stops and starts, it shows how he is on edge and fidgety as he is worried about his son because obviously as a disabled person he relies on his dad for a lot. there is then the sound of a violin style music when the female character is stroking the boys face and arms, this is romantic and soft and follows the movement of her hand and she moves it. this creates a more relaxed atmosphere and sounds warm and caring.

The Inbetweeners- disablity in media (clip)

The inbetweeners- disability in media clip

Why is the clip funny?

This clip is funny because Will (the main male character) offends two women, one of them being disabled, however he doesn’t mean to, and is blamed for stealing her property and chased by a group of angry men even though he is innocent. This is funny because he is a well-spoken young person and his reaction to certain situations makes the audiences empathize with him but also find it comical

•How is the disabled girl being represented?

She is represented as someone who is pitiable as she seems to be very shy but also to have a disability that makes her mentality appear much less mature than anyone else. In this particular clip she is seen as laughable and people find her reactions to situations funny as she does not seem to realize what she is doing. The fact that she is in a wheelchair makes the audience see her as someone who cannot participate in normal everyday tasks and may even look inferior to able bodied people.

•Are we meant to laugh at the disabled person?

It depends on different members of the audience’s perspective. We are mainly laughing at the main character Will because he seems unsure of what to do in the clip and is in a situation of embarrassment which is usually seen as humorous. Some people would be laughing at the disabled woman, not to necessarily be cruel but because the scene is make funnier as her reaction is the opposite of how the main character would have wanted it to be which again makes it difficult for him.

•Are they the 'butt' of the joke?

The joke is generally played on the main character Will but you could look at it in the perspective that this situation would not have occurred in the first place without the reaction of the disabled woman.

•How do you think disabled people respond to this?

I think disabled people could be offended as it gives the impression that all disabled people are unruly and can be the cause of arguments and embarrassment among people. Some other disabled people watching this clip could see it as harmless fun and not be affected by the stereotype that it gives off.

•Are we as a society cultivated to think we should pity the disabled?

I think as a general society we do pity the disabled, however a lot of the time this is not done in a patronizing way but more sympathy that many disabled people cannot help the way they are. This is not to say that disabled people are treated totally differently this can be shown through the use of disabled sports in the Olympics and the huge success stories of how people have overcame disability stereotyping and are making differences to how disabled people are portrayed throughout the world.

Gender in TV drama

Gender stereotypes are simplistic generalizations about the gender attributes, differences, and roles of individuals and/or groups. Stereotypes can be positive or negative, but they rarely communicate accurate information about others. When people automatically apply gender assumptions to others regardless of evidence to the contrary, they are perpetuating gender stereotyping. Many people recognize the dangers of gender stereotyping, yet continue to make these types of generalizations.

stereotyping is not just obvious through daily life but also in TV and film and other areas of media. women are hugely stereotyped by specific programmes they are usually seen to be over sexualised or to be married, a 'house wife' and to have her children's best interests at heart. they are usually seen as a sidekick to the man as they are usually seen as inferior to males.

the male stereotype usually shows a man that works doing a physical labour job for example being a builder, electrician or plumber. the are often shown to be strong and superior to women, sometimes aggressive or 'off the rails' 

This is the opposite stereotype that women face in TV programmes. This character from Eastenders is highly sexualised, she is wearing very little clothing which adds to the mise-en-scene and gives off a sexual vibe to the scene. She may be seen by the audience as promiscuous and craving attention from men.

 This picture shows a popular character in the TV soap Eastenders Phil Mitchell fighting amongst a group of men. This is a stereotype role of male characters as it shows their strength, aggression and butch personality
 

This is a picture of the animated character Marge Simpson. Throughout the programme she is never seen to be employed, she stays at home cooking and cleaning with her children and is often seen to be slightly OCD with making sure the house is clean. She is taken for granted by her husband and is often having to sort out his problems without getting credit. She is seen as a caring, nurturing person and this portrays a classic female stereotype