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.