How does the sound in 'secret diary of a call gril' represent ability/disability

The clip opens with the closing sound of chimes coming together which is a sound bridge from the previous scene, which is a non-diegetic sound. There is probably much more emphasis on this because no soundtrack has yet been established and the only sound other than the sound bridge is the dialog from the characters. The reason this has emphasis is because it shows the intensity of the awkwardness the room has in it, because essentially a business transaction is taking place, but one that is out of the ordinary.

A call girl who has experience in her work would be usually unfazed by clients, but the fact that this client is disabled means that there is an added sense of awkwardness, and the director has obviously decided that by not having a soundtrack to start the scene and instead only have the tail end of a sound bridge, followed by complete silence, not only adds the sense of awkwardness, but extends that awkwardness to the audience. He uses the sound to make the audience feel the same emotions or the same mood as the characters. If sound wasn't used then the effect would not be the same. If the clip had no sound at all, the audience would not capture the same feeling of awkwardness between the call girl and the disabled character.

The dialog used is swift and broken, often ending in unfinished sentences, simply because none of the characters are comfortable enough to finish them. The father of the disabled character cannot finish his sentence in particular, because he perhaps feels most uncomfortable as it is not a position that many fathers find themselves in. his sentences almost always are short or unfinished. This type of dialog helps build a perspective from the audience that even as the father, there is discomfort between father and son, something that may not have happened if the son was an abled person.

There is then an ambient sound made where the callgirl collects an envelope from the client and the rustling sound that is made makes some suggestion that the sound has been enhanced. This diegetic sound could be used to show how silent the room is between dialog, almost like you could cut through the tension with a knife.

When the dad is sent down to the car to wait, the call girl attempts to lock the door, and it is the diegetic sound of the door locking that triggers the disabled character to show discomfort and the call girl realises this. The sound of the door locking, reflects the disabled characters vulnerability and shows how much he relies upon his dad. He needs the door unlocked so that his dad can just walk in at any moment he needs help, but the thought of having the door locked means he is alone, and this scares him.

The scene then shows the father in the car, and the sound shows his anxiety, by hearing the window moving up and down, him moving his chair backwards and forwards and sounding the horn. These sound affects represent the father’s anxiety at leaving his disabled son upstairs, probably giving him independence for the first time. But the sound affect that is probably most representative of this is the music that comes on. Classical music is played through the radio and the father switches it off straight away. this is because classical music is quite a happy tune, in line with peoples mood that are quite happy and harmonious, but the fathers emotions reflect that of a nervous, anxious person and the classical music doesn't fit with that representation so he switches it off straight away.

The final scenes introduce a soundtrack that is headed by the use of a harmonica, an instrument usually associated with the blues,  which represents quite sad music. The soundtrack begins when the dad is in the van, and is carried over into the next scene back in the room, where the call girl and disabled character have finished their glasses of champagne and become slightly more intimate together. The use of the harmonica is shown not to be a representation of sadness, but rather to give sympathy to the disabled character. It is a slow and light tune, used to make you feel sorry for the boy and sets the atmosphere of the room.

It is therefore shown that the uses of sound in this clip are used to show awkwardness and sympathy towards this character, and that this is the main aspect of this clip. Without these compilations of sounds it is easy to say that the same effect would not be imposed on the audience and that the same sense of atmosphere and emotion shown would not be received by the audience.

How does the editing in 'secret diary of a callgirl' show representation of ability/disability?

In the opening scene, the call girl opens the door to reveal the disabled character and his father. There are a few reverse cuts to see the awkwardness present between them, as well as some hard cuts to show the bluntness of both parties, the body language has to be shown correctly and this is shown by transitioning between them as they move and it is clear to see the discomfort between them. the director has cleverly compiled the transitions to allow the audience to be manipulated into also feeling the sense of awkwardness. There is also an eyeline match where we see the woman looking at the boy, but the father is instead shown. This could be because she has a sense of not knowing who to speak to. This means that she could ask the father Questions relating to the disabled character, even though he is more than capable of talking for himself. it helps builds a representation that his disability is the cause of the awkward atmosphere and that also none of the characters are really sure of how to react to the mood. 


The camera then shoots some shot reverse shots to watch the dialog between characters but they are very pacy and quick. This shows that there is not much dialog taking place and that reinforces the awkwardness about the room. There is then a match on action shot when the father picks up his son, as his sons cannot manoeuvre his wheelchair up the stairs. The reason a match on action shot is used is to show the vulnerability of the disabled character and that without his father, he would be stuck. the shot is then hard cut and shows his dad taking his son and there is another match on action shot of the father putting his son on the bed. This is used to show the father taking care of the son as he places him down softly and also reinforces the dependency of the son. When the father leaves the scene, the call girl goes to lock the door, and we can see the disabled boy looking towards her. It is here an eyeline match is used and the lock on the door is highlighted and shows the worry and vulnerability of the boy. He is worried that his father would not be able to get back in and this manipulates the audience to feel sorry for him.


The call girl then approaches the boy on the bed and offers him a drink using shot revers shots to show the dialog between them, and they are again quick showing the awkwardness especially when she compliments him. A cross cut to the father down in his van is then used to show the anxiety that he has and it shows an eyeline match of him looking up at the room where they are. This is because he is worried about his son, because of his disability. A jump cut is then used from the room to the father and shows a passage of time has since passed, because he is trying to make time pass quickly to get rid f his anxiety over his son. He doesn't want to worry and wants things to go quickly so a jump cut is best used here to show the passage of time that has passed.

In the final part of the clip the woman takes the boys top off and this is a very intimate part of the clip, and a match on action shot is used to show this intimate moment off best. This moment reflects how she has now become more comfortable with his disability but also that he is now relying on her help as opposed to his fathers. It shows the progress that has been made in the room during the jump cut and that his disability is still a big part of the scene, all of this can be concluded just by the match on action which is why the editing in this clip shows a representation of ability/disability. The boy however is still feeling awkward at having the call girl take his top off and this is shown by the fact the he is unsure about what to do next.

How do the camera shots in 'Monarch of the glen' represent age?

The clip begins with a dolly shot showing all the adults working alongside each other. With no children in sight, the dolly shot moves across the scene showing the adults talking and helping each other out and you get the perspective that is stereotypical of adults, which is that adults prefer adult company. The next scene opens with a pan shot moving to the left and gives an over the shoulder view of a young girl. you can tell her character is young by her choice of clothing and the pan shot enables you to see that because it it moves out of the way of another character, hence the over the shoulder view. The reason this is important is because these shots have been specifically chosen to show you her clothing, even the shot size allows this as it is a medium long shot and gives you a full view of the clothes she is wearing.

The next scene opens with a dolly shot of the girl in the car and gives a close up of her face to show her confused state. It implies that she does not know how to drive and the close up is there to show her naivety and how young she really is. If she was older she may have known how to drive or even a little more about starting a car. The close up signifies the fact that she has know clue about how to drive and this shows how this camera shot can be used to represent age.

Once the car has been started and the girl begins to drive, the girl crashes and the scene switches to a wide shot to show you the extent of the crash, it was a head on crash and shows that one car was on the wrong side of the ride, and it can be judged that the girls inexperience led her to be on the wrong side of the road.

Then there is a medium long shot showing the after scene of the crash where there is a confrontation between young and old. Allows you to see the headmasters dress sense and it is clear that he is and elderly gentle man, and that is one of the reasons why the director has used this shot, so that the audience can get a perspective of age.

The next shot is where the boy and man arrive on scene to see what has happened. the camera first focuses on the boy and pan/tilts up to the man. the reason you can tell one is a boy and one is the man is generally due to the height difference, it shows the taller man to be more authoritative because it is a low angle shot of him whereas the boy is shown at eye line level. the camera then does the opposite and pan/tilts back to the boy to emphasize the height and age difference. Then the camera shows a two shot of the young girl, with an older woman who is hugging her. The reason for the two shot is to show the protective nature that the woman has over the girl, almost like a motherly instinct. it shows the girls vulnerability and how fragile she is as she is deeply emotional and needs to feel protected.

The viewers perspective is then changed as scene after scene is shown from a low angle, which is meant to represent that of the view of the young girl. It is almost as if you are seeing things from her point of view and this makes you see things in her shoes and lets you sympathize her. it gives of the representation of age by allowing you see she is smaller (younger) then other characters.

An extreme long shot is shown to establish that we are now back at the house. The next scene shows the girls bedroom, where the camera tilts down to reveal a note, one left by the girl. The camera then pans to the right to show the audience the girls teddy bear. The bear alone is used to show her age but it is the camera's movement which purposely shows the bear for the audience to get this point of view. And then there is a final tilt to reveal the girl in the corner of the room where she is vulnerable. The camera then zooms in and shows one of the girls photos that is attached to her mirror, of her and her 'family'. it shows how much she relies upon them and looks up to them as role models, implying young age on her and an older age on those within her 'family'. The zoom also reveals her emotions at this time and allows you to see her emotional state at this time.

Then the camera shows the view of the room from outside, peering through the window at the girl. this camera angle is used to manipulate the audience into feeling sorry for her. when the older woman walks in after the girl has gone she finds the note and this is all captured from outside of the window still. the camera moves to a close up view to see the worry that appears on the woman's face and allows you to see her motherly instinct taking over, giving a good representation that she is generally an older woman.

The next scene shows the woman approaching the lead male and the scene is shot at a high angle view to represent his eyeline view. it leads to a close up on the lady to see the true worried emotion on her face. the reason a high angle shot is used is because there is stigma about how there are 'little old ladies' and there are big tall mean. This means that because we are seeing things from his point of view, a high angle shot is used to show the 'little old lady' and therefore implying age.

Once the lead male realizes the girl has run away you see a close up shot f his face and how his fatherly emotions kick in, showing he is an older man, the same effect would not happen if a close up was not used and therefore it is shown that the camera angles used ae specifically chosen to imply age for each character.

How is the Mise En Scene used in 'Monarch of the glen' to contrast representation of age?

The clip begins with the introduction of middle-aged men working in smart work wear and using tools of hard labour. The reason that you can tell they are middle aged is because the tools they are using are not tools that are readily available to younger people. Therefore this clip uses the tools as props to show that the men on the screen are older and more responsible as opposed to more youthful and inexperienced.


The clip then goes on to show two characters more casually dressed then the characters before, which may show a sense of youth. This clip therefore uses the costume of the characters to imply age on these characters. When the younger girl is asked to drive she acts as if she has passed her test but in reality has no idea and this asks the question that is she younger than she looks. When she crashes the car, she is then confronted by her headmaster and she cowers behind a father like figure. This shows a child like instinct and her body language shows youth rather than age.


The headmaster and the girl's father like figure, step into an office that looks quite old. This is because the style and interior which is made up of wooden paneling for walls and bare brick wall trimmings shows age rather than being a modern concept. It make the room feel as if it is a child free zone and much more of an adults office which causes the two characters to appear as older characters. This is backed up when whisky is served as the drink, being still from the bottle. Whisky is a drink that is not widely drunk by younger people and seems to reflect the tastes of the older generation. The fact that the bottle is on show in the room further suggests that the room is not allowing of children. This means that the setting and location used in this clip to imply an age on these characters. 


After some talking, the man is angry after being lied to realising the girl is only sixteen, even though she appears much older. The man's body language displays protective attitude towards the girl, and the girl goes to pack and leave. Whilst packing you see in her room, objects of youth such as a teddy bear, girl magazines and pink lanterns decorating the mirror. These props are used to imply the girl being quite young.


Finally the man who has previously been shown to be an older man, becomes sarcastic ands begins to playfully bicker with another land owner, and this shows a sense of immaturity and youthfulness, so for the first time in the clip, instead of a young and old divide, there is now a young, old and an in-between age divide. He uses body language to appear youthful as well as aged.


After checking, this document has 462 words, which is under the 500 limit.

Representation of gender: twighlight movie + analysis

In reference to how gender is portraid using media language, the cinematography of this clips is how male and female actors are portraid differently using differnt shots. At the beginning of the clip a mid-shot of The main male and female characters is shown with the male placing a cap on his conterparts head and you can assume that this is a gesture of the male wanting to take care of the female as is stereotyped. as the clip is played at the time of 2:48 additional cast members are introduced to which bare a threat to the female. at this moment a close up of the two cast members to which the male is taking control in protecting her, which is again another stereotype.


The way this clip is edited to move from clip to clip stereotypes both genders. for example when a female meber of the family throws a ball, it shows a male family member immediatly return the ball to better effect suggesting the male is somehow better at sport, but this can only be suggested because the clip moves from her actions straight to his actions showing his actions to be possibly better skilled. had the clip moved to another scene inbetween, the effect may not have carried over in the same way.


When the family begins to play baseball, the sound (being music in this case) is quite fast paced to match the speed of the game but when the mood changes and additional people arrive a scarier tune is played to show the fear that imparticularly one female member has.


in this scene the body movement is probably the area from the mise en scene that most reflects stereotype of gender in this clip. the male body movement is confident and relaxed whereas bella (a female member) is timid and withdrawn and in some stages acts quite fearful of her counterparts.

The key concepts of media studies

There are three key concepts of media studies and the first one to be discussed in this blog is media language.


Media language tests your ability to analyse four equally important areas.

• Cinematography -> this is how each shot is taken. What this means is the different types of shots that can be taken, for example you have mid-shots, close ups and birds eye view to name a few. cinematography is important because it can play a big part in showing important things.  for example a close up shot to show a face of emotion whereas a different shot may be used for a car chase scene.
• Editing -> editing is how you move from clip to clip, and this is called a transition. it is important to get a good transition between clips so that the clip being filmed runs smoothly from start to finish without a hiccup where one clip overlaps another.
• sound -> sound is a very important aspect of any film or tv show. If a horror film was to go without sound there would be no scary music or sound effects that hightens the fear. Sound goes hand in hand with filming and no modern film or tv show can go without it.
• Mise en scene -> this is french  for everything in the scene. what this means is to look at everything in the scene of a particular shot including the setting, location, lighting, costume, make-up, props, blocking (movement of the actors) and body language.

The second key concept of media is representation.This is where your ability to analyse how the media language builds a representation of one of the follwing:

• Age
• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Sexuality
• Regional Identity
• Ability/Disability and
• Class/Social Status 

The third key concept is Audiance and Institution. In this area there will be a case study of two seperate films.


you will be tested on your knowledge of relationships between the people who produce, distribute and exhibite the films (institutions) and the people who go to see it.