Ethnicity

In this clip ethnicity is used to show the stereotypes and countertypes that are associated with the different ethnic groups. In this particular clip there is an immigration raid which takes place in a hotel which has employed immigrants who are scared of being caught and so hide until they have gone.

Music begins to be played just 10 seconds into the clip which causes the introduction of an action code which wants the audience want to watch on to see what is going to happen. Then, two men in a black vest create a cultural code as, in England, they are quickly identified as Police but in other cultures they may not. These police men enter the frame as to block in the other man, making him appear trapped and therefore inferior. The initial music then helps the scene to transition into the next which is a zoom into the shot of a women which is followed by a tracking shot of the police which appears to speed up as they walk to make them seem more daunting and powerful. The women behind the desk is shown immediately as important due to her ethnicity as she is a White, blonde woman highlighted by wearing a formal white suit and therefore makes her seem significant against the other characters who were passed on the way for example, the black man who is sat down and therefore the camera is angled down at him making him look less powerful. The women provides a countertype to the usual stereotype of women being inferior as she does not seem daunted by the police asking to look around her hotel and the eye line match used confirms this as they appear equal throughout the conversation.This is more alike to the real world as both men and women would have the opportunity to have these kind of jobs not often shown in TV dramas.She also seems powerful as she interrupts the conversation with the man at the desk to ask another man if he completed a task she had asked him to do, unknowingly giving him a signal to the others that there will be an immigration raid. As this man gets to an office we see an Asian women sitting behind a computer, which in itself is a common stereotype of this ethnicity as they are often seen to be smart and like using technology.It is also a stereotype that she, and others of different ethnicities as seen along the journey to find her, are working downstairs as, stereotypically, they would not be seen upstairs doing the higher class jobs or working with white clients in the open.

Continuity editing is used to make it seem like the next scene has happened naturally as Jackie runs from her office into the kitchen to warn anyone who might be under threat from the immigration to hide. Another stereotype of the Asian ethnicity is that they are perhaps more intelligent than some others which is shown through her job and power of organising the others in case of this event. She speaks in a different language to get the attention of those she is trying to gather and acts as an authorities figure underneath the women we saw initially upstairs in the hotel. This part of the scene appears to be filmed on a Steadicam as it is shaky and in amongst the action making the clip appear more chaotic and rushed which it would have been forthe characters at this stage. The next stage is filmed in shallow focus as we see the characters run totry and hide whereas out of focus in the foreground are metal bars which make these particular characters look as though they are trapped. This is highlighted through the fact that they are having to lock themselves in a room to try and hide from immigration showing that they are not really free or safe within this hotel. Once inside the room many close-up short takes are combined to make it seem crowded and chaotic as each character is worried encase they are found. The women faints inside the room and as the others gather around her it portrays her as the weakest character and everyone is looking down at her. This is then combined with a shot-reverse-shot between the women and Jackie who is being looked up at as she is the dominant one at this time as she is giving orders.The music is introduced louder again once the police arrive upstairs to where one of the immigrants, the missing man from when counted earlier, is working. This acts again as an action code to show the audience that something bad is going to happen and the pace is going to change.Shallow focus is then used again to show the police arriving upstairs in the elevator, in focus, as the immigrant who has much less power is not in focus but is still shown so the audience knows he is going to be caught. As he looks up and gasps, showing synchronous sound, there is a fast zoom towards him to show that he is suddenly been caught and is under pressure to try and get away before they can catch him. In comparison to this the main police officer, who does not chase after him, is tracked as he walks towards him and it appears much slower and calm as though he is not affected by this as it is his job and he has done it many times before. It makes him seem like a heartless characteras his facial expression is stern and not affected by the clear panic in the man as they walk towards him, it shows how he is used to what he has to do to earn his money now.When the audience goes back to the room where the employees are hiding Adam appears to have the most power as the audience and even Jackie now are looking up at him as they have respect for what he managed to do despite his insignificant job title. There is a sped up zoom as a knock on the door happens to show the sudden panic that occurs from a before calm scene almost bringing the characters back to the real situation.

As the scene returns upstairs the first shot is of the police trying to drag the immigrant out of the hotel, in this shot the lighting is particularly dark in comparison to the following shot of the hotel guests which seems to be overly bright and almost yellow and glowing as though they are superior. The use of lighting here shows not only the struggle and ashamed nature of what is going on but as though they are trying to hide it from the rest of the guests who, due to their ethnicity, would not normally have to experience these sort of things. This is backed up when the women in charge says these things do happen as though the guests would be unaware. Jackie, unlike the women seen to be in charge of the hotel, seems to try and stop the police from taking him away as he will be harmed if returned. Shallow focus is used in this clip to show that the hotel manager, a white British women, does not try to stick up for him as she is in the background whilst Jackie tries to get them to free the immigrant. It is later clear that the manager is more concerned about the welfare of the rest of her, mostly white, guests and hiding the immigrants who have followed the actionas she looks around and appears panicked that people have started to take notice of what is going on. The stereotype of white people is that they are racist, although not directly seen here it is clear that she is not going to do anything to stop it showing she is too important to get involved with anything that goes on with the immigrants. This further suggests the reason for why Jackie has been hired, to manage that part of the hotel so the higher up woman does not have to get her hands dirty. This can also be seen when she asks Jackie to get rid of the other staff by gesturing towards them with her hand as to suggest they should be shooed before apologising to her guests and offering a free drink which, by showing her wealth, should keep the reputation of her hotel intact.

The final scene is met with sad music to clearly portray that Jackie is cleaning out the previously taken immigrants locker as there is no chance of him returning. The staff in this shot appear to be at equal eye level to show that they are all equally as vulnerable as highlighted by the days events but, due to her job, it has been left to Jackie to deal with. It does not seem to be a new experience to the employees as they seem to know the routine and therefore shows that this is a typical worry for immigrants and people of this ethnicity who are stereotypically looked down upon by others such as white people, as seen in this clip. The clip ends with a pan across the dining hall, which appears to be of the downstairs staff only. They are split into their different ethnicities showing them stereotypically that they keep themselves to themselves and do not mix with the others. This is unlike the real world and therefore an inaccurate stereotype as in the real world there would be a greater mix of people and I dont believe they would be separated as shown here. The cultural code is seen at the end of the shot where the pan stops as the two black people are praying, assumedly after losing one of them earlier that day. This is stereotypical of this ethnicity which is commonly combined with religion and is often seen in the real world. The women goes to eat but is soon stopped by the man which conveys he is taking longer than usual which could be as a result of the days events. The clip ends with a fade of the on-screen action and anincrease in the volume of the music to make it clear to the audience that this is the end but to also make it seem more dramatic and to evoke emotion in those watching.

Overall in this clip we see both stereotypes and countertypes of ethnicity and how they relate to the power and position of the characters. I have also analysed how realistic they are to the real world and how they are shown through camera angles, sound etc. within this clip.