EastEnders Essay
Out of the seven main representation areas in media, three were shown more than others in this EastEnders clip. They were age, class and status, and regional identity.
Age was represented through the video and showed the stereotypical rift between millenials and the Boomer generations. This is shown throughout the clip through the mannerisms of the Marky the pizza delivery boy, compared to Mick and his friends and their reactions to Marky's strange mannerisims and way of talking. Marky is also shown as the stereotypical disrespectful young 20 year old who has no respect for adults, and is comically stupid and over reactive. Camera mid shots show the three adults in a low angle shot as they speak, this gives the audience the impression that they are in dominance and power, which is shown through the way they own the pub, and the way in which the other boy leans on them after his break-up. Marky, however, is shown in his first shot by a mid shot that is at a high angle portraying him as having less power then the adults. The sound of their accents also works to create the atmosphere of the adults being higher up- their accents are normal british accents, but Marky puts on a thicker accent that he has adapted probably from where he grew up that doesn't sound as official and grown up as the others.
Age is also represented in the video through the way in which Marky and the other guy his age in the clip are so different. Marky is loud and outspoken, whereas the other guy is quiet and respectful of the adults. It shows the major differences between two guys of the same generation who behave completely differently which links to class and status and also regional identity.
The last main way age has been represented in this clip was between the bald man at the end of the clip and the young boy who helped him steal the moped. The bald man gives the young boy money and a gift. He said the gift was his 'brothers' and that he didn't want it anymore. By giving the boy something of his families, it manipulates this boy into thinking that this man is accepting him, especially when the man says guys like them 'need to stick together' he's creating a family figure for this boy, and the boy is so trusting and so desperate to be accepted that he doesn't realise what he's getting into. A wide shot shows them by the moped that was stolen, and a mid shot shows him giving the boy money. Both shots enable us to see the big bushes that surround the area they are in- the man obviously does not want to be seen. There is a wide shot as the man says 'good luck son' and then it cuts to a close-up when he says 'you're gonna need it' which adds an eerie tension to his words.
Class and status is shown in different ways through this clip.
The first way that we see is between the three adults. Between them we see that they probably all grew up in different backgrounds- Mick and the younger lady probably had a middle class upbringing- this is shown through the way in which they speak and the way that Mick owns the pub, they aren't rich but from what we can see they aren't struggling for money. The older lady, however, gives the vibe that she might have had a harsher upbringing. This is shown through the way in which she references to her making her way through 'a pack of 20' slower then a girl they are talking about goes through guys. Her harsh voice also shows this, and she has a more wrinkly face compared to the others- this could be just from being older, from side effects of all the cigarettes, or from having a harder, more stressful life then the others to get to the same class as they are.
Class ans status is also shown through the conflict between Mick and Marky the pizza boy. Mick feels as though he should be in charge of the situation as it's his pub, but Marky just wants to do his job. Mick obviously is expecting some sort of respect from Marky as thats the way he was probably brought up, but Marky obviously has grown up in a lower class and this is shown by his way of talking and the fact that he's delivering pizza for a living. As he is the owner of the pub and a man, Marky doesn't insult Mick as much, but as soon as one of the ladies tries to help explain the situation, Marky insults her and calls her 'slow.' this could link to the representation of gender in the clip. They all take offence at Marky's refusal to help fix the situation and we see Mick take control, his shots are all low angles that make him look tall and in control and Marky is shown in high angles making him look insignificant and the camera angles also encourage the audience to be on Micks side of the argument. Micks frustration is also shown in the way he says 'you can leave out the front door or you can choose a window'
The next way it is shown is in the young boy and the bald man. The young boy seems put together, yet the bald man is banged up and has a thick accent. They are from different classes and man is portrayed as someone who shouldn't be trusted by the way in which he ha several close-ups. This scene is also eerie because the diegetic noise of the pub music and atmosphere has gone and they're in an almost empty park. These two show how one class can affect the other. The man seems to have pulled the boy into a lower class sort of behaviour- stealing for money and commiting a crime. the way in which the wide shot shows the boy walking into the bar and the mid shot of him showing his face and not being nervous at all suggests he might know Mick or the people who work at the bar and is betraying them because of wear the bald guy has convinces him to do. Also, when he's stealing, the cuts don't get faster to add tension. The whole video has slow edits, and they don't get faster to show that he's nervous or anything it just is almost calm which is slightly ironic.
Regional identity plays a major part in the characterization in this clip, and forms the reactions of some of the characters.
Marky is portrayed as a guy who has grown up in a lower class, and his regional identity does not link to his ethnicity. Throughout the clip, he is rapping while he talks, and saying words white british boys don't usually say such as 'bruv' and 'gee.' When he speaks to Mick, he says 'Man is a busy bee, and I got places to be' but he says it like he's rapping it, and he looks absolutely comical which causes the older three to be shown in a shot trying not to throw him out and the others trying not to laugh. His behaviour is not appropriate towards the adults and this may be an effect of where he grew up- when the lady tries to explain they didn't order the pizzas, he calls her 'slow' and says she has a 'learning disability.' We see him later through an over the shoulder shot yelling and calling the pub a 'crime scene' even though the lady he called slow is shown at the front of the over the shoulder shot trying to sort his mess out. It shows that this ladies regional identity is the stereotypical old british lady who is kind. His regional identity is shown in stark contrast as we see the other boy who is also white and british, but who's regional identity matches his ethnicity- he is the stereotypical quiet english boy.
The soap opera genre of Eastenders is shown through the predominantly through the editing style and the diegetic and non-diegetic sound.. There is slow cuts throughout the whole clip, and no attempt is made to add suspense to the clip at any point, even though there were oppurtunties. When the boy snuck into the pub, the editing was slow and normal, no suspense was added, and the only noise that the audience could hear was the diegetic sound of the pub music. In the whole video there is no non-diegetic music added to add atmosphere or bring out certain emotions. Everything portrayed a feeling of verisimilitude as if this had happened to one of the audience members it would've been the same as there were no unusual effects added in.
Regional identity plays a major part in the characterization in this clip, and forms the reactions of some of the characters.
Marky is portrayed as a guy who has grown up in a lower class, and his regional identity does not link to his ethnicity. Throughout the clip, he is rapping while he talks, and saying words white british boys don't usually say such as 'bruv' and 'gee.' When he speaks to Mick, he says 'Man is a busy bee, and I got places to be' but he says it like he's rapping it, and he looks absolutely comical which causes the older three to be shown in a shot trying not to throw him out and the others trying not to laugh. His behaviour is not appropriate towards the adults and this may be an effect of where he grew up- when the lady tries to explain they didn't order the pizzas, he calls her 'slow' and says she has a 'learning disability.' We see him later through an over the shoulder shot yelling and calling the pub a 'crime scene' even though the lady he called slow is shown at the front of the over the shoulder shot trying to sort his mess out. It shows that this ladies regional identity is the stereotypical old british lady who is kind. His regional identity is shown in stark contrast as we see the other boy who is also white and british, but who's regional identity matches his ethnicity- he is the stereotypical quiet english boy.
The soap opera genre of Eastenders is shown through the predominantly through the editing style and the diegetic and non-diegetic sound.. There is slow cuts throughout the whole clip, and no attempt is made to add suspense to the clip at any point, even though there were oppurtunties. When the boy snuck into the pub, the editing was slow and normal, no suspense was added, and the only noise that the audience could hear was the diegetic sound of the pub music. In the whole video there is no non-diegetic music added to add atmosphere or bring out certain emotions. Everything portrayed a feeling of verisimilitude as if this had happened to one of the audience members it would've been the same as there were no unusual effects added in.
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