Monday 16 July 2012

Bleak House Example Response

As a class we analysed this sequence of Bleak House for the exam elements of Camera, Mise-en-scene, Editing and Sound. Here is a record of the outcome.



Scene 1
Kelly - During the extract of Bleak House there appears to be a variety of different representations of social class and status. SHIPP - Through the visual mise-en-scene codes of costume and props (horse and cart) it is possible to identify conventions associated with period dramas. Therefore any analysis of representation will need to take into account the time period being represented and how this might affect the audience reception of the text as differences in social class and status were significant in the time of Charles Dickens writings.
The episode begins with the loud (SHIPP - hyperbolic) sound of weather connoting the pathetic fallacy representation, used to emphasise the fact that something bad is about to happen. SHIPP - The addition of weather special effects allows for an intensely directed rain fall potentially signifying the considerable difficulties of the journey that the young women is about to undertake.
Charlotte - The establishing shot of the outside of a house with a horse and carriage. It is raining heavily with the loud sound of thunder striking in the background, yet with a non-diegetic instrumental playing alongside building a panicked tone with links with the quick camera movements. (Shipp - anchored with the visual code of fast Steadicam camera movements disorientated the audience and builds upon the enigma. The intensity of the drama is aided by the close up cutaway shots of horses hooves, feet on stepping platform and other character movements.)
One of the first shots, being a quick zoom, just after the finishing title disappears (SHIPP - this statement needs finishing) . The scene consists of people putting items onto the horse and cart. These people could be of a lower class in that they are acting in some way as servants for the character Esther who is getting in. Their costume of the mise-en-scene is also less grand than others in following scenes, adding to this idea.
SHIPP - Reflecting back on the representation of the period it is possible to connote that horse and cart was the only way to travel at speed. However this could be read in two ways, either the female character (Esther) has the financial means to travel, however isn't significantly wealthy to run her own horse and carriage. This is represented in that she isn't covered with an umbrella held by a servant and that she is leaving from a town "pub" building rather than a private residence.
Kelly:
The mise-en-scene of the characters movement hides their faces, the denotation of this reinforces a secretive representation. As the footage continues the text is superimposed over the top to give indications of character names. Within this scene the pace is increasingly fast, with this in mind audiences remain in suspense as they don't know what will happen next. The lighting anchors with the hyperbolic sound in the sense that we are aware that a dramatic event will take place. The lighting is dark and "dingy" representing a negative social class.
Throughout we hear a number of hyperbolic sounds such as the horse, whip and reins which help build the harsh atmosphere. As well as the variety of shots and camera angles which (SHIPP - hard cut) move quickly from each other. The representation of class is not clearly apparent in this scene as it seems to draw your attention to the rushing of actions with the hyperbolic sounds and fast editing and the dark lighting alongside the flashing of lightning. This scene also juxtaposes the following as the court scene is more sincere, with the authority of the judges apparent. We also get a clearer image of higher class status.
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Scene 2
Charlotte - The next scene immediately draws you in with a fast zoom (SHIPP "crash zoom") to a high angle shot looking down on a courtroom filled with people. The room is dark, with candles for lighting making a more peaceful setting yet is contradicted in the ironic theme of shouting and arguing to solve the cast. We immediately get the sense that the people are of a higher class in that they are judges because of their wigs. This notion is also reinforced in the mise-en-scene of costume which is smart with the cloaks or shirts that contrasts later on with the lower classes, shown through the boy for example, with a more rugged, scruffy look with browns and cheap material.


We hear diegetic dialogue and notice that their voices are also posh (SHIPP - educated) in a well spoken manner which again is different from the cockney accents on the street. The editing of camera movements continues to have that fast pace moving in sharply from different angles focusing on different things (SHIPP - don;t use this word, not specific enough). The zoom especially looks effective as it grabs your attention and is unexpected.
Kelly - The second scene of Bleak House significantly juxtaposes with the beginning opening scene. The mise-en-scene during the courtroom is stereotypical and reinforces the image of courts we receive through other TV dramas. The opening camera shot is a high angle shot looking down giving an establishing shot of the surroundings SHIPP - There is a distinctive mise-en-scene for the stereotypically dressed court workers, this is represented through the smart clothes and their wigs.
Character movement dramatically changes when an intruder breaks in the courtroom. Within this judgement of class it is apparent what characters differ from others. The denotation of the mise-en-scene helps represent different status. Later on in the clip we see a second court scene. in which the diegetic dialogue used links the characters with more authority.
Anthony - The lawyers are dressed smartly to connote the upper classes where as the spectators are in dirty rag like clothes.


SHIPP - The conversation begins by following the match-on-action of dialogue, representing the relationship between the Judge (connoted by difference in wigs) and the Lawyer (Mr Tangle). However as the conversation progresses the editing remains with the Judge more and more, capturing his reactions, signifying his hierarchical status over the Mr Tangle (Lawyer). The Judges despair over the way the case is being presented (it having been going a long time) is emphasised through the characters movement of rubbing his temple with his fingers. At this point there are a number of cutaways that signify the interested parties in the case being discussed, smartly dressed and seated in the locality of the lawyers signifying that they too are of this status. The Lawyer is further demeaned as he gradually sinks into his chair, following instructions given by Mr Tulkinhorn whose body language signifies that Mr Tangle shouldn't continue this line of enquiry. The representation of social status and class is incredibly evident with Mr Tangle working for Mr Tulkinhorn and being the bottom of the group. This representation is anchored in the dialogue given by the Judge "I see Mr Tulkinhorn has graced us with his presence"... the very choice of words "graced" signifies that this is a rarity and should be "honored" however the way in which this line is delivered suggests that it is sarcastic and in a way letting Mr Tulkinhorn know that he isn't the highest power in this courtroom.



An auditory code of a storm bridges the scenes.
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Scene 3
David (I think) - The long shot size of the old house is a good representation of the social class and status. The angle is from what appears to be woods in the estate allowing the audience to see the large cobbled house with many windows. This can show wealth because many windows can represent many rooms signifying wealth and importance within the locality. Although the rain juxtaposes this as it also connotes a gloomy and depressing atmosphere within. SHIPP - therefore we can acknowledge that wealth doesn't necessarily mean happiness!
Amber - In scene three we are presented with a large depth of field shot of a young woman and an older man. Immediately, we assume that they are married or emotionally attached from the diegetic dialogue, 'my love'. The man says these words first then followed by her response. Although when the woman replies 'my love' she seems to pause before she says it very unenthusiastically. This brings out the idea that she in fact does not love him and is only married to him because of his obvious wealth or status (SHIPP - a common occurrence for this period of time, therefore representing the social status) . These feelings are confirmed by her diegetic words 'I am terribly bored of it. Bored of my life. Bored of myself.' Because if she was married to a man whom she truly loved we assume she would not feel this way and talk to him with much more respect.


SHIPP - Her repetitive dialogue and connoted repetition of her feelings towards her situation is further enhanced by the edited change of camera angle for each statement, drawing the audiences attention to the phrasing and therefore her representation. This use of camera anchors with the opening camera shot (the large depth of field shot described by Amber) which seems to almost stretch the room around her. I'm not sure of the technique they have used but they have signified to me that the room is almost consuming her. This is partly done with the women being so pronounced in the foreground of the frame and slightly brighter in lighting, presumably from the natural light for the window, despite the rain. The final thing that draws me to this interesting use of camera work is that in the previous shot of the woman looking out of the window, she is very close to the window and the camera is on the outside. However when we return to the shot mentioned above the camera is on the inside yet the positioning with the widow seems irrelevant. It's almost as if the producers have played with our spacial awareness, a theme which is picked up later in a scene with Esther. By drawing the audience into using "experimental" camera work we are draw to her being represented as a key character for the plot and perhaps the positioning of females in society of this time.

Amber - The mise-en-scene of set design initiates the assumption that the man is wealthy. The furniture looks authentic and expensive. As an audience we feel that the man in the relationship holds the wealth because he seems more comfortable in his surroundings.


Zoe - The man is reading the newspaper, which for this time period would have been an "upper class" pastime as only the wealth would have been educated to read and write.
The man then begins to talk about how their lawyer, Mr Tulkinhorn, is coming to see them about "legal matters" which again that they are well educated and of the upper classes.


David - The mise-en-scene in this scene signifies wealth through the costume and the bright lighting, showing that they are wealthy as they can afford some lighting due to the dreary day.


Zoe - We start to hear the voice of the Judge (already established) who is in the next scene talking about how there has been some developments in the case of 'Jaundice and Jaundice'. SHIPP - By playing this dialogue over the scene it is effectively creating a audio bridge pulling the audience into the next scene and representing the link between the characters helping us piece together the enigmas of the narrative.
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Scene 4

Amber - We are taken back via a hard cut to the courtroom in scene four. They are discussing the case of 'Jaundice and Jaundice' which is repeated many times during the opening scenes by almost every character in diegetic dialogue. Because of this representation we can assume that the case is highly important if it has everyone discussing it.

Before discussing the case, the mise-en-scene of character movement by a man named Ridley as he bursts in to the court room and interrupts, demanding that his case was next connotes his lower status as he is removed from the courtroom. His clothing is less formal than that of the lawyers and because his case seems less important to discuss, they just discard it.


Zoe - There is a high angle shot as the "Wards of Court" enter, connoting that they are less important.


SHIPP - However their importance to the case and perhaps the public fascination with the young people at the center of the debate is represented when the camera angle (MCU) is on an older woman, dressed in worn clothing who looks eagerly in the direction of their arrival. So while on the one hand the boy and girl are represented as vulnerable children (see Amber's next point) they are also represented as a significant "point of order" in the case.
Amber - The 'Jaundice and Jaundice' case is of two young people who are 'wards of court'. The camera shot is a low angle on them. We associate this as them being a lower status and as an audience we should have a low perception of them. Also these young characters do not speak for themselves. We associate this as being an insult to their intelligence as they could be implying that they are not well spoken enough to speak for themselves, an association we make with children (SHIPP - seen but not heard!)

SHIPP - There then follows shot-reverse-shot editing as the Lawyer introduces the boy and girl. The framing is interesting at this point because the shoulder of one each character intrudes the framing of the character speaking significantly drawing the audience attention to the dialogue being spoken. As which point the Lawyer asks that the Judge see another young person, a companion for the girl so that they might go and stay with John Jaundice. Therefore the representation of the girls status is acknowledged as she is important enough to have a companion to help her develop as a "young lady".
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Scene 5

Toby - Within scene five of Bleak House there is a medium long shot of a horse and carriage through some trees. As this is happening the viewers can hear the non-diegetic sound of 'eerie' music in the background with the hyperbolic diegetic sound of the rain hitting the floor and the sound of horses pulling a carriage.

The camera then cuts in to an extreme close up of a girl in the carriage. From what the viewer can see it is clear that the mise-en-scene has a pool? set of lighting on this girl as you are only able to view half her face. This represents that she is either projecting her mood as she is thinking about something as the eye you can see is looking towards the side of the carriage.


Nicola (?) - At the beginning of this sequence when Esther is in the carriage there is an establishing close-up of her face, which then gradually tracks in in alignment with her eye. This signifies to the audience the worry and fear that is hidden in her face and initiates the flashback as we are encouraged believe that this is what she is thinking about (the same happens on the boat in Cast Off's.


A hard cut creates Esther's flashback to her younger years, when she was a small girl. Her clothes are shown to be smart (not sure i'd agree with "smart")Victorian style, again there is a close-up on her face. This reflects her worry and fear, which matches the face of her older years. This creates the representation of a younger woman, who has not clearly found her identity. There is no sound up until this point, and then Esther starts speaking. She speaks and asks the questions to a lady about her mother, who she may not have met before.

Toby - There is a shot-reverse-shot of the young girl asking a woman, it is not clear who, but she is telling 'aggressively' that it is the girl's fault about her mother dying and that she would have been better off if she wasn't born. This brings us back to social class and how children have no say in what happens to them.

The girl's facial expressions show that she doesn't understand what is going on. The editing of this scene is very effective as it adds meaning to why the young girl looks so miserable within the carriage, with the lighting and weather projecting it further.


Nicola - There is a long shot of the woman to help us establish that her clothes are traditional Victorian dress and that she wears her hair tide back neatly. The woman's voice echos when she speaks, meaning she has power and a controlled woman. The lighting is dark, which creates a sense of danger towards a 'young esther'. The older woman's attitude towards Esther is very different from how children are treated today. Children were seen as an object rather than a person. Her tone of voice is loud and violent, which clearly shows the differences societies have today, back in Victorian times it was not a child centered society, and the woman and children were treated unfairly. The representation created here has a clear distinction between different societies and how their members are treated. Shot-reverse-shot is used a number of times to distinguish the differences between the two characters.


Rachel - There are various times when the camera supports the conventions of social class. High angle shots to low angle shots is a good example of this. There is evidence of this in the flashback scene where there is a high and shot on Esther (as a child) then a few low angle shots on the lady she is speaking with. The camera being over-the-shoulder emphasises the low angle shot and the importance of the women over Esther. There are also a few close-ups and tracking shots in the flashback scene, the camera tracks the women instead instead of seeing her move towards Esther. This also represents her importance over Esther.


SHIPP - All of you have some good points but some of the elements you select are not necessarily accurate in their description and you've missed loads out.
The flashback begins with a close-up of Esther looking directly into the camera and asking "Who am I exactly?" This direct mode of address immediately draws you into the characters situation and represents her as the innocent party. This is emphasised by the high angle of the shot making Esther look up and the size of shot exaggerating the mise-on-scene of the characters facial expression of concern. The hard cut between this shot and the following long shot on the woman to whom she is talking represents the distance between them and reflecting the distance in their relationship, not the closeness you would expect between a woman and a sad child! During the woman's dialogue "Your nothing....worse than nothing" there is a crash zoom in on the character representing not only the dislike of the child but, when followed with the dialogue "Your mother is your disgrace.... and you hers," the fall from status that a family name has suffered. The severity of the conversation represents the importance of social class during Dickens' time. The distance between the characters is also reflected in the dialogue when the older woman talks about Esther being "set apart". This is the second time we have seen the production play with the audience's spacial awareness, as we talked about it in scene 3. This time it is the eye-lines of the characters you need to watch as at the beginning of the scene they are looking across the distance at each other and then following the crash zoom the camera angle reflect the height difference and looking up/looking down. This disorientation makes the audience focus on the dialogue and therefore the representation of the characters.


The mise-en-scene also clearly plays its part as the only source of lighting is from the windows casting much of the room in darkness representing the place where Esther has been brought up as cold and unwelcoming. Furniture seems to be covered over signifying that the items are too good to be touched or that they are moving. The woman is also clutching a shawl around her shoulders connoting the cold temperature and lack of heating. These micro elements together with Esther using the name "Miss Parberry" signifies that she is being brought up by a nanny who to some extent is herself an outcast of the social elite as she is quite old and still a "Miss"!
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Scene 6
Alex - In the scene where the horse and cart arrives in London the man represents his class by waiting for her to arrive. This represents that he is a working class "errand boy". His clothes are smart but they look old and worn out, which shows that he doesn't have the money to wear brand new ones. From the way he is behaving you can see that he works for Law firm or another high power business.


Zach - Before Esther arrives in London, we have an establishing shot of her escort Guppy. He is shown (character movement) with his back to the wall, spinning an object, perhaps a watch. His clothes are dark and tatty, matching the mood of the building around. This shows that he is a lower class subject, perhaps trying to break into a higher status in society, due to him wearing a suit and a top hat, an iconic symbol of status.

When Esther's carriage arrives we see Gumpy's boot hit a murky puddle, through an extreme close-up cutaway shot. This signifies his roots and that he is potentially from the lower class, as people of a higher status would probably have been driven more closely to the curb. His representation is reinforces when he begins to speak to her using formal language but this auditory code is juxtaposed with a cockney accent. Once Esther gets out he shows his affectionate side by informing her that the best option for her in this busy city is to hold on to him. This could be seen as him caring for his customer. However it could also represent her importance and that he knows her importance.


Alex - Guppy's body position is very upright at this point, representing his self-importance at beginning asked to collect Esther. This also represents that he is proud of his job from the quote "don't want you to get lost now do we?" which signifies he is concerned and protective of her.

Rachel - When Guppy meets Ester he class her "miss" although he is uses a Cockney accent, he is formal in meeting her. This contrasts the way the man (later introduced as Mr Nemo) responds when he bumps into her as he doesn't give her a title. This connotes the stereotypes of social class as Guppy looks down on the man, through his body language) after he apologises to Esther.
Zack - As they begin walking they bump into a strange man, Mr. Nemo. Esther, startled, wonders what his reaction will be. This could be seen as an upper class superstition or belief that lower class people are dangerous. We have a very slight low angle shot of Mr. Nemo apologising and making sure that she is ok. A shot-reverse-shot in which both of the characters are represented in shot size and position equally as Esther acting a bit relieved, saying that she is ok.

With Esther gone, we notice that the mise-en-scene of Mr. Nemo's costume is dark brown clothing. This reinforces the representation of his working class status. However this is thrown into doubt when you hear his accent. He speaks in a manner and accent that suggests he is educated in some way.

Mr. Nemo then speaks to a child. Nemo is saying he doesn't have anything, however on the way back he'll have a look for him. This shows a lower class bond, that they look out for one another.

Rachel - There are a few shots where the camera is all on the same level, for example when the Mr Nemo talks to the little boy in the city. Even though the boy is dirty, working class (although Mr Nemo is also dirty and unshaven) and physically shorter than Nemo, the camera doesn't show this as the camera is at a matching shot level, signifying equality, which may give us an idea as to why the boy calls him "kind".

The mise-en-scene of the set design also connotes a big city of Dicken's time with its fair share of people surviving on the street and keeping warm using barrel fires.

I would also comment on the hyperbolic sound of the wind during the conversation between Mr Nemo and Esther as this connotes the mystery and potential danger behind the character of Mr Nemo. Which is anchored when in the next scene he is very defensive when told to "watch how you spend it now" (money).
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Scene 7
Zack - An establishing shot of the lawyer firm shows us a well-financed business. Within the shot we see an assistant or employee working and dressed in a suit. This reinforces the representation of a succeeding business that pays well. Mr. Nemo then enters in his dark clothing. This draws little attention from the well lighted room

SHIPP- The representation of Mr Nemo changes as we enter this scene. The man behind the counter takes the package that Mr Nemo gives him and examines the documents within carefully. The camera is focused on Mr Nemo in a MCU watching him surveying the mans reaction to the documents, which concentrates the audience on the importance of the documents and if he is going to get the business mans approval. Representing that the lower class are seeking approval. However when the business man speaks our perception of the documents changes, he's not stolen them rather "elegantly done" connoting that Mr Nemo has in fact copied these documents for the man. This ability to write (as with reading in scene 3) is a representation of the 'educated' classes and therefore repositions the audiences' reception of Mr Nemo. There is an ECU on the money being exchanged and a further conversation which signifies that this is a business arrangement and Mr Nemo can have more work later. Throughout Mr Nemo is referred to by name and title "Mr" therefore representing mutual respect, furthering the mystery surrounding Mr Nemo's character and his involvement in the plot.

THE END

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