Monday 10 November 2014

Representation of ethnicity in spooks

In this essay I am going to be talking how ethnicity is represented in a clip from spooks. Mostly focusing on Danny who's is a Spy and is black and also a terrorist in the background who is Arab. 

The mise en scene represents ethnicity in the clip from spooks. First of all Danny is a spy which is un stereotypical for a black person as they are represented to be un wealthy and not have very good jobs. As he is a spy he is wearing smart dress this is un stereotypical for a black person as they are normally represented as wearing hoodies and trainers. The terrorist in the background is Arab, which is a common stereotype for a terrorist, and Arab. He is wearing a stereotypical terrorist costume a black robe where the whole body and face is covered this is another way which ethnicity is represented for Arabs. Also the main bad person in the clip is wearing a suit he comes across as a stereo typical terrorist leader another way which ethnicity of Arabs is represented in the clip. 

The editing in the clip from spooks reprints ethnicity. When Danny is in the camera the cuts are sharper and quicker this represents his bravery and how he his strong willed. This is stereotypical for a black person as they are stereotypically known to be brave and not to show emotion. When Danny gets shot it goes to a scene of a white mine who starts to cry he comes across to be the boss of Danny. He starts crying and the cuts become slower and less sharp this represents the white man to be weaker and can't hide emotion. This is stereotypical as white people are stereotypically known to be weaker than black people. This is a binary opposite to black people.

Camera work is a way which ethnicity is represented in the clip. An example of this is when Danny is in focus on the camera and is talking, the camera shakes to show his nerves. This shows that he is scared but trying to hide his emotions. This is stereotypical representation of ethnicity but also un stereotypical because it shows that he is hiding his emotions which is stereotypical of a black person, but also un stereotypical as it shows nerves but black people are stereotypically represented as brave. Another way ethnicity is represented in the clip is through the camera angles. When the camera is on the terrorist the angle is low so you are looking up at him showing that he has the power. This is stereotypical for a terrorist. When the camera is on Danny the the angle is high so you are looking down on him. This is stereotypical as black people are stereotypically looked down on by other races because they are represented as poor and live in 3rd world un developed countries. 

Sound is another way which ethnicity is represented in the clip from spooks. 
non-Diegetic sound is used in the clip, first of all there are gun sounds which come from the Arab terrorist which is a stereotypical representation of ethnicity as terrorist are associated with weapons such as guns. Danny Mumbles a prayer to himself which shows that he is religious and soulful which is a common representation of black people. 

There is also diabetic sound, which represent ethnicity. After Danny gets shot the Muslim call to prayer starts to play which represents Arabs ethnicity as them being terrorist which is a common stereotype of Muslims. The music which is playing is tense which is a showing a hatred between black people and Arab people, almost a clash of cultures who have ideological differences. This is stereotypical as certain races are know to hate each other. 

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