Representation of class and status

The opening scene of this clip shows a close up of a bicycle wheel riding along a gravelled path. The shot then zooms out and we begin to see that the ground of the place the boy is riding through is very nice and the grass is all well cut. We can see that the bike is reasonably old fashion so we know the era in which this clip is set. The shot continues to zoom out and follow the boy on the bike and we begin to see a large stately home, this tells us that the people who live in the house would be very well off and upper class. The music playing is very calm and relaxing however it is quite old style music which also shows the time period. The shot then switches to a medium shot of a young women, the women is sitting on a bed wearing very elegant long white robes, this would suggest that this women is also upper class and lives in the large house we saw in the previous shot. In the shot there is also a candle next to the bed, this would suggest that this was set in an early time period and the fact the candle stick is gold will show that the owner is well off and owns nice things. Whilst the women is sitting on the bed we can hear foley sounds of the bicycle riding on the gravel and we can also hear the crackling of a fire. The women stands up and walks towards a window and as she does so we see the reflection of the fire in a rather elegant mirror. She looks out of the window and down at the young boy riding the bike, the use of this camera angle may be to enforce that she is upper class, he is lower class and maybe that she has a better status than the boy. We then see a Medium long shot of the women at the window, the curtains arevery long and look to be very expensive, emphasising that they live in a nice house. The women leans across the bed and presses something. We then switch to a shot of some bells and one begins to ring. We then have a medium shot of a man wearing rather poor clothes however still attempting to look smart. We then have a long shot of a table of people, they all appear to be wearing servant type outfits and we assume that they are servants. There is a man sitting at the head of the table wearing slightly smarted clothing. A slightly hubby ginger women then enters wearing a typical servants uniform. We then see a slightly better dressed women who says ‘I’ve got her ladyships to carry’, from this we can assume that she is working class however she is of a higher status than some of the other servants. The man from the head of the table then asks another man to answer the door so this tells us that he is a higher status than the other servants as he is asking them to do things. We then come out of the building to see a young boy holding a paper and we assume this is the paper boy, he is therefore working class however we know he has a lower status than the servants who are also working class because of the way in which the servant speaks to him and says ‘you’re late’. The servant who collected the papers is then ironing the paper and the head servant enters and tells him which ones to iron. In this scene we also notice that the head servant has a very formal accent whereas some of the other servant sounds more informal and common, this also shows that although they are all servants, the head servant has a higher status than the others. We then see a shot of all the servant rushing around in the kitchen, some are carrying trays and plates. The head servant then enters and is addressed by the servant who was previously ironing the newspapers. There is lots of foley sound in this scene to show that the kitchen is busy and the servants are all very busy and rushing about. We then see the ginger women again and she is preparing food, we learn that she has some importance and maybe a higher status than the others because she tells ‘William’ to take the dish. The bit then does as he was asked so he has a lower status. We then switch to a very different scene showing a man dressed very smartly, walking down the stairs in a very relaxed manor. We see that there is a very grand painting on the wall and this suggests that the family that own the house have a very rich background and upper class. The music playing whilst the lord is walking down the stairs is very serene and calm and this suggests that the man has some importance and is therefore higher class. There is also a very well groomed Labrador following him, this implies that he has authority and even the dog will follow him. We then switch to a longshot of a hall, we see the man walking down the grand staircase and we also see these very large golden archways, this suggests that the house is very grand and the gold colouring suggests that the people have lots of money. This entire scene is very slow and relaxed. The man then enters a room and initially we see the head servant and a large bunch of flowers. As he walks into the room we see silver dishes on the side and learn that they are high class. The way the head servant addresses the lord we learn that the lord is of a higher class and that the lord also has a higher status. We hear the mans accent and it is very formal and grand, from this we know that he is very important and a higher status. The lord pulls out a chair and sits at the head of the table, he also puts his napkin over his lap and this suggests that he is upper class and wants to keep clean and well presented. Behind the head of the table there is another very large painting. Two young women then enter, they are wearing smart, well presented clothes and their hair is well groomed, this tells us that they are also upper class however they address their father and we learn that he has a higher status than the women. The girls accents are also very posh and this backs up our point that they are upper class. Another young women enters the room and presents the lord with a telegram. The fact that she gives is to her father shows us that he is the person with the highest status in the house. As he reads the telegram, the two young women who are now sitting at the table beside him, look towards the lord for answers, this is because he has the highest status. The lord then leaves the room and walks to a door, he knocks and asks for permission to enter however he enters before he is given an answer. His wife is sitting in a very grand four poster bed, wearing very expensive looking clothes. Her bed linen also looks a very good quality. We then have a medium shot showing the lord standing in his wives bedroom and is this shot we can see the view from her windows, she has a very spectacular view and this links to her being upper class and also having a rather high status. Her bedroom also has very gold tones linking to her importance and status. The wife also has a very strong British accent suggesting that she is upper class and has a high status.

In conclusion we learn that the owners of this very grand house are a lord and ladyship, they have servants, suggesting they are very well off. The servants are all working class people although some have a higher status than others, for example there is a head servant and also a servant who serves the ladyship which suggests she has a higher status and finally there are the daughters of the lord who are upper class and have a higher status than the servant however their mother and father also have a higher status over them.

Representation of age

Towards the beginning of this clip age is represented during the low angled close up of the teachers feet walking past the tables and then the two shot of two boys wearing uniforms, this represents age because they are in school. An older man then stands behind them and both of the boys appear to turn and face him when he is speaking which shows he has authority. The man is wearing a suit which could represent age due to his maturity and him being very presentable and smartly dressed. The dialogue used in this section represents age because the two young's boys are explaining themselves to the older man which shows that he is older and you should respect your elders. The man snaps his fingers and says 'give it' which is an order and the boy then hands the object to him, this reinforces my previous point about respect and power. Dialogue is used again to represent age when the man says 'miss Chowdrey will be upset when she see's this', this represents age because the man is speaking of a teacher and we know from this that the location is a school and we can assume that this man is also a teacher.

The next scene shows another boy leaning against a door, again the boy is dressed in a uniform which represents age because he is in school so we can assume he is in his teens. During this scene there is a lot of a-synchronous diegetic sounds of other students around the school, this represents age because we could associate the noise with young people and you would expect a school to sound like this. the mise-en scene of this scene shows posters in the background, this would represent age because we would associate this setting with a school and therefore associate it with teenagers.

The next scene shows two students walking along a hallway, the hallway is full of other students and there is a synchronous sound of these students. The dialogue is this scene represents age, for example, one girl uses the word 'hoe-bag' this is not a common phrase, more of a youthamism.

We then switch to a classroom, the mise-en-scene of this shows tables with students sat alone, the walls are covered in educational posters and all of the students are wearing uniforms, this represents age because we commonly associate this sort of setting with a classroom. There is an older man stood at the front of the room, he is standing with his arms crossed which represents age because it shows him having power and authority. There is also dialogue used in this clip of the teacher in which he is talking about an assignment which represents the school and teenagers again.

The next scene shows confrontation between two students, this represents age because the two students are talking about their parents being together however this also represents age because it is very unusual for this type of discussion to happen between two adults.

Next we see an older man coming out of a room wearing clothes that we would commonly associate with a teenager wearing, this represents age because it could show how the teacher is trying to appear younger however this does not happen by purely wearing adults clothing. The non-diegetic background music in this scene is also music we would commonly associate with teenagers so again this represents age because we would not expect a man of his age to be listening to this type of music or wearing these clothes. Other students then enter the scene and begin laughing, this would represent age because they would not expect to see their teacher wearing this clothing.

Analysis of Sound

Dialogue - it shows speech pattern, for example different age groups say different things

Volume - if someone is shouting, they may be more important and if they are speaking in a low or high pitch

Background music - used to set the scene, the era, regional identity. Is always non- diegetic
   
Diegetic sound - what the actors can hear
Non-diegetic sound - the actors cannot hear

Synchronous - where the sound source is on screen
As-synchronous - the sound source is out of the scene

Ambient - Background noise

Sound Effects - foley sounds is every day sound, for example tapping on keyboard.

Analysis of Mise-En Scene

Setting 
The setting gives information about genre, time scale(future, modern or past), regional identity(rural or urban), characters lifestyles(rich, poor, posh).

Props (properties)
Give you clues about something. By seeing something, you will read into it for example if they turn up in a van, you will assume they work in hard labour and aren't very rich however if they turn up in a BMW you would assume they have more money.

Lighting 
High Key lighting is soft, shodow-less, feminine type of lighting. Often used in conjunction with light skinned people with light hair and light clothing, meaning the entire scene is light and very soft.

Low Key lighting is dark and shadowy, looks very scary or aggressive. Is often unsettling and used to make someone seem mysterious, powerful of threatening.

Costume 
Can reveal time scale, regional identity, character lifestyles, occupation, wealth, sexuality. You can use costume to show how important someone is.

Analysis of Camera Work

Shot types

Establishing shot - establishes where the shot is filmed, it may also establish when it is set. Often the first shot you see in a TV programme, but not always.

Helicopter shot - taken from a helicopter, shows that the film has a high production value.

Master shot - establishes the limit of an action taking place.

Long shot - shows a person from head to toe, used to show them in relationship to their location, their body language, or even their appearance.

Medium shot - shows a person from the waist upwards. Often used when there is more than one person in the shot. shows relationship.

Close up - shows someones face, used to show an emotion or reaction.

Extreme close up - shows them doing something, e.g. pouring a drink or pulling a trigger.

Camera Movement

Pan/Panning - The movement of the camera horizontally, used to show everything.

Tilt - The movement of the camera vertically, often used to scan the body of an attractive female. Good to show representation of gender.

Dolly Shot - The camera tripod is put on something on wheels, it travels smooth and shows that something else is happening outside of the shot. Similar to a pan.

Steady Cam - The camera is on an object which is balanced, it looks like your following an action from someones eyes.

Camera Angles
High - Looks down on something, often making them look vulnerable and weaker.

Low - Looks up at something, makes then look stronger and more powerful. You can also meet small objects at their level.

Cantered angle - The camera is not straight itself, often at a diagonal.