How is prison represented in the extract?

I am going to deconstruct a scene from ‘Criminal Justice’, in this scene the main character, Ben, gets into a fight in prison only to be saved by another man, Hooch, who then turns out to have betrayed him. The representations in this clip are made obvious by the techniques of filming, mise en scene, editing and sound/music, prison is made to seem a cold, lonely, violent, savage, unjust and generally a really nasty place to be.

The camera work and editing may not be the most obvious technique used to portray the representations listed, but perhaps unconsciously camera work and editing depicts the representations as much as the other aspects. For example throughout the scene a shaky camera is used, this is often paired with a canted angle on many of the shots, this expresses the fact that prison is life is perhaps twisted compared to reality. The shaky camera work could also be interpreted as depicting the raw, savage nature of prison and generally making the scene seem more real in the style almost of a documentary. The camera work also makes it evident that other aspects of prison life are twisted, such as the status of guards and inmates. As well as the dialogue between the two wardens when the older of the two tells his partner not to ‘see things’ and to ‘let the head inmate run things’, the camera reflects this as it is a high angle shot on both of the guards whereas when looking at the black thug it is a low angle shot, this backs up the representation of prison being unjust. Throughout the scene the camera tracks Ben, whilst doing this it uses shot reverse shot to look at other inmates reaction to him, this gives the sense of how alone Ben is and how prison is a lonely place. Another technique to show the isolation of his character is during the fight, when he gets thrown to the floor a close up shot on his face is used this not only shows us the distressed emotion on his face and relates back to the representations of prison being unpleasant but also shows only him in shot which to me shows how lonely he is in prison.

Another close up is used on the character ‘hooch’ just after it is revealed that he betrayed Ben, this is used again to show the emotion on his face this time however it is regret however he still looks distressed at this emotion which ties in with the representations created. After this a shot reverse shot is used to show Ben’s reaction to the news and again to show Hooch’s emotion both of which tie in with the representations listed earlier, particularly the perhaps the idea of prison being unjust and savage. The fact that the pace of editing speeds up during the fight not only reflects the actions that are occurring but create a hysterical feel about the situation by continuously building up speed, this I find expresses the representation of prison being obviously a violent place but also a savage one.

The sound and music is vital as much as any other aspects especially when trying to create atmosphere and a sense of verisimilitude, it is also important when creating representations of people and places. In the first shot you see a silhouette of Ben walking down a hallway about to enter the prison, his footsteps are amplified here which creates the idea of him being alone and isolated from everyone else as it sounds almost like an echo when he walks. The scene also begins with the score that runs through the whole scene, to begin with it is eerie and has a threatening feel about it, this backs up two representations listed, the threatening aspect relates to the violent representation and the eerie aspect links in with the lonesome representations. The score serves as incidental music in this scene as it portrays the atmosphere and the on screen actions, when the fight begins the score changes and a tribal drum beat is brought in by slowly increasing the volume until the height of the fight when the music is at the height of its volume. The use of a tribal drum beat ties in with the savage nature of prison, if you pair this with the jeering and whistling of the other inmates it really creates a savage and violent environment and relates to our representations. However the fight and music stops abruptly at the point when hooch punches the bald thug that is fighting with Ben, this relates to the violent, savage and unjust representations as it shows the only way violence can be stopped in prison is by using violence, the fact that the music stops as well backs this up. After it is revealed that Hooch betrayed Ben the score returns similar to one that opened the scene with the same threatening and eerie sense about it, this again serves as incidental music and creates the lonely and unjust feeling again as Ben has no one to trust and the eerie score reflects this.

Perhaps the most obvious of the techniques used to create representations is mise en scene and in this scene it is used as effectively as each of the other aspects of filming. The opening shot shows walking down a hallway into the prison, the prison is pitch black yet the prison is bright so it creates a silhouette from behind, this creates the feeling almost of a gladiator or boxer going into the fight and thus relates to the representations of prison as a violent place but also the silhouette creates the sense of Ben being alone. Once into the main prison area it is very bright and all the walls are white pair this with the grey clothes most of the inmates are dressed in you get this feeling of prison being a cold place, the dull colours create an unpleasant representation of prison. However some of the characters are dressed in slightly different costume, for instance the ‘black thug’ is dressed in slightly darker clothing than everyone else, this relates to Propp’s character theory and portrays him as the villain. Also Hooch is dressed in a cardigan, this makes him look like even more of an older person and perhaps the more paternal figure as he saves Ben from being beating up. The man that Ben ends up fighting is dressed in a tracksuit and has no hair on his head, this makes him look more ‘thuggish’, the way the wardens are made up reflects their characters the older one has a beard and seems to me more weathered this would tie in with the dialogue he is saying to the younger one as he is advising him on what to do. The younger warden is made to look younger, more innocent and naive by being clean shaving and having a well kept hair cut, both of the guards costume and make up relates to the representations of prison being unjust as they are made to look less threatening and not in control.

Evaluating our sound map and final sound/music

Our task was to make at the sound and music for a short clip from a sci-fi television drama. The clip shows a man watching and counting the spaceships flying past, it seems he is waiting for a certain amount of ships to come in but one doesn’t make it. The next scene is of the same man in the main control room of the ship ordering people about, in this scene there is dialogue and a man run pasts the screen.

The first scene is very tense so I thought the music had to reflect that, I chose an orchestral theme to reflect this. So I used a string piece for the initial score then added pieces on top such as a short piano sting when he counts on his fingers and a deep bass piece to create tension. I decided against using sound FX for the spaceship passing by as I wanted to keep sound FX’s diagetic and I would expect the window he is looking out would be soundproof. I did use sound FX’s though at the climax of the scene when the character cracks his knuckles, I actually used a bone breaking sound which fitted quite well when I mixed the loops together at the same time. The next scene was slightly more difficult because I had to achieve the sound of the main control room which isn’t as easy as it sounds, I decided to not use a score or soundtrack in this scene and purely have diagetic sounds. In order to get the sound I used a generator sound FX paired with the sound of a group of people on a food court, I added sounds such as a phone ringing to add to realism although not that noticeable. I chose to use a running sound effect for when the man runs to the ‘main character’ of the two scenes, I made sure this wasn’t too amplified however I thought it was needed in order to keep the scene looking real.

Overall I think my sound and music for the scene was good and quite effective at creating the correct atmosphere, I think I learnt to use garage band effectively as well. I believe that I could use it again with ease and it would enhance my future productions greatly.

Analysing sound and music in The Office

I’ve chosen to deconstruct the sound and music from episode one, series one of hit television drama ‘The Office’. During this scene David Brent, the boss of the particular team followed throughout the series, goes about what appears to be his daily routine; conversing with co-workers about the weekend and getting jobs sorted around the office among other things.

The opening sequence features the show’s theme tune ‘Handbags & Gladrags’ by Rod Stewart, this piece of music serves as just about the only soundtrack throughout the series and is non-diagetic in this case. After the title sequence we are introduced to David Brent who is talking to one of his employees about getting a job in the warehouse, the sound in this scene is all diagetic whether it is him clicking his ballpoint pen, the dialogue between him and his co-worker or him speaking on the phone. The other scenes follow a similar style where sound is concerned as it is all interviews with or dialogue between him and employees, however in the establishing shots and conversation in the main office area there is office ambience which is amplified in the establishing shots and becomes quieter in the scenes with conversation. A feature used in this scene and often throughout the series is a sound bridge of someones voice as the scene switches to an interview with them, this often serves it purposes as a sound bridge but also as narration as what's happening in the scene reflects whats they are talking about.

The office as a whole doesn’t contain much sound and music apart from diagetic sounds from the office as it is supposed to be in the form of a documentary to create the comedy and dramatic values it performs so well.

Explain how representations of family are created in the shown extract of Shameless (Series 1, Ep 5, 37.23 - 40.00)

In the lesson we looked at an episode from the first series of hit television drama ‘Shameless’, in this particular scene Philip finds out his Dad, Frank, is ‘having fun’ with Philip’s girlfriends, Karen, despite being in a relationship with her agoraphobic mother, Sheila. When looking how family is represented in this particular exert it becomes quickly apparent, from the ridiculous plotline amongst other things, that the main representation of these families is of them being dysfunctional. However I am not going to deconstruct the plotline or how the family is portrayed using physical entities, I am going to look at how the camera work and editing conveys the dysfunction to us, perhaps unconsciously.

To begin with there are a couple of shots showing Frank presumably walking home from the pub where he seems to spend most of his time. The first shot is long, wide shot of Frank walking with another man, in the corner of the frame a car slowly follows him, this is repeated in the next scene however the shot is of the camera tracking Frank around a corner. This gives us the idea that something isn’t correct as the car seems to be stalking Frank, as it is always in the corner or background of the shot. If you were to know this was Philips car immediately you would know that something was wrong between him and his father, this reinforces the idea of dysfunction between the father and son.

The next technique is a match on action method of editing, this is used when Philip attempts to run down Frank when he is crossing the road however He crashes into a lorry instead. Match on action is used here to get a full picture of what has happened, it gives us as the audience a view from different angles, one of which is Philips POV shot. The fast editing used during the crash creates the idea of danger and once again relating to the representations mentioned earlier, creates this sense of anger between Philip and his dad therefore creating a representation of family dysfunction. After this it cuts to a close up on Franks face to show his response as he sees Philip climb out the car, then another editing technique is used called shot-reverse-shot when it switches between Franks POV and an over the shoulder shot from behind Philip. This works in a similar way to the match on action by giving us more than one point of view on the action, in this case the action being Philip hitting his father in the face.

Once Karen has noticed they are fighting in the street, she goes into a state of panic and worry. This is shown by using a fish eye and a high angle shot to make her look powerless and debilitated, the fish eye lens shows a slightly distorted view to reflect the way she is thinking at that moment. This reinforces the dysfunctional representations that are created throughout the scene.

Use of editing in Skins (Series 3, Episode 1, 0.00 - 5.11) to support representation of age.

Deconstructing Scene one, Episode one, Series three of ‘Skins’

Symbols of Youth

* Skateboarding, stereotypical youth motif

* Swearing

* Policeman shown to be object of ridicule

* Drinking alcohol

* Getting drunk before college

* Effie’s dad shown to be object of ridicule

* Young audiences can identify the characters, and will be able to relate to one of the three.

* The youths are unified together

Editing Techniques

• Black screen creates anticipation
• Hear skateboard before you can see it
• Low level, close up, tracking shot. Long take – shows Freddy’s skill on the skateboard.
• ‘Turd Shot’ light hearted humour
• Match on action, skate jump, shows that he is going fast and knows what he’s doing
• Anticipation/enigma of not seeing his face is solved
• Close up on sparks exaggerates his greatness
• Close up on phone, a youth icon, shows texting and shows drug reference
• Texting and drugs reinforces youth culture
• Low angle shows we should look up to him
• Establishing shot in form of eye line match
• Also shows the feat he has in front of him, however the camera switches between close up on Freddy’s face and the road ahead. The road looks dangerous however Freddy smiles, the close up reinforces this and he skates down in anyway
• Editing speeds up, increasing the pace of action, the camera stays on the side of the 180° line
• Unsteady camera shows danger, contrasting with static camera on the policeman to show lack of danger and rebellion
• Slow motion jump, makes it look really good, exaggerates the jump
• Switching between POV and close up on skateboard shows urgency to stop
• Shaky camera continues throughout conversation with the boys
• Constant shot reverse shot between Freddy and Cook
• The camera keeps with the 180° rule
• Often use of over the shoulder, most noticeably when looking at Effy’s car this makes you seem like part of the group
• Music is played and the group talk over Effy’s dad’s voice which is faded out slightly to get the effect that no one cares about what he is saying

Framing HomeLearning

Medium Shot

Extreme Long Shot

Low Angle Shot

Two Shot

Over The Shoulder Shot

Medium Close Up

Long Shot

High Angle Shot

Extreme Close Up

Close Up

Establishing Shot

How is ‘Marty Fisher’ represented via the use of camera shots in Shameless?

Shameless Series 2 Episode 2 33-37 mins

How is ‘Marty Fisher’ represented via the use of camera shots in Shameless?

Marty Fisher is a character from the TV drama ‘Shameless’. He suffers from Tourette’s syndrome and incidentally is a pyromaniac. Marty’s mother ‘Carol Fisher’ is a woman in her sixties who for her age is rather promiscuous and enjoys dating younger men. As you can imagine Marty doesn’t agree. In this episode, Carol goes out on a date with a young ‘Italian’ man much to Marty’s dismay, so naturally he attempts to set fire to there car, while she and her date are in it. However in the end Steve, the local car thief, manages to calm the situation down only for Frank Gallagher to come and drop a lit cigarette onto the gasoline drenched car.

The first shot of Marty is a ‘Deep Focus Shot’, this shot manages to show all three of the characters in the scene at that time; Mary, Steve and Fiona (Steve’s Girlfriend). It also manages to show how Marty is treated by others, that he is possibly dangerous and should be approached with caution, as he is close up to the camera however the others are quite a distance away from Marty and the camera. Furthermore the shot is close to Marty’s face in this case it is not so much to showcase his expressions but to reinforce or introduce his Tourette’s to the viewer by focusing on his twitches.

The shot quickly changes as Steve is dragged out of the room by Fiona for a heated discussion about Marty. The camera now uses a ‘Two Shot’, this also separates Marty from those two. It also uses a Handheld/Shakey camera style to create a tense atmosphere in an almost voyeuristic way, this function is used often in shameless to create a sense of realism. The next shot is a ‘High Angle Shot’ looking down on Marty who I sat in darkness save the light from the streetlamps outside. This high angle shot make him seem vulnerable however if we follow ‘Vladimir Propp’ the clothes he is wearing and the darkness he is sat in make him look like the villain. The camera then zooms into a ‘Medium Close Up’ on his face to show how disturbed and upset he is, is also reinforces his Tourette’s syndrome.

As the music begins to change we cut to the car in which Carol and he date are sat, then for a short while it cuts back to Marty before returning to ‘Track’ the car as it drives around the corner, this is to confirm why Marty is angry. A voyeuristic shot is then used in the same way to confirm that sexual activities are taking place in the car and to establish why Marty is angry, this also makes you feel like your there. The camera ‘Tracks’ Marty in exactly the same way as the car so as to show us he is going towards the car, the camera zooms onto the can of petrol he is holding to show the main focus of this scene.

Finally after Carol and her date realize that Marty is pouring petrol over the car they clamber out in which a negotiation scene ensues. Throughout this scene Marty is always framed on his side of the ‘180° Rule’ this creates opposition between him and everyone else, also throughout this scene the lighter that Marty is holding never leaves the shot as this is the main focus of the scene. At the climax the lighter is framed in an ‘Extreme Close Up’, however the situation is diffused and a ‘crowd shot’ is used to establish this, however as frank comes stumbling down the road a close up on the cigarette he is holding is used, by this simple technique you already know what is going to follow. When the car does blow up there is a ‘pan’ at eye level across everyone’s faces as to show there reaction. Where as everyone else seems annoyed, Marty looks pleased yet slightly deranged this just reinforces the fact that he is different from everybody else.

Home Learning 1

Representations

LIFE ON MARS

SAM • Nice – Helps the elderly lady with shopping

• Likeable – Main protagonist, followed throughout

• From the future – Get gets the ‘Right to Remain Silent’ quote mixed up with the modern ‘You May Speak However it May Harm Your Defense’ quote.

GENE • Nasty – Shouts at the criminal

• Crude – Makes joke about genitals

• Funny – Makes joke about swimming in the canal

• Likeable – Funny, followed throughout series

CHRIS • Wimp – Scared of veruca, armbands

• Clumsy – Knocks over woman’s shopping

YEAR • Soundtrack – Wings; Live and let die

• Surroundings – Television ‘Test Card F’

• Clothes – Swimming Trunks worn

Lesson 1

Representations

• Signifiers
• Gender
• Age
• Region
• Sexuality
• Disability
• Race
• Crime
• Law

Shameless

Family

• Odd - Shakey cam makes 'Frank' seem unstable, Children hit him with a loaf of bread and the irony created by conflicting techniques.
• Working Class - The way they're dressed, the way they speak and the way there house is furnished.
• Unstable
• Likeable

Area

• Poor
• Rundown
• 'Typical council estate'

Crime

• A good thing
• Not taken seriously
• Normal and fun