The clip portrays different types of ethnic groups and how immigrants are treated in society by different people. This is shown through the use of binary opposites, for example the bad cop vs the immigrants and the brutality shown towards Abraham vs the sympathy shown towards the woman who faints.
Sound plays an important role in the clip as it is used to build up tension and emphasise the fear that the immigrants are feeling. At the beginning of the clip when the cops first enter the building, fast paced non diegetic music is played which makes the audience aware of something is about to happen.
Once Jacqui is made aware of the immigration officers raiding the building she hurries to warn them, the noise in the kitchen is loud from the frying pans which causes Jacqui to shout louder. The diegetic sounds of the frying pans combines with the fear in her voice highlights the fear she feels for the immigrants.
All music stops as they enter the staff room, the only sound comes from the immigrants holding their breath and the females softly crying, this also emphasises the fear they feel of being caught by the immigration officers. Sad non diegetic music plays as they clear out Abraham's locker, this enforces Jacqui's claim that he is likely to be deported.
The mise en scene is used from the very beginning to highlight the divide between each of the characters. The immigrant staff are wearing red uniforms which could signify that they are about to be caught and deported as red connotes danger.
All the police are wearing black or dark colours, although not all are wearing uniforms, this shows they are negative characters which is then amplified by their aggressive body language. The receptionist is wearing white which stereotypically implies that she is good, however her laid back attitude towards the immigrants after Abraham is taken connotes that she is not as nice as we originally thought, and that white is used to deceive the audience.
The long shot through the bars foreshadows the immigrants fate that they will all eventually get caught and end up behind bars, like Abraham. However the long shot also suggests that the immigrants are already behind bars and that life inside the hotel is in fact like a prison cell for them.
The mid shot of the bad cop standing in front of the receptionists desk highlights his importance and high status, it also warns the audience that he is a negative character. In the canteen the camera pans from right to left to show the immigrants, this not only highlights the different ethnic groups employed by the hotel but also shows how Abraham is quickly forgotten by most of the immigrants, apart from two who choose to pray for themselves or him.
The quick and fast paced editing suggests that they are in a hurry and adds tension to the scene. The fast paced editing also corresponds with the moods of the immigrants and the speed of the music.
Camera Shots
Extreme close up
Medium long-shot
Interviewee looks into space in the frame
close up
Moving long shot walks in to space
Close up
Extreme long shot
High angle shot
Meduim close up
Moving extreme long shot
Tilted frame angle
Peak Practise Analysis
Peak practise is a British TV drama that was shown on TV between the 10th may 1993 until 30th January 2002. The shows were very popular and brought in 12.5 million viewers. The particular clip I have analysed shows the representational issue of status; however I also feel it has gender representational issues as well.
Firstly, the editing of the programme is pretty much the same throughout the entire clip. The scenes cut to the next one as soon as it is finished. The man and the woman are at the beginning of the scene one and two which highlights that they are likely to be important figures throughout this clip. The main female character is pregnant, the quick cuts between the doctor’s surgery and the baby’s room suggests that the baby will affect her work. This is something that her husband will not be faced with because he is a man; this highlights the representational issue of gender. The whole clip follows a restricted narrative structure because we know as much as the character knows; this means the audience have to focus more to follow the drama and to know what happens next.
Secondly, the first scene opens with a close up of the woman which connotes her high status as it causes the audience to focus on her, it also emphasises the important role she plays. As the doctor enters the cell you see a long shot of her examining the prisoner, she is sitting upright and appears to be looking down on him, this signifies that she has more power and importance because she is the doctor as he is considered ‘low life’ due to the fact he is in prison. The slow zoom towards the doctor and the prisoner causes us to focus on the conversation, where you notice she has better grammar which emphasises her higher status because she has clearly received a better standard of education such as a university. A close up on the prisoner reveals an emotional and broken expression, red sunken eyes and a pale drained face. These are signs of alcohol or drug abuse which highlights that he is a damaged character.
The setting of a doctor’s office connotes sickness or illness, which foreshadows a possible medical situation later on in the clip. The setting of the second scene is inside a house, they are painting a baby’s room. The room is of a fairly large size which emphasises that they are wealthy. When the female character enters the prison there is an immediate change in the lighting, it becomes very low key. As she walks down the hallway it gives a gloomy effect which foreshadows that something bad is going to happen but it also highlights that a prison is a miserable place filled with broken people. The female doctor is being lead to the prisoners cell by two guards this signifies that she is weak, vulnerable and needs protecting. The prisoner has been confined in a small and dark cell, which connotes that he is low class and a criminal.
Cutting It Analysis
In the establishing shot two characters, a male and a female, are travelling in a taxi to a seemingly unknown location, urban traffic can clearly be seen through the back window which highlights the city location. There is a midshot, with the woman leaning on the mans shoulder which indicates the closeness of their relationship, this is emphasised when he gets hold of her hand and kisses it which establishes an affectionate relationship. The camera cuts between several close ups of both the man and the woman, she tries to discuss future plans but he avoids the conversation suggesting he doesn’t want to talk about it which adds mystery as the audience do not know why he wont discuss it. The mystery continues when he asks her where they are going and she avoids the conversation. There is a wide shot of a street scene with an ambulance crossing from left to right, highlighting that they are near a hospital or heading towards one which suggests their could be some sort of accident later on. Their taxi arrives in the destination and as they get out of the taxi, it then goes to a medium shot of the man questioning why they have come here. An over shot shoulder shot of the woman going into see the consultant which was foreshadowed by the previous ambulance shot, indicating they are at a hospital which answers the earlier question from the man. There is an over the shoulder close up of the doctors hand closing a folder marked confidential, it then tilts upwards to a mid shot of s woman half smiling through tears, this increases the tension as the audience are unaware if this is good or bad news. This cuts over to a midshot of the man stirring his coffee and then a point of view shot as he looks over to her as the emerges from the gate. There is a series of rapid shots showing him arising from the table and her composing herself as she walks towards the road, did she receive good or bad news is the enigma created. The woman pauses briefly before crossing the road, to explain ‘Guess what’ to the man in the café, as the steps into she is hit by a passing bus, however this is hidden from the audience and the man by a van passing in the other direction. This is quickly followed by a long shot of the man running in slow motion towards the woman’s body, his panic is emphasised through the use of a hand held camera shot to show the speed of him running to her. As the woman lay dying there is a close up of the mans distraught face which then cuts to a birds eye view of him cradling.
The clip opens slowly to help the audience establish the loving relationship between the two characters, this is then sped up through a shot reverse shot as they discuss the past and things that went wrong between them, they forgive each other with emphasises their close relationship. Slightly more attention is given to the woman which suggests she will have the most important role in this clip, this foreshadows that something may happen later. As the cab reaches the hospital we are situated just outside the action, like observers, where we watch an emotional conversation between the pair. The edits become more frequent with more emphasis being put on her face as she insists on attending her appointment with her consultant on her own, which once again emphasises her importance in this clip. The pace on the editing becomes much faster as it jumps between shots of the woman inside the consultant’s office, and the man sat outside in the café waiting for the news. The framing of her face and the focus on her expression of smiling through tears creates tension as the audience wonder what her results were. There is a brief slow motion shot as the woman gets hit by the bus, followed by more slow motion shots as the man rushes to be by her side, the suspense is prolonged by the sudden return to the real time as the man is nearly hit by a car himself whilst running to her.
The sequence begins with naturalistic diegetic sounds which create a sense of realism, which is highlighted by the city landscape and the fact that they are in a taxi. No music is played whilst they are inside the taxi which causes the audience to focus on the dialogue as this is clearly the most important part of the text. As the woman enters the hospital, the diegetic street sounds end and you can faintly hear music playing, which creates an emotive atmosphere. This is followed by percussion music which talks about leaving and being free, which emphasises feminine emotions and makes the audience feel sorry for the woman and hope that she gets the desired results. Music is replaces by diegetic street sounds as the woman enters back into the street, these sounds become louder as she approaches the traffic, and the speeding cars foreshadow the upcoming tragedy. All music and diegetic sounds stops and is replaced by screeching brakes from the car that’s collided with the woman. After the accident the music represents the mans emotions, the panic he feels as he rushes towards her, and the fear that she will die. The last few moments are accompanied by an almost orchestral sounding music, which highlights the fact that the woman has died, this also plays on the audience’s heart strings as they are likely to feel sadness towards her death.
The fact that the two characters are in a taxi suggests that they are travelling towards something, both are dressed smartly wearing jewellery which suggests they are off a higher status and live a privileged life. The repeated focus on the couple’s rings suggests a recent marriage or commitment to one another. The woman pays the driver of the taxi which suggests that she is in control of the situation, this is amplified by the fact that she insists on seeing the consultant on her own. The style of bus outside the hospital suggests a different location than London; this is confirmed by the hospital sign ‘Ellesmere’ which is up north. Once they leave the taxi there is a shot which focuses on the woman, she is surrounded by warm lighting which gives an almost heavenly effect, which foreshadows possible bad news from her visit with the consultant or a later tragedy. The consultant’s room is lit from above with everything in darkness except from the woman, who is once again highlighted by a heavenly glow. This emphasises the tension felt as she awaits her results, this is amplified by the appearance of tears and a slight smile appearing on the woman’s face which leaves the audience wondering if it was good or bad news. The closing of the confidential folder adds to the tension further as the audience still wondering if she is in the all clear or not. The scattered flowers that lay around her body after she has been struck down by the car suggests that she has died and also closes the clip.
Waterloo Road Analysis
The clip begins with Mr. Mead walking through double doors where he joins up with two women; they are all worried for the safety of Billie and her baby Brooke. They have all clearly been running, which highlights that they are panic and foreshadows that a possible drama is about to be unravelled. The music is quiet in background which allows the audience to focus on the characters voices and allows them to notice the baby’s cries. The students running towards the faint crying creates tension as the audience want to see that the characters are heading towards. There is a close up on each of the teachers puzzled faces, it then cuts to them running in the same direction as the moving crowd. Close ups on the teacher’s faces show their panic and fear, this then cuts to a close up of a visibly distraught Billie holding her baby over the stairs. Dialogue cuts in ‘this is what you’ve all wanted…’ which highlights that there is a problem and that she is distressed, this is backed up by yet another close up on her face. This is followed by a zoom out which shows her holding baby Brooke over stairs. This low angle shot gives you a better view of Billie, it shows that she is a school student, which audiences would have already known from the context of the show. Billie is wearing what you would consider typical school clothes, her hair has been tied in bunched plaits which emphasises her age. The close up of the baby reveals it is a girl this is shown through the stereotypically pink babygro.
A woman on the stairs, which appears to be a teacher, has her arm out stretched, as if to reach out or reassure Billie that everything is going to be okay. The mum of Billie, who is also visibly upset, which is shown through her shocked facial expressions, runs up stairs towards Billie to get the baby. This panics Billie which is emphasised through a close up on her face. Mr Mead tells mum to stand back, he takes control which the audience would consider stereotypical of him as he is male. The shots cut from close ups on Billie to close ups on Mr. Mead, the contrast between the high angle shots of Billie compared with the low angle shots of Mr. Mead highlight that she is the most important character. The crying emphasises the fear, this is emphasised by her shaky tone of voice. Billie says: ‘stop saying that’ which is followed by her shouting ‘shut up, shut up’ this shows she is scared by what she is hearing. However nobody is saying anything, which highlights that she has a psychological problem, and that is the cause for what she is doing.
There is a sudden cut to the mum, teacher and students fearful faces as they eagerly watch. A cut back to Billie cradling the baby shows love and affection, that the illness is causing her to do this. The dialogue cuts in when Mr. Mead asks: ‘are you hearing voices’, he clearly shows panic in voice and face. A cut to the mum reveals she is both horrified and worried with hand over mouth to emphasise her emotions. Her mum looks over at Mr. Mead and the camera follows, this reinforces that Mr. Mead is the one in control being the male and the mum is helpless. This is a typical gender stereotype, as Mr. Mead is representing a hero and the women are portrayed almost like ‘damsels in distress’. Billie cradles her baby, declaring: ‘I love my baby’, Mr. Mead’s reassuring response makes Billie fearful and she holds the baby over the stairs again. A non diegetic soundtrack begins to play very faintly in the background, which foreshadows that the situation is reaching the climax.
You hear the students shocked gasps as they put hands on their mouths; the camera pans the students to highlight their shock. The baby starts to cry again, which makes the audience feel sympathy towards her. There is a cut to a close up of Billie who is considering Mr. Meads points.
The continuous cutbacks highlight the importance of the conversation they are having. A close up on the mums worried face reinforces all the confused and fearful emotions. The crowd breathe a sigh of relief as she brings baby back towards her, which highlights that she does infact love her baby. It also means that Mr. Mead has fulfilled his role ad the hero. The diegetic sound of people talking begins, as they are all filled the emotion of relief and happiness. There is a mid shot which shows the mums and the teachers comforting Billie as she cradles the baby.
Monarch of the Glen
The establishing shot portrays a countryside location, which signifies a peaceful and tranquil setting. This almost perfect location foreshadows that something will disrupt the peace in the future. The camera pans from right to left as Amy enters the frame, emphasising that she will be an important character throughout this clip. Amy is wearing a yellow jumper which connotes happiness but also that she is quite young, the jeans she is wearing also highlights this. The close up of Amy trying to start the car makes the audience aware that she is inexperienced, which foreshadows the forthcoming crash.
The camera focuses on the three adult figures working whilst the diegetic sound of the farm is in the background, the car screeching to a halt interrupts this peaceful setting. A close up reveals their worried face, as the scene cuts to where the car crash took place. As an elderly fan exits the car, and reveals he is Amy’s head teacher. The man is very well dressed and well spoken, highlighting he is of wealth and has authority. A close up of the farmers highlights their shock when the head teacher reveals Amy is really 16.
The fast paced cuts between locations add tension and an enigma, as the audience try to figure out why Amy has run away. The conversation between Paul and the head teacher reveals they are also wealthy. This wealth is emphasised by the expensive manor house. The cross cutting whilst Amy argues with Paul emphasises how he is trying to exhort authority in the situation. His body language is typical of that of a man, looking down on her as though he is the superior, this connotes his authority and emphasises the representational issue of age as we begin to realise Amy’s immaturity and take the side of Paul.
As the scene cuts back to the farm location a rainbow appears in the shot, stereotypically rainbows represent happiness and good fortune, accompanied with the folk music it gives the audience a false sense of security, as we begin to believe the argument has blown over. The folk music is replaced by a more emotive soundtrack, and the scene fades to Amy’s bedroom. The establishing shot focuses on the letters on the bed and the teddies behind them. The teddy is stereotypical to something that a young girl would own; highlighting that Amy is still young at heart even though she tries to act older. This is reinforced by the swirly pink writing on the letters. The emotive music makes the audience feels sympathy towards Amy, even though she in the wrong. The shot of Amy looking in the mirror shows her distraught feeling, as she prepares to run away, this emotion is reinforced when we see a zoom of what appears to be a family photo. A scene then cuts to an elderly woman looking for Amy; she sees the letters and a close up reveals that this worries her. As it becomes clear that Amy has ran away, a woman rushes towards Paul to tell him. A close up on his worried and confused face leaved the audience with another enigma about what will happen to Amy.
This clip shows the representational issue of age through the young charaster amy, her actions reveal that she is immature as she lied about her age and deceived those who tried to help her. The issue is also shown through the older generation having authority over Amy.
