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Waterloo Road Clip - Our Version
Waterloo Road Drugs Clip Analysis
Waterloo Road is a school-based series broadcast on BBC one and this clip was broadcast in September 2010.
The extract analysed here tells the story of when students Amy and Lauren brought drugs in to school and are discussing it in the toilets.
We first view several toilet cubicles through the use of Birdseye crabbing shot. Non-diegetic, upbeat drum-and-bass-lead music plays and we then hear a female voice say “Is it strong though?” which instantly suggests to the viewer that drugs are involved in this scene. When the crabbing shot stops we are introduced to the female characters through a Birdseye shot. The camera is positioned above the characters to make the viewer feel like they are spying on them and are seeing something they are probably not supposed to see. The characters’ brightly coloured ties tell the audience that they are students.
We then see a close-up of the side of Lauren's face when she asks if Amy has tried the drugs, so the audience can see the slightly concerned expression on her face. This close-up on Lauren's concerned expression suggests that she is being pressured in to doing something she might not want to do, which relates to viewers who have experienced the same kind of peer pressure. The director then pans the camera across to Amy to see Amy's response to Lauren's question. This makes the viewer feel like they are involved in the conversation and are standing in the cubicle with them. It then cuts to a two-shot of the girls; Lauren is curiously sniffing the drugs while Amy looks on amusingly. As the conversation continues, panning is used to show both characters' expressions; Amy's being quite satisfied and Lauren's worried and anxious. However, when Amy asks Lauren if she was up for taking the drugs or not, it cuts to Lauren who seems quite hesitant but soon gives in to please her friend. This is further addressing the issues of drugs and peer pressure for teenagers and reveals to the viewers about what teenage issues there are today. Throughout this scene in the cubicle, the upbeat, playful music continues to play which signifies how the director is trying to illustrate that teenagers don't take drugs seriously and view drug-taking as something that is fun and has no consequences.
The scene then cuts to a high angle shot of the girls and both girls look up at the camera with shocked expressions; suggesting that they have now been caught. The scene then quickly cuts to a low angle shot of Sam, another student who has caught the girls with the drugs. However, before the camera cuts Sam is heard saying "What are you playing at Lauren?". The director has used a low angle shot on Sam to signify how she is against taking drugs therefore she is someone to look up to and idolise. It also reveals the binary opposites because Amy and Lauren are constantly being looked down on through the use of Birdseye and high angle shots while they are doing something illegal and wrong; whereas Sam is being looked up at. The director is suggesting that Amy and Lauren are bad because they are doing something illegal and Sam is good because she is trying to stop it and therefore is doing this through the use of these angles.
The scene then cuts back to a high angle shot of the girls; Amy looking irritated and Lauren looking worried and then cuts back to a low angle close-up of Sam to highlight how strongly she feels about the girls getting rid of the drugs.
The upbeat music stops when Lauren is gathering her things and the girls walk out of the cubicle. This creates a more serious tone because the bubbly, fun music has faded away. Then, there is a mid-shot of the three girls discussing Lauren taking drugs. The camera is positioned behind the girls, which makes the audience feel like they are the third person in the story and are standing by the girls.
The close-up of the Sam includes a poster in the frame that says ‘BIN IT KILL IT’ in large font, which may be an attempt to encourage the viewer to bin drugs.
Throughout the confrontation between the girls, Lauren and Amy are presented through the use of a two-shot close-up, suggesting their loyalty to each other and their opposing views to Sam on drug-taking. However, when we see the two-shot of the girls Lauren is out of focus, suggesting that she is insignificant and is trying to keep out of the situation.
A series of quick cuts from Kelly to Amy and Lauren build up the tension between the girls and as the cuts get faster, the more nervous the viewer feels about a physical confrontation starting between Sam and Amy.
Then, there is another cut back to the mid-shot of all three girls when Lauren has decided she has had enough of the arguing, but this time the viewer is positioned so Sam and Lauren are facing Amy, suggesting they are against Amy. However, Lauren then defies this suggestion by standing next to Amy again and saying that Sam is just being a bit of a 'downer'. The conversation continues with the two-shot of Amy and Lauren, (Lauren's face being slightly covered), and a mid-shot of Sam who is extremely unhappy with the suggestion that she should do drugs with them. The director then cuts to a close-up of Sam when she says 'If you want to get yourself into drugs Lauren, then fine" to highlight her seriousness about being against drugs and how displeased she is about Lauren taking drugs.
The clip ends with a mid-shot of the girls while Sam is picking up her bag. The use of mid-shot emphasises that the girls have been left alone with what they've done and their friends are staying away from them. This allows the viewer to realise that the decision about taking drugs is very important and if they choose to conform to peer pressure to do so, they could loose their friends and be left unhappy with their decision.
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Greysom Returns Clip Analysis
This clip is called ‘Greysom Returns’ from Emmerdale. The representational issues included in this clip are power struggle and gender. These representational issues are revealed to the audience through the use of Mise-en-Scene, Editing, Sound and Camera.
The four men in this clip are all wearing smart shirts, which suggests that they are upper/middle class. In contrast, the only woman in this clip is wearing a more casual cardigan, which suggests she is lower on the power scale than the men. The woman in this clip is wearing pink which is very feminine and connotes love. The fact that she is wearing quite a girly colour suggests she is the damsel in distress and needs rescuing. However, the villain (Greysom) in the clip is also wearing pink, which is ironic because he is meant to be evil and dangerous.
The main protagonist (Carl) is wearing a white shirt, which connotes innocence. This immediately indicates that he is the protagonist who will be the brave and strong man in this situation. The two other men are wearing black, which connotes death, and this suggests that they may have dangerous feelings towards the villain and want to inflict pain on him and suggests that they have the power to inflict pain on him.
There is also a vase of pink flowers in the background which is ironic because the flowers are healthy and full of life but the villain is threatening the other characters with a gun and tries to kill the main protagonist.
Also, there is a shot of the main protagonist and one of his male ‘helpers’ standing in front of a door with stained glass windows, which reveals a religious theme and illustrates how they are good and holy and it also reveals the binary opposites in this situation. Differently, the villain also stands in front of the stained glass windows, which gives a sense of irony because he is obviously immoral and dangerous because he’s threatening people and pointing a gun at them.At this point the power is possessed by the villain. This entices the viewer because they want to find out who will win in the end because at the moment they feel something dangerous could happen because the Greysom is in control.
The colour of the wall in the background is red, which is quite a masculine colour and represents danger, which foreshadows a dangerous event is about to arise. Also, red connotes anger which indicates there will be very tension-filled events to come.
One of the male characters passes the gun to the wounded protagonist, which signifies that there is a transition in power and that revenge is imminent.
Later on, the female character takes the gun, which reveals how she is now the most powerful character. The constant shift in power is determined by who is holding the gun. This makes it clear to the viewer that the gun is a source of power because it represents death.
Also, when Greysom looses the gun he’s pushed up against a door and his hands are above him, suggesting his surrender. This emphasizes how he has lost authority and control. This shot is an over-the-shoulder shot which is positioned so that the viewer feels like they are involved in the story.
Also, several camera angles are used to further emphasize the power struggle and gender issues.
At the beginning of the clip the camera pans across the room to expose the types of furniture and possessions there is in the house. This reflects the class of the family and all the possessions are quite sophisticated which suggests they are higher class and have a lot of power.
Also, there is a close up of Carl and another male character talking, which puts emphasis on the fact that they are discussing something important.
There is also an over-the-shoulder shot when they see Greysom which puts the viewer in their point of view so they are exposed to the fear that the rest of the characters have about Greysom.
There is also a close up of Greysom, which emphasizes his angry expression and this intimidates the viewer and makes them realise how much power he has. In contrast, there is a close up of the female characters’ face where she is crying and this exposes how she feels overpowered by Greysom and too emotional and distraught to fight back. This is telling the viewer that the woman needs saving and cannot handle the situation herself. Furthermore, there is also low angle shot which reinforces the womans’ lack of power and reveals her helplessness and her need for support from a man.
Also, there is a medium shot of Greysom, which gives the viewer a clear view of Greysoms’ commanding and superior body language and this further emphasizes how Greysom is in control of the situation.
Also, there is an over-the-shoulder shot of the woman beside Carl when he’s been shot, which makes the audience feel like they are on the same level as them and makes them feel inferior to Greysom. It also lets the viewer see a vulnerable and wounded Carl close up to realise his pain. Furthermore, there is a part of the table included in the angle, which suggests the viewer is on the floor next to Carl and the woman, and this makes the viewer feel like the third person in the story.
There is a zoom in on the gun trigger when the woman is holding it, which signifies how she is now in an incredibly powerful position in the story and the viewer is enticed to find out what she will do with this new power.
Also, another over-the-shoulder shot is used when one of the male characters takes the gun from the woman, revealing the change in power and a big close-up follows this on the male character holding the gun to reinforce the power shift.
Near the end of the clip there is a long shot of Greysom on his own in a field, which highlights his defeat and his loss of power. In this shot Greysom is on his own, which represents how independent and self-centered he is because he is the only thing in the shot.
Then, there is an over the shoulder shot with the female character looking at Greysom. This represents how she has won the battle and is superior at the end. It also emphasizes how proud she feels about defeating him because she is standing tall while he is being handcuffed and taken away. Also, the camera is positioned by the woman to make the audience feel like they are standing with the woman and to make them feel like they have also won the battle, because they are standing on the ‘good’ side.
Editing also plays a big part in adding to the story. For example:
There are lots of fast cuts to build but the tension and give the sense of danger and fear for the audience about what will happen with Greysom, who he is going to hurt and why.
There is also a fast cut to the characters when Greysom has said something important, which reveals how the viewer needs to see the characters’ reactions because the reactions help build to the story.The fast cuts also help the viewer keep up with the chaotic interaction between these characters.
The fast cuts to Carl injured highlight the consequences that will occur if one of the characters tries to take control instead of Greysom.
Also, the fast cut to the scene outside emphasises how Greysom is attempting to quickly escape from the negative situation he just caused.
The sound in this clip adds to the story because the diegetic sounds emphasize the tension being build. The heavy breathing of the characters reinforces this. The heavy breathing of the characters reinforces this because the audience feels a sense of panic and chaos because they know that something is wrong.
Also, all the characters are shouting at once which reveals the fight for power.
The sound of the police dog barking with the additional sound of the police siren represents the panic which Greysom feels. The sound is coming from all around Greysom, which signifies his power loss. Also, the police sirens intimidate the Greysom and therefore the viewer.
All of these techniques have added to the emphasising of the issues of power and gender and to make the viewer realise how gender and class affects power.
Camera Shots
Doctor Who Analysis Video
Hotel Babylon Clip
Hotel Babylon Analysis Essay
This Hotel Babylon clip is telling the story of how illegal immigrants live and it is breaking the stereotypes of how people believe immigrants are uneducated. Also, through the use of camera, sound, editing and mise-en-scene, this clip is making the audience sympathize with the immigrants and it shows the immigrants perspective in these situations.
At the beginning of the clip there is a mid-shot of the two police officers confronting a hotel employee. This shot introduces the binary opposite of good vs evil to the audience. Intially, the police officers are not facing the camera. This illustrates how the police officers are quite mysterious and impersonal. This is telling the audience that the policemen and immigration officers dehumanize the situation of catching illegal immigrants. This shot immediately interests the audience because they see that the police are involved, therefore they know something important is going to happen.
Next, there is a mid-shot of the main villain walking in the hotel with his two officers beside him. This establishing shot makes the officers seem very intimidating and they are introduced to the story in a negative way, which makes the audience realise that these characters are going to cause trouble. This is reinforced when the camera cuts to a shot of a man putting down his newspaper because he is intrigued and worried about these men.
There are also a few shots in which we see the immigrants through a shutter and this makes them look like they are in a prison. This exposes to the audience how illegal immigrants almost feel like they are already in prison because they have to live in fear and go into hiding. This makes the audience sympathize with the immigrants because they are constantly in fear. This shot also exposes a sense of confinement for the illegal immigrants, which also makes the audience feel sympathy for the immigrants.
When one of the immigrants is taken and they have to clean out his locker, slow music starts to play. The use of violins in this scene reveals to the audience how emotional and upsetting it is that people lose their friends and family every day and will most likely be put in prison. It exposes the grief of the whole situation of immigrants being caught and this makes the audience see a new perspective on the situation, which was the directors’ aim. The audience also feels empathy for the immigrants and their family because their eyes have been opened to the way illegal immigrants are treated.
When the immigrants are hiding in the closet, the fast-paced, slightly techno, non-diegetic music stops and there is only the diegetic sound of the immigrants breathing heavily. This makes the audience understand how frightening the situation is and they see it from the immigrants’ point of view which also emphasizes a real sense of fear the immigrants have about not being caught.
Also, when Jackie is emptying out the props in Abrahms’ locker, it makes the audience realise how he was a human being just like us and how similar we all are. It makes the audience feel empathy for him because they realise that he has a family too and the audience relates to this. The receptionist/manager is wearing white, which connotes purity and innocence and this suggests to the audience that she is on the ‘good side’ but her use of body language tells the audience different. She clicks her fingers at one of the employees which suggests that she will help the immigrants but does not care that much about them unlike Jackie. The director has left the audience confused about which side the receptionist is truly on which highlights the complexity of her character.
Editing also reinforces the directors’ message of breaking the stereotypes of illegal immigrants. For example, the editing is in time with the music. The fast-cuts stay in time with the music to keep the audience interested and make them realise how hectic and scary this situation is. There are much slower cuts after Abrahm has been taken, to make the audience feel empathy about him being captured and to make them realise how sad it is for his co-workers too. The fast-paced and action-packed editing signifies the panic and rush of the situation and opens the eyes of the viewer to see the situation from the immigrants’ point of view and feel empathy for them and their friends.
In conclusion, this clip is telling the story of an illegal immigrant being caught, through the eyes of the immigrants. The use of editing, camera, angles, mise-en-scene and sound are all made to make the audience sympathize with the immigrants and see how horrible and terrifying the situation is for them. The director has cleverly used the typical codes and conventions of TV drama to emphasize how illegal immigrants live and to get the audience to see the situation from their point of view.
