Task two

•       Who is represented out of the 7 representational areas?

Gender:

The men are portrayed as being more aggressive and seem to do the majority of the talking and “business”, while the women seem to talk more between themselves observing the situation, minimalizing their involvement with the “antagonist character” at the beginning of the clip.

Age:

The pizza delivery guy is younger than the older bar staff who get into a conflict over whether they did, or did not, order pizza; there is a clear intelligence gap aligned with the age gap. Later in the clip, another interaction between two different age groups, where the child steals for the older man, who pays him for the delivery guy’s moped.

Class / Status:

There is not much diversity in status in the clip, it ranges from what appears to be a stable group at the pub (links to age), to the pizza guy who is probably in a less stable job and earlier in his working career. The child is also in a different, lower status position as he has no job and is unable to provide for himself. Though there are multiple different status groups in the clip, they are all in the same societal class.

Ability / Disability:

The are a clear range of levels of intelligence, such as the pizza guy having behavioural and intellectual disabilities. The pizza guy goes on to infer that one of the ladies has a mental disability.

Regional Identity:

There is a clear regional identity, emphasised through the use of colloquialism and accent which identifies the region as being East London.

•        What messages are we given about the groups?

There is a clear regional connection between the three groups as their stories all happen in close proximity to each other. The people who work at the pub are just trying to get on with their own business, with a day-to-day mentality. The pizza guy has a hot temper and clearly exaggerated sense of narcissism that leads him to picking fights, while displaying the stereotypical nature of a “young person” as often portrayed by the media. The third group, consisting of the thief / child and an adult orchestrating the theft of the pizza guy’s moped – the child seems to be related to a worker at the pub.

•        Write down evidence, in the form of examples, in the 4 technical areas that support your argument’s statements.

Camera:

The three staff members in the pub are always in the same shot, reflecting their connection in the story line, representing community. The use of the 180-degree rule between them and the pizza guy shows the opposition and conflict as they are in a stand-off position while arguing. There is a clear separation of the activities inside the pub between the staff and pizza guy, and of the activities between the thieves (the child and the older man paying for the moped). The camera confirms the connections between the two scenes without showing any interaction between the groups.

Editing:

The clip is edited in a way that reflects the overall lack of real danger or suspense, allowing the ridiculous nature of the first scene (containing the pizza guy) to show the comedic and over-the-top reactions. Instant cuts don’t build suspense but allow the argument in the pub to be conveyed to the audience effectively without unnecessary interruptions. The continuity editing shows how the pizza guy was tricked into delivering the pizzas, leaving his moped open to being stolen. It shows the way the child had the keys and then sold nit to the older fencer through a linear progression.

Mis-en-scene:

The clothes used link to status and class as the pub staff wear semi-formal clothes that are not necessarily expensive but are appropriate for business. The pizza guy is shown to be wearing, what appears to be, a uniform indicating that he is in a recognisable business that he is a front-line worker. The fencer wears a leather jacket, gold chain and dark clothes giving the impressions of being a “bad guy” type character who is up to no good.

There is warm lighting used throughout the clip as it takes place in the middle of the day, making the situation seem less urgent or dangerous.

The areas used are a built-up place of business and a park; both places are displayed as regular family-friendly locations contrasted by the fact that a crime has just taken place.

Sound:

One of the ways sound is used in the clip is through voice and accents which link to the regional identity (East London). The accent used originates from a working-class area in London, giving the context for the culture and colloquialisms used by the characters. The accents differ between the pub staff and the pizza guy, showing age / maturity difference; the pizza guy talks in a louder and more immature manner which is clearly shown to the viewers. The use of verbal sound creates empathy for the staff as well as showing the nature of each character. There is background noise in the clip, which is all dialogue, the music playing in the pub, car and wind noises in the street and chirping of birds in the park.  

•        Write an essay

The first clip shows a mid-angled, semi-close-up shot of a young man on the phone with what seems like a female. The shot also shows three people standing behind the bar counter (the pub staff), made up of two women and one man. The semi-close-up shows a look of disappointment on the face of the character on the phone. The diegetic music in the background of the clip coincidentally matches the negative mood of the character’s conversation, this is probably an intentional use to emphasise the tone of the scene.

Dialogue is also used to describe the situation by an explanation of the relationship status of the character on the phone and the person he was talking to.

The clip cuts to the next shot, a mid-angle, mid-shot of the three pub staff talking about the character on the phone and his relationship with the person he is on the phone with. It cuts to a close-up of one of the pub staff as she elaborates her thoughts on the subject while giving the audience more information in a comedic metaphor. The diegetic sound of background music and chatter informs the audience of the “pub” atmosphere of the place. The Mis-en-scene is shown through the staff’s smart-casual clothing, suggesting that they are staff, this is linked with the bar set-up for the shots where the staff are behind the bar counter with the character on the phone on a bar stool.

The clip cuts to two two-shots of the pub staff woman talking to each of the other pub staff, separately for dialogue. The shot cuts back to the mid-angle semi-close up of all three of the characters still in conversation. Then the clip cuts to what is clearly a pizza guy carrying 5 boxes of pizza in a mid-angle, mid-shot. Through clothing and the pizza box props (mis-en-scene) the audience is given a clear idea of what the character’s purpose is meant to be. The character is portrayed as loud and obnoxious through his voice (sound). It then cuts to their reactions to the pizza guy’s arrival / announcement. Then it cuts to a shot showing the pub staff facing the pizza guy over the bar counter. The 180-degree rule is used while dialogue is thrown back and forth between the pub staff and the pizza guy.

Use of fast cuts between wide shots, close-up shots, and two-shots (all at mid-angle) gives the location and situation allowing progress in the story. The pizza guy and pub staff go outside the pub to find that the pizza guy’s moped has been stolen. The 180-degree rule is used again as dialogue continues between the pizza guy and the male staff member as they get into an argument about whose fault it is that the moped has been stolen. It then cuts to a mid-shot of a staff member calling the cops about the theft of the moped, with the other pub staff members, the pizza guy and some background civilian characters in the background.

A shot of a child walking into a building in a wide-shot (mid-angle) without anyone else in the shot draws attention as he is singled out, alluding to his being an important character for the audience to see. Two cuts on from that, its cuts to a wide-shot tracking the child as he goes into a kitchen, picking up keys; these are presumably the keys to the moped. In the next cut, the child hands over the keys in a two-shot (wide-low-angle-shot) to the man in the dark clothes that is shown to be a fencer. The use of Mis-en-scene through props confirms the keys are the moped’s as the child sits on it. The 180-degree rule is used again to show the dialogue and business between the confirmed child thief and the fencer. The 180-degree rule is interjected by a quick wide-shot showing the location of the business happening in a park away from the pub. The clip finishes on a wide-shot (mid-angle) of the park, with the other pizzas from the pizza guy, confirming even more so, that the moped belongs to him or the place he works.