Evaluation - Question One B

Evaluation - Question One B (Representation)

When planning for my opening sequence of Catch I wanted to really get a good idea of common stereotypes of the working class used in professional media products both film and also TV Drama. My intention was to look out for the use of mise en scene and iconography in order to make it completely obvious to my target audience what class the characters are and also to get the point across so the audience know whether the representation is good, bad or ambiguous.

Slumdog Millionaire is set and filmed in India. India has an enormous amount of poverty over 780 million people in India do not have access to sanitation; almost two thirds of the population. The film captures the amount of poverty by using high angle shots continuously zooming out for miles to see how vast the slums in India. Mise en scene is applied throughout, for example the clothing worn by the boys involved in the chase scene are very scruffy, the audience is aware that these characters are from a poor background. The clothes that they are wearing do not fit well just suggests that they are probably handed down to them from older relatives. They are dirty, ripped and are in bad condition it is apparent that in the world they live in clothing and appearance is not a priority. 

In The Hunger Games’ opening sequence the first characters you see are dressed smartly in suits with their hair slicked back. This indicates to the audience that the two characters are wealthy and from a high class. This idea is backed up as it then cuts to a very poor location which contrasts the classes putting emphasis on the difference between them in terms of appearance. I applied this method when directing my opening sequence for Catch. I used two men in suits meeting in a dark and dingy location, the next scene is the working class children in the park. I did this so it was obvious who was richer and had the higher level of authority over the working class as they control society. Also the opening sequence for Trainspotting shows two men in suits chasing two working class men. This makes it obvious that the two characters are poor.

To represent just how poor the characters are and the awful conditions that they are surrounded by which has become the norm for them. I took the inspiration about the not so child friendly location from The Hunger Games. There are piles of rubbish and inhabitable properties which are what the children would live and play in. Just like in District 12 there is nothing modern about the area as there is no money around to renew it. This is why I chose to use this particular location to shoot my opening sequence. The area suggests that their up bringing was dangerous and no place for a child. The smiles on their faces signify that they are oblivious to this as it is all they have ever known. 

I also wanted to represent the sisterly love between the two characters. I was inspired by The Hunger Games to show the strong relationship between the two characters. Often in poor families the older siblings have to take care of the younger children as the parents don’t have the time for them as the parents work long hours doing manual labour jobs and expect the children to get on, look after themselves and stay out of the way. As the parents have to work the children are left to their own devices which makes them vulnerable and easy targets. The eldest character tries to protect the younger girl and keep her from trouble. 

I also looked at Trainspotting for inspiration in terms of representation of working class people. Although the characters in Trainspotting would be classed as the underclass it is pretty similar due to the lack of money. The film follows a group of heroine addicts who are living on the dole and spend all money on drugs. This leaves the flat’s looking scruffy and inhabitable.

I took inspiration from Trainspotting when capturing this scene. I chose to include football within my sequence as it is something that brings the working class community together. Working class men often meet up to play five-aside football in their local area as well as congregating to the local pub on match days to watch ‘their team’ play. I wanted to represent working class males within my opening sequence well so I uncluded two young boys kicking a ball backwards and forwards to each other.