Regional Identity

>Linked to class

Representation of Social Class

Social Class can be portrayed in multiple different forms, along with other representations, comes with its own array of unsightly stereotypes. Both series, Shameless and Downton Abbey are portraying two different social classes. Shameless portrays the lower class, while Downton Abbey portrays the higher class. It should also be noted that both of the social classes that have been portrayed, are from generally different eras.

One other incredibly important point to be made, is where these series both originate from. Shameless is an American TV drama, whereas Downton Abbey is a British TV drama. Therefore, differences are already distinguished.

Immediately, you are able to make assumptions about the social class of the people on each poster, through their costume, posture, appearance, and also the mies-en-scene around them. Going a little deeper, and the text on the alternating posters are being used as another form of portrayal.

The actors who appear on the Shameless poster, are notably younger than those on the poster for Downton Abbey, and the actors who have been casted are generally who one may think of when thinking of that specific genre. In other words, they specialise in the genre they are being shown in. This is one of the most important choices that a filmmaker could have made, as it shows that they understand the social class they are trying to represent, therefore decide on specific actors yo gain the target audience their work is aimed towards.

For example, the man on the far right the Shameless poster, front most, is a character being played by William H. Macy. This actor is generally well known, and has played in other movies and such sharing the comedy genre with Shameless. The choice to cast him was most likely made due to the social class that is portrayed on this poster. Since many of the characters whom appear are younger, therefore, these actors are not as well known as he may be.

I'm going to quickly cover the same thing with Downton Abbey, to distinguish a clear line between both the social classes being portrayed. With Downton Abbey, a few more better known actors have been cast, however, the main female actor playing the character to the left; Maggie Smith. She is an actor who is famous in many typically British shows and movies, one of the more popular being the Harry Potter series of movies.

Something I've been wanting to bring up appears on the Shameless poster, and this part of the mise-en-scene represents this social class, yet at the same time, is a somewhat hateful stereotype against this class of individuals. They show typical imagery of the American Revolution, such as the two flags, what appear to be flares, and the most iconic; a smashed and flaming bottle. This generally portrays a rebellious nature, unsightliness, and members of society who don't really tend to fit in.

Characters are also posed in a rebellious way, almost appearing as if they are in fact a mob, and are not at all inviting. Expressions say it all, especially here. Many of the characters seem to be giving what is a typical 'war cry', mouths opened and eyebrows creased. Again, this goes back to the idea of rebelliousness that is being portrayed, which is therefore a negative stereotype.

However, one expression which differs from the rest has caught my attention more than many of the others. The song man on the far left of the frame, holding the smashed bottom, has a different yet more than interesting expression. He not only has a rebellious nature to him, but also that boisterous, youthful, somewhat cheeky expression, which connotes that he typically does cause trouble. This could easily link in with the idea of youth, and stereotypes portraying this.

The last thing I

Back voer to Downton Abbey, and the mood changes entirely. We see a mansion centred to the middle frame of the poster, surrounded by a gentle, and inviting yet private landscape, typical to Britain.

Main Theorists

Richard Butsch (1992)
Working class males presented as; "Incompetent and ineffectual, often a buffoon, well-intentioned but dumb. In almost all working-class series, the male is flawed, some more than others...he fails in his role as a father and husband, is lovable but not respected."

Appeals to young working class males & females, makes the stars more human, like them.


Keith Gandal (2007)
Target audiences drawn in by the; "Sentimental rags-to-riches story,"

Wouldn't sell to social cards C1-E is an already wealthy (A/B) person, no sentimental story, wouldn't feel they have anything in common with that person.

Keith Gandal (2007)
B/C1 represented as; "Social norm"

Pitching at B/C1, subject/s usually appear smartly dressed in sharp suits, look in control, well-off.

Andy Medhurst (1998)

"They are awful because thy are not like us."

Practice Analysis
Shameless

First of all, I'm going to cover the opening to Shameless, as I feel this actually shows a lot more than the rest of the clip. But I'll get back to the rest of the clip later on. For now, opening.

We start off in with what appears to be

How To Essay

How is gender portrayed in the extract of Hustle through:

Camera work

Mise-en-scene

Sound

& Editing?

In the extract of Hustle the theories of Mulvey (1975), Mackillon (2002) and Gauntlett (2002) are both supported and distrupted through the media language present in the clip. I will now explore this in more detail with reference to how; camera work, mise-en-scene, sound and editing contributes to constructions of gender representation.
 The opening shot is a low angle medium close up of middle aged male wearing an expensive suit. The camera angle gives him masculine status as it makes him powerful which could fit Gauntlet’s 2002 theory however, the way he is standing is not a masculine pose which means his character also fits Mackillon’s theory as he is looking more feminine. In the background there is a younger female character shown coming up the stairs to the clothing shop, the positioning seems to support traditonal gender roles as she appears lower down, and therefore less important, than the lead male character. The opening scene is accompanied by non-diegetic music that changes when the women comes into shot, it is quite feminine and it contributes to sexaulising the female character in a way that fits Mulvey’s 1975 theory. Furthermore, it contributes to de-masculinising the male character to a point where he almost appears camp which also fits with the dress shop setting and his job. The shots are linked together with a sound bridge and continuity editing is used to not distract the viewer.

Moving onto the following shots within the scene, we're greeted by partially different editing tecniques, since as continuity editing through the 180 degree rule, and shot reverse shot, as we see the characters alternatively as they speak. Drawing attention to the older female character, dressed and behaving much like the typical housewife character, and appearing substantially lower class than the other two characters in shot. Though she does follow some very typical gender conventions; such as being seen from a low angle, looking up, or high angles when she is being looked down on. This links in with theories stated by Gauntlett, as though the middle aged male character goes somewhat against his theory, he is still seen as much more powerful than that of the older female. Throughout this, in the background, we have a medium long shot of the younger female browsing on the opposite side of the room. This is heavily influenced on the 1975 Mulvey theory, supporting this theory. This leads to the idea that both she and the male in the shot are more important and higher class than the older women, as they both appear higher up in the shot than her placement. 

A little further on in the scene, we have match on action editing, going from a cut in of younger woman's hand, to a close up of her face. Accompanied by the music, this is again linking back to Mulvey's theory. The non-diegetic music again, sexualises this. Also, the red nail polish is part of the mise-en-scene, and only adds to the scene supporting Mulvey's theory. Along with this, it is somewhat surprising to see that the younger women character possessed a ring on her ring finger which usually connotes that a character is most likely married; even though the character is generally flirting with the male. It is interesting that he is easily distracted by this behaviour, though, this does support both Gauntlett and Mackillion's theories. Here, there is a fade out/into black, as the middle aged male runs out of the shot. The male character is a rather confusing one, as he comes across as a typical camp, feminine character in the way he stands, and through his actions. However, this character must be instead straight, as Gauntlett's theory is being supported. He looks down on the younger female character in a medium long shot, and is portrayed this way too, by over the shoulder, high angle, close ups; for the simple reasoning that he appears higher up than the women, and therefore has the powerful vibes.

⭐ Sound ⭐

Sound is an important factor to any piece of film, be it a movie of a TV show. Though there are a lot of things accounted for an effective sound throughout any piece of film; and everything below is important to understand.

Diegetic and Non-Diegetic

Diegetic sound is 'realistic to what we see on screen. The source of this sound is visible on screen, and is involved with the narrative. A door slamming, sirens in the distance, or a phone ringing are basic examples of what diegetic sound is. More examples may include:

• Dialogue 
• Sounds created by objects 
• Music coming from instruments on screen
• Room tone and ambience (background noise)

Non-Diegetic sound is practically the opposite of diegetic sound. The source is not present within that narrative, nor is is supposed to be. This can only be heard by the audience alone. Examples are as follows:

• Music to set the mood
• Soundtrack or score
• Dramatic sound effects that do not fit with what is on screen
• Commentary

Terminology 

Non-Diegetic

• Title music: Theme tunes, usually used within the opening titles of a moving image series or movie

• Score/incidental music: Orchestral music, used to connote the tone/atmosphere

• Sound motifs: Sounds associated with certain characters; connoting that something good/bad is about to happen

• Sound effects: Used to create atmosphere 

• Voice over: Gives the viewer a better insight of the thoughts of a character (creating a bond between both the audience and the character), set the scene or progress the narrative

Diegetic

Synchronous sound: Sounds matching what is seen on screen

Sound effects: Realistic sounds matching the action on screen; creating realism or connoting atmosphere (gun shots, door opening/closing)

Dialogue: Characters speaking

Ambient sound: Natural background noise you would expect to hear if the scene were real. This is vital to creating realism

Camera Movements

Camera movement is an important part of film making; as it makes in interesting and enjoyable to the viewers. There are particular types of these movements that are used most commonly, yet are effective and a major part of making a good piece of video or film.

• Zoom In 
• Zoom Out
• Tilt
• Dutch Tilt
• Hitchcock Zoom
• Dolly Shot (Tracking or Trucking)
• Pan
• Swish Pan

I found a specific video which I'll link here, which I found somewhat useful when hearing about camera movements for the first time, so to speak.

Camera Movements in Use

After watching this video; I'm now going to link a specific movie scene to each of the camera movement types; giving a somewhat clearer idea of wha each of these camera movements play out like, and also what genres they work best in.

ZOOM IN

Jaws has this specific scene, which used a simple zoom in, yet for the year this movie was produced; it is very effective and along with the sound and what is occurring in this specific moment of the movie.

ZOOM OUT

Contact includes a very effective scene, which I rather like. This specific scene has a zoom out, though it could somewhat be a tracking scene, in other ways. It makes this specific scene very effective and definitely dramatic at the same time.

TILT & DUTCH TILT

Camera Shots and Camera Angles

TYPES OF SHOT

• Cut In (CI)
• Extreme Close Up (ECU)
• Close Up (CU)
• Medium Close Up (MCU)
• Medium Shot (MS)
• Medium Long Shot (MLS)
• Long Shot (LS)
• Extreme Long Shot (ELS)

CAMERA ANGLES

• Birds Eye
• High Angle
• Worms Eye
• Low Angle
• Dutch Tilt

EDITING

Editing Shots together is also an important skill to learn. Though this isn't the best piece of editing, it still shows the use of editing music in, adding transitions; whilst also showing the different types of shots and angles, as well as a few examples of camera movements, such as the pan at the start.