Regional identity answer

It is possible to argue that regional identity is shown in this extract of Doc Martin through the use of Mise-en-scen, editing, sound and camera shots.

The extract opens with Doc Martin in a room with two other gentlemen. It is immediately noticable that Martin has a more higher up job than the other men Mise-en-scene is used to show this through the costumes. Martin is stood in a suit showing that he isn't from the area as he doesnt sound like the locals but also because he has a higher up job, he sounds as if he is from London as he sounds upper class but this also supports the clothing as he is wearing a suit which is common in upper class people. Also he is a Doctor so he must have money to be in the upperclass bracket from this. The other men who are identifiably local are wearing boiler suits which are commonly associated with manual labour jobs linking closely with the stereotype that cornish people old manual labour jobs. The lighting in this scene is dark and gloomy which uses one of Barthes narrative codes of symbolism that manual labour is a boring and tedious job.

Also in the opening scene it uses a low angle shot looking upwards to the characters. Martin is stood up higher than the other two this is to show that Doc Martin is higher up in the social ranking because he is from an area that is more commonly identified with rich, posh people (London) and the cornish people are below him as they are seen as backwards. However one of the workers uses literary references in this opening scene which contradicts the stereotype of cornish people being backwards. An action code is used when the sink bursts this is to shows us what they're doing and not 'keep the audience in the dark'. After this the pipe bursts this uses Barthes action code showing what the other two men are working on but also by showing the pipe burst, from this point on everything seems to start going wrong with the pipe bursting and a dog entering. This is the start point of Martin's anger that remains for the rest of the extract. The only people that seem to deal with the pipe bursting are Doc Martin and the younger worker who is the older workers son this can be seen as he constantly calls him 'boy', the only reason these two deal with the situation is possibly because they're the two most educated as Martin is a doctor but also because he is from London and is stereotyped as being cleaver where as the younger worker is seen as cleaver due to his literary references earlier on in the scene. 

In the second scene showing we are introduced using an establishing shot showing Martin walk through the village with the dog music is playing in the background even though it is soft jangly music it still makes the character seem as if he is angry due to the whole situation. When Martin is walking into the police station a police officer is stood hovering the floor, this has connotations that the village that Martin is in is an idyllic place as there must be no crime as he has time to hoover rather than 'catching criminals'. Also during this scene it seems as if Doc Martin starts to get more angered due to his increased volume of voice but also because there is an increased cutting rate during this interaction. Also Martin's dialogue with the police man is very abrupt and angered which shows that Martin is angered and annoyed but it does follow the stereotype of Londoners that they are snobby. 

The next scene we are introduced using an establishing shot which shows Martin alking down the road but has a woman in the foreground unloading the boot of a car. When the woman speaks it is immediately identifiable that she also is not from the area. This can be seen through her speech as she also sounds as if she is from London because she has an accent of being rich/posh. She asks him for a prescription but he denies her so she uses some of her ‘womanly charm’ to try and persuade him. A two shot is used to show that she is getting close flirting with him to try and get him to change his mind. However it is clear that Martin is still angered from the events earlier in theextractdue to him still being very abrupt and snapy with his responses.

Overall, it is clear that the stereotypes of each character and their regional identity are sustained throughout the extract with Doc Martin and the other woman being portrayed ans posh and the locals being shown as more backward or working class.

Regional identity

Scottish – often shown as being money obsessed, won’t pay for anything, drinks a lot of alcohol, loves the outdoors, wears kilts, eats haggis, quite aggressive and violent

Welsh –Often shown as living in the middle of the countryside, less intelligent, good at singing (Male voice choirs),with people making jokes about them “shagging sheep”

Irish – often shown as living in the countryside, working in rural areas such as farms, being very religious, being good at dancing and singing (love a good craic), very friendly but less intelligent

English – often shown as being racist (think St George cross on houses or cars), obsessed with beer and football living in London. Sometimes the stereotype goes in the opposite direction of showing English people as very rich, posh, happy, living in castles and being very “royal.”

London – There are two main stereotypes of Londoners. One is that they are often shown as being rich, posh, snobby, upper class, Hugh Grant types from central or west london. The other is that they often shown as being from north, east or south London, poor, common, lower class, criminalistic, violent “Kidulthood” style

Manchester / Newcastle / Liverpool – Often shown as being “chavs”, wearing fake designer labels, or tracksuits, drinking a lot, being aggressive, uneducated, criminals

Essex – often shown as being glamorous but cheap, footballer’s wives, lots of partying, being quite stupid

Yorkshire – Often shown as living in rural countryside, with rolling hills and cobbled streets, being quite old fashioned (despite Yorkshire being the biggest county and containing large cities such as: Leeds, York and Sheffield)

Cornwall / Somerset – Often shown as being “backwards”, living in rural areas, working on farms

South England – often shown as being the centre of culture, modern, classy, clever, sunny, richer, doing middle class jobs where one dresses smartly

North England – often shown as being poorer, bad weather, lower class, aggressive, less culture, less clever, doing working class jobs such as builders etc

Examples:

Irish:

London:





Yorkshire:




Cornwall:




England:

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of ethnicity

Hotel Babylon

The first interior shot miss-en-scene is used to show a white male in a brash suit being spoken to by two police officers, semic code is used for the audience to believe that he is the boss of the hotel due to his nice suit and his sense of being in charge of this situation of the police entering the building. Furthermore this white man in the suit presumably being high up in his workplace follows the stereotype of white males having good jobs and being well off. 

The next main scene shows some hotel staff running around to get the illegal workers hidden, intense and fast music is played in the background this makes it seem more urgent and increasing tension as they are trying to alarm all the people to hide. The editing is also used well to show the increase in urgency with a shorter cutting rhythm, this increases the tension by making it more fast paced and energetic. The increase in tension can highlight the common stereotype of their being conflict between races with the tension rising as white boarder force officers are coming to to take the predominantly non-white illegal workforce away so there is instantly a conflict between the races. The shorter cutting rhythm also shows the urgency of the situation for them running to be hidden in a small room. 

Whilst in the small room action code is used to show a woman fainting due to her diabetes, instantly a black male helps her out by curing what has happened to her. This is a countertype as it goes against the stereotype of black males as he is helping the woman out so is a countertype of black males who are usually portrayed as being thuggish and not caring about anyone but themselves.

When the ball male cleaner is apprehended a mid-shot is used, this is used to clearly show who is the bad person and that they have captured him. The fact that it shows a black male being arrested is a massive stereotype as it is very common that black males are often depicted as being criminals as the fact this man is follows closely to this stereotype. Also because the man is arrested the audience feel sorry for him and feel pitiful which is a common stereotype that black people are pitied an in this case it being by the audience.

Overall ethnicity stereotypes are used greatly this situation mainly to highlight the storyline that the police are coming to arrest people. But countertypes are also used which shows one of the characters in a better light.

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of age

Waterloo road clip

It is possible to argue that this extract can construct a representation of age through camera work, miss-en-scene, sound and editing.

Firstly, in the first scene it uses a combination of establishing shot and panning shot, this clearly shows the three characters that will mainly be involved in this scene being two school boys and a male teacher. It also establishes the miss-en-scene that it is in a school hall with it showing the clear distinction between teachers and pupils through the dress as the teachers are wearing smart business wear and pupils a school uniform. By the teachers wearing this smart business clothes it follows the stereotype of them being work orientated and strong willed whilst telling the boys off for the camera where as the boys stood in uniform that isn't correctly on with lose ties closely follows the stereotype of teenagers not being bothered about school also how they are acting very arrogantly to the teacher.  The extract uses over the shoulder shots so the audience can follow the conversation between the teacher/s and pupils. Furthermore as the second teacher arrives to find out the camera is broken the cutting rhythm is shortened to highlight the increase in tensions going from a normal conversation to more hostile this portrays the stereotype of there being conflict between different age groups in this situation it being between adults and teenagers.

The next scene is interior and includes a two shot of a boy and girl clearly walking down a school corridor as the mise-en-scene is depicting the students in school uniform and it being very busy also students with school bags and books, it uses a combination of a two shot and an establishing shot to do this to show the location where they are. Shortly following this a second girl joins before attacking a boy, intense, loud music is used to show the increasing tension and make the audience feel like what is about to happen is bad. This follows the stereotype that teens are boisterous and out of control due to her fighting/attack in school which would obviously be against the rules.

The scene after this is set in a classroom as it has a desk at the front with a teacher with a projector and students sat looking at the teacher. Obviously the teacher is an adult and follows the stereotype of adults having more power over young people shown by how they follow his instructions. Again the loud intense music is introduced to increase the tension and creates a sound bridge to the next scene in which the girl has cornered the boy she attacked in a room.

In this interior scene involving the boy and girl the cutting rhythm is shortened which highlights the animosity during the fracas the increased cutting rate also follows the stereotype that teenagers are selfish as she is acting and attacking this boy because she wants to and not really any other reason. The increase in the cutting rate also incorporates over the shoulder shot to show the argument and the reactions from what the other person just said this is a countertype as it it showing the teenagers care or are bothered about what the other person is saying whereas they are usually portrayed as being selfish or 'not old enough' for emotions. 

In the next scene when the older teacher is apparently dressing like a teenager a high angle shot is used when looking at the girls who are mocking him and a low angle shot when looking at him. This shows that he has more power as he is seen above them because of his occupation but also because he is an adult so he has sort of automatic power over younger people with in this case it being teenagers/students.

Overall, stereotypes are followed in this extract of Waterloo road with the mise-en-scene, editing, sound and camera shots.

Kill list production and distributer companies

Production companies- 

• Warp X- Warp X-

A British film production company, sister to Warp films based in 

Sheffield, UK with further offices in Nottingham and London. The company was founded in 2005 and produces feature films. Warp X was founded in 2005 and produces feature films. It is a digital film studio that produces feature films in the UK with budgets usually between £400,000 and £800,000.The studio serves as a format for new film directors to create movies for the first time on a lower budget scale with less expectation for high box office revenues on their initial feature foray. The film studio began with support from organizations including Warp films, Film Four, the UK Film Council, EM Media and Screen Yorkshire. The intent of the film studio's creation was to add energy and vitality to the film industry in Britain.

• Studio Canal-

StudioCanal (a.k.a. Le Studio Canal+, Canal Plus, Canal+ Distribution, Canal+ Production, and Canal+ Image) is a French-based Production (as StudioCanal S.A.) and distribution (as StudioCanal Images S.A.) company that owns the third-largest film library in the world. The company is a unit of the Canal+ Group, owned by Vivendi.

• Film Yorkshire (Screen Yorkshire)-

Following a major review of the film infrastructure in the UK during 2000, the UK Film Council set up nine Regional Screen Agencies, one in each regions of England, to deliver support for film-making, exhibition and related media activities. Regional Screen Agencies have a complex role spanning cultural, economic and social objectives. Each agency has interpreted the brief from the UK Film Council in its own way. Typically, this focuses on the provision of operational activities such training schemes, administration of funding for activities such as film festivals and film education, and the operation of investment funds and local services designed to make a region an attractive place for film-makers to bring investment funds.

• Film Four-

Film4 is a British digital television channel available in the UK, owned and operated by Channel Four that screens films. Film4 Productions is a British film production company owned by Channel Four television cooperation. The company has been responsible for backing a large number of films made in the UK.

• UK Film Council-

The UK Film Council (UKFC) was a non-departmental body set up in 2000 to develop and promote the film industry in the UK. It was constituted as a private company limited by guarantee, owned by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and governed by a board of 15 directors. It was funded from various sources including the National Lottery. In its own words, the aim of the UKFC was:

"To stimulate a competitive, successful and vibrant UK film industry and culture, and to promote the widest possible enjoyment and understanding of cinema throughout the nations and regions of the UK. The UKFC had a mandate that spans cultural, social and economic priorities." Arguably the most visible activity of the UKFC was its direct funding for feature and short films.

• Rook films-

WARP X/ROOK FILMS (KILL LIST) LTD was founded on 2010-06-16 and has its registered office in Sheffield Digital Campus. The organisation's status is listed as "Active". Warp X/rook Films (kill List) Ltd is a Private Limited Company registered in with Companies House and the accounts submission requirement is categorised as TOTAL EXEMPTION SMALL

Distribution companies-

• Optimum Releasing (UK)-

StudioCanal UK (formerly Optimum Releasing) is a film distribution company working in the UK and Ireland. The company releases many films, including foreign language films, anime releases such as Studio Ghibli's films, and independent British, Irish, and American films in the United Kingdom and sometimes Ireland.

• IFC Midnight (US)

IFC Films is an American film distribution company based in New York city, an offshoot of IFC owned by AMC networks. It distributes Independent films and documentaries under the IFC Films, Sundance Selects and IFC Midnight brands. It operates the IFC centre.