1.) Discuss the ways in which the producers construct representations of working class in the opening credits through the 4 micro-elements.
-Camerawork;
-Mise-en-scene;
-Sound;
-Editing;
You should select 10 frames minimum to screen grab as examples for your analysis. I expect 700-1000 words.
The start of the clip has a soundtrack in the background which is quite happy and peaceful to create humour for the audience as this is a comedic programme. Using this happy music is intended to make the audience feel more relaxed as if this isn't really what happens in families like these, or it is but this has been exaggerated for their entertainment.
The social class being represented is of the working class and I know this because of the 'estate' they live on as well as the many children from different mothers that Frank Gallagher has in order to receive more financial support from benefits. The usual stereotypes associated with the working class in the media is that they are from an uneducated background, live on council estates, have large families, alcoholic father which is also shown in Shameless. The mise-en-scene here shows them all to be wearing very dirty looking or old clothing, possibly have been passed down to one another to save money but also, they wear things like tracksuits which are generally associated with council estate families as they can't afford all the latest fashions.
Another common stereotype is that people who live on council estates don't have a lot of money however, they can always afford to buy cigarettes and alcohol which then makes them behave aggressively even towards their own children. This was shown in Shameless when their was a close - up of Frank holding his son by the collar and looking as if he is about to hit him. This is not a good representation of the working class however it is very stereotypical. There is a close-up here to show how frightened his son is of him which sums up their whole father son relationship.
The producers have used an image of most of the children together to emphasise the amount of children these working class people have in order to gain more benefits to pay for their drug/alcohol addictions. They can't be a very close family as this is the only image in the scene with most of them together however, Fiona is missing from this one. It usually tends to be all the children look out for each other but the parent does their own thing and shows no parental guidance or love.
Frank has shaved his sons hair because he says that he gets head-lice although to an audience who watches this, it will create an image in their head of him being part of a gang where they all look the same. It could also be presented as they don't have enough money for shampoo etc. Lower class citizens are usually seen by the upper and middle class as being dirty and that could be another reason for the decision to shave his hair off.
The dad, Frank can't be relied on as he is always drunk and seen to be lying on the kitchen floor after not having brought home any butter or other food items to eat with the plain bread. He is clearly an unfit father figure although to the audience, it seems like a joke that a father would be like this so they laugh. This birds eye view shot shows us that he is not a responsible dad and even his children find it difficult to respect him because of his behaviour.
Setting cars on fire are presented as being a party for these lower class citizens as they must have nothing better to do with their time. This is also a stereotypical view on the social class as they like to cause mayhem by having parties etc.
They are typically thought of as thugs which is also shown in this clip when they are throwing things at the car, huddled together as if they are in a gang and being very loud. As the police arrive, we see a clear binary opposition between the police and the residents which also represents the social class and how they are thought of by the other classes.
The name of the show can symbolise many different things. One interpretation is that it could be based on Frank's character because he is not ashamed of the things he does and the way he behaves. A long shot has been used here to capture the extent of the damage they have caused as well as the chaos created by the entire estate.
The overall representation of social class is shown as being very low due to the editing of jump cuts at the opening of the programme to show the council estate and how significant a place like that is in their lives. The mise-en-scene clearly represents them as having very little money as the children are always wearing a tracksuit and they never look clean and neatly presented. There is a soundtrack which coincides with the narration of Frank Gallagher to show his love for his family as he sounds extremely happy with his life even though he doesn't have a lot. There was a panning shot at the beginning to show the extent of their estate which isn't a lot. Frank uses a biblical term and says it's 'no garden of Eden' which shows he is aware it's not a lot but it's enough to make him happy which happens quite a lot in the social class. They are generally happy living in a neighbourhood where they all get on and are like one big family,
WWW- This interpretation of the representation of social class in this extract is very insightful. Overall this was a good analysis of Shameless and your screen shots really helped to illustrate your points.
ReplyDeleteEBI- All your points were justified and expanded, as you made quite a few points however you sometimes failed to relate why this shows them as lower class. You included how the camerawork had impacted the audience and how it illustrates them as lower class citizens. Lastly, you should expand your vocabulary and make to use the key words- such as miss-en-scene when you are describing the scenery and costume.