Essay 3 - Hotel Babylon

7/23/2019 Essay 3 - Hotel Babylon

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Jay Franks

Hotel Babylon - Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs therepresentation of ethnicity using the following: Camera shots, angles,

movement and composition, Editing, ound and !ise en scene

The extract “Hotel Babylon” uses various techniques that involve constructing the

representation of ethnicity using Camera ork! "#iting! $oun# an# %ise en scene& Through using these #i'erent techniques it gives o' various connotations about ethnicity(ithin the extract (hich ) (ill be explaining in further #etail&

Firstly! as the clip begins an opening scene sho(s a (hite British man *John+ beingescorte# by a group of men to the #esk of the hotel& This instantly suggests that thischaracter has a sense of authority about him because he is almost being guar#e# byother people! (hich can be seen as stereotypical for a person of his ethnicity an# status&He can be seen as being (ealthy! because it is suggeste# by the clothes he is (earingbecause they appear to be a goo# fabric an# that (oul# result in them being expensive(hich is stereotypical for someone of his ethnicity an# status& , sense of authority isbacke# up by the non-#iegetic music a##e# to the scene! (hich is a mysterious tone thatportrays this character to be #angerous an# po(erful& This is further supporte# by mi#

shots of his face sho(ing har#ly any facial expression implying he isn.t a nice characteran# the #irector (ants the au#ience to be a(are of this& , shot reverse shot isincorporate# into this scene (hich sho(s the camera going from this man as he is(alking! to the #esk (ith a fast pace# e#it to a black man an# then quickly back onto thefocus of the main man in po(er& This camera shot implies that the black person is#isregar#e# in society an# the fast pace# e#iting enhances this to quickly shift the focuso' of him because he isn.t as po(erful an# important as the (hite male& This shot alsouses a high angle shot looking #o(n at the black man from the (hite man.s perspective(hich correlates to the (hite man having more po(er #ue to stereotypical connotationsin height& ,s if you are taller than someone! it suggests that that character has morepo(er an# #ominance over them& The shot also inclu#es the reverse shot of that sho(inglo( angle shot coming from the black man.s perspective (hich in#icates he is looking upto(ar#s the (hite male an# suggest he (ants to be like him an# that he (ill follo( or#ers

he receives from him& This can be linke# back to previous years (hen black people (ereinvolve# in the slave tra#e& hen the focus is on the black man for a split secon#! itreveals to the au#ience that he is sat on his o(n! an# that he is rea#ing a ne(spaper& This implies that he is lonely an# marginalise# in society because of his race an# that hecan.t make any frien#s in his occupation& This reveals to the au#ience that there isracism being sho(n (ithin this (orkplace to(ar#s the people of his race because theyare seen as #i'erent to others&

%oreover! the i#ea of racism in the (orkplace to(ar#s black people is supporte# againusing another character& ,s John approaches the #esk a mi#-shot shot is sho(n of (hiteBritish (oman at the #esk& This implies that she is charge of #ealing (ith this characteras the t(o races are the same so they are on the same po(er level& $he quickly

interrupts John (hen speaking to ask a black man *Ben+ “/i# you take them purpleaccusation forms #o(n to housekeeping like ) aske#0” This can be seen as Ben #oing the#irty (ork for people in his 1ob& , high angle combine# (ith a shot reverse shot from the(hite female to the black male or#ering him to #o the #irty (ork& He replies (ith “2o )forgot! ).ll go an# #o it no(”& This can be seen as a stereotypical response from someoneof this ethnicity as black people are seen to be une#ucate# an# as not as (ise as (hitepeople (hich coul# be (hy the (hite female is in the main role an# he is in the lo(er rolein their occupation& Ho(ever! the countertype to this is that Ben is (earing an expensivesmart suit also (earing a (atch (hich in#icates to the au#ience that he is actually smartan# is #oing (ell for himself (hich can be surprising for the au#ience for someone of hisethnicity #ue to stereotypical connotations& Follo(ing on from that the #ialogue an# the(ay the female talks about the black man *Ben+ implies that she seems him as lessimportant than the (hite male*John+& This is because after she has aske# Ben that

question! she replies to John saying “Brain like a sieve!3sigh3! any(ay as ) (as saying”& This implies that she #oes actually think that Ben is #umb an# it is typical that he hasforgotten to #o (hat she has aske#& $he says it in a manner that makes the black man



Jay Franks

seem less important an# almost mocks him because of his actions (hich makes the(hite male laugh an# it is stereotypical that they are mocking someone of his racethrough their actions because they #on.t care because they can or#er him aroun# on(hat to #o because of his race an# that they aren.t po(erful&

Furthermore! a han# hel# camera shot plus a mi#-shot4longshot sho(ing the panic of the(orkers of them all rushing into a secure room through its shaky e'ect! through this itreveals to the au#ience the environment that they are (orking in an# that it isn.t actuallyupper class the halls (ere narro( an# it suggest that they are (orking in a poorenvironment (hich isn.t surprising #ue to their ethnicities& This shot sho(s a variety ofethnicities running through into the room an# portrays the i#ea that none of them kno((hat they are #oing because they all speak #i'erent languages an# it is har# for them tocommunicate together& This panic is supporte# by the shot being 5lme# behin# bars toimply that the (orkers are trappe# an# they are never getting out of this situation an# ittraps the outsi#e (orl# that people (ill be trappe# in a microcosm through a language

barrier an# promotes the i#ea of the semic co#e& ,n extreme close up is sho(n for theChinese (oman opening the #oor! an# then multiple close ups of the people.s faces inthe rooms are sho(n (hich sho(s the au#ience ho( they are all ethnically #i'erent (hilealso sho(ing the fear in their facial expressions& hile they.re in the room! a (omanfaints #ue to her being scare# an# has an asthma attack& The Chinese (oman asksaroun# for help (hich is suspiring as the stereotype for Chinese (omen is that they areintelligent& )nstea#! a black man (ho is a cleaner steps for(ar# an# kno(s everything on(hat to #o an# ho( to cure her attack& This is the countertype for his ethnicity asnormally black people are #eeme# to be less intelligent because they.re stereotypicallypoor an# coul#n.t a'or# goo# e#ucation& Ho(ever! this man kne( (hat he (as #oing an#is clearly got the potential to be a #octor! but instea# he is (orking a cleaner (hich is astereotypical 1ob for someone of his ethnicity an# it isn.t surprising that he hasn.t beenselecte# to be a #octor because employers (oul# prefer people of a (hite ethnicitybecause they are #eeme# to be more intelligent than black people& $ho(ing anotherpossible event of racism that has occurre#& , 1ump cut is use# to go from the securelocation tot a black man hovering (ho is #anger from the three men coming up& ,shallo( focus4mi# shot is use# to sho( the three (hite men coming out of the lift an# thefocus is on them instea# of the black man (hich in#icates that it (on.t be a har# task tobe able to overcome him an# then they can (alk over him because of the po(er theyhave over him (hich can be linke# to ethnicity connotations& The camera 6ooms in on hisface to sho( his facial expression (hen he sees the three men (hich sho(s ho(intimi#ate# he is of these men an# results in him to try an# run a(ay& The Chinese(oman thanks the black man after his actions of saving the (oman from her asthmaattack an# says “)t.s ,#am isn.t it0” (hich in#icates through the #ialogue that she#oesn.t really kno( his name because she hasn.t taken any notice because she #oesn.t

(ant to be associate# are #oesn.t care about him because he is black an# is on a lo(erpo(er level than her because of her 1ob role in the occupation as she is the lea#er&

Furthermore! #epressive non #iegetic is a##e# to set the tone of the scene (here theChinese (oman is leaving her 1ob& ,n over the shoul#er shot is use# to sho( ho( theother (orkers behin# her are upset that she is leaving an# it in#icates ho( all the#i'erent ethnicities have been able to get to kno( each other an# be frien#s as (ell as ashot reverse shot form the Chinese (oman looking over at them! t the (orkers looking#isappointe# an# then back to the Chinese (oman further supporting the i#ea that theyall feel upset over her loss as she seeme# to be a goo# lea#er& )t is unstereotypical ho( itappears they get along as you.# think there (oul# be con7ict bet(een them because of#isagreements in i#eas an# ho( to pursue tasks& ,fter she has gathere# her stu' out ofher locker! an extreme close up is sue# to sho( the number of her locker (hich (as “89”&

This in#icates that actually even though she (as #eeme# to be a po(erful character inthe (orkplace! she actually (asn.t an# that (as 1ust because none of the ethnicities that



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she (orke# (ith or (ere frien#s (ith (ere (hite (hich meant they are stereotypicallypo(erful& The reason 89m suggests this is because if she (as an important role in the(orkplace she (oul# have a lo(er number as normally it is #ue to importance an# thather ethnicity has meant hat she isn.t #eeme# to be important enough in the (orkplacean# that she is actually trapper in a microcosm& ,s the clip comes to an en#! a pan shotis use# to sho( all the #i'erent ethnicities an# the #iegetic soun# allo(s the au#ience to

hear all the #i'erent languages being spoke n in the scenario& This in#icates that it is amulti-cultural (orkplace an# that they all get along together an# there isn.t any con7ict(hich is a countertype to the outsi#e (orl# as many (ars go on bet(een #i'erentethnicities&

To conclu#e! the Camera shots! angles! movement an# composition! "#iting! $oun# an#%ise en scene all create# connotations that portraye# i#eas about the #i'erentethnicities& )t mainly sho(n some stereotypical connotations but some also countertypesto i#eas one of the main ones being ho( all the #i'erent ethnicities (ere able to (orktogether in the same environment& hich sho(n that it (as a very multi-culturalenvironment an# that it (asn.t all one race&

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Essay 3 - Hotel Babylon