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.
it shows that disabled people can actually achieve more things than people expect them to
ReplyDeleteweak, vulnerable, looked down on, dull lifestyle - lack of colour
ReplyDeletetreated as a fool. trapped
looked down on
ReplyDeleteLooked down upon
ReplyDeleteBus guy was disrespectful/inconsiderate
-The way he walks indicates that he has a disability
ReplyDelete-He talks differently to others
-The mother of the other disabled character wouldn't allow him to marry her based on the fact that he was disabled
-The man on the bus was very rude and created him like a child/idiot for the fact that he has a disability
abnormal
ReplyDelete- People assume they cannot take care or work
ReplyDelete- Treated like an idiot
- Over protective of the young disabled women where as the man gets all of the blame when he has good intentions
- Treated like a child
- Shock that he got the girl pregnant
treated differently/ unfairly
ReplyDeletepitiful
seen as dumb
treated childlike
in shock that he got someone pregnant
feel trapped in the society
Some equal attitudes, some unequal attitudes
ReplyDeleteSympathy
Surprise
Treated as if they are worth less than other adults
ReplyDeleteSympathy
Lonely-just want someone to understand them
Some treated him as equal
ReplyDeleteSome looked down on him
Vulnerable
-"unable to work or take care of themselves"
ReplyDelete-Pitiful
-hard to communicate with
-Rude to them
-Helpless
-Treated like children
-Dont fit in
Treated differently and sometimes unfairly and may feel shut out of society.
ReplyDelete- different from the society - isolated
ReplyDelete- He was treated with relative kindness but wary of him
- Shock that he got her pregnant
- Vulnerable, but kind
- Smart - noticed the cards and got them without being noticed
He- repersented as a friendly guy who wants to see his girlfriend but as the clip goes on he is treated badly by the bus man and then the mum of his girlfriend because of his disability- then he keeps being put down and no one thinks hes good enough.
ReplyDeleteHowever the girl is treated a bit better as she is pregnant and only has a small disability.
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ReplyDeleteIn this clip from ‘Call the Midwife’ the audience is shown a typical stereotype of the male disabled character being presented as pitiable. When sat on the bus, a high angle shot is used to communicate the way society would look down upon disabled people and the view that they are inferior. This was then enforced by the low angle looking up at the bus driver who was clearly not disabled, representing the society’s views. He hardly speaks at the beginning of the clip to make him seem sad in contrast to the aggravated women. It also communicates that he is unable to voice his opinions easily. The heavy tapping of the cane as he walked meant that we, as an audience, are drawn to his disability, the loud noise potentially meant to emphasise how he stands out from people and appears abnormal. The editing meant that reactions of the disabled man was focused on, normally when he was hurt emotionally, this meant that the audience is made to feel empathy for him. In addition to this the mise-en-scene meant that he was in wide empty spaces making him appear lonely and isolated again aimed to create pity.
ReplyDeleteHe also is shown to conform to the stereotype of a disabled character triumphing over setbacks such as the separation between him and his girlfriend. The shots are largely focused on him when trying to find the address of his girlfriend discreetly. This means that the audience is forced to see his sly actions without the woman seeming to have authority noticing. He then makes his way down a street, through the use of mise-en-scene we see he is holding a cane and this with the long shot allows us to see his disability clearly. He carries on walking with clear difficulty conforming to the stereotype of him working through setbacks. Another thing is that he is in daylight for the majority of it and is clasping the girlfriend’s hand communicating his happiness despite the sound of the shouting women. His voice remains calm and repeats his words in a kind and gentle way which contrasts with the woman in the house who is aggressive and raising his voice at him. This makes the audience see him as innocent and the hero.
In this clip from ‘Call the Midwife’ the audience are instantly made aware of Jacob’s disability through the loud tapping as he walks with his cane. This makes Jacob stand out, which shows how he is set aside from society, which makes him feel isolated. Jacobs isolation is empathised even more through the parallel editing. The audience can see Jacob standing alone on one side of the door, listening to the two women on the other side. The wall between the women and Jacob represents the wall between disabled people and society, doing this makes it much more visual for the audience to see, which makes Jacobs separation more apparent. The non-diegetic sound that the audience can hear during this part of the clip reinforces the theme of isolation through long lasting, minor notes on a clarinet, which shows Jacob’s sorrow and depression because of the separation between disabled people and society. This makes the audience sympathise towards Jacob, as he is seen to be vulnerable and helpless from being isolated from society, and representing a disabled character in this light conforms to the general representation of disabled people.
ReplyDeleteFrom the use of camera angles the audience are shown Jacob’s vulnerability and helplessness. When Jacob is on the bus, the camera angle is high so we, as the audience, are looking down on him because of his disability. This shows that Jacob has less power than everyone else because he is different, which again shows the separation between disabled people and society. The camera angle switches to a low angle, so the audience are looking up at the abled ticket man on the bus. This empathises the idea of abled people are more powerful and superior than disabled people, making disabled people vulnerable and helpless. This makes Jacob depressed, which is shown through the mise en scene. Jacob is wearing dark clothes that mirror the dark rooms he is seen in; this is to show the audience the sadness in Jacob as darkness represents depression. Jacob is depressed as he feels separated and isolated, which conforms to the representation of disabled people on TV.
In the clip from "Call the Midwife" we as the audience are shown a typical representation of people with disabilities, which conform to societal stereotypes, these include isolated, vulnerable and helpless. The clip starts off with a long shot of a disabled man walking down the corridor. This shot allows the audience to see his disability as it lingers on him along with a long cut. From this shot we can see that he is alone and looks quite isolated and small, which suggests that he has no power. His isolation is emphasised with the use of parallel editing, where the disabled man is in the corridor, listening at the door to inside the room that he is outside of. This type of editing creates a sense of separation and could emphasise the fact that he is different. The mise en scene also suggests that he is kept separate as there is a dark lighting shadowing his face. The man's helplessness and isolation is highlighted when the woman says "Sally isn't like other pregnant woman". The shot of the woman cuts to a close up of the man's face, this allows the audience to see his hurt, sad expression. Non-diegetic nature sounds are used which reflects his vulnerability.
ReplyDeleteThe clip shows how other people react to disabled people. When the Jacob is on the bus he is shown from a high angle which indicates that he is alone and smaller than other people. It also suggests that disabled people are often looked down on by others. The shot emphasises Jacob's difficulty speaking to the ticket man. Shot reverse shot is used as it allows the audience to see Jacob's and the ticket man's expression. When it cuts to the ticket man his expression looks careless as he can't understand what Jacob is saying. The low angle makes him look like he has power and that he is looking down on jacob, which conforms to societal stereotypes. The editing lingers on the shot reverse shot to highlight the difficulty of getting through to other people and having trouble to do things that other people easily do. The mise en scene suggests that he is different as he is wearing dull colours whilst everyone else is wearing brighter colours. The people sitting behind Jacob stare at him as if he is stupid and don't bother to help, this highlights his loneliness. Non-diegetic music is used which sounds sad and sombre and reflects his difficulty.
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ReplyDeleteIn the clip from ‘Call the Midwife’ the audience are shown a typical representation of someone with a disability, he is portrayed as helpless, pitiable and vulnerable. At the beginning of the clip we see a long shot of the man walking down the hallway, the shot stays with him for a few seconds, this puts emphasis on his disability. In addition to this, when on the bus a high angle shot is used on Jacob, this shows us his weakness and how someone who is not disabled looks down on him. The editing within the clip is all based around focusing on his disability, when walking he is framed to the right, using the rule of thirds, this is where we are drawn to him immediately, we see him struggle and take pity on him. Mise en scene suggests he isn’t a part of a group and doesn’t fit in, he wears dull clothing, mostly greys and creams. He is usually in a wide open room, in comparison to the room he is small and powerless, and this represents his disability in comparison with society.
ReplyDeleteAs well as the colour of his clothes, the lighting also highlights his vulnerability, the low key lighting shadows his face which shows us he’s separated from the rest of the women. Parallel editing is used within the clip to show Jacob walking through the hallway and then listening in to two women having a conversation, this shows his separation to the ‘norm’ in society. The non-diegetic sound used in this clip further highlights Jacob’s loneliness and separation, minor notes used create a depressed atmosphere in which we then feel sympathetic for Jacob, and this is exactly what the stereotypical representation of disability aims for.
In the clip from 'Call the Midwife' the audience are shown a negative representation of someone with a disability. Jacob is portrayed as a man who can't be independant, a man who's is pitiable and someone who is looked down upon in society. A specific moment where this is shown in the clip is when Jacob is on the Bus and wants to visits Sally and the Ticket operator is shot from a High angle, showing to the audience that he has the power in this scene. Whereas we are looking down on Jacob, which makes him look weak and vulnerable. Moreover from the use of Mise en Scene Disabled people are represented as very Isolated. At the beginning of the clip, we see a long shot but down a wide corridor which focuses on Jacobs isolation. Again Dialogue is also used to show Jacobs isolation as he is cut off from the conversation about Sally,
ReplyDeleteMoreover, Sally aslo receives a negative representation when the ladies are talking about Sally as if she's not in the room "he's more smart in the head than she is'. Portraying her as Dumb and almost child like, as she's speaking about her in a patronising way. Cuts are used from where we first meet Sally when she is being checked over, back to Jacob outside the door and then back again. Giving this idea of potential danger or dissapointment.
Finally the stereotype in society for disabilities being represented as Helpless and pitiable, we see conform in this video through the 4 key media areas.
In the clip from 'Call the Midwife' we as the audience are shown a negative representation of someone with a disability. Jacob, the one with the disability is portrayed in this scene as someone with no independence and someone who is almost seen as being child like. We are shown this in a scene when Jacob is sat on the bus and the camera angles of Jacob and the bus conductor emphasise that disabled people are looked down upon in society as the camera angle when looking from the perspective of Jacob is of him looking up and the camera angle of the bus conductor is of him looking down at Jacob. This indicates that Jacob is being looked down upon as he is not like everyone else on the bus. Furthermore the use of mise en scene for disabled characters are normally portrayed as being very isolated. At the beginning of the clip we see Jacob walking the corridor on his own which further suggests that he is alone and isolated. The use of non diegetic sounds in the form of music is used to highlight and emphasis Jacob's loneliness and isolation from society as the music that is playing is very sad sounding and is used to make us as the audience feel sorry for Jacob.
ReplyDeleteAs well as this, later on in the clip we follow Jacob as he tries to find a way home. We are introduced to a lady who is tasked with helping Jacob get home. When she discovers that Jacob was the one to get sally pregnant she seemed very shocked as she did not think that someone that is disabled is abled enough to do so. This conforms to the stereotype of disabled people in society as they are treated like children and are mostly looked down upon.
In the clip from 'Call the Midwife' we see that someone with a disability are represented in a negative way. The clip opens with a long shot of Jacob walking through a corridor. The long shot helps establishes that he is alone and is quite isolated. We see that he is holding a walking stick, we as an audience create sympathy for him. The scene is then cut from outside where Jacob is and then to the interior of the room. Through the use of editing we are able to see that he is separated from the conversation going on inside. Through the mise en scene we are able to see that Jacob if being left out in the dark, this is shown through the lighting of the shadow being casted of Jacob's face. A close up is used to show the sadness on Jacob's face after hearing something from inside the room. The use of non-diegetic music throughout the scene is used to highlight his isolation and helplessness. The scene cut to Jacob being in the bus, the use of a low angle on Jacob shows that he is weak and vulnerable. This is compared to the high angle on the bus driver showing that he has more power than Jacob. The bus driver comes across rude since he can't understand Jacob, this then shows that Jacob is represented as childlike.
ReplyDeleteWhen Jacob gets to Sally we see through the over the shoulder shots that both Sally and Jacob are represented as equal to each other. Through the use of editing we can see that Sally and Jacob are separated to the others in the room showing how different they are compared to them. Jacob is also represented as comforting as he holds Sally's hand while being shouted by the woman in the room. Her tone of voice is very aggressive compared to Jacob's gentle and softer tone. This then represents Jacob in a positive way compared to the negative way he was represented before. The clip ends as Jacob is trying to find a way home with the help from a lady. We are then introduced to another lady as he waits in the house, she is then told who Jacob is. The shot lingers on her and we see the surprise on her face when she finds out Jacob got Sally pregnant. This then conforms to the representation of people with a disability being treated differently and unfairly.
Within this clip from 'Called the midwife' we as the audience are given a negative perception of the characters with disabilities.The first shot is a long shot of Jacob, a man that has the disability walking alone a dark corridor,this conveys he is alone, the long shot focuses on how alone he is. Furthermore, the dark emphasizes on the negative atmosphere. Him being alone allows the audience to feel sympathy as he is even struggling walking. Next it cuts to two females talking, the editing forces us to compare the the two cuts of the two women talking and Jacob listening in outside the room. Again Jacob looks isolated as he is also alone whilst the two girls that are physically fine talk. Furthermore through the us of mise en scene it demonstrates his grief, there is a dark shadow on his face which enhances the dullness. Whilst the room the females are in is composed of lighter colors. Jacob listening in to the women talking behind the door demonstrates his helplessness.
ReplyDeleteThe scene cuts to Jacob on the bus the use of the high angle on Jacob interpenetrate him to be weak and vulnerable.This compared to the low angle shot on the physically fine bus driver, makes him look more power and dominant on him. This also makes it seem like us as the audience are looking down on him emphasizing on the feeling of sympathy. There are also close ups of the bus drivers face which shows he is irritated by the Jacob struggling to talk. This again makes us feel sorry for Jacob. It then cuts to a long shot of Jacob struggling with a walking street on the road, again they used a long shot and placed him to the right so us as the audience focus on him and how lonely he is. The camera zooms into all his struggling which conforms to the stereotype of people with disability always struggling.
In this clip of "call the midwife" we see Jacob portrayed as an stereotype of disabled people. In the first scene we a long shot of Jacob walking down a corridor with a walking stick and in the background we hear an conversation starting between 2 women. In this shot there is only a little bit of light coming from the window this suggests that there is only a bit of happiness and hope in his life. Later we see this to be his girlfriends. The shot switches to a room where the 2 women are having a conversation about a pregnant unlike the previous shot the scene is much brighter suggesting that the the 2 women don't have a disability like Jacob and they are "normal. For the next couple of shots it switches to and from both of them always having longer shots on Jacob as he is the main character of this opening.
ReplyDeleteJacob is portrayed as "non- sexual" throughout the opening as when others hear about him getting his girlfriend pregnant then they are really shocked about it- even more when they know when his girlfriend has also got a disability. Later in the opening when Jacob reaches his girlfriends house to see her and tells he mum that he's going to ask her dad to marry her because she's pregnant. Her mum practically laughs at him and gets really angry as she thinks of her own daughter as weak and needs looking afterwards like a little child when actually she is an adult. They couldn't be together and start a family as society views them as weak and unable to look after themselves.
The short clip from “call the Midwife” shows a typical representation of people with disabilities and how they are portrayed in shows. The clip begins with the man the disabilities walking down a corridor. This shot is film as a long shot as it allows us to see how alone and small he looks in comparison to the corridor. The shot is also carried on for sometime as this allows the audience to understand that they are viewing a man who has a disability. The fact that he is alone and an outcast is furthered through the use of editing when there is a use of parallel editing where the man is having to listen from the other side of the door where the conversation is taking place. This can suggest that he is separated from the rest of society. The lighting of the scene further reinforces the idea that he is separated from the rest of society as the lighting on his face is dark and his clothing is dark and dull taking away anything that can relate to happiness away form his character. The man is further looked down upon as he is spoken to harshly when the women say” Sally isn’t like any other pregnant women” the shot then cuts to the man and it allows the audience to how disappoint he is.
ReplyDeleteThe clip also shows how others in day-to-day life can treat members of the public who suffer from disabilities. When he is on the bus there is a high camera angle used to make it appear that the bus conductor asked where he was heading. The dialogue then adds an extra insight of how they are treated as the bus conductor rudely reacts with “huh” twice as he cannot understand what he was being told. The camera then switches to the disabled mans point of view and we can see he is looking up to the bus conductor making him appear to be more dominant.
The small clip from 'Call the Midwife' shows a typical representation of disabled people. At the beginning of the clip he is seen to be weak, vulnerable and alone. This is seen from the corridor shot where the disabled male is seen alone. He is seen to one side of the shot alone in a big corridor which highlights his isolation and loneliness. A high angle is used in the bus scene which shows how people look down on disabled people in society and think them as inferior. This is followed by a low angle of the bus driver who seen to be looking down on the disabled male. The bus drivers tone can come across quite rude which links to the idea of disabled people being seen as vulnerable and lower in society.
ReplyDeleteHowever he stereotypically relates to disabled people due to his ambitions to overcome his physical setbacks. Even though from the way shots took, the disabled male is still seen as strong due to his ambitions to see his girlfriend, who also suffers from a disability. His girlfriend’s carer is seen talking negative of the disabled male, however his body language suggest that he doesn’t mind the insults due to his relationship with his girlfriend.
In the clip from ‘Call the Midwife’ the audience are shown a typical representation of someone with a disability, he is portrayed as helpless and vulnerable. One of the shots shows a long shot in a corridor of the a disabled man struggling to walk, moving slowly. The isolation shown in the corridor is highlighted with the lack of people in the shot. This symbolises his mind set as he is alone due to his disability. The shot length is also long, this is supported evidence that his disability is a long and lonely struggle. The use of parallel editing allows the conversation to be heard whilst the camera is still on him, this allows us to see his reaction to the conversation. This use of editing also suggests he is out of touch with society and as he isn't participating in the conversation it suggests that he has no voice that anyone listens to, further showing his loneliness. The colours in this shot feature dull beiges and browns, this is what he is wearing as well, this suggests a lack of expression and symbolises a 'dull' life. These lifeless colours represent solitude and a lack of hope.
ReplyDeleteTypically, men are portrayed as the dominant people, especially when this TV show is set, however when the women makes a patronising remark it is clear to see who is in power. This is a clear difference in representation and further emphasises the helplessness of Jacob as he is viewed as the lowest social class, further represented by him being mistreated on the bus by the ticket man, not being able to understand what he is saying. This further shows how he has no voice in society.
The "Call the Midwife" extract portrays a stereotypical representation of people suffering with disabilities. Throughout the clip, Jacob is presented as an isolated individual. His isolation is shown through the use of long-medium shots used throughout the extract, an example of this is when Jacob walks down the street alone, looking for Sally. The long shot is used to highlight the that no others are in the street with him, this shows Jacob as a lonely and isolated individual in the society. Furthermore, within the shot itself, he is off centre. Again this shows Jacob as not important and not a point of focus within that society. Both points show how the show conforms to the stereotypes of disabled people, as they present Jacob as lonely and isolated from the society.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore they conform to the stereotype that disabled people have dull and innocent lives. They do this through the use of dialogue. When the nurse is introduced to Jacob as "Sally's friend" the nurse seems rather shocked at the fact that a disabled person could have sexual intimacy with another person. Again the show conforms to stereotypes found in society as disabled people as usually non-sexual.
From the filmed extract "Call the Midwife" it is easy to identify how a stereotyped representation of the disabled has been used to create Jacob's identity. Him being lonely and seen as an outcast is portrayed in that opening shot being a long shot, and him being able to hear the character's talking about him, which shows people are concerned for him as he is portrayed as weak to others; reinforced by the use of him having a walking stick. In addition Jacob walking into the darkness in the first scene gives a sense of hopelessness and darkness, which further supports this idea of being alone. This weak portrayal is also seen with a high angle shot upon Jacob whilst he's sat on the bus of another man talking to him, which suggests he is seen as having a much lower status than the other man.
ReplyDeleteWe can use sound to also highlight how Jacob is seen as a weak individual as the bus driver speaks to Jacob as if he were a child, and needs that extra guidance. Along with a low, slow-paced sound track this implies Jacob's life is slow, which is seen by the way he walks and there is rarely any happiness in his life, which in society people often referred to people with disabilities as "slow" or "backward". Additionally the editing of Jacob walking down the street is fairly long, which reinforces this idea of Jacob being slow moving which he has been depicted as due to his disability.
From viewing the extract from 'Call the Midwife' I am able to see how a stereotypical representation of how people can suffer from having a physical or mental disability. For example within the clip Jacob us seen to be very lonely and isolated. This is shown when he is standing in the corridor over listening the midwives conversation about the woman that he will be having a child with. The isolation is shown from the long shot making him look small and belittling him. When over hearing the conversation between the women it seems although the woman are caring and worried for his well being showing that society think that he is needy and in need of assistance.
ReplyDeleteHowever this is subverted when the bus driver belittles him because of his disability. This as a representation shows how some disabled people are disrespected because they are seen to be mentally weaker when the rest of society are able to see that they have a physical deformity. This creates a sense of unhappiness and sadness. This is also represented in the Mise-en-scene where Jacobs clothing is very dull and dark showing no signs of happiness or hope.