How is ethnicity represented in the clip from ‘Hotel Babylon’

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”.