Representation of Regional Identity

TASK - read the information below and then watch the Doc Martin clip. Make notes on how sound, camera work, mise en scene and editing construct a representation of regional identity. 

Regional Identity refers to the part of the United Kingdom someone is from.  It could refer to a general area such a “north” or “south”, a country such as “English” or “Scottish” or specific towns such as “London” or “Manchester.” (from TES revision guide)

There are several regional stereotypes widely seen on television:

• Scottish – often shown as being money obsessed, won’t pay for anything, drinks a lot of alcohol, loves the outdoors, wears kilts, eats haggis, quite aggressive and violent
• Welsh –Often shown as living in the middle of the countryside
• Irish – often shown as living in the countryside, working in rural areas such as farms, being very religious, being good at dancing and singing, very friendly but less intelligent
• English – often shown as being racist, obsessed with beer and football living in London. Sometimes the stereotype goes in the opposite direction of showing English people as very rich, posh, happy, living in castles and being very “royal.”
• London – There are 2 main stereotypes of Londoners.  One is that they are often shown as being rich, posh, snobby, upper class, Hugh Grant types from central or west london.  The other is that they often shown as being from north, east or south London, poor, common, lower class, criminalistic, violent “Kidulthood” style
• Manchester / Newcastle / Liverpool – Often shown as being “chavs”, wearing fake designer labels, or tracksuits, drinking a lot, being aggressive, uneducated, criminals (e.g. Shameless)
• Essex – often shown as being glamourous but cheap, footballer’s wives, lots of partying, being quite stupid
• Yorkshire – Often shown as living in rural countryside, with rolling hills and cobbled streets, being quite old fashioned (think Coronation Street)
• Cornwall / Somerset – Often shown as being “backwards”, living in rural areas, working on farms
• South England – often shown as being the centre of culture, modern, classy, clever, sunny, richer, doing middle class jobs such as managers etc
• North England – often shown as being poorer, bad weather, lower class, aggressive, less culture, less clever, doing working class jobs such as builders etc...

Representation of Sexuality

How is a representation of sexuality constructed in this clip? Comment specifically on the SOUND & MISE EN SCENE

Remember! First think about what you are being shown - are you seeing a fairly stereotypical representation or is it subversive? Also remember that more than one stereotype exists for groups in society (e.g. in this clip we see a range of fairly stereotypical constructions of homosexual males and females).

The key to your response is using explicit examples to back up/support your findings. Use the POINT, EVIDENCE, EXPLAIN as a basis for your paragraphs BUT try and incorporate more than one piece of supporting evidence to solidify your point.

Create a grid like this to make notes as you watch:

SOUND	MISE EN SCENE

Representation of Disability

G322 Disability extract OCR Media Studies TV Drama from N Tennear on Vimeo.

Watch the above clip. In what ways is DISABILITY represented? Does this representation conform to typical societal stereotypes?

Easter Holiday Homework - Write two paragraphs answering the question above. You need to refer to how camera, sound, editing and mise-en-scene help to construct this representation.

Here is an example paragraph:

In this clip from 'Call the Midwife', we are shown a typical representation of disabled people as helpless and isolated from society. The clip starts with a long shot of Jacob walking down the corridor. This shot allows the audience to get a sense of his disability (as it lingers) but it also emphasizes the fact that he is alone - he looks small in the surroundings. This sense of isolation is further reinforced with the use of parallel editing - the scene cuts from Jacob in the corridor (listening at the door) to the interior of the room he is outside. This use of editing creates a sense of separation - Jacob is on the outside and not a part of the conversation. The mise-en-scene also helps to suggest that he is being kept in the dark (figuratively) as the lighting is used to cast a shadow on his face. Another moment where Jacob's isolation and helplessness is highlighted is when the woman says 'Sally isn't like any other pregnant woman!'. The shot of the woman cuts to a close up of Jacob's face - this close up allows the audience to see the hurt and frustration on Jacob's face. Furthermore, non-diegetic music of a sombre nature plays over the shot - this really helps to highlight Jacob's helplessness. 

Exemplar Evaluation

Here is a link to a blog which has a level 4 evaluation. Take a look for some inspiration:

CLICK HERE!!

Evaluation Q6 & Q7

Evaluation Q4 & Q5

Improving Research & Planning - Audience Research

Evaluation - Q3

Evaluation Q3

Evaluation - Q2

The video example is saved in the student drive - media/submission folders/dropbox/YEAR12 2015-16/EVALUATION GUIDANCE

Overview of Coursework Deadlines

Overview of Deadlines – Year 12 Media Studies

Evaluation - Q1

Improving Practical Work

Now that you have a first rough cut of your film opening, let's look at ways in which we can improve your practical work in an effort to maximize your grade.

Your video is marked on the following:

• Producing material appropriate for target audience and task (e.g. this should resemble a horror film opening with a specific audience in mind)
• Using titles/credits appropriately and in line with professional conventions
• Using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set
• Controlled use of camera and attention to framing
• Attention to mise en scene
• Variety of shot types (using apt shot sizes)
• Using editing so that meaning is appropriate to the viewer

Each area can be classed as demonstrating a MINIMAL ability (level 1), a BASIC ability (level 2), a PROFICIENT ability (level 3) or an EXCELLENT ability (level 4).

Take a close look at your own work. Using the discussion and peer assessment task undertaken in class, create a blog post which assesses your own skills in the bullet points listed above. In the latter half of your blog post, you must outline an action plan for what is required to improve your work. This is due on your blog by the end of tomorrow's lesson (Wednesday, 6th January).

The deadline for a second video cut is Thursday, 21st January.