TV Drama: The Exam

Tv drama The Exam

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Representation: Focus on Disability/Ability

TASK

(READ THE INFO BELOW BEFORE DOING THIS TASK)

1.What stereotypes are being represented?
   Are they positive or negative? how do you know this?
 

2.Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs representations of disability using the following:
• Camera shots, angles, movement and composition
• Editing
• Sound
• Mise-en-scene

Use of Disabled Stereotypes

The media continue to enforce disability stereotypes portraying disabled individuals in a negative un-empowering way.
In his 1991 study, Paul Hunt identified 10 stereotypes that the media use to portray disabled people:

1. The disabled person as pitiable or pathetic
2. An object of curiosity or violence
3. Sinister or evil
4. The super cripple
5. As atmosphere
6. Laughable
7. His/her own worst enemy
8. As a burden
9. As Non-sexual
10. Being unable to participate in daily life

In 2006, the British Film Institute's website breaks down this list into a series of film character examples for each stereotype, from the 1920s up to the present day. The BFI's examples include:

• the character of Colin from the Secret Garden - a character who falls into the stereotype of "Pitiable and pathetic; sweet and innocent; a miracle cure"
• the "sinister or evil" Dr No, with his two false hands, from the Bond film of the same name
• Ron Kovic, the disabled war veteran in Born on the Fourth of July, who is portrayed as "non-sexual or incapable of a worthwhile relationship"

Disabled people over the years have been marginalised within and through the media.
(ref:http://www.disabilityplanet.co.uk/critical-analysis.html)

A broad range of current social and cultural representations of disability in our society reinforce that people with disabilities are seen to be:

 Undesirable

 Tragic or super human.

 Asexual.

 Dependent.

 In need of 'normalisation'.

 Lower in intelligence.

 Unemployable.

 Different.

However characters such as Jake Sully (Avatar) and Adam Best (Eastenders) challenge this stereotype.



Jake Sully a crippled Marine on Earth, he is recruited to take over for his murdered scientist twin brother to operate an Avatar.



Adam Best, an Oxford University student who comes to Walford to stay with his mother, Manda, during the holidays.

Representation: Focus on Class and Status

SOCIAL CLASS OVERVIEW

Upper class
Upper Middle Class
Lower Middle Class
Upper Working Class
Lower Working Class
The Poor

MEDIA CLASS CLASSIFICATION

Class Type                                            Media
                                                          Classification                                       

Upper Class                                                         A

Middle Class                                                        B

Lower Middle                                                     C1

Skilled Working Class                                        C2

Working Class                                                     D

Lower Class                                                         E

STEREOTYPES:

“Working class”carries different, even contrasting connotations. It could change from positive to negative representations. “Working class” refers to hard-working, blue-collar and low-wage workers without college education who struggle to get by economically. But “working class” can also bring to mind lazy, unproductive failures etc. In TV Drama the prototypical working-class male is incompetent and ineffectual, often a buffoon, well-intentioned but dumb. He fails in his role as a father and husband, is lovable but not respected.

Middle class people fall socioeconomically between the working class and the upper class.  In most middle-class series, however, both parents are mature, sensible, and competent, especially when there are children in the series. It is the children who provide the antics and humor.The man is appropriately "manly," and the woman "womanly." The family as a whole represents an orderly, well functioning unit, in contrast to the chaotic scenes in the working class families.

Upper class is usually known as those at the top end of the social and economic hierarchy. People or groups of upper class status may have more power in certain aspects like occupation, education, etc. 

The social class could be determined through the social status of an individual or a group.

SOCIAL STATUS:  The position of a person or group within society which may be determined in two ways. One can earn their social status by theirown achievements, which is known as achieved status. Alternatively, one can be placed in thesystem by their inherited position, which is called ascribed status

STATUS SYMBOLS

Clothing or lack of it

Cars

Jewellery

Brands

Houses/Mansions

Gadgets

Status symbols can be used for different reasons; e.g. 

To establish class

To assert power

To fit into a stereotype.

(http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=socialclass retrieved research from)
TASK

Watch the following clip: Answer the questions below;

Starter Questions:

What level of class and status has been represented?

What stereotypes have been represented? are they positive or negative?

Are the stereotypes challenged or conformed in this clip?

Main Question

Using the notes from the above questions answer the following:

Discuss the representation of class and status by refering to the following: mise en scene, camerawork, editing and sound.

Representation: Focus on Regional Identity

Representation regional identity

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PRACTICE VIDEO


Watch the sequence below and answer the questions on slide 12 on the above PowerPoint.

Class Activity:


Everyone to write down a stereotypical character (could be made up or existing) that relates to a particular regional identity.


Using whiteboard and marker you begin to draw your character, first person to guess the regional identity is next up!

Representation: Focus on Ethnicity

Representation ethnicity

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TASK: Watch the sequence below and answer the following questions:

PART ONE
What stereotypes are being represented?
Are they positive or negative?

PART TWO
Consider all micro areas and explain how they support the construction of ethnicity in the sequence. Remember the TEA formula.

Representation: Focus on Age

In both clips identify the key micro areas which show the representation of age.

For example:

• How does the characters dress and what does this suggest?

• Whats sounds can you hear and what does this add to the representation of age?

• How would you describe the pace of editing and what might it say about the representation of age?

• What camera techniques have been used and what does this suggest about the different characters?

MAIN QUESTION

HOW HAS AGE BEEN REPRESENTED IN THE CLIPS. IS THIS A STEREOTYPICAL OR ALTERNATIVE REPRESENTATION? WHY DO YOU THINK THE TV DRAMA HAS CHOOSEN THIS REPRESENTATION?

Representation of age

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Micro Area Analysis (Spooks)

Now you have covered all 4 micro areas (Editing, Mise en scene, Sound and Camerawork)

Practice analysing all areas on the following clip.

Representation: Focus on sexuality

Representation sexuality

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• how are characters with different sexual orientation/preference shown to the audience in the extract?

• what does the programme seem to be saying about the status and experiences of homosexual/heterosexual/bisexual characters ?

• does the programme challenge/conform with stereotypes?
• Pick a micro area (sound, editing, camerawork or mise en scene) and explain how the elements help construct this representation.

For example: 

 mise en scene- lighting/setting/costume/cast
sound- dieagetic non diagetic
camerawork- movement/shot type/angle
editing- transitions/pace/shot duration

EDITING EXPLAINED

G322 editing

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EYELINE MATCH



MATCH ON ACTION



180 DEGREE RULE