Hotel Babylon

In this sequence ethnicity is constructed using mise-en-scene such as accents. This clarifies that people with lower status jobs are usually foreigners. Their stereotypical costume symbolizes that they aren't individuals and haven't got an identity in their work places. For instance there's a two shot of the maids wearing a stereotypical blue and white dress. 

The french maid says to the new maid 'he pays double, for double' this line indicates that they're prostituting themselves for more money. This gives the audience the impression that people from ethnic backgrounds go through struggle to build a better future for themselves, although prostitution is illegal, the media sometimes attempts to defend  such crimes which can cause people to pity people from ethnic backgrounds. It can also make them look desperate. A close up shot of the money the man is prepared to offer the maids symbolizes the importance of the money to the maids, then there's a long shot of the two maids undressing themselves which could represent them stripping away their dignity however one maid runs off which could symbolizes that she has self-respect.

When Ben bumps into the boy in the swimming pool, his facial expressions create a contrast between the two characters and what type of backgrounds they both came from. To begin with there's a long shot that displays Ben's costume & appearance; smart, confident and high status. He begins to walk and bumps into the young boy however we get the impression that Ben doesn't want to be seen with him as he jumps back when they boy says 'Ben!'. Using a shot revers shot we watch their conversation, Ben is fidgeting a lot, he scratches his head, and avoids eye contact. His body language indicates that he doesn't want people in the hotel to know that he knows this guy. This can also show that people from ethnic minorities are sometimes ashamed of where they come from, so they put on a facade to 'fit in'. A zoom shot and an over the shoulder shot is used to show his facial expression when the guy says 'That's the real Benjamin right there'. Ben looks terrified, his mouth is open and his eyes widened. This use of cinematography tells us a lot of about this one character, we comprehend that he's hiding his true identity and that he doesn't want people to judge him on his background. It can also describe the type of society we live in, where people from ethnic backgrounds feel the need to be someone else to gain respect. It's a pretty negative aspect of ethnicity, but it's not their fault that society works this way and its up to them to adapt to it.

People from ethnic backgrounds are made to be seen temperamental for example in the kitchen scene, the french chef and the english cook have an argument. We automatically know who has authority in the kitchen due to their costume; the french chef is wearing black and white clothes and the rest of the cooks are wearing white. They both display verbal aggression, however it's the French chef that shows physical aggression. Non diegetic music plays to build the tension between the two and reflects the escalating discussion. There's a long shot of the two during the quarrel which displayed the difference in size and the contrast in power. The chef is a stereotypical slim and short French man compared to the typical 'beer-bellied' British man which is ironic as the small man has a bigger role in society compared to the english cook. After throwing racial slurs at each other, the chef decides to act. There's a close up shot of the butchers knife before the chef picks it up which is then followed by a close up shot showing the cooks threatened facial expression. This type of cinematography allows us to see that some people from ethnic background have got power and control in society whether it be positive or negative.

Soap Operas

Soap operas are usually based around the working class life and consists of different theories of realism to construct reality. Mise en scene is used to help construct reality and help the audience identify what class the soap is based around. An effective mise-en-scene used is costume as it directly shows the audience what kind of lifestyle the character follows which can help us relate to the soap. For instance, in soap operas most British women are styled in typical high street clothing. This creates an understanding relationship between the characters and the audience and can help the audience empathise with the characters and this makes the soap seem more real; this is also the type of engagement the producers are looking for in order to get more ratings.

Another important mise en scene used to help construct reality would be setting, although most soap operas are based in the same place and area which may seem unrealistic to some viewers, it can also help make the audience feel more comfortable and familiar with the soap and its surroundings, because if a soap frequently changed settings always changed settings it would be harder for viewers to recognise what is happening and where it’s taking place. Also if soap operas have a small number of locations it’s more likely that the audience would quickly remember all the places in the soap which would make it easy for viewers to talk about a recent episode. However I think it can also seem unrealistic when characters all share one laundrette like in Eastenders, because it almost seems like too much of a coincidence that everything and everyone stays in ‘Albert Square’ and nothing goes beyond. Although it’s used to make the soap seem realistic it also shows a negative representation of East Londoners as it makes us seem like we  just go to the pub or the ‘bookies’ and none of us own a washing machine.

Themes such as love, relationships and family life are used to emphasise the realism in soaps for example, a lot of soaps are based on family relationships and how it can affect a whole community. I think different types of relationships and loves in soaps cause a lot of controversy; however it can also open the soap to a wider range of viewers, such as homosexuality which is a mild form of taboo. These types of themes can also relate to the audiences lives and maybe help them with their own real-life situations. In addition to that real life themes construct reality in soap operas, because if viewers have already witnessed these types of problems or situations it makes them feel like the soap is more real.

 

Shot reverse shots are frequently used to make the soap seem more legit the effect is that it can make the audience feel as if they’re involved in the conversation. Producers use recurring themes to construct realistic conflicts and secrets in families which shows us that soap operas aren’t just for entertainment, but also to emphasise that the soap is a reflection of real life situations, for example a buried family secret will once again rise to cause a shocking story which is exactly what producers do to keep the viewers engaged. Iconography such as the ‘Queen Vic’ in Eastenders is used to create a familiar surrounding and is a frequent establishing shot in the soap, also theme tunes are used to make the audience identify that a particular programme is on.

An important technical code used in soap operas is sound. Most soap operas use diegetic sound to enhance realism. It makes the audience feel like they're a part of the programme, as you hear the sound effects you would usually hear if you we're present in the soap. For instance, Eastenders has a basic title sequence displaying the whole of the East end and a theme tune, however hollyoak's title sequence involves everybody in the soap opera which pinpoints and gives new viewers an idea of who's in the soap opera. Hollyoaks also has a re-cap at the beginning of the sequence to inform viewers on what's going to happen in this episode.

When comparing Hollyoaks & Eastenders, we can arguably say Eastenders is more realistic as Hollyoaks tends to use abstract setting for example flashbacks and non-diegetic sound bridges and so on. Hollyoaks doesn't initially follow all the technical codes, they drift off into more of a drama based programme. This is probably because they're targeting a younger audience and stereotypically dramatic TV programmes appeal to younger viewers. In comparison to Hollyoaks; Eastenders is more realistic as all the Technical Codes are used, especially continuity editing is frequently used; it gives a flowing feeling to the soap, which helps the audience feel like the soap is real.

 

Elizabeth; Denotation & Connotation

 At the start of the scene there's a close-up shot of the Queen just before her hair was cut off. She has a blank, cold & emotionless expression & the lighting is ambient; the blue sets a poignant and cold atmosphere. We get the impression that she's willing to sacrifice her femininity, personality and life for the throne not just physically, but mentally too. This makes the audience have sympathy for her because it reminds us of all the things women have to go through just to be accepted in this 'mans world', It also shows her commitment and determination and her preparation to reign England so some may feel delighted that a woman managed to achieve such a high position in that century. In this scene there are also plenty of close-ups on her hair falling off, this could symbolise her saying goodbye to her old life and there's a close up of her gripping onto a piece of her hair which could represent her gripping onto her memories one last time. By now the audience gets the idea that she is no longer a person, but she is just the Queen of England. There's a close up shot of her hand and a maid rubbing a circle of white paint on her hand. This shot emphasises the fact that she's wearing a complete different new personality. The scissors used to cut her hair could represent all the people in her life who forced her to leave her life behind. As she walks into the court room there's a wide shot of the room to show the crowd of people waiting for her entrance. The Queens entrance was very angelic as she walked through the natural light coming from the curtains. Her entrance symbolised her transformation from a human being with desires and aspirations to the Queen of England; nothing more nothing less. In this scene her hair is short, red, her face is painted white & she's wearing a white sequined dress. Her red hair symbolised power and fierceness, also her fury and the pain she inflicted to become Queen. Her white face represents her new cold and undefeatable personality. The red lipstick adds to her fashion statement as Queen of England, she almost became a sort of icon for women in England. Her big white dress covered her from her neck to her ankles; she looks as if her old life was trapped beneath that dress, whereas in her flashbacks she wore revealing clothes, she let her hair down, and she seemed content. As she walks through the crowd of people there's a wide shot, this shot shows the people in the court as they make a pathway for Queen, this scene reminded me of Moses when he parted the Red Sea. It's also a comparison of Moses power he had over his people and it put emphasis on the power she was about to gain over England. The pathway also resembled a wedding aisle, which could suggest that she's getting married to England which is a very big commitment to make to a man let alone a Country. As she walks down the aisle an ariel shot/point of view shot  of  her looking down on her ex-lover that we saw previously in her nostalgic flashback. This ariel shot shows her power over a man she once was allowed to love and the colours used in the flashback are very golden and subtle giving the audience the impression that her memories were precious to her and that she did get the chance to live a good life. Her memories make the audience feel sorry for her because we see what she's about to let go of, but we also feel good to know that she did get a chance to experience her freedom. Like the beginning, the final scene ends with a close-up shot of the Queen which shows a big contrast of her transformation from being a regular person to becoming the Queen of England. She has the same posture and facial expression however her appearance has completely altered.

Denotation/Connotation of Skins



Skins

The image is set in a bathroom, which implies that he's hiding from someone or something, it also indicates that he's in seek of privacy. 

The background of the advert is very dull, damp and dirty which gives the audience the impression that this is the kind of conditions teenagers live in, it also describes the kind of lifestyle he's living.

The cracked tiles could represent the problems in his life, the stains on the wall could represent the memories he can’t remove and the bathroom itself could describe his life; secretive, dirty, small & dark. The bathroom setting directly indicates that he doesn’t like the life that he's living and that he's trying to hide away from his problems. 

The character is lying in a bath of dirty water which suggests that he's in content because what kind of person prefers to lie in dirty water than to be enjoying his freedom. The water could also represent the sorrow in his life, he could be lying in a bath full of tears; 'drowning his sorrows'. 

It also gives the audience the impression that he's suicidal which creates a stereotypical view on how the audience see teenagers. There isn't much light in this image, but we can there's a bit of light coming onto the right side of his body which we would think is light coming from a window however the window is cropped out. The fact that the window is cropped out suggests that he feels alone in the world and he refuses to have anything to do with the world.

The characters facial expression is very bland and emotionless so the audience directly knows he's in pain. His skin looks very pale which indicates that he must be in cold water, he also looks like a dead corpse. His cold skin tone could also imply the kind of person he is or has become. Maybe the world has turned him into a cold person so he doesn’t feel any pain as they say 'show no love, feel no pain'. This image creates a negative representation of teenagers because it makes us all look suicidal, depressed and attention seeking.



              
Skins

The characters costume in the advert makes her look like a 'slut'. She's wearing just a bra, knickers and a see-through lingerie top and skin coloured stockings. She looks depressed and troubled. She's wearing makeup, however the makeup looks like it’s been ruined by her tears and her hair looks messy. This could mean two things. One that she hides behind her make-up to make her seem fearless and untouchable and it could also mean that she likes to impress people and cares about her appearance but the tears represent the problems removing this shield of make-up and revealing her true colours. Her costume gives us the impression that she's upset about something and that she's a typical promiscuous teenager.

The image is set in what looks like an adult’s bedroom. We get this impression, because there's a double bed, an old fashioned lamp and old fashioned wallpaper. There's a boy sitting up in the bed sheets wearing a hat, which could imply that's insecure and feels like his hat is his shield of protection, he doesn’t look like someone who has the highest self-esteem so it seems like he's hiding behind his hat. Also the expression on his face tells us he feels afraid about something that's just happened.

The main character is sitting on the edge of the bed and around her are loads of young people taking part in sexual activity. This setting is quite abstract which suggests that this is just a shadow of her life however, this gives the audience the impression that teenagers live in a world where promiscuity is normal, sex is degraded and self-value doesn't exist. The lighting of the image is cleverly used.

There's what looks like sunlight coming from the window in the bedroom, shining on the character's torso and upwards so we can clearly see the characters face. The sunlight could imply that this is what she goes through on a daily basis or this is just the beginning of her day and as the day goes by. The light is quite harsh on him so we can’t see him clearly. In this poster makes represents teenagers is a very negative way, because this character looks very depressed and is half naked. It can be seen as a realistic portrayal; however this photo is conveying two different messages.

One being; teenagers think promiscuity is 'cool' and the 'norm' and two being; young people soon after have a conscious and feelings. Honestly I don’t think much people were offended by it, because it does happen, but not every teenager is the same.