Disability Representation Practice Essay

How is disability represented in the extract?

Refer to:

Camera work

Mise-en-scene

Sound

Editing

In 1998, Jessica Evans argued that disabled people are ‘punished by being excluded from ordinary life’. The media language in the extract supports Evans theory in a number of ways and shows examples of when this can happen.

This extract starts with a close up shot of a fence and barbed wire; this could possibly represent a cage that keeps the character shut inside. This links with Evans theory that disabled people have “Strict rules of decorum involving standards of privacy, decency and dignity effect representation”. The next shot shows a close up of the disabled mans face – revealing his scars. This links with some of the stereotypes (Barnes, 1992) of disabled people; for example the character is a victim or subject of violence and is incapable of fully participating in every day life. The next shot shows an eye-line match while the characters are having a conversation in the building site where the disabled character is trying to get his old job back, which includes over-the-shoulder shots. During this shot, there is the diegetic sound of people in the background.

When the character asks if there is any possibility for his job back, the other characters try and make excuses for why he can’t. This supports Evans theory that disabled people are seen as “childish, dependant and underdeveloped,” connoting that disabled people are treated differently because of the way they look or act. During this scene, there is parallel editing that shows the conversation between the two characters about the disabled man returning to his job and the character that is sat in the vehicle’s facial expressions that suggest it will be bad news for the disabled character. Emphasis is put onto the disabled mans scars by changing from a close up of the character he is talking to, to an extreme close up of his own face when he is talking.

Later on, the disabled character tries to help his wife with the shopping from the car. When he came behind her to pick up the shopping, she was startled because she didn’t know he was there and screamed. The camera shows an extreme close up of his face after his wife turns around; this suggests that she was startled by his appearance rather than because she was surprised that he was behind her. This supports Evans theory that seeing disability “causes unpleasure” to the viewer. In terms of mise-en-scene, this scene happens in a normal environment of a street of houses connoting that the disabled character has freedom rather than before when the fence was in front of him; but because of this freedom, he is frightening normal people and is somewhere where he might not think he belongs.

After the disabled character realises he has scared his wife, he walks away. This suggests that he thinks it is because of his appearance and doesn’t want to be somewhere where he will only be frightening people. When his wife goes after him, there is hand-held camera movement in the camera work that could represent his anger and frustration as he walks off, and also his wife’s determination to make him know that he misunderstood. This links with some of Barnes’ stereotypes; for example, he could be incapable of a worthwhile relationship, and also incapable of fully participating in everyday life.

After he leaves the quiet housing street, he walks through a busy town environment. During his time here, the camera shows many ‘normal’ people on the street staring at him. There is parallel editing that shows medium shots of him walking at a fast pace through the street, and also point of view shots of people looking at him. This supports Barnes theory that disabled people can be seen as “freak shows”. During this scene, there is a non-diegetic drum beat as he walks which creates an intense atmosphere connoting that he is still angry and frustrated with the way he looks and the way he is being treated. This supports Barnes theory that disabled people have “aggressive anger” because of these reasons.

He then goes to an office where he complains about the way he looks and the fact that he isn’t getting compensation from the army because his injuries “won’t affect his everyday life”. Throughout this scene, the camera angles suggest the amount power and authority there is between the characters: when the camera is facing the disabled character, there is a low angle that suggest that he has no power and is below the other character, whereas there is a high angle when the camera is facing the other character; suggesting that he has all the power and that the viewer should look up to him. During this conversation between the characters, there is eye-line match editing and over the shoulder shots. In terms of mise-en-scene, the dark lighting in the room suggests anger from the disabled character and also the idea that he should live in the dark because of his appearance as he is seen as a “A burden / outcast” (Barnes, 1992) when in public. The line shadows on his face created from the light shining through the blinds could again represent a cage or being behind bars like an animal because of the way he looks. Again, this links with Barnes theory that disabled people are seen as “freak shows”, and Evans theory that people have “Strict rules of decorum involving standards of privacy, decency and dignity effect representation”.

Youth Representation Practice Essay

How is age represented in the extract?

Refer to:

Camera Work

Mise-en-scene

Sound

Editing

In 1904, Stanley Hall argued that young people are “emotional”, “depressed” and “criminal”. The media language in the extract supports Halls Theory in a number of ways, but also at times disrupts this and moves more towards the arguments concerning mixed metaphors of “Youth as trouble and youth as fun” that Hedbridge (1988) and Osgerby (1998) put forward concerning the media and stereotypes.

The extract starts with fast moving visually interesting montage of short clips that reveal the modern day setting and the characters. The whole montage is linked together using a sound bridge of up-beat non-diegetic music. The non-diegetic music acts as a mixed metaphor when read alongside the images because the shots shows the characters as being trouble/rebellious while the sound makes the whole thing sound ‘fun’. This connotes that the extract links and supports Hedbridge/Osgerby’s idea of youth as mixed metaphor.

In terms of the images themselves, there are a number of shots that tell the viewer a lot about the youth representation. First, there was a medium close-up shot of a teenager smoking; this supports Hedbridges theory that youth are trouble makers and connotes that teenagers are rebellious. There was also a close-up shot of a girl that was not dressed very conservatively, connoting that she is also rebellious. Another shot showed teenagers kissing which links with Stanley Hall’s theory that teenagers are addicted to sex. A close up shot of teenagers smiling and a medium ariel shot of them on a trampoline links with Hedbridge and Osgerby’s theory that youth is fun. An extreme close up of a girl crying and another one of a girl wearing dark make-up supports Halls theory that teenagers are emotional and depressed, which connotes that they are emotionally unstable.

After the opening montage, the next shot is extreme close up (birds eye view) of the main character. It zooms back to a high angle shot revealing an interesting mise-en-scene choice – the duvet that has a naked man and woman on it. The high angle connotes the audience should look down on the young male while the mise-en-scene choice connotes that teenagers are addicted to sex and are rebellious, linking to Hall’s theory because he says that if youth does not have excitement in a moral form, “it is more prone to be sought in sex or drink”. During this, there is an ambient sound of birds, which connotes that this scene starts in the morning. Next, the diegetic sound of Tony’s alarm plays – this goes against Halls theory that teenagers are lazy and depressed as he was awake before his alarm sounded.

During the next part, there is a diegetic sound of R&B / Hip-Hop music that plays while Tony exercises. The genre of music is associated with crime, youth and rebelling which supports Halls theory that criminal activity increases between the ages of 12 & 24. The lyrics to the song also link with Halls theory that teenagers are sex addicted and also with the fact the Tony is exercising and working out to make himself look more attractive. Throughout this part, the camera movement allows the viewer to see around Tony’s room: it is tidy, and his clothes are folded neatly which shows he might not be a stereotypical teenager, so it goes against Halls theory that teenagers are criminals and depressed as that would connote that they do not care for their homes or belongings.

The next shot is parallel editing and starts with a tracking shot revealing a young teenage girl. In terms of mise-en-scene, she is dressed in a short skirt, stockings, a low-cut crop top that is revealing and has dark messy make up; this links with Hall’s theory that teenagers are emotional and depressed, which connotes that they are emotionally unstable. It then goes to 1-2 shots between the neighbour and Tony. When the shot shows Tony’s point of view from his window towards the female, middle-aged neighbour that is naked, there is a hand-held camera movement, which connotes that he is excited – this links with Halls theory that teenagers find excitement in sex. The adult that he is staring at knows he is looking at her and encourages it - this goes again Halls theory that that it only teenagers that go through this stage of upheaval, “before establishing a more stable equilibrium at adulthood.” During this, the R&B / Hip-Hop music still plays with lyrics that link with Halls theory.

After this, there is more parallel editing between Tony and his sister, Effy. A high angle shot of Effy showing hand movements that show that she wants to be let in connotes that the audience should look down on her. It then goes to a medium shot of Tony turning up his music of a heavy metal genre to max, which gets his dads attention. When his dad enters, there is a medium shot of him shouting at Tony: “Tony! Turn it down!”, and calls Tony things like “Twat”. This links with Richard Butsch (1992) theory as he says working class males in the media are presented as; "Incompetent and ineffectual, often a buffoon, well-intentioned but dumb.”

During the time that Tony’s Dad is shouting at him, his sister lets herself into the house and up the stairs. As she comes up the stairs, there is a Hitchcock zoom, which connotes the state that she is in and the fact that she had been out all night. While this happens, their dad shouts at Tony: “Every fucking morning!” - this suggests that Effy is out most nights and Tony has to let her in using this method often, connoting that she is rebellious and in trouble often. When she gets into her room, the lighting is dark – this connotes trouble which links to Hedbridge’s theory. In terms of mise-en-scene, there are pillows used under Effy’s duvet to make out that she is in bed. She then gets changed into her school uniform quickly and takes off her make up from the night before – this shows that she is rebellious as she has been out all night without her parents knowing and links to Halls theory that “‘all’ young people go through some degree of emotional and behavioral upheaval”.