Doc Martin: Representation of Regional Identity

Doc Martin: Representation of Regional Identity

 Regional identity is presented a numerous amount throughout this extract, from the ITV series Doc Martin. It clearly portrays the stereotypical binary opposite between the Cornish people and the Londoners; the Cornish are presented as being rather slow, uneducated and some may even say stupid yet they have very relaxed lifestyles, whereas the London folk are seen as being more intelligent and sensible however, they also appear to be quite stressed and impatient.

In the opening scene of the extract, a wide-shot of the room is used to show the audience the situation that is happening. We can clearly see that the Cornish plumbers are trying (and failing) to fix a sink as well as sharing old stories with each other. Whilst this is happening the Londoner, Doc Martin, stands by and watches whilst eating a sandwich and getting stressed. This is a good example of a binary opposite between the characters from Cornwall and London; the Cornish are struggling at simple jobs as they aren't fully paying attention and are wittering on about family life, whilst the Londoner stands doing nothing but still getting stressed, which is quite selfish as they could've just done the job themselves. Following this, close-up shots of the characters are used, to emphasise how stressed Doc Martin is getting and how little the Cornish plumbers care. Further on in the extract, tracking shots of the village are used to give the audience of feel of place the series is set, it presents an old, peaceful looking village located near the sea in contrast with this, Doc Martin is shown in the centre of these clips looking stressed and frustrated. This shows the audience that Doc Martin obviously doesn't quite fit in there and that he is from a very different place (London).

Several diegetic sounds are used all at once in the beginning of the extract; this includes a phone ringing, the plumbers trying to fix the sink, barking and water spraying all over the room. The mix of all sounds together creates a stressful and chaotic atmosphere for audience, and it pretty much expresses how hectic Martin's life has been since moving the Cornwall. Whilst Martin is marching down the Cornish streets, looking rather infuriated, non-diegetic music is used, which sounds quite simple but upbeat, this portrays how Martin is on a mission but still how simple and different the Cornish life is. This music is soon interrupted by the diegetic sound of a hoover, when Martin enters the police station. This sound both adds to the stress of Martin's day but also presents the stereotypical obliviousness of the Cornish.

At the start of the extract, fast-paced editing is made by using quick-cuts between the several characters’ dialogue. This makes the atmosphere of the clip very frantic ad stressful and of course, adds to chaos of Martin's day. It also helps the audience understand to what he is going through. To demonstrate how clam and slow the Cornish lifestyle is; soft, slow editing is used, when Martin enters the village. This contrasts with how fast-paced martin is moving as he is trying to get rid of the dog, who he is holding by what appears to be some sort of scarf as a lead.

Martin, the Londoner is presented wearing a smart suit. This completely contrasts with his Cornish surroundings and people he comes into contact with as they all appear to be looking very simple and casual - like the Cornish life is. Some of the Cornish characters are wearing make-up that makes them appear mucky, adding to their stereotype. All the buildings and rooms shown in the clip appear to all be made out of or painted with creams, browns and greys - all boring colours (boring like the Cornish life).

Humans: Representation of Age

Humans: Representation of Age

Humans is sci-fi drama series shown on Channel 4. It's about a parallel universe, in which technology is taking over people's lives. In the world they live in, there seems to be a massive craze about one particular technology device - Synths. These are life-sized robots, designed to look exactly like real humans and complete everyday tasks we don't have the time or effort to do ourselves. The show presents a numerous amount of representations of age; for example, the Synths. Nearly all of the Synths look young, fit and healthy. This might be so that people in the parallel universe are more likely to buy them as they, stereotypically, are more capable of doing a job to a good standard, as oppose to what you'd expect from a more elderly looking Synth. In the 3 minute clip we were shown, it's clear to the audience that there is a stereotype of elderly people which is presented from the character, George. Elderly people are presented  as being grumpy, miserable, fragile and vulnerable. An example of where this stereotype is used is when a lady comes to his door and offers George a new, modern synth for free. However, he is stubborn and refuses to take it. 

In the extract we were shown, there was a couple of different editing techniques used. The main technique used is continuity editing which helped give a smooth and realistic feel to the clip. This makes the clip more relatable t the audience and makes them feel as though they are there. Another editing technique that was used was shot-reverse-shot. This is where the camera cuts between two characters, a lot of the time in conversation. A place it was used in this clip was when the medical lady came to the door and was asking George if she could come inside; the camera cuts between the two characters having a conversation on either side of George's half-open door. The use of this technique can help the audience understand how the characters are feeling and helps them to see how they are reacting physically to the dialogue. This allows the audience to relate more to the characters and feel like they are part of the conversation. Shot-reverse-shot is also used to make the audience feel more tense and on-edge in scenes where characters are being more emotional or something dramatic is happening. A variety of cuts are used throughout the clip but they are also used to enable them to set the pace for the clip, which in this case, is quite slow and smooth to fit with the mise-en-scene of the rest of the scene.

In this extract, several camera shots are used to help give the effect of us as the audience feeling like we are actually there. One of these camera shots is an establishing shot. Establishing shots help the viewers assume things about the characters so an establishing shot of inside Georges house helps us to guess his age and type of lifestyle because its full of old and interesting things. This is used after the medical lady has knocked on George's door and tries to quickly hide his Synth, the shot shows the setting of the scene to help the audience understand where and why the characters are and helps them to follow the storyline. An over-the-shoulder shot is another shot used in the clip. This was used to show the elderly character, George, cleaning up the blood running down his Synths nose. This goes against the elderly stereotype as they are thought to be grumpy people who aren't very caring. however, George shows a lot of love and affection towards his Synth, Odi. This helps the audience understand that George is kind to people he respects which means he obviously respects Oti. We later go on to find out that this is because its almost as if George's late wife lives on through him. This shot also helps the audience see how each character is responding to the conversation topic and how it affects them.

Diegetic sound is a sound technique used throughout the whole clip. One way this has been used is through dialogue. Whilst the two characters are talking throughout this scene, we are able to hear all of the dialogue in the whole scene, this helps the audience follow the conversation and to understand the storyline. Non-diegetic sounds were also used in this clip, these are sounds that you cannot actually see on screen, for example, music. That was the way it has been used in this clip. Music is in the background at the start of the clip so helps set the scene - its a classical, older sounding song to contribute to the narration of Georges being older and living in an old house. 

The props have been dotted around in an organised clutter to make George's home give the feel of it being lived-in and old. The living room has an antique look about it to help indicate George's age, with lots of decorative pieces and knickknacks laying around to show he's had a long, interesting life. The lighting used in this clip constantly changes to show different things. Inside George's house, a darker, warmer lighting is used, this helps add to the old-fashioned mise-en-scene and also shows the contrast the outside world and inside George's home. The darker light is also used to show that the subjects the characters are talking about aren't happy and should concern the audience as we are on the main characters side. So, when George answers the door and opens it and lets the outdoors light in a lighter lighting is used. The lighting is used to represent the main character's (George's) mood.

Downton Abbey: Representation of Class and Status

Downton Abbey: Representation of Class and Status

Downton Abbey is a period drama, shown and produced by the BBC. There are several representations of different social classes throughout the whole series (upper, middle and working) and they pretty much become a main topic in the show. It reinforces the stereotypical binary opposite between those with higher social class (wealthy, educated sophisticated) and those with a lower social class and status (uneducated, poor, backwards). The Crawley family is a perfect example of a wealthy family during the time this drama is set. Their mansion, well-spoken English, fancy clothing and accessories are all massive giveaways that this family is obviously extremely wealthy. For personalities and attitudes; Robert, the master of the house, is actually quite a counter stereotype. This is because when he found out innocent people were harmed in the Titanic tragedy, despite their position in society, he showed emotion and felt sympathy for them. When he hears the news about the ship sinking, he mentions how the working class women and children wouldn't have been rescued due to their wealth and refers as the people 'below deck' as "poor devils". The daughters of the family however, are stereotypes because as expected, they have a snobby attitude due to having a lot of money. In contrast with this, the way working class people are represented is through the Crawley family's maids and servants. Their accents are less standard and more informal and they appear to be wearing dull, unflattering uniforms, with no colour whatsoever. However, the workers who work upstairs, like the Butlers for example, who actually come in contact with the family, are seen to be wearing smart clothes like tuxes and dresses. This is because they are part of the family's image and the better they are presented, the better the Crawley family look. 

In this first few seconds of the clip, an establishing shot is used to set the scene. By doing this, the audience can clearly see where and when it's set and also it gives an idea of the character's position in society (a big stately home usually means whoever lives there has a fair bit of money).  After this, we are shown the maids, servants and butlers panicking downstairs about something that has happened in the news. Tension is built as everyone seems concerned by it but the audience has no idea what it could be. Later on in the scene, an over-the-shoulder shot of Robert (father of the Crawley family) is used, this shows him looking down at the newspaper, the camera shows the audience the page of the newspaper that he is reading, which is about the Titanic sinking. Using this shot helps narrate to the audience what the previous characters we were shown before were reacting to and also gives them an idea of exactly when the show was set and the situation the family is in. After this is revealed, the audience are able to recognise what the characters are talking about and it is easier for them to follow the storyline. A couple of close ups are used in the clip to portray how certain characters react to the news about Titanic. These close up shots really help to set a tense atmosphere and makes it a bit more realistic for the audience as they can get more involved and feel like they are there with the characters, looking at them. 

Non-diegetic sound was used during the more tense parts of the scene. When the sad news is revealed about the Titanic sinking, this sound is used. When Robert finds out that the family actually knew people on board, music starts to play over their dialogue and is a bit louder than it had been previously when dialogue had been going on. The music is slow and has a deep bass, this really builds a tense, uneasy atmosphere for the audience. Diegetic sound is used also when the characters use dialogue. All of the conversations the characters appear to have can be clearly heard by the audience and due to their accents, its easy for them to identify which social class their in. For example, the Crawley family are very well-spoken, using a lot of standard English, they sound more formal and they speak to everybody in the same accent. Unlike the workers who, downstairs, talk quite informally using a lot of slang and not much standard English. But when they are upstairs, serving the family they speak a lot more formally, watching what they say.

The editing techniques used for Downton Abbey are used to help to give the show an older appearance (less like a television show, more like the audience actually there). There isn't anything jumpy or weird; it all just flows and is very naturalistic. One of the main techniques used to achieve this was cuts (different shots are cut and put together to make it appear continuous) this helps to show everything happening in the scene, whether it's good or bad. One example of this is when Robert, the master of the house, finds out the family actually knew some people who were on the Titanic and didn't get rescued. When this happens, a more tense atmosphere is created by using faster cuts. By having faster cuts suspense builds up for the audience because they know that something (probably bad) is going to happen. Faster cuts can also help show emotions (slow paced editing - character might be upset or in shock) and show the characters are going through. Shot reverse shot has also been used a numerous amount of times in the scene. This is mainly used when two characters are having a conversation. Using shot reverse shot in thee show helps the audience see the characters having a conversation and also the speed of which everything is happening in the scenes. There is a very clear contrast between the editing techniques used when filming the Crawley family and when filing the maids and servants. When the servants are being filmed, a hand-held effect is used to show the hustle and bustle of the kitchens downstairs and the speed in which they are working in. This completely contrasts with the smooth, slow filming when upstairs, filing the Crawley family - this really portrays how different the working class and upper class lifestyles were.

There are a many hints throughout the scene suggesting the different characters social classes, they couldn't be more obvious. For starters, appearance. The Crawley family all wear very fancy, formal looking clothing. These clothes also look rather expensive as they fit them all so perfectly. The women also all have their hair beautifully done even though they don't appear to be going anywhere special, this shows how much time they have one their hands compared to the maids and servants who just have theirs thrown in a neat bun as they have to work. The servants are also shown wearing old, colourless, rag clothes that seem to be of bad quality due to rips and tears on them. However the servants who work upstairs and are actually in contact with the family have much smarter looking clothing for example, the butler is seen wearing a tux, so they look professional and ready to serve the family. Clothing is a indication for the audience as to who is rich and poor. There's a big contrast with the lighting upstairs and downstairs in this scene; upstairs, where the Crawley family are, the lighting is warm and bright, it highlights all of the expensive looking ornaments and furniture. Whereas, downstairs the lighting is dark, dull and cold looking, this is again, to represent the different social classes.

Hotel Babylon: Representation of Ethnicity

Hotel Babylon: Representation of Ethnicity

You can easily identify different ethnicities of characters due to stereotypes, and whether or not they are followed through. You can look to see if they have presented their characters the same way other TV shows and movies may present people of a certain race or gender and then decide whether they fit into theirs.

Watching the clip, it's clear that the white policemen and immigration officials have complete authority over the illegal migrant workers. For example, when we are introduced to the white police men and immigration officials, a tracking shot is used to show the group of white men barging into the hotel like a posse. We're then shown a point-of-view shot from the immigration mans perspective, looking down at a black man sitting down in the lobby. This represents the fact that white people are more superior and black people should be looked down on; this fits with their stereotypes. The lady at the front desk is a complete stereotype of a British, white woman; with blonde hair, fair skin and blue eyes. She's also wearing white, which represents her being angelic and good. There was also a cleaner who used to be a doctor but now because they are in Britain they wouldn't be allowed as they are an immigrant. Jackie is used as a supervisor and carer of the immigrant workers, she is presented as Asian and stereotypically they are serious and intelligent.


When we are shown the immigrants, the camera shot is at the same level/height as them, in and amongst them and over the shoulder shots are used. This is so that the audience feels as though they are with them and on their side. It creates more tension for the viewers as they don't want immigration to find the workers. When we are shown the immigration officials, over the shoulder shots are used again from the workers shoulders. This again, makes the audience feel as though we are with the workers and on their side. The lead immigration official is represented as an antagonist by a few of ways; the first, is his facial expressions. He has a very serious, angry look about him which immediately makes him seem aggressive and appear as though he is the bad guy. Another, is the fact he is wearing black which contrast with the hotel worker wearing white and the other, is him having a group of people backing him up. This makes him very intimidating to the audience and clearly look like he is a villain and these are his gang (like storm troopers or minions).


For sound; there is the non-diegetic sound of music, the music is fairly loud but turns down slightly so the audience can hear the diegetic sound of dialogue, this is to create tension but also panic in the scene. It manages to achieve this as the music sounds quite quick and chaotic yet still suspenseful. Other diegetic sounds are used in the extract like the sound of the kitchens; this is so the audience once again, feels as though they are in the room with the workers, following the action. At this point, the sounds of the workers weeps and whimpers start and this makes the audience feel panicked as well as sympathy for the workers as they can see how panicked they are and how scared they are about being taken away from their jobs.






Typical representations of immigrants in media is that they are selfish people, stealing our jobs and money. However, in this extract, they have challenged these stereotypes and are represented as normal people, who work very hard, just trying to get money to feed their families at home. Continuity editing is used to show the audience the action, which is happening in the whole extract. It is effective as it means the audience can see the workers panic and the chaos progress and get more intense. It also lets the audience find out information at the same time the characters do, so again, we feel as though we going through all of the emotions with them.
The framing of all the characters together in hiding and later through panning in the canteen creates a sense of community; we feel like we are in that room with them and that when one of the characters gets taken away, we have been working along side them and now they're gone. The use of the focus pull is used when Ibrahim was arrested to reflect his sudden awareness of danger; this adds to the dramatic tension of the narrative.

Mise-en-scene is used to a great extent in this extract to contribute to representation of ethnicity. The contrast of the luxury hotel with the cramped storage room, in which the immigrants were hiding, is evidence of this. With lighting, there is a clear contrast if you compare the lighting in the lobby which is warm, bright and welcoming compared the lighting in the kitchen and storage room, these rooms are not lit up very much so they seem cold and dark. There is also a strong contrast with the costume of suits for the immigration and British workers are wearing and the cheap looking uniforms the immigrants have to wear represents the status and class of the characters and their ethnicity.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Research

• Star Wars: The Force Awakes was produced by three people; Kathleen Kennedy, J. J. Abrams and Bryan Burk. One of which, (J. J. Abrams) also directed and was a co-writer for the blockbuster.
• It's stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Max von Sydow.  
• The films budget was $306 million (gross) and $245 million (net).
• The Force Awakens was films in numerous locations but it has been confirmed the main locations were England, Ireland, Iceland and the United Arab Emirates.
• green light date: October 2012
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens soundtrack by John Williams with Williams and William Ross conducting, and Gustavo Dudamel appearing as a "special guest conductor".
• Star Wars the Force Awakens was realised in cinemas worldwide. The countries it went down best in were: The United Kingdom/Ireland, Germany, Sweden and Norway. The film also set opening day records in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, New Zealand, Finland, Netherlands, Ukraine, Slovakia, Croatia, Iceland, Serbia, Switzerland, Chile, and Peru.
• Metacritic rated the film at 81% and Rotten tomatoes, one of the most popular film review websites, gave the film a generous rating of 92%. Majority of the film reviews I read were also very positive; lot of high ratings. However, of course as there is with any film, there was a handful of people who like to think differently. One of the top critics on the site, Richard Brody, stated that 'Despite the copious servings of tragic threats and good feelings, the production sinks under the weight of its emotional calculation.'. There are also a few other reviews that seem to agree with Richard's disliking to the film. However, despite a couple of negative reviews the film seemed to be pretty popular with most of the critics on the site.
• Box Office Figures: It made just over $2 Billion worldwide over its time in the box office, with a $528 Million global opening weekend and a $900 Million US Domestic take, as well as a record breaking global take of $1 Billion in its first 12 days
• Music Composer: The soundtrack was by John Williams, who was also the composer of the prequel Star Wars trilogy, the Indianna Jones films and the Harry Potter films.
• Marketing: The first teaser trailer was released on 28th November 2014, over a year before the film was released. This was subsequently followed by several full trailers and a wave of TV spots and film clips. There were also several posters released, including the iconic main poster, as well as several individual character posters.
• Tie-in Products: Many products were released around the time of the film being released including; costumes, Lego, action figures, toy Lightsabers, models and more.
• Special Effects: Most of the film has practical effects however, there is a lot of SFX use for animation, motion capture and digital make-up, this was done by various companies and studios.
• Any Issues: Harrison Ford had two very serious problems during the filming of Star Wars, the first was him breaking his leg when he had a door from the Millennium Falcon set land on him. He has had a plane crash whilst filming. Also, Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca struggled with walking whilst filming so he needed a double.