The representation in the clip from tv show ‘Hotel Babylon
is presented to the audience through the uses of camera angles, editing, sound
and mise en scene. In general the immigrants who are all workers at the hotel
are shown to all stay in their ethnic groups as social groups. When the
immigration officers come in they are all shown from quick cuts to panic and
express lots of fear. The shot reverse shot of them getting into the room shows
their support to each over and also shows the main woman’s stress and worrying
to get them all in as soon as possible. The close up panning shot of all the
immigrants inside the room show their facial expressions showing fear and
anxiousness. The close up shot of the main woman also shows her stress rise
when she realises there is still one person missing in the room. During the
entire shots of the immigrants in the room they are all presented as vulnerable
but they all support one another as they work like a team not leaving others
behind showing they all have a connection. The close ups with the immigration
officer show him to keep a serious and slightly angry facial expression
representing him as the crueller character audiences are supposed to dislike. The
quick cuts of the immigration officers capturing the immigrant who never made
it present his panic in the situation and creates more tension and represents
him as a victim. The final shot of the clip panning across the immigrants
having lunch show them as very ethnically dependant as they do not mix when
eating they all sit in their own ethnic groups and are represented as very
stereotypical. The shot of the black people stays for longer as they are shown
to be the only ones genuinely saddened by the immigration officers deporting
one of them.
The characters are also represented as vulnerable by the
editing of the clip the fast pace as the tension builds presents them as weak
and in need of support and help. The pace changes between the immigrant cleaner
being found and captured and the people standing in the room, it builds again
when one of the diabetic immigrants pass out and they are all represented as
supportive as they all go to her.
The mise-en-scene in the clip helps present the immigrants
as hard working and attempt to present themselves well as they make sure they
dress smartly and neat unlike the immigration officer who show to be dressed in
an uneaten scruffy way representing him as crueller and rougher than the
immigrants.
The sound used in the clip is also very vital in how the
characters are represented, as the immigrants are moving into the room in fear
and panic the non diegetic sound is louder and more fast pace to create more
tension and drama and a gripping feel. Once in the room and during shots of the
immigrant still outside the non diegetic sound is much quitter much like the
immigrants trying to remain silent. Some of the dialogue also represents the
immigrants as underrated in their abilities and talents as the man who helped
the diabetic lady showed great knowledge of medicine and biology and says “I
wasn’t always a cleaner” representing him as a victim of society for when he
could be a doctor he is instead in a much worse job due to his ethnicity. The
phrase “rules of the game” said by the immigration officer shows how little he
cares about the very serious matter and represents him as cold and
unnecessarily harsh and selfish further presenting the immigrants as
unfortunate and vulnerable.
In general these four areas manage to represent the
immigrants as supportive team players but very vulnerable and underrated, they
share some stereotypes but are presented to be more likable by audiences unlike
the immigration officers who are presented as cruel characters who we want to
lose in what they consider “the game”.
