Exam style answer: Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs representation of ethnicity. (Hotel Babylon Jan 2010)

Throughout the chosen extract, editing has been used to create a distinct contrast in how different races have been presented, favouring the power towards the 'British White' ethnicity group. The first editing technique used to show the stereotype is the 'Eyeline Match' technique between the immigration officer and receptionist. The officer has the most screen time, this added to him having the most power within this part of the scene, we can tell instantly that he is a major factor within this scene, with the character being portrayed as the 'villain' character. However, we do gain a sense of respect for him because of his attitude towards his work, considering that the immigrant workers are in fact illegal.

Fast edits are used to show the frantic haste of the workers whilst they are trying to hide, the speed of the whole scene shows the weakness of the workers and how easily influenced their lives are by the White ethnic group and the power they possess. The editing creates emphasis of the fear on these characters and makes the audience sympathise with these characters.

Whilst the workers are hiding, one of the workers has been singled out using the use of cross cutting, by singling him out using this technique, the character is shown to be vulnerable and weak, again allowing the audience to sympathise with the worker as we watch him inevitably get caught by the officers, showing the power of the white ethnic group.

In the duration of this part of the extract, we watch as a middle aged woman suffers with a medical condition (a point for further proof of their vunerability) we are shown a conversation between the leading female character and one of the immigrant workers as the worker assists the collapsed woman in her medical emergency through the use of 'Shot Reverse Shot', this shows that he is well educated, despite him now working as a cleaner, defying the typical stereotype of someone both in his ethnic group and in his situation.

At the end of the scene we once again see the use of 'Eyeline Match' between the officer and the leading female in this scene. The officer clearly still has the most power within the scene, however by changing the character he is speaking to, the audiences perception of this character is changed, we see him as more of a villain character because of his sudden increase in power.

Homework task; analyse how camera techniques represent drama.

(0:40)
The eye level camera angle allows us to view the female characters large eyes which shows us her in her weak and vulnerable state, this is a typical stereotype to make us sympathise with her, the large eyes also make her look more innocent to further connote typical female characteristics.

(1:14)
The low camera angle instantly gives this male character power, the fact that he is in the centre if the frame shows us his significance within the scene which is how males are typically shown as to having the most power in the media. Another thing we can notice from the camera angle is that we are now seeing this from Martha's point of view, which draws in the audience and involves them within the scene, this also allows us to see how intimidating the male character is.

(1:42)
The wide angle shot at this point in the scene allows us to see everyone in the room (expect two or three characters who didn't fit in the frame). In the centre of the room we can see the pivotal characters surrounded by the supporting roles focusing our attention into the action. We see Martha on the floor, the way she has been placed makes her the smallest character in the frame, which contrasts with how the male lead for the scene has been directed, his body language is spread out which is making him the largest character, this is an accurate representation on how genders are stereotypically presented in the media.

Another stereotype that has been placed within this shot is the woman placed just to the left of the bad guy. She is shown wearing a deep red dress, the colour red is commonly connoted to passion and romance, because of this the woman can be seen as a sexual object, another well known series that uses this technique is the Bond film series, as most of the Bond girls are shown wearing some kind of red.

(4:25)
This shot is of Martha again, however in this frame the camera angle has changed from eye level to facing up towards her face, this is done to show the change in power within this part of the scene. This shot mirrors the shot where we see the male lead with a similar camera composition. This shows defiance with how women are portrayed, as we see Martha being shown as confident and relaxed as opposed to the previous weak and vulnerable state she was shown having.

What is TV drama?

TV drama is one of the most well known genres within the television industry, and gains its it's popularity from various elements for example, how the series which fall under the genre relate to everyday real life problems, soaps for example include events that pretty mix everyone can relate to; eg, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, depression e.c.t.

Another common feature in TV dramas are the locations in which they are set, they are commonly set in small communities that the audience can relate to. One example is the recent popular show Sherlock, which has been set in a "21st century London" - IMDb. As London is a mainstream city setting most people can relate to some on the geological problems, such as traffic and the hectic mess that is the city streets.

Occasionally narration is used to tell the story of a TV drama to allow the audience to create an emotional bond with the characters. Medical drama Scrubs is most known for using this technique, as we hear the entirety of the story being told through a singular character which had been subject to change every now and then whilst it was still being produced. Another benefit that this technique has is that the narrator was able to give us as te audience extra information about the characters, like their actual opinions on events and how they really felt about things.