Mock Exam Editing Re-write

In this clip, editing assists in the construction of representation of disability by using a range of editing methods.  Near the beginning of the clip, there is a medium shot of a man sleeping, who appears to be disabled. From this scene to the next, a dissolve is used, which leads into a insert. This insert is shown in black and white and shows a variety of images that cut every 3 seconds. These clips include an explosion, representing the scientific creation of Earth,  followed by shots of organisms, apes and lastly a cave man. These are all things that we would associate with the theory of evolution. Being in black and white, the clips are given an old and dull look. By showing the shot of the disabled man, and then clips of the theory of evolution, this may be portraying that he relates to being created by evolution. However, the last clip we see out of the evolution series is a caveman, which may be signifying that instead of fully becoming a human, the man has remained a 'caveman'. People may stereotype cavemen to be less smart and able as humans. Potentially referring to this disabled man in comparison to a caveman shows that people in society consider him less able than a human. The fact that these clips are also in black and white may be trying to indicate that this man is boring and bland as we would associate black and white to be quite dull colours.

Sound Analysis of Merlin

The clip begins with the use of non-digetic sounds which are very symphonic and eerie. It appears that the man is in a church like building which could suggest to the audience that the sounds are gospel-like. The volume then decreased and the digetic sound of the woman’s high heeled shoes hitting the floor then dominates the audience ears. It created tension as the slow walking could mean that she is creeping up on the man. The non-digetic sound then gets louder and louder and as he is fumbling around the table, sharp sounds are used to add tension and curiosity. From their dialogue the audience can understand they are British. When the man steps outside the non-digetic sound is no longer heard and digetic sounds of bells ringing, people walking and talking and animals making sounds. The light-hearted dialogue used between the main character and this “bully” takes the seriousness off of the scene but is immediately replaced when the bully goes to swing for him. Non-digetic sounds are then introduced; they are very typical of old-fashioned sword-fighting films. It is upbeat and the audience are kept on the edge of their seat. 

Mock Exam Editing Re-write

In this clip, editing assists in the construction of representation of disability by using a range of editing methods.  Near the beginning of the clip, there is a medium shot of a man sleeping, who appears to be disabled. From this scene to the next, a dissolve is used, which leads into a insert. This insert is shown in black and white and shows a variety of images that cut every 3 seconds. These clips include an explosion, representing the scientific creation of Earth,  followed by shots of organisms, apes and lastly a cave man. These are all things that we would associate with the theory of evolution. Being in black and white, the clips are given an old and dull look. By showing the shot of the disabled man, and then clips of the theory of evolution, this may be portraying that he relates to being created by evolution. However, the last clip we see out of the evolution series is a caveman, which may be signifying that instead of fully becoming a human, the man has remained a 'caveman'. People may stereotype cavemen to be less smart and able as humans. Potentially referring to this disabled man in comparison to a caveman shows that people in society consider him less able than a human. The fact that these clips are also in black and white may be trying to indicate that this man is boring and bland as we would associate black and white to be quite dull colours.

Disability Representational Issue

A touch of Frost Disability is clearly shown within this clip via the use of camera, editing, sound and mise en scene. During the scene of the police and Billy within the forest, a variety of camera angles are used to show how disability is represented within society. The close up shot of the police dog, resembles Billy being hunted as if he is pray, as we can see the policemen and dogs are eager to find him. Once the police see Billy, a close up shot of Billy's face enables us to see that he appears to be scared and worried. Being able to see that Billy is disabled also makes people feel sympathy for Billy as they may assume him to be innocent and pity him for being disabled. Therefore seeing him scared emphasises this. A low angle medium shot is used to show Billy being tackled to the floor by the officer and not being able to escape the officer's hold. This resembles Billy as being less powerful than the man and therefore more vulnerable. Within this shot the audience can see Billy being held up by his collar which also resembles his vulnerability. Here the use of digetic sound is used to emphasis the fact the audience would assume Billy is innocent due to the fact he is disabled. Billy says that he hasn't "done anything wrong" which appears to make Billy seem powerless. The tone in which this is said by Billy is almost childlike and further links with making the audience feel pity for him. Dialouge is further used in the next scene during a conversation between Billy's father and the inspector. The inspector refers to Billy as being "mentally subnormal" to which the father firmly corrects him by saying "handicapped". This shows that the use of words by the inspector represents Billy as not being the same in terms of someone who is normal. Maybe referring to an abled person. To which this seems to slightly offend the father. Handicapped is used instead to describe Billy as does not single him out as being un-normal.

Our Friends in the North Analysis

The TV drama ‘Our friends in the North’ portrays the story of a young man who has an alcoholic Father who abuses him. The clip I had to analyze therefore has strong representation of class but of region too, as we have common ideology of Northern people being binge drinkers and generally more troublesome than the ‘normal’ person. The scene viewed sparks his unprovoked anger towards his son. Furthermore, the conflict between the son and Father is spotted when the son tells of how he doesn’t want to look like his Father and does not want to act like him either. Firstly, the camera angles used are influential in this scene as there is more reasoning to the angles than first meets the eye. AT the start of the extract the son and his friend are having a discussion about the alcoholic Father and how he doesn’t want to be like him. The first camera angle we notice is the’ Over-the-shoulder’ which reflects to the viewers that we are part of the conversation and become deeper involved in the conversation. I believe this angle to be effective as it makes the audience feel as if they are the third person in the conversation, and begin to create a relationship with the characters as we understand their story and struggle. This conflicts with our stereotypical views of northern people as we generally perceive them as being strong and tough, although in this scene Geordie is emotional and feels intimidated by his Father. Although, the use of a mid-shot during the conflict between Geordie and his Father lets us see the clash unfurl. The camera stays static and is as if we are stood still in the room whilst the conflict takes place around us. This adheres to our views of the stereotypical northern home as we believe them to be troublesome and violent. However, we feel sympathetic in this case as we have a relationship with Geordie due to him being scared and intimidated by his Father. In addition, the editing throughout the extract also has importance. The majority of transitions used in the clip are cuts, and this is done with the intent of making the scene seem a lot faster and dramatic. The cuts are used effectively during the fight scene as they highlight the action packed scene and the fast tempo reflects the brutality of the attacks. The tracking movement of the camera is used to represent the force of the blows, and to highlight the drunken fury of the Farther. These actions tie into our preconceptions of northern people who we consider to be violent alcoholics. Therefore signifying how the northern people are represented in two ways in this drama; as violent, abusive, drunks and as intimidated and threatened people. This proves how the clip both adheres and subverts our ideology and stereotypes. During, the clip we can take in a lot about the people just by the mise-en-scene. The first noticeable items are the beer bottles that Geordie’s Dad brings back with hi. These items along with his slurred speech and staggered walk signify to the audience that he is an alcoholic but also adheres with a stereotypical view of northern people too as it is early in the morning and he is drunk. Furthermore, at the end of the extract Geordie attempts to hitch-hike and gives a thumbs-up to oncoming traffic. This signal signifies that Geordie’s life is on the up after retaliating to his abusive Father and leaving his broken home as this is what we can connote from thumbs up. The audience also gathers a sense of happiness for Geordie as the large bag on his back implies that he is not returning, and we get this emotion as we do not want him to return to his abusive Dad. Finally, the sound used in the extract is mostly just the dialogue and no music is used. This implies that there is a lot of focus on the discourse because it has great importance to the clip. The effect of only using the speech is to force the reader to listen tentatively to what is being said to understand the scene fully. Although, the graphic noise of the head-butt later in the clip also comes of significant value too, as it displays the force behind the hit and sends a shudder through the viewer as it sounds so painful. The silence, that follows the blow reinforces the shock and awe of the strike and makes it appear even more dramatic to the audience.