American Beauty, Mise-en-scene

Colour
The background is a mild, dull grey-ish tone which may reflect what the parents personality is. Blue is the matching colour between the table accessories and the women's clothing which may suggest she is in charge of the household. She is portraying the traditional family view of the expressive role. The flowers in the middle of the table are bright red which may represent the only love holding the family together being the girl and the sexual nature holding the two adults together. 

Costume
The man in this picture is wearing very formal, dull coloured clothing. This may be impacted by the fact his life is also, dull and boring. He's dressed in clothes that are maybe older than his age showing he's comfortable and not bothered what others think. The women on the other hand seems to take care of what she looks like. The silk shirt and formal accessories suggest a large amount of wealth which she has and that she may be dressing the way she does to attract and for sexual pleasure, agreeing with Laura Mulvey's male gaze concept. 

Lighting
The overall lighting in this still is fairly dark and eerie. The parents are in the dark which shows gloom and hatred towards the two characters. The daughter is in the light, literally showing shes the light and heart of the family and keeping it going. The curtains drawn may reveal that the family are stopping the light coming in from outside, they are hiding their problems from the world. The lit candles in the middle suggest the girl has the power as she is the one in the light. Also, the candles are only temporary which could portray the daughters existence in the family. She will grow up and leave just like the candles will burn out and die. The lamp turned off may be broken and need fixing to turn the light on, just like the families problems may need fixing. The mother is further away from the light showing she may have given up, leaning out of the light not wanting to be seen. The father is more in the light than the mother showing he has a little more hope trying to make things better, he may have done something wrong and trying to make it better. 

Body Language & Posture
The mothers posture is very upright and slightly leaned back, suggesting she doesn't want to be involved in the conversation. Her elbows are off the table showing she has good manners.No-one is looking at her either which shows maybe shes being ignored. The father is leaning forward showing his need to be wanted and keen involvement in the conversation. He is upright and has his elbows off the table suggesting he was brought up with good manners. The daughter is slouched and has her elbows on the table showing she is a stereotypical rebellious teenager and has very little manners. 

Framing
The characters are equally spaced where they are sat, with the girl in the middle. She is in the middle showing she's the focus of the family and that the two adults are only there because she is there. They are all sat round the table and at a parallel to the candles.

Hair & Make-up
the woman has short hair which is quite formal. The length may be to suite her lifestyle so it doesn't get it the way. Her face looks contoured showing she takes pride in her appearance. The girl has fairly simple hair and make-up which gives her an innocent and youthful look due to her glowing skin. Though the heavy eye make-up and lipstick shows the older side to her. It also suggests sexuality and seduction. The man has a formal, old-fashioned haircut which makes him look like the man of the house and more common. The receding hairline shows his age and the stress he may have in his life.

Setting & Props
The parents are equally spaced apart from the daughter in the middle. They are quite a way from her which may be because they are scared of her. The candles, flowers and other ornaments on the table are all positioned around the girl, giving the impression that she is the centre of attention. The parents both have their elbows off the table, though there is contrast where the girl does have her elbows on the table, showing rebellion.

Facial Expressions
the girl has a very sarcastic, rebellious look to her which may be due to her not agreeing with something. She has a similar expression to her mum, who has more of a emotionless, concerned look to her. They are both looking at the man but the woman may be giving a more 'wife death stare' as she doesn't look amused. The daughter doesn't look amused either and so they may be ganging up on the male. However, he looks the most comfortable in the room. He's smiling and looks raring to go or ready to speak his thoughts to the family.

Les Miserables

Representation of Gender - Sherlock Holmes

At the beginning of this clip, an establishing shot is used which shows the audience that an older century is scripted (possibly 19th Century), due to the old fashioned transport of horse and cart. Jump cuts are regularly used to quickly switch between scenes. This shows that everything is happening with short timing which shows that men are quick thinking and faced paced. The characters in the scene are all wearing dark clothing apart from the one man in custody who is wearing white. this may be done on purpose to highlight the man and show that there is always a hero in a situation. The focus is on him which is why he is dressed differently and put in a different colour to the other males. This may suggest he is a man of good will and speaking for what he believes in, but the others are dull and following the norms and values of the law.


Most of the men in this clip portray the typical 'alpha male' stereotype. They all have side burns and facial hair which represents the men they are which is wealthy, and of high importance. It is more manly because women cant grow facial hair and so shows the superiority to females. The faced paced non-diegetic music gives the impression n that something will happen and creates tension. There are no women to be seen which gives the impression that they are at home. portraying the stereotypical mage of a women, filling the expressive role while the man works. It is depicting gender segregation. The dark lighting is foreshadowing the dark situation that is about to come.


There is silence in the clip when the man in handcuffs is taken to a man seen of higher importance. He is stereotypically representing a man as it is clear he is to do with the law, which accounts for the fact men have are seen to have better and higher paid jobs - which this man clearly has. We can see this from the many fancy bottles on the table and the attention to detail on the carving of the wood. the diegetic sound of their accent is very posh which shows the superiority.


The flashbacks in the scene are done using jump cuts which shows the Sherlock has thought about what he is going to say and do. he is following the stereotype of a man in that century by observing the other mans actions in order to catch him of his own mistakes. he is daring and so both men are proving their masculinity by starting a fight. One of the characters is stood up which shows he is ready to fight and the gun in his hand further makes the point that he is representing a man of himself. The camera uses and extreme close up to emphasise the fear on the mans face... When the smoke fills the room, the character cant see where Sherlock is, which may foreshadow that he actually doesn't know what's about to happen. When the handcuffs slide along the floor from the smoke, the camera zooms into his face which shows fear as he knows he is man of strength and the handcuffs took that strength away from him.


When Sherlock jumps from the window, this represents the man to be stereotypically fearless and daring. The diegetic sound of the splash shows the lengths of which he took to escape. In the boast, the woman there is portraying the stereotypical view of a female. She is wearing make-up and red lipstick which gives the impression she is trying to impress the male which agrees with Laura Mulvey's ideas of the male gaze, that the women is only there for the pleasure of the male character or the male audience. The men on the boat are wearing top hats and smart suits which suggests wealth and a higher occupation. The men are all stood up but the women sat down in the frame which follows the stereotypical ideas that men are superior to mean as they're looking down on her.  

SKINS - Initial Analysis

There is a number of different shots used throughout the five minute clip from Skins that present the characters as reckless and at a confused aged which is full of lust and a representation of their age. 

An establishing shot starts of the scene. Three boys are walking into a house, however give the impression that they are intoxicated as they appear not to be able to walk in a straight line representing their age to be reckless. Within the shot their also seems to be quite a bit of litter on the lawn which gives the impression that their age group don’t care about the environment, again they are reckless. The non-diagetic sound, the music in the background suggests they are getting up to no good due to the bouncy, jolly music which may mean they're going to ‘clown’ about.

 The scene then switches to them going into the house where they give the idea that they are disrespectful as they just walk in, also leaving their shoes on which can be seen to be disrespectful as well. There are empty bottles in the long shot which agrees with the stereotype that teenagers these days ignore things which may have a negative impact on their health, they are naive and prefer to have a good time whilst at the age they are at. A point-of-view shot is on screen when one of the boys takes the phones left on the table. Many people link the disgrace of stealing with teens and this supports the ideas and makes the young males look very disrespected towards others. 

The scene then changes to further into the party where everyone is dancing in a room. Th camera shot used is an over-the-shoulder shot or mid shot which shows the view from one of the characters. Age is represented in this scene by the type of dancing and music they are listening to. It is jolly and quick-paced just like the teenagers are. All the clothes worn in this scene are very colourful which could represent the colourful personality of the teenagers. It may also mean that they are all happy and living a joyful life at this moment in time, which of course is a representation of age that teenagers party all the time and like to have fun. 

Paul Hunt - Disability

Paul hunt disability from Sarah Ghost

Representation of Ethnicity - Hotel Babylon

At the beginning of this clip, the scene shows a swimming pool with the majority of the people whom are white staying there. The worker, Ben, is well-dressed. He seems very formal which is typical of a waiter which links to black people when they used to be slaves to many white people, they are of lower authority. The non-diegetic music in the background is very calming creating a relaxed vibe for the people there along with the cool, blue tones of the lighting reflected off the pool which also give a sense of clinical well-being and cleanliness. These indulgences and the formality of speech toward the customers give the impression that the place is an expensive spa/hotel and the people who attend have some wealth. 
A tracking shot is used when the waiter is walking along the pool-side and followed by a mid-shot when he is interrupted. The man who works at the hotel is dressed smartly and speaks proper english, though the man who jumps out of the pool does not have these traits. He is loud and is presented as a conventional black male. It is clear that he is from a different background to Ben as he speaks with a different dialect using words such as 'bro' and 'man'. He also grooms up differently due to the fat he has a lot of tattoos, dreadlocks and is wearing a large gold chain around his neck. Ben seems uneasy when he's talking to him as he maybe hasn't seem his mate in many years and in that time he has changed. The fact he recognises him suggests at one point, Ben was just like his friend but made his way up in society. However, Ben is trying to cover up that he's changed and so is trying to have a conversation with him using convergence. It is clear that he is feeling uncomfortable and so he tries to dismiss the conversation by telling his friend he has to get back to work. When he can't get away, the topic of parties, girls and drugs is all he seems to be worried about, their priorities seem like total opposites. This scene shows both the stereotypical image of a black man and a non-stereotypical image. 

The next scene is between two passive female french maids and an active asian man. A mid-shot is first in place as the women are identified by the audience as maids due to their cleaning trolleys. The man is seen wearing glasses which shows intelligence which is also a stereotype of asian people. The non-diabetic music in the background is rising the tension so the audience can begin to imagine what 'paying double for double' means. In the room, an asian man is sat on the bed waiting for them to come in. the woman start stripping for the man which supports the concepts of the male gaze from Laura Mulvey's ideas. They are there for the visual pleasure of the male and an erotic object for them and the audience. The french maids begin to strip and dance sexually for the man which could links to some peoples opinion of french maids being sexy. The m=non-diegetic music that comes on in the background is also french which gives a stronger impression that the maids are in fact french and are doing this to get some extra money. A close-up shot on the mans face is used when he is looking at the women to show the women are there only to look at which again supports the ideas's that women are objectified and there only for the male gaze. It also may link to the fact that some asian men are seen as perverted which is clearly shown in this scene. When one of the maids refuses to strip and leaves, the other women is straight on the phone which makes the audience think that this happens a lot and there is always someone who knows what they are doing available. 

Later on in the clip shows two men who seem to be chefs in a kitchen. One of them being Italian, stereotypically associated with having a taste for food and cooking. He is dressed in black which could represent anger and dullness whereas the English chef is dresses in white giving a sense of innocence. The English chef is also over weight which is a stereotypical image of many English citizens. The italian man on the other hand is a lot smaller in both weight and height. The English chef in this situation is threatened by the Italian chef due to his vulnerability. A knife is held at him which shows how sly the Italians can be if they get angry. The non-diabetic sound in the background shows the busy work place they are in due to the shouting of orders and movement about. 

Representation of Class & Status - Shamelss

In this clip from Shameless, It is apparent that the characters come from a low, working class background. The audience can see this from an over-the-shoulder shot, showing the state of the rooms that show the family is in. There are bottles and unclean dishes left lying on every surface which gives the impression that they are very unhygienic and dirty which is a stereotypical view of the working class. The walls where the characters are sat down look un-finished and have no paint on them, they are just large, grey bricks which shows they don't have the time or money to go out and buy paint to make their home look presentable. This is what we think most lower class people live like and so gives the image of the working class.

At the beginning, the mid-shot shows the father wander into the room and his appearance isn't very attractive. His clothes look messy and hanging off his shoulders, whilst his hair looks like it hasn't been washed in many days. This could mean that he either can't be bothered to groom himself or that he doesn't have the money too take care of himself, which conforms to the expectations of the working class. Also, on the staircase behind him, the paint seems to have peeled off giving the impression that they have little money to deal with this problem. This leads us to the assumption that they may live in a small, shabby flat owned by the council and with many previous tenants 

When a conversation begins between himself and the boy at the table, through the diegetic dialog, the audience may assume the characters aren't well educated and maybe a little rough. This is because of the taboo language used such as 'bollocks' and 'fucked'. A hand-held camera is in use which signifies a gritty realism and makes the viewers feel apart of the conversation. 

One of the characters sat at the table is holding a baby. She looks rather young but straight away we assume it belongs to her due to the conditions and assumptions the audience has already made. Low-class citizens are often linked to school dropouts and so we suspect that she has left school in order to take care of her baby. This means she would lack the education she should be having, leaving her dependant on government program money. This indicates the living conditions they are in support the lower class society as a majority of teenage pregnancies are from women who live in a lower class neighbourhoods.

When the father and his son continue to have an argument, a point-of-view shot is used at eye level. the distance between the two characters is very little showing the argument is getting bigger. In this situation, the father doesn't seem to know any answers and calls his son a 'smart arse'. This shows that he is a stereotypical low-class father as he isn't ful-filling the role he should be. He doesn't know how to control and it doesn't look like he can run his family and these are all things associated with the stereotypes of the working class. 

Fast-paced editing is used when the father uses facial expressions and shows that he is maybe 'not all there'. He starts going quite crazy and shows no formality which is a factor within working-class people. It is a close-up shot and canted angles jump from one way to the other to further point out his insanity which could be due to him living in low-class conditions and not happy or not yet satisfied. 

The mood changes from tense to saddening and more relaxed as the non-diabetic music in the background becomes fairly quiet adding a calming atmosphere. Despite the poor situation they live in, the father has come to the realisation that they all need each other and want to be a family. They become loving towards each other and the father claims that it is because of him that they are happy at that particular moment but he's only saying that to portray his father figure role. 

As the scene moves outside, the audience has more information which suggests they are living in poor conditions. It looks like a council estate which is stereotypical inviting towards those with little money. A close-up shot is seen on the turtle as the audience is shown how careless the family really are. They have no idea that the turtle is slowly wandering into the road which shows their lack of interest and awareness of their surrounding and upholds the idea that low-class families care only about themselves. 

The very last shot shows an aerial shot which establishes the location that the family are within. It also shows the audience of where they could be living if they had more money but due to the costs of living, they have had to settle with much less. The shot is moving onto another scene and creating a ground for a new sketch.