Representation of Class - Merlin (Revision)

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of class and status.
This extract represents class and status in various different ways. Key scenes such as Merlin in the building, the scene in the village, and the fight scene are the main scenes in which these representations occur. Generally, stereotypes concerning class and status are reinforced, however, one character does challenge these stereotypes.
In the first scene when Merlin enters a room that is unknown to the audience, he is represented as someone of a low class and status. A panning mid shot of the room reveals the miss-en-scene of a luxurious setting, which includes fur throws, a wooden desk, flowers, and curtains, creating a busy scene that appears to belong to a person of high class and status and of wealth. This contrasts with the costume of Merlin, as he is stereotypically dressed as someone of a lower class - he is wearing rough clothing, most noticeably the ragged scarf, overall presenting himself as a character who is not dressed in a smart manner. This is revealed through the mid shot that is used as he enters the room. As well as this, non-digetic synchronous sound is used during this scene to create tension and build anticipation. This implies to the audience that Merlin is trespassing, and is not supposed to be lingering in the room for so long, conforming to the modern stereotype that members of the lower class often commit crime. Throughout this scene, unsteady camera movement is used to reflect the nervous atmosphere created due to the unauthorised access and the chance that he may get caught. Editing is also used to reinforce the sense of trespass, for example the sharp cut to Merlin looking over his shoulder as this gives the audience the impression that he is conscious of being caught and cautious of his actions. The camera then again cuts to a woman walking towards the room to show that someone is approaching. The camera zooms to a close up shot to reveal her costume of a smart, low cut and full length dress, which would have been a stereotypical representation of a high class woman who is also of a high status, in the period of time that this was set in. This is yet another contrast to the representation of Merlin and presents his character to be out of place in a building that is inhabited by people of such high status and wealth.
This representation is continued throughout the following scene in the village. A tracking mid shot shows a low working class society, which is revealed through the mise-en-scene of the scene, as people are dressed poorly and appear to be doing manual labour that would pay highly and would be seen as a working class man's job from superiors. A mid shot shows a close up on and focal on Merlin's facial expressions as he is confronted by a group of boys who are visible in the back of the shot. These boys are wearing armour and clean cut clothing, whilst holding weapons, suggesting that they are of a high social class, a contrast to their surroundings. The clash between their higher class and Merlin's lower class is being used as a source of humour through the use of insults that they throw at each other, which is a typical convention of using social ranks in a TV drama. The leader of the group of boys expects to be treated like loyalty because of his higher social class. This is shown through the dialogue, "You can't address me like that that." This snobbery is a stereotype of people from the higher class and is mostly reinforced from someone of the lower class' perspective. This scene ends with an over the shoulder high shot with a tilted camera angle to look down on Merlin, this amplifies the boys' superiority and power over Merlin as a lower class boy and their weapons are posing as a threat.
In the final fight scene, non-digetic synchronous sound suddenly begins to play to speed up the pace of the scene and creates a triumphant mood for the boy challenging Merlin. Levels are also used to show that, as a result of his high class, his power over Merlin. This is shown through a mid shot with a tilted camera angle to look up at the boy from the perspective of Merlin, giving the boy superiority and dominance. A close up shot shows the flail hitting a fruit, which reflects what damage it would do to human flesh, reinforcing the threat of power that the boy withholds over Merlin due to his high status. The slow motion used in this shot creates focus and makes the audience identify this threat. This stereotype of power in the higher class is a stereotype that is relevant in modern day society as well as the society that is portrayed in the extract. However, a shift in power and control occurs in this scene as a person from the lower class suddenly begins to gain control over someone in the higher class. This reverse in roles if amplified through the change in levels, a tracking close up shows the boy falling to the ground and Merlin stood looking over him. This shows Merlin's brief moment of dominance over the boy and does not conform to the previous stereotypes that have previously been portrayed in this extract. However this is only a short moment of glory as a midst allows us to see the attack of the boy and the levels switch once Merlin falls to the floor yet again.
This extract represents the strict social class system of the time that this drama was set in and some of which would not be relevant in modern society. However, some stereotypes are still repeated. Only for a brief moment of time are any of these stereotypes of class challenged, therefore presenting a very stereotypical extract concerning the are of representation of class and status.
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Lost: Representation of Jack, and How Gender is Represented

Lost, Representation of Jack on Prezi

The Usual Suspects - Character Representation

McManus
As we are introduced to this character, he is sleeping on his bed (which looks fairly basic) topless so that his tattoos are revealed. Tattoos are stereotypically linked to a 'chad' or more common person so this gives us the impression that McManus is a rough character. Alongside this, his language that is used in his snippet of speech, mainly consisting of swear words, shows his un-educated character and his restricted vocabulary which emphasises his possible lower class status. It seems that there is non-digetic light shining down onto McManus so that the focus of the scene is solely on him, and so that the audience doesn't get distracted by his surrounding (although we still catch a glimpse of his bare environment) and this light is used for the transition from this scene to the next, as well as the sound bridge accompanying it. Also, the camera shot zooms into McManus' face as part of the same movement of the police force, which makes the audience feel that they are looking in as part of the police arresting him.

Hockney
The most obvious observation is the fact that Hockney is a car mechanics, which is a stable middle class job. He appears clean cut and not an average criminal, this is a contrast to the previous character that we were introduced to. Hockney is very secretive when the police call his name and replies "Who wants to know?" - This makes the audience think that Hockney has got something to hide and there is a certain mysteriousness about him. However, Hockney deliberately reaches underneath the car so that it looks like he is about to get a gun out, however it is simply a cloth to wipe his face, which fools the police. This act of wit makes the audience think of him as a humorous character in the film. The same cloth he picks up is what makes the transition from this scene to the next.

Fenster
The first thing that caught my eye about Fenster was his vibrant choice of suit and the undone butting on his shirt, with the undone bow tie hanging loose from his neck. This gives us the impression that Fenster is some sort of 'Pimp' or maybe doing the walk of shame from staying out all night. Either way, Fenster looks lie he has been doing something that he shouldn't have. This judgement is supported further when the camera shot zooms into the upper half of his body to show more of his facial expressions, and he seems to be cautious of what's around him and if anybody see's him, which makes the audience think he has something to hide. As well as this, he seems to be in a quite run down area, as he walks past a 98cent store, and the area looks fairly cheap in general - a type of area that pimps are likely to situate themselves in. In Fenster's arrest he shows no struggle whatsoever and throws his arms up in the air voluntarily, however he then begins to play with the police by alternating his arms so that they cannot arrest him. This shows that he is a bit of a cheeky character in the film.

Keaton
This scene takes place in a classy, expensive restaurant, and alongside Keaton's posh voice/accent, presents Keaton as intelligent, high class, wealthy and posh. The music is completely different from the background music in the other scenes scenes and is a slow, calming, piano tune (probably being played in the restaurant), which creates a more calming arrest rather than an aggressive one. Also, there appears to be history between Keaton and the officer there to arrest him, which is a contrast to the other characters' scenes as there is some sort of connection between them both. We know this because as soon as the officer beings to talk behind Keaton's back, Keaton recognises the voice and the close up camera shot allows us to see his worried/surprised reaction. However, this relationship seems to lead to a more civil arrest that the others did not have.

Verbal
We are introduced to Verbal with his significant limp. We know that his leg is significant in the film as there is an extreme close up camera shot focusing purely on this, which then pans upwards to reveal the rest of Verbal a section at a time. We don't know what happened to cause this disability so therefore, as an audience, we want to find out - But it might suggest that he has been in an accident concerning criminal activity before. The 'sweater' or vest that Verbal is wearing is a stereotypical dress sense of a posh person so therefore this makes the audience question his class in society. Also, although Verbal is the most quiet of all the men, he seems to be the most threatening as there is something quite menacing about his voice - Which makes the audience question his innocence that he appears to have.

Teenager Representation in TV Drama

Sid Jenkins representation (Skins, Series 1, Episode 1, Part 1)

Focusing on his bedroom scene;

• Introduces Sid’s bedroom with a plate with cigarette ends, this gives us the impression that he smokes. 
• His bedroom is messy, cluttered and dirty. This cluttered background links to his lifestyle as most of the time he doesn’t know who he is/what he wants/what to do and it reflects his appearance e.g. His messy hair.
•  In his bedroom you see CD’s, video/computer games, a stereo, and magazines – there are no schoolbooks etc. So, little signs of intelligence.
• Diegetic light is shining through the window situated at the left of the bedroom to show the time of day & the fact that he isn’t up in time for college hints at his lazy/apathetic attitude.
• Lava lamps are situated around the room more than once, this makes us think he is still a little immature and amused by childhood things. 
• He has childish duvet covers, which supports the fact that he is immature and childish. 
• The high camera shot of Sid’s bedroom looks down at his bedroom to show the scale of the bedroom and his environment – as a person’s bedroom tends to reflect a persons character. This camera shot also makes us feel as though we are looking into the bedroom.

Representations

Representation #1 - The man
Previously this week in class we were asked to construct a representation of each picture we were given of an unknown person. Firstly, this man was shown to us. Immediately I noticed the man's patches on his trousers checkered shirt and old tattered scarf and cardigan, therefore I jumped to the conclusion that he was homeless and/or a very poor and unemployed man. The messy hair and the fact that he is smoking also adds to this assumption. As well as this, I noticed that he looks very out of place in his surroundings as the majority of people in the background are smartly dressed and look like they are from a middle class background.
However, if you look closer at the man in the picture, the patches on his jeans are in fact sewn perfectly and neatly and the fact that his jeans are turned up and sewn with a perfectly straight line seemed peculiar. Furthermore, the man's cardigan fits him perfectly and his plaid shirt is fairly fashionable for a 'homeless' person.
At the end of this task we found out that the man was actually Doug Bihlmaier who works for the fashion designer Ralph Lauren and in this picture is in fact stood outside one of the Ralph Lauren shops he was helping to design.

Representation #2 - The man
Secondly, we were shown this picture of another unknown man. Just from this picture I got the impression that he was a wealthy man and of a higher class background. I also thought that he was intelligent and had a well paid job that required intellect, for example a university lecturer, due to the documents he is holding in his hands. He also appeared posh and very clean cut.
However, at the end of this task we found out that the man was intact a serial killer who's name was Ted Bundy, and killed approximately 30-36 women. In this photo Ted Budny is in fact holding the documents to prove his innocence in court against the allegations towards him, the same documents that I thought made him appear an intelligent man.

Representation #3 - The woman
Finally, we were shown this picture of an unknown woman. From looking at the picture I thought this woman was a very eccentric and dramatic, wealthy woman of an older age. It is apparent from the picture that the woman has a very unique sense of style and could possibly take an interest in vintage clothing. The best phrase I could think of to describe this lady was "Over the top".
After I constructed my representation of this woman we were told that she was Anna Piagi, an extremely well known writer for Italian Vogue and was big friends with Vivienne Westwood and Karl Lagerfeld.

The Gaze

Representations from hammonda

The Gaze Music Video Analysis

Soundtrack 2 My Life - Kid Cudi (Music video)

This video for Soundtrack 2 My Life by Kid Cudi is a collection of tapes from his various gigs and tours edited and stitched together to produce a music video, with a few extra bits filmed especially and added in for the song's video.
Kid Cudi opens the video with a 'Comic' gaze into the camera lens as he is purposely pulling a face which is exaggerated and acting the fool in the snippet of film, this is a look recognised by Trevor Millum in the 1990's. Snippets of his tour are stitched together through editing for the following minute of the video, showing behind the scenes footage and gigs. However, Cudi then throws a Marjorie Ferguson 'Super-Smiler' look towards the camera, with his full head in the camera shot and a wide open, toothy smile as his head thrusts forward. He then shows another one of these gazes a matter of seconds after the first 'Super-Smiler' as he is side-on to the camera. Throughout the whole music video, Kid Cudi continues to use 'Carefree' looks towards the camera and towards other people in the scene with him, which shows his personality well throughout the video. Cudi also displays the 'Practical' gaze when he is focusing on the iPod/iPhone type object in his hands in the car. This look is a combination of concentration and being engaged in the business in hand, with his mouth closed and his eyes object directed, with a very slight frown.
I think Kid Cudi's video to Soundtrack 2 My Life is a good example of all the various 'looks' and gazes from Marjorie Ferguson and Trevor Millum as it has examples of more than one of the looks, so you get a clear idea of each one.

The Gaze, Advert Analysis

J'adore Dior (Charlize Theron) Advert

In this J'adore Dior fragrance advert, Charlize Theron is dressed in a revealing, expensive dress with a slit all the way up to her hip to reveal her right leg as she walks, which immediately catches the eye of the male, and sometimes female, audience. Throughout the advert, Charlize is strutting down a long hallway; This is a powerful walk that oozes confidence and control. Whilst striding towards the camera, Charlize is roughly throwing her jewellery (that looks expensive and valuable) onto the ground. This presents a reckless character who isn't short of money. However, as she is throwing her jewellery onto the floor, Charlize stares into the camera in front of her and into the audience watching on the other side of the screen - the look that she gives is called the 'Seductive' look distinguished by Trevor Millum in the 1990's. In this look, her eyes are less wide than usual and her expression is less reserved but still self confident whilst staring into the lens. To add to the seductive look that she gives the audience, Charlize starts to undress until she is completely naked and still strutting down the long hallway. Her skin appears smooth and shimmers in some lights, adding to the sexy appeal that Dior were trying to achieve. After undressing, Charlize looks up to the camera lens and throws what's called an 'Invitational' look, created by Marjorie Ferguson in the 1980's, just for about 2 seconds. This look has an emphasis on the eyes and the persons head is to the side whilst looking at the camera. Notice that although she removes her jewellery and clothing, Charlize keeps her high heeled shoes on - This is something we relate to strippers etc. Which then again adds to the sexy theme of the ad. Finally, the advert ends with Charlize still strutting powerfully and remaining as confident as she was at the start of the advert when fully dressed - This advert is more than likely to catch The Male Gaze throughout the whole 19 seconds. This advert is a perfect demonstration of Laura Mulvey's theory of The Male Gaze.

The Gaze

Marjorie Ferguson (1980's)
Chocolate Box
-Half/Full smile
-Lips together/Slightly parched
-Teeth barely visible
-Full/Three quarters of face to the camera

Invitational
-Emphasis on the eyes
-Mouth shut with hint of a smile
-Head to one side or looking back at the camera

Super-Smiler
-Full face
-Wide open, toothy smile
-Head thrusts forward or chin thrown back
-Hair often wind blown

Romantic or Sexual
-Includes male/female 'two somes'
-Dreamy
-Heavy lidded
-Overtly sensual/sexual


Trevor Millum (1990's)
Seductive
-Similar to cool/level
-Eyes less wide
-Expression is less reserved but still self-confident
-Milder

Carefree
-Active
-Healthy
-Vibrant
-Outdoor girl
-Often smiling/grinning

Practical
-Concentrating
-Enraged in business in hand
-Mouth closed
-Eyes object directed
-Sometimes a slight frown
-Hair often tied back or short style

Comic
-Deliberately ridiculous
-Exaggerated
-Acting the fool
-Pulling faces

Catalogue
-A neutral look as of a dummy, artificial or wax like
-Features may be in any position, but most likely to be with eyes open wide and a smile
-Looks remain vacant and empty with personality removed