Moving Image TV Drama


Hotel Babylon - Ethnicity

The scene first starts off with the establishing shot, showing a smart sophisticated man doing his job. Personality is shown through the way the man is walking, and may also suggest that he is very feminine. He is a black male, and does not conform to the stereotypical views in which most people view that ethnic group. As he walks down another black male appears, and has a different personality, you could say that he would conform to the representations on how people see black males. This is shown by the way he speaks, as he tends to use slang. He also has plaits which are contrasting to the other man who has short hair and appears to be more sophisticated. In this clip, two different representations are shown of that particular ethnic group. Shot reverse shot was used in this clip as they were talking between each other and the camera kept switching between their faces. This showed a relationship between the characters and allows the audience to keep up with the conversation and also view facial expressions. The audience were able to pick up who the main character in that scene was, because of the establishing shot making the man in the suit the main focus, and following his movement as he walks down. A tracking shot was used as the man was walking down; it was also a long shot, allowing the audience to view everything that is within the scene. There was a use of non diegetic sound, as it created the atmosphere. The location was set inside a swimming pool, and showed a person who was working there and someone who was using the service. The costumes showed a lot of the characters personality and instantly split the two different people up. The man was wearing a suit which meant that he was sophisticated and on a higher level, rather than the man in the pool who seemed more rough and casual creating a different representation. Positive representations were shown through the man in the suit as he looked very classy and on a higher level, on the other hand negative representations were used against the man in the pool as he referred mostly to slang and lead the audience to categorize him in the typical conventions concerning that ethnic group. The second introduction is shown, showing a different narrative. Two women are first shown in the scene, they are working as cleaners. As they speak it allows the audience to know their ethnicity, and it clearly shows they are foreign. This conforms to stereotypes as you would often associate foreign people with jobs such as cleaners. This would give a negative representation because it shows that all foreign people have jobs like that. There is a two shot which allows the audience to view the two characters in the scene and watch their conversation and follow through with them. As one of the ladies are busy trying to enter the room, the camera focuses on the woman next to her showing her facial expressions and suggesting to the audience that she is uncomfortable with what she is doing. Non diegetic sound is used and has been the same since the first scene; this shows continuity and lets the audience know that it is all relating in a certain way. The music also fills the gap of silence and creates the atmosphere. Different shots are then used; a medium shot is used of the man sitting on the bed in a dressing gown. This first gives the impression that he is anxiously waiting for something, possibly sexually involved. As the scene continues, a close up shot is shown of money on a desk, this would solve the complications in the audience’s head and realise that the women could be entertaining the man in a sexual way. Sound changes to diegetic, which allows the people in the scene to hear the music. As the music is turned on, it builds up the atmosphere presenting it to suit the mood. Cross cutting shots are used where the camera shows a close up of the man’s face in anticipation as the women undress. One of the women is clearly shown to be more than the other, which may suggest that she has been used to doing this. However the other woman looks uneasy and uncomfortable and leads on to disrupt the scene. In this scene, it shows negative representations to how foreign people are presented; this is because it shows the man paying for his pleasure in that way and shows the women to be so desperate for money they would go to those extremes. From the women’s costume, it clearly suggests that they are cleaners, and accompanied by their equipment it makes it clear on what their jobs are. The location is show non a hotel room, in which the women are doing their duty cleaning work in. The next introduction starts, this scene starts showing a sophisticated woman in a suit shown to be doing her job and filling each customer’s needs. The scene follows on to show a man and a woman having a conversation, the main focus is set on them as they are positioned in the middle, they are shown to be in the powerful position by the way they are dressed and the way in which they approach the chefs. The foreign chef seems to be in a more of a dominant position as the woman approaches him and refers to him as ‘Mr’. Different camera shots in this scene are effective, such as the close up of the knife in the man’s hand, allowing the audience to follow through on what is going on. The non diegetic sound in the clip is effective as it tends to get louder and tenser, building up the suspense for the audience. There is a dramatic change in the sound as the clip switches back to the other woman approaching the room where the cleaner is in. It is effective in the way the camera is used as the camera follows the lady in the suit and allows the audience to know things that the actors in the scene don’t, creating satisfaction for the viewers. Artificial lighting is used, as the scene is inside.

MES
There is binary oppositions in the extract from the hotel lobby and the downstairs quarters for the hotel employees. This suggests the ethnic differences between the immigrants and the UK citizens. The contrast between these two settings makes the audience understand further the hierarchy of the immigrants and the other people. This connotes how the stereotype of the immigrants is much lower down than the white/Caucasian people. Where the immigration workers lockers are situated looks very dirty/scruffy as if they aren’t looked after. The immigrants costumes contrast with those of a higher class
(high class: suits, royal blues, very smart etc, whereas the immigrants wear ratty overalls). The owner/manager of hotel is wearing a very smart/posh suit to emphasize her role, as well as those. those working for the immigration patrol were wearing blazers to emphasize their higher role and higher class. The police uniform is well known and holds authority, which portrays how they are looked up too. We can clearly see that the other races are insignificant, the audience empathizes for them as they are discriminated against. The white people are clearly the dominant race. Also, all of the immigrants are put into one very small room, which is dark, and this reflects how inferior they are.

CAMERA
Camera shots in the extract show the tension of the sequence. A pull focus is used to show the realization of when Ibrahim get captured by the immigration officers. This technique is commonly used in TV dramas to show the sudden understanding of a dramatic moment. The use of high angle looks down upon immigrants shows authority/superior person and eye level so the audience sees eye to eye with the white people.

SOUND
Non-diegetic sound builds tension within the scene; the background music reflects the emotions in the scene and sets a mood for the audience to create sympathy. This music is used widely throughout the whole clip. There is also use of diegetic sound - the shouting of the workers highlights their worry and the knock on door then a long pause- creates tension for the audience. The music is much slower at the end of the clip to portray emotion: sadness because a family member has been lost

EDITING
Shot reverse shot is used in the extract during the conversation between the receptionist woman (possibly the antagonist) and the worker immigrant who helps the diabetic woman. The sequence between the two characters shows the realization that the worker man is not just an unskilled cleaner. The audience understand that where the man comes from he was a skilled doctor figure and understands medicine. There are also harp, short cuts from each cut and constant change of angle, as well as the continuous use of continuity editing throughout.

Representation Of Age - ER clip
Chrissie Bishop

The clip ER is represented through age. The representation age is shown through camera, mise-en-scene, sound and editing that are the four key elements. This clip suggests to the audience that age is too complicated or it doesn’t matter at all.
As the clip begins a close up shot of the male doctor is displayed, which portrays clear detail of the doctor and his facial expressions. This then moves into a mid-shot showing the male and female speakers; this gives the idea that the male is the dominant character and the female is seen as inferior. The mid shot of the two characters also allows the audience to establish the location in which where the speakers are. The diegetic sound of dialogue between the male and female signifies to the audience how the male character is the dominant character as he is the one leading the conversation. We can assume that both of these characters are around the same age so they stand on more or less the same ground. Also, the entire clip is made up of a continuity edit.
As the two characters begin to speak more, the camera shots change and an over the shoulder shot is used. Once again the male is seen as the dominant character as the camera is firstly positioned over his shoulder, whilst he is speaker and the female is listening, which shows she is inferior to him. The reverse shot enables the audience to interact with the speakers, allowing the audience to see specifically who is speaking as well as being able to see the facial expressions of the speakers at the same time.
As the male character begins to walk off, the over the shoulder shot is once again used, allowing the audience to get the same view as the doctor. When he walks into the room, the over the shoulder shot instantly allows the audience to see what is happening. Reverse shot is then used again showing the diegetic dialogue that the two speakers are having. The white lab coat that the male is seen to be wearing connotes the purity, innocence and peace. It also tells the audience that he is of a higher profession; the man is quite middle aged so this confirms how he is at a stable position in his life, which generally reflects on the stereotypes of his age group. The non-diegetic sound in the background whilst the speakers are speaking reinforces the location in which they are and also makes the hospital location seem more realistic. As the doctor begins to get closer to the patient, a mid-shot has been used. During this mid-shot the doctor is seen to be leaning over the bed talking to the patient demonstrating once again how he is seen as the character that is dominant and in control. This also signifies the age difference between the two characters and the fact the male is older than the female therefore making it seem more realistic to why he is the dominant character. The mise-en-scene displayed of how the female patient is dressed makes it seem more realistic and understandable that she is a patient who is in a hospital. The equipment also seen around her and on the doctor displays the location of the scene and the profession.
The close up shot of the doctor looking at the patient signifies his facial expressions and what he is thinking; this then gives the impression that he seems confused. The low lighting used in this scene is very low and dim, giving a sombre effect, making the audience feel sympathy for the patient. The director has then used a close up shot of the female patient lying in the bed. This implies the detail of her proving that she is not well; we see this through the mise en scene of her eyes and her facial positioning. When she is shown looking down at the bed this connotes how she is ill and upset. The tube, which has been position on her face, adds emphasis to her illness and makes the situation seem more realistic. The continuous shot reverse shot between the two characters reinforces that they are having a conversation and makes the audience understand what is happening better as well as being able to see who is speaking. The shot reverse shot also allows the audience to see the facial expressions of the characters which makes it easier for the audience to understand the emotions the speakers are feeling.
Moving on from this scene, we then see another scene in which is taking place in the waiting room. The young boy is presented in a very stereotypical way in which he is crying because he has a bite from his gerbil. This seems to contrast with the other situation in which the patient has to lie in bed. The doctor uses diegetic sound in order to ask the boy what has happened. He then responds saying he has been bitten. The name of the gerbil, ‘killer’, is quite immature too, which follows the general stereotype of young children, which juxtaposes with the somewhat child genius from the previous scenes. Whilst he is saying this, a close up shot of the boy is used signifying his emotion. This demonstrates how the patient in bed is being mature about the situation however the boy in the waiting room seems to be making a fuss, proving that the two characters are binary opposites.
Within the waiting room, the audience hear many different diegetic sounds clearing showing that it is a location with many different aged people. We hear the babies crying and the elderly coughing. The diegetic sounds we hear are very stereotypical as you would often hear babies crying and elderly coughing rather than the babies coughing. This makes it seem more realistic for the audience and makes it seem more like a real situation.
When the doctor moves on to the next patient, a high angle shot has been used in which the makes it seem like the patient is looking up at the doctor. This suggests how the doctors have a higher profession and is the dominant character and the patients are superior. When the patient begins to speak to the doctors the camera has been position in the opposite was so it seems like the doctor is looking down on the patient once again proving that the doctors are dominant whereas the patients are inferior. As it moves on a wide shot of the waiting room has been used also establishing the location of the scene. Furthermore the wide shot enables the audience to clearly see the location and the amount of people that are in the waiting room making it seem buys just like a real life hospital waiting room.
During the next scene the doctor approaches a man who is sitting on a chair in the waiting room with a pair of glasses on. The mise-en-scene of the glasses that the patient is wearing adds tension and makes it seem more like something bad is about to happen; the glasses also insinuates the mans intelligence. The patient does not seem to be moving when the doctor is calling him. This builds up tensions and suspense for the audience and makes the audience wonder what will happen next. The mid-shot of the doctor allows the audience to see what she is doing and how she is trying to get the patient to respond. The over the shoulder shot looks up on the female doctor once again proving how she has all control. The diegetic sound from the doctor saying “please don’t be dead” makes the audience feel worried about whether he is dead.as the doctor begins to remove the glasses from the patient the mid-shot enables the audience to see clearly what she is doing making us worried for her. As the glasses are removed the close up shot then used of the man clearly proves how he is dead. The close up shot is effective for this shot as it emphasises what has happened and allows the audience to automatically see that he is dead from the way his eyes are.  The long shot of the doctor whilst the diegetic sound of her asking for help enables the audience to see that she is panicking.
The next scene where the dead man is seen lying on the bed through a long shot illustrates how the doctors are all crowding round the bed. As the man in the while lab coat is standing directly at the end of the bed this gives the impression that he has all control over what the doctors do. Furthermore the non-diegetic sound in the background of the diegetic sound makes the situation seem more critical and makes it tenser for the audience. The editing used in this scene to speed everything up makes it seem like the doctors are panicking more and implies how everyone is rushing. The doctor in the white lab coat appears to be very calm whilst criticizing the young female nurse not taking into any consideration about the patient and just thinking he is a homeless drunk person. The high angle shot then used looking down on the patients implies the situation he is in and allows us to see how ill he is.
The mid shot used to show the lady sitting on the chair enables the audience to see how she is worried. Shortly after the lift makes a bell noise and she automatically looks up to see what is happening, making it clear to the audience that she is waiting for something. The mid shot used to display the doctor talking to the lady works well as this allows us to see that the doctor has more control that what the other lady has. The diegetic dialogue between the two females implies how they are having a conversation about what has happened. The long shot then used to show the male doctor walking towards the two females, implies how he both the females characters are superior to him and he is the dominant character. The lady stands up very quickly using diegetic sound to say “thank God” implying that she is happy about what has happened. When she stands up the over the shoulder shot of her looking at the doctor suggests how he has control over what has happened. Whilst the male doctor and female are walking the mid shot has been used, clearing proving the age difference between the two characters. As the female walks in to the room where the patient is a long shot has been used allowing the audience to see the whole location of the hospital room.


Doctor Who ESSAY:

A continuity edit is used throughout the whole scene. We are introduced to the characters of both binary opposites; through a panning shot of the woman’s family as she walks in looking quite scared. This signifies that the woman is in danger, presumably by the evil male character who stands before her. This is a mid-shot – she is looking up at the evil man which illustrates how she is weak compared to him and has no power. The woman is wearing just a long black coat, which is the only piece of clothing we can see, her hair is nearly done up in a bun exposing her face for us to see that she is more vulnerable and an easy target. We see her searching the room as she walks towards her fate, as a desperate attempt for help. She looks to her left unsure and worried, almost scared as to what may happen, and then looking directly at the man, then to the right to a friendly face. It shows how Martha is being treated because she is a women and a younger one, she is scared and worried as to what would happen judging from her body language. The woman is typically shown in a mid-shot so that we can view both her facial expressions and body language as she’s generally quite scared.  She is introduced when we see her walking in with two body guards coated in black armour souring her in each side. This automatically shows us that she is vulnerable and needs protecting because she is young and a female. Whilst the woman looks around her, the people in the corners of the room all seem to look down at her too, which furthermore promotes her powerlessness and makes the audience sympathise with her character.

At first sight we see that the villain’s character is well dressed wearing a classic black and white sophisticated suit, all nearly in place. He is well shaven, with a clean hair cut that tells us that he likes everything to be in order and is a neat freak. This character appears to be a strong successful male who is very powerful and knows this – he’s quite literally the boss of everyone else. Non-diegetic background music is continuously played in the background to build tension; this music generally increases in volume as the clip goes on and becomes more suspenseful. A long, low-angle shot is used which shows both the woman, the evil man and the woman in a red dress. The evil man and his companion are standing on top of the stairs and looking down at the woman, indicating how they hold the most authority and signifying her weak character. The woman behind the evil man (his companion) is wearing a red dress which symbolises danger and sexualises her as she’s generally shown as more of an object than a human – she has no input and doesn’t tend to help the male villain.

The evil man is continuously shown in a low-angle shot to make him look superior to the audience and to the woman, which fits within the general stereotypes of men and women as he holds more power and authority than her. The woman beings to show facial expressions that express her fears; she’s nervously shrieking and sighing in a diegetic and synchronous way whilst worryingly looking around her. The evil man points to the woman and tells her what to do, by putting her in her place and demanding her to kneel down – she’s looking up at him even more now as she is on the floor in an over the shoulder and extremely low-angle shot.

We are then introduced to the doctor – who is actually in the form of an alien creature and being contained in a bird cage. CGI effects are used to create the imagery of the alien Doctor; This reflects how the doctor actually holds no power at the moment as he is locked up and his facial expressions are very sad and gloomy, contradicting the typical stereotypes of both genders – especially as the doctor usually saves the day.

The camera shows the villain with more close up shots and allows his character to take up one whole frame alone to show that he is more important. The male character also speaks as if he is full of himself or really sure that his plan is going to work, to make this even more obvious they have shown that he is in command over the majority of the characters on the set, as no one tells him what to do or interrupts him at all. Reverse-shots are used whilst the villain begins to talk to the woman. We can see a guard point his gun to one of the men in the background – this man works for the villain and this furthermore promotes the villains power as he’s controlling and manipulating others to get what he wants; this is signified through a mid-shot. There is a mid-shot used of him where he is looking at his watch, in this shot we can establish that he is married because he is wearing a wedding ring, and also looking at his watch which explains his richness and how wealthy this man appears compared to Martha who has nothing at all. Diegetic dialogue is used whilst they begin to speak – the villain laughs and tries to humiliate the woman, he tries to make small funny jokes that he only finds amusing as we see him smiling and laughing to himself. The villain also asks rhetorical questions to himself which no one attempts to answer.

The camera moves around the room to show the reaction of everyone else and how scared they are of him. The villain thinks that he is going to kill the woman, however she stops his process of speech with laugher, possibly connoting how she’s slowly gaining a little bit of confidence; foreshadowing her sudden power later on. The villain asks the woman for the teleporter device – he doesn’t use any manners and quite simply and bluntly expects her to just give it to him, which she does, followed by his request to kneel down to him. She follows his actions and this reflects how he again holds a lot of power compared to her.  A long, over the shoulder shot re-emphasizes how he’s on top of the stairs and looking down upon everyone.

A variety of close-up, high-angle shots portray the woman looking up at the villain. The camera also seems to show the woman in mid shots, showing the surrounding of the settings in the shot because she is not as important as him. Her expression always seems to be the same without change, just a blank sheet throughout the whole so his speech she does not speak a word or say anything to disturb his speech or goes against what he is saying. There are diegetic and synchronous sounds of the clock ticking to create tension and suspense as to what is going to happen next. A high angle shot is used to look down on the Doctor who currently has no power.

However, just when he thinks things are going in his favour she begins to laugh. This completely changes the whole scenario where he is in power and she is not. The woman takes full control in this relationship. This time when he addresses her she responds with one word answers. Now it is the woman’s turn to be all cocky and know it all, she talks to the man as if he was a child, patronising him with her words. “A gun?” She is almost doubting him in her words trying to make him couscous. Her jargon is certainly childish and what most females who think they are right would use, the man begins to doubt himself as the woman gains all control from this, the tables are now turned. The doctor then jumps in and begins to talk in the debate, in reverse shots and synchronous diegetic sounds.

Flashbacks are used to reinforce that she’s in the right and that the villain is wrong; this also contradicts the typical stereotypes of genders. In one of the flashbacks, we see the woman being the ‘boss’ of a group – telling them what to do and information about the issues surrounding them and the doctor, demanding them to spread the word; this further connotes her rising power. Transitions are also used such as blurring and lights.

As these roles exchange, more close-ups and low-angle shots are used to signify the villain as he’s losing power to the woman and this shows how she’s now looking down on him; this is juxtaposed as high angle shots portray her looking down on him. The woman now appears to be a strong leader rather than a female who obeys commands. She breaks what we see to be her under control and actually stands up to the man proving that she is right and he is wrong. The gender opposites have now revered and we see the woman in more close up shots, speaking more because she is in power.CGI effects are used for various parts of the clips such as the Earth.
The villain still doubts her even though she seems like she knows what she’s talking about, this is stereotypical because we never listen to what women are saying, however this is proven right and all the power from him has now been taken away and he cannot stop it. He tries to order everyone to stop talking however this time he has lost his authority to the woman and the gender roles are reversed. The woman represents the female side; of women who don’t get listened to, believed in and obeying orders from men, which gave into the male gauze, however she then turned that around to order around the man and told him what he didn't know and actually spoke up for herself towards the end. This was something we did not expect and found that women could be as powerful or ever more than men as she defeated him in the end.
Special effects show the doctor break free from the cage and rise up and seemingly fly whilst glowing and destroying the villain. Everyone synchronously starts calling for the doctor in a diegetic sound of speech. Various shots such as close-ups, long-shots and mid-shots are also used to show many other people calling for the doctor. A long shot signifies how the doctor is beating the villain to show us all of their body language and facial expressions. During this, the non-diegetic background music is at its prime as it becomes full of suspense and sounds somewhat glorious as the problem is now solved.





Doctor Who – Chrissie Bishop

Representation of gender in the clip:

MMM – meaning making moments


·         Continuity edit is used throughout the whole scene.

·         The characters of both binary opposites

·         Panning shot of the woman’s family as she walks in looking quite scared. This signifies that the woman is in danger, presumably by the evil male character who stands before her. This is a mid-shot – she is looking up at the evil man which illustrates how she is weak compared to him and has no power.

·         The woman is wearing just a long black coat, which is the only piece of clothing we can see, her hair is nearly done up in a bun exposing her face for us to see that she is more vulnerable and an easy target. We see her searching the room as she walks towards her fate, as a desperate attempt for help. She looks to her left unsure and worried, almost scared as to what may happen, and then looking directly at the man, then to the right to a friendly face. It shows how Martha is being treated because she is a women and a younger one, she is scared and worried as to what would happen judging from her body language.

·         The woman is typically shown in a mid-shot so that we can view both her facial expressions and body language as she’s generally quite scared.  She is introduced when we see her walking in with two body guards coated in black armour souring her in each side. This automatically shows us that she is vulnerable and needs protecting because she is young and a female.

·         Whilst the woman looks around her, the people in the corners of the room all seem to look down at her too, which furthermore promotes her powerlessness and makes the audience sympathise with her character.

·         At first sight we see that the villain’s character is well dressed wearing a classic black and white sophisticated suit, all nearly in place. He is well shaven, with a clean hair cut that tells us that he likes everything to be in order and is a neat freak. This character appears to be a strong successful male who is very powerful and knows this – he’s quite literally the boss of everyone else.

·         Non-diegetic background music is continuously played in the background to build tension; this music generally increases in volume as the clip goes on and becomes more suspenseful.

·         A long, low-angle shot is used which shows both the woman, the evil man and the woman in a red dress. The evil man and his companion are standing on top of the stairs and looking down at the woman, indicating how they hold the most authority and signifying her weak character.

·         The woman behind the evil man (his companion) is wearing a red dress which symbolises danger and sexualises her as she’s generally shown as more of an object than a human – she has no input and doesn’t tend to help the male villain.

·         The evil man is continuously shown in a low-angle shot to make him look superior to the audience and to the woman, which fits within the general stereotypes of men and women as he holds more power and authority than her.

·         The woman beings to show facial expressions that express her fears; she’s nervously shrieking and sighing in a diegetic and synchronous way whilst worryingly looking around her.

·         The evil man points to the woman and tells her what to do, by putting her in her place and demanding her to kneel down – she’s looking up at him even more now as she is on the floor in an over the shoulder and extremely low-angle shot.

·         We are then introduced to the doctor – who is actually in the form of an alien creature and being contained in a bird cage. This reflects how the doctor actually holds no power at the moment as he is locked up and his facial expressions are very sad and gloomy, contradicting the typical stereotypes of both genders – especially as the doctor usually saves the day.

·         The camera shows the villain with more close up shots and allows his character to take up one whole frame alone to show that he is more important.

·         The male character also speaks as if he is full of himself or really sure that his plan is going to work, to make this even more obvious they have shown that he is in command over the majority of the characters on the set, as no one tells him what to do or interrupts him at all.

·         CGI effects are used to create the imagery of the alien Doctor.

·         Reverse-shots are used whilst the villain begins to talk to the woman.

·         We can see a guard point his gun to one of the men in the background – this man works for the villain and this furthermore promotes the villains power as he’s controlling and manipulating others to get what he wants; this is signified through a mid-shot.

·         There is a mid-shot used of him where he is looking at his watch, in this shot we can establish that he is married because he is wearing a wedding ring, and also looking at his watch which explains his richness and how wealthy this man appears compared to Martha who has nothing at all.

·         Diegetic dialogue is used whilst they begin to speak – the villain laughs and tries to humiliate the woman, he tries to make small funny jokes that he only finds amusing as we see him smiling and laughing to himself. The villain also asks rhetorical questions to himself which no one attempts to answer.

·         The camera moves around the room to show the reaction of everyone else and how scared they are of him. The villain thinks that he is going to kill the woman, however she stops his process of speech with laugher, possibly connoting how she’s slowly gaining a little bit of confidence; foreshadowing her sudden power later on.

·         The villain asks the woman for the teleporter device – he doesn’t use any manners and quite simply and bluntly expects her to just give it to him, which she does, followed by his request to kneel down to him. She follows his actions and this reflects how he again holds a lot of power compared to her. 

·         A long, over the shoulder shot re-emphasizes how he’s on top of the stairs and looking down upon everyone.

·         A variety of close-up, high-angle shots portray the woman looking up at the villain.

·         The camera also seems to show the woman in mid shots, showing the surrounding of the settings in the shot because she is not as important as him.

·         Her expression always seems to be the same without change, just a blank sheet throughout the whole so his speech she does not speak a word or say anything to disturb his speech or goes against what he is saying.

·         There are diegetic and synchronous sounds of the clock ticking to create tension and suspense as to what is going to happen.

·         A high angle shot is used to look down on the Doctor who currently has no power.

·         However, just when he thinks things are going in his favour she begins to laugh. This completely changes the whole scenario where he is in power and she is not. The woman takes full control in this relationship. This time when he addresses her she responds with one word answers. Now it is the woman’s turn to be all cocky and know it all, she talks to the man as if he was a child, patronising him with her words. “A gun?” She is almost doubting him in her words trying to make him couscous. Her jargon is certainly childish and what most females who think they are right would use, the man begins to doubt himself as the woman gains all control from this, the tables are now turned.

·         The doctor then jumps in and begins to talk in the debate, in reverse shots and synchronous diegetic sounds.

·         Flashbacks are used to reinforce that she’s in the right and that the villain is wrong; this also contradicts the typical stereotypes of genders. In one of the flashbacks, we see the woman being the ‘boss’ of a group – telling them what to do and information about the issues surrounding them and the doctor, demanding them to spread the word; this further connotes her rising power.

·         Transitions are also used such as blurring and lights.

·         As these roles exchange, more close-ups and low-angle shots are used to signify the villain as he’s losing power to the woman and this shows how she’s now looking down on him; this is juxtaposed as high angle shots portray her looking down on him.

·         The woman now appears to be a strong leader rather than a female who obeys commands. She breaks what we see to be her under control and actually stands up to the man proving that she is right and he is wrong. The gender opposites have now revered and we see the woman in more close up shots, speaking more because she is in power.

·         CGI effects are used for various parts of the clips such as the Earth.

·         The villain still doubts her even though she seems like she knows what she’s talking about, this is stereotypical because we never listen to what women are saying, however this is proven right and all the power from him has now been taken away and he cannot stop it. He tries to order everyone to stop talking however this time he has lost his authority to the woman and the gender roles are reversed.

·         The woman represents the female side; of women who don’t get listened to, believed in and obeying orders from men, which gave into the male gauze, however she then turned that around to order around the man and told him what he didn't know and actually spoke up for herself towards the end. This was something we did not expect and found that women could be as powerful or ever more than men as she defeated him in the end.

·         Special effects show the doctor break free from the cage and rise up and seemingly fly whilst glowing and destroying the villain.

·         Everyone synchronously starts calling for the doctor in a diegetic sound of speech.

·         Various shots such as close-ups, long-shots and mid-shots are also used to show many other people calling for the doctor.

·         A long shot signifies how the doctor is beating the villain to show us all of their body language and facial expressions. During this, the non-diegetic background music is at its prime as it becomes full of suspense and sounds somewhat glorious as the problem is now solved.

Camera
Sound
Gender
Editing
Mise en scene



Primeval – Chrissie Bishop


The representation of gender in Primeval conveys thought provoking ideas and contrasts between characters that contradicts the typical stereotypes of the sexes.

The young woman called Abbie steers away from the stereotypical image of young women; she is portrayed as a strong and feisty female which is evident in the shots where she is operating a mechanical machinewith much skill. A wide shot is used when we first see her to establish the scene and location of the woods and forest which is combined with an over the shoulder shot which makes the man look superior to Abbie as he looks down on her and tells her what to do and where to go.The close ups of the end of the digger reinforces the fact that Abbey is experienced in using a lot of masculine weaponrywhichemphasises her non stereotypical portrayal, paired with the mid-shot which signifies her masculinity by her taking control of the digger. Also, a reverse-shot is used shows the man’s worried facial expressions as a close up of the buried arm is revealed; this contradicts the typical stereotype of a male being strong, independent and brave whereas this man is the complete opposite is this is a juxtaposition. Dialogue is continuously used through the whole scene as the team communicate to come up with a plan; with mainly Abbie speaking as she tends to take one of the main leader roles and also signifies her authority within the group.Themise-en-scene used also supports this;Abbey has quite short hair and wears clothes typical of a tomboy.Abbie is seen as superior to the male as an over the shoulder shot looks down on him.

 Later on, Abbie fights the sabre-toothed tiger and saves the man’s life. This is a continuity edit; the stereotypes are reverses as usually the male characters are the heroes. The sound perspective of the tiger roaring in the distance promotes fear and danger whilst also distinguishing that danger is due to occur at any moment, and leads the audience to ponder as to what is going to happen next.The wide shot of her running after the man being chased reinstates this point again, as the man, who is supposed to be strong and courageous, is in fact running and being chased, whichis juxtaposedto the woman who is running through the forest with a gun to help him.A sound bridge is used whilst he is being chased which creates tension, and to signify more suspense, the music changes right at the end of the first scene and carries on into the second in order to create a certain level of emotion within the clip.Point of view shot is used to show what the man can see; this signifies how he is inferior to the sabre-toothed tiger as he’s running away, and also highlights how the creature is the most powerful in this clip. Ambient sounds are used to signify the animal growling which builds suspense.This is further supported by the panning shot which displays to the audience the mise-en-scene of the clip; a jungle environment which further promotes the fighting.Eyeline matches are used to cut to the action of the tiger and cross cuts are used between the various locations to build tension as it's a typical chase scene.The low angle shot of the sabre-toothed tiger underlines the danger as a high angle shot of the man whilst the creature attacks him.

The man who is in a sky blue t-shirt is portrayed as more of an intelligent man, and blue is a very stereotypically masculine colour. When the sabre-tooth attacks, there is a close-up of the male; this goes against the usual stereotypes of a man which contrasts to him and Abbie.A continuity edit is present when the male is running again and also when he uses the zip wire - close ups show fear and exhaustion on his face. The fact that he also uses his belt on the zip wire again shows his brains over brawn.The mise-en-scene of his clothes convey a more stereotypical view of the man –he wears neutral and earthy colours. Action editing is used to reflect the genre of the clip, through the use of fighting scenes and rope climbing.A low angle shot is used to establish the scenery of the location and emphasize the fighting that is occurring in the scene.


The non-diegetic sound of the ambient sound-track helps convey the tension and fear and also helps make the pace of the action a whole lot faster, especially in the chase scene, a combination of this music and also the fast pace of the editing raises the tempo and suspense in the scene. The sound effects and synchronous roaring of the sabre-toothed tiger creates a horrifying image which makes the man seem weak and helpless. The blurringand wipes between each edit gives the action the impression that it is too fast to see and fortifies the fact that the sabre-toothed tiger is very fast; the fast pace of editing signifies tempo and tension. Continuously, mid-shots are used to demonstrate the positioning, appearance and facial expressions of the characters. The first two mid shots displays the characters in the frame whereas the last mid shot only shows one; this signifies that the character shot on his own holds the most power.There is a visual effect of the sabre-toothed tiger as the creature isn't real, hence needing special effects to create the image. The music becomes slower, but is ramped up with tension as the man with the shotgun is in focus, creating a sense of fear and anticipation.This, along with the wide shot and the man’s face, riddled with anger and malice, conveys a tension filled shot, along with an over the shoulder shot which pans within the group to demonstrate the characters talking (also a reverse shot to display the dialogue); they are contributing ideas to their plan.Jump cuts are used between 2 shots of the same object- when he climbs the ladder and puts the belt on the zip wire which accelerates his preparation and demonstrates how he is speedy and decisive (manipulation of time).We can also gather, through more over the shoulder shots, that the woman is in a more positive mood than the man who seems to become increasingly annoyed with her as he’s feeling angry and aggressive, which is signified through their various facial expressions.

The man who is wearing pink attire is portrayed as more of a ‘pretty boy’, of whom doesn’t like to fight. The pink colour is more common to women, as a stereotype, therefore gives him an air of feminism. The rest of the male cast wear mainly earthy colours or smart suits, whereas he wears feminine colours, turning the stereotypical image of the male. The fact that he also doesn’t have a gun and instead pulls a spade out, whereas the other two people in the shot both have guns, one a man and the other a women, gives the impression that the women is almost more reliable than the man wearing pink. Also, when the male leader joins the group, he stands alone whilst the camera zooms in on him.

The over the shoulder shot and the cross cut editing reveals the rising anger of the gentleman breeding the dogs.The sound of the dogs barking is slowed down; this makes the atmosphere tenser andmakes the woman seem weak and small. He is weak when the pristine woman threatens him but has much more power when he picks up the gun.The camera tends to look up towards the woman which portrays her power; this remains until the man grabs a gun and points it to her after he pushes her down when the director films from a high angle to signify that she is no longer in power.The diegetic noise of the barking dogs also convey a sense of threat and panic. The two short and sharp gun shots are synchronous and this generates shock to the audience and suggests the power of the man.This shot conveys the power of a weapon and also the power of words and how gender can be powerful.



Moving Image TV Drama

Representation of Disability clip – BBC - "Over the Mountain" rewrite

Chrissie Bishop

 In the scene from the BBC series which displays the representation of disability, we are first introduced to the main character, David, by his voice narrating the scene. This alarms us as he is telling the story from his point of view. The non–diegetic mood music, the theme and stings of the show, is used to set the scene and give us a glimpse of what the drama is about. We then see the character introduced throw an establishing, pan shot. This allows us to conclude as much information as we can about David in a short amount of time to jump to assumptions about his role within the role of disability. We can hear him discussing killing his brother, Ben – of whom is disabled. This is through the non-diegetic narrating voice which again portrays his character to us as he is seen as his brother’s carer however it’s become too much for him. An evolution montage is shown to suggest how Ben is a burden on the family and a mistake. The dark light constantly reflected on David highlights how he’s seen as dangerous as he’s contemplating Ben’s death, although he doesn’t mean it. The dark light indicates how we shouldn’t trust him and reflects his bad characteristics in contrast to Ben who is increasingly shown in the light –he’s innocent and needs someone to be there for him. Eyeline matches are used to display David’s frustration, which develops sympathy for David over Ben. Zooms and close ups are also used to portray the character of Ben – we are not exposed to his actions as his actions cannot be helped; we are only shown his facial expressions to feel sympathy for the character. The various clips of the living animals of who are dangerous represent David’s nature towards Ben.

In the next scene, the themes and stings music is used once again to set the scene. This time, an establishing shot of the block of flats that they live in combined with the dark light makes the atmosphere seem very negative. The close up of Ben more so makes him seem weak and helpless in contrast to David who is superior in this situation. The narrating voice of David portrays how he has to do everything for his brother and he’s getting fed up of it –which is power vs powerlessness; Ben is unable to do anything for himself. The establishing and long shots combined makes the kitchen seem like a negative place which is where they argue on a regular basis; the constant synchronous drops and smashes of the kitchen food items on the table reflects the chaos that is in their home. David and his parents are constantly illustrated through long and mid shots, so that we can view their body language and facial expressions in contrast to Ben who is just shown through close up shots; reflecting his youth.

After this, the themes and stings comes back once again – this depicts how this is the definite mood music of the TV drama as it is used for the beginning of every scene. The establishing shot of the bus stop and diegetic car sounds of which are ambient reflect the chaos and violence in both David and Ben’s lives. Ben is then seen through the unclear mirror of the bus stop, in contrast to David of whom we can see clearly and this highlights his disabilities and lack of being able to do normal, every-day things. We are then shown a series of various scenes in a flashback; displaying how his brother is learning things which many people learnt in their childhood – such as riding a bike etc, which again displays the youth of Ben and the negative impact he had on David’s life. David is then seen picking up a toy gun, pointing and aiming it at his brother and the synchronous sound of the non diegetic ‘bang’ foreshadows his wish for him to be no longer around. Visual effects are also used as the camera is shown through David’s point of view.. In most shots, Ben is shown from beneath therefore enticing his inferior position in the TV drama which contrasts to David and his family as they are shown as superior to him as they impact his life and are the cause of his actions as he is unable to control his own.

In the last scene of the clip, a close up and long shot is used to highlight the location of the school. The theme and stings is used yet again to depict the atmosphere. We can see David being taken the mick out of by a fellow student in class; and we can assume that David is quite introverted as he’s drawing a horse which connotes freedom and strength, and how he wants to escape reality. This could be caused by the stress from caring for his brother and reflects how he cannot physically and emotionally take anymore – the buildup of caring for someone for so long is too much for David and this reflects the representation of disability to be overbearing. The long shot indicates his friendship group – we can see their body language and pick up on assumptions from the friends that he associates with. The diegetic dialogue of David and his friends indicates their conversation, and how they’re contemplating leaving Ben to have their own fun. David’s friend references ‘babysitting’ which connotes how Ben is seen as a child by many people due to his various inabilities caused by his down syndrome; he’s weak. David gives his brother money to bribe him into not telling his parents that he had left him alone (foreshadowing his guilt) and using ‘chocolate’ as another way to lead his brother away from spilling the truth. Candy is a rewarding system that parents use for their children therefore this again indicates the youth of the disabled brother. Jump shots portray the contrasts between Ben and David and the cutting to Ben on the bus provokes sympathy; the children laugh at Ben on the bus when he is on his own, and take the mick out of him whilst the clip ends with David narrating the scene again and discussing how he is unable to care for his brother anymore.




Representation of Disability clip - BBC (first)

In the scene from the BBC series which displays the representation of disability, we are first introduced to the main character, Gary, by his voice narrating the scene. This alarms us as he is telling the story from his point of view. The non–diegetic mood music, the theme and stings of the show, is used to set the scene and give us a glimpse of what the drama is about. We then see the character introduced throw an establishing, pan shot. This allows us to conclude as much information as we can about Gary in a short amount of time to jump to assumptions about his role within the role of disability. We can hear him discussing killing his brother – of whom is disabled. This is through the non-diegetic narrating voice which again portrays his character to us as he is seen as his brother’s carer however it’s become too much for him. The dark light constantly reflected on Gary highlights how he’s seen as dangerous as he’s contemplating his brother’s death, although he doesn’t mean it. The dark light indicates how we shouldn’t trust him and reflects his bad characteristics in contrast to his disabled brother who is increasingly shown in the light – he’s innocent and needs someone to be there for him. Zooms and close ups are also used to portray the character of the disabled brother – we are not exposed to his actions as his actions cannot be helped; we are only shown his facial expressions to feel sympathy for the character. The various clips of the living animals of whom are dangerous represent Gary’s nature towards his disabled brother.

 In the next scene, the themes and stings music is used once again to set the scene. This time, an establishing shot of the block of flats that they live in combined with the dark light makes the atmosphere seem very negative. The close up of the disabled brother moreso makes him seem weak and helpless in contrast to Gary who is superior in this situation. The narrating voice of Gary portrays how he has to do everything for his brother and he’s getting fed up of it – which is power vs powerlessness; the disabled brother is unable to do anything for himself. The establishing and long shots combined makes the kitchen seem like a negative place which is where they argue on a regular basis; the constant synchronous drops and smashes of the kitchen food items on the table reflects the chaos that is in their home. Gary and his parents are constantly illustrated through long and mid shots, so that we can view their body language and facial expressions in contrast to the disabled brother who is just shown through close up shots; reflecting his youth.

 After this, the themes and stings comes back once again – this depicts how this is the definite mood music of the TV drama as it is used for the beginning of every scene. The establishing shot of the bus stop and diegetic car sounds of which are ambient reflect the chaos and violence in both Gary and his brother’s lives. The disabled brother is then seen through the unclear mirror of the bus stop, in contrast to Gary of whom we can see clearly and this highlights his disabilities and lack of being able to do normal, every-day things. We are then shown a series of various scenes displaying how his brother is learning things which many people learnt in their childhood – such as riding a bike etc, which again displays the youth of the disabled child. Gary is then seen picking up a toy gun, pointing and aiming it at his brother and the synchronous sound of the non diegetic ‘bang’ foreshadows his wish for him to be no longer around. In most shots, the disabled brother is shown from beneath therefore enticing his inferior position in the TV drama which contrasts to Gary and his family as they are shown as superior to him as they impact his life and are the cause of his actions as he is unable to control his own.

 In the last scene of the clip, a close up and long shot is used to highlight the location of the school. The theme and stings is used yet again to depict the atmosphere. We can see Gary taking the mick out of a fellow student in class of who is answering a question. This could be caused by the stress from caring for his brother and reflects how he cannot physically and emotionally take anymore – the buildup of caring for someone for so long is too much for Gary and this reflects the representation of disability to be overbearing. The long shot indicates his friendship group – we can see their body language and pick up on assumptions from the friends that he associates with. The diegetic dialogue of Gary and his friends indicates their conversation, and how they’re contemplating leaving the disabled child to have their own fun. Gary’s friend references ‘babysitting’ which connotes how the disabled brother is seen as a child by many people due to his various inabilities caused by his down syndrome; he’s weak. Gary gives his brother money to bribe him into not telling his parents that he had left him alone (foreshadowing his guilt) and using ‘chocolate’ as another way to lead his brother away from spilling the truth. Candy is a rewarding system that parents use for their children therefore this again indicates the youth of the disabled brother. The children laugh at the disabled child on the bus when he is on his own, and take the mick out of him whilst the clip ends with Gary narrating the scene again and discussing how he is unable to care for his brother anymore.








Sound analysis in TV drama





Waterloo Road


We have chosen to explore the representations in TV drama's on the popular programme Waterloo Road. In this scene, two groups of girls use social class against eachother in order to bully and intimidate the opposing side.
The scene begins with a long shot used to introduce both groups of the girls; this is so that we can jump to assumptions about the girls and see what their issues are with each other and develop a greater understanding. The establishing shot sets the scene by representing their surroundings; in this case it is set at school in a PE class whilst playing netball. A long shot is used to illustrate one of the characters throwing a ball at the other side on the head, and the synchronous sound of the ball emphasizes this. Non diegetic sound is used at the beginning to introduce the scene and set the mood. Dialogue is also featured so we can hear the opposing groups conversing and battling out their issues.
In the next scene, we see the two 'leaders' of each group converse face to face, using dialogue, with a close up shot to portray the characters facial expressions which highlights their anger. This foreshadows the fight that is about to occur, whilst the non-diegetic sound of the fast-tempo music reflects the anticipation as their adrenaline is running everywhere as a fight is about to begin.
A mid-shot followed by long shot is used so that the audience has a good view of the fight; in order to portray both the setting and the body language of the girls. We can see that the fight is very physical therefore a long shot is mandatory to represent all of the action. Diegetic dialogue is featured so that we can hear the girls shouting and screaming at eachother, whilst the background noise of students egging them on highlights their surroundings as they're at school and entices them to keep fighting and draws in the audience.
Shortly after, a teacher is introduced to stop the fight - she is introduced by a mid-shot which determines her facial expressions and body language towards the situation. The two girls dicuss the events over dialogue, as well as the dialogue of the teacher of whom is telling them off.
In the final few seconds of the scene, there is an establishing shot of the girls staring as each other, but the camera pans therefore the audience are aware that the scene is about to end and everything is going to end for the time being. The sound of the non-diegetic music becomes greater combined with less dialogue which ultimately ends the scene.






Monarch of the Glen Mock Essay

In this mini essay, I am going to explore the various ways that age is discriminated against in the clip.

In the first scene, we can see many men and few women working quite recklessly. The long shot is used so that we can see their body language and props; all of which portrays their age as ‘middle aged’ because they’re in a routine and could be quite tedious. The pathetic fallacy of the grey, murky and gloomy weather foreshadows the upcoming upset and drama that is soon to follow in the next few scenes...

In the next scene, Paul (the middle aged man) throws the car keys to Amy, the young girl. This action in itself proves how manipulative, cunning and sly Amy is for lying about her age compared to Paul who was very trusting in her – perhaps indicating how mature he is, contrasting to her deceitful and youthful nature. Amy questions and stutters whilst about to drive the car, and a close-up shot is used throughout, indicating how her youth is clearly affecting her actions. Amy is in denial and acts very stupidly, which is expected at her age, and we can gather this information by her various facial expressions - especially as she always looks up and to the side; a common symbolisation of confusion. She perceives the others around her as holding the most authority as she is still only young however she doesn’t want them to know this.

After this scene, we see Amy crash into an elderly man’s car. Amy is astonished, with her facial expressions portraying her extreme terror – also reflecting her youth as it gives away her innocent characteristics of a child. The old man is clearly aggravated but concerned, which again portrays his kind nature – one of which is a typical characteristic of an elderly man, as well as a Headmaster. This scene displays many longshots of the old man and close-up shots of Amy; indicating the huge contrast between their age gap as we are tricked into seeing the elderly man’s body language, facial expressions and props) which all portray his age and genuine concern) whilst we only see Amy’s face, where she’s looking up to the side in confusion again, suggesting how vulnerable and naïve she is. The family of whom looked after Amy look very disappointed as they are faced with the sudden, cold realisation of her lies. The stereotypes of middle aged people are typically very maternal as children are their top priority – adults are archetypally the protectors. Hence, why the punishment they give to Amy for deceiving them is one of the many popular punishments, just like a parent would do in this situation. This also makes us ponder why Amy isn’t with her parents anymore, and what the main reason she runs away in the beginning is for as this is evidently something that has happened prior to her staying with this family. Furthermore, this displays her age as very young because she’s been caught out and has to deal with the consequences just as a normal teenage has to.

In the next scene, Amy’s headmaster and Paul are discussing the antics that Amy had got up top. The camera shots are on the same level which indicates how both adults, Paul and the headmaster, are on the same page about Amy. Also, the various over the shoulder shots portray their authority; of which indicates the age hierarchy of their society. However, when Paul gives Amy her well-deserved discipline, we see Amy (with Paul facing away from the camera shot) as she looks up to him – foreshadowing his extreme superiority compared to when they were more or less on the same level prior to him knowing about her true identity. The close up shot further emphasizes Amy’s youth as we are focused on her and nothing else (like on a magazine for young teenagers – close up shots are viewed so that we can focus solely on the main image and see very little imperfections, as children physically don’t have many). Likewise, Paul is seen looking down on Amy in disappointment as we see a close up again which further supports how he is physically, emotionally and mentally above her in the age hierarchy of power. Amy runs off and throws a huge strop, screaming “I hate you!” (a diegetic sound) which further indicates her carelessness and youth as she creates chaos in an attempt to get what she wants. Little children act like this so the fact that she’s lowering her standards also emphasizes her youth. A long shot is used so that we can see her reaction, facial expressions and body language; which of course reflects her child-like nature.

After this dramatic scene, we see the workmen working again – however, this time they are happy. We see a rainbow which foreshadows that there is always light on the other side; pathetic fallacy promoting happiness. We can also hear the non-diegetic music of which sounds very jolly; with the workers being at peace and working with great pleasure and delight. This explores how Paul is in his prime and that maybe everything will get better as the long shots display his body language and props. All of which promote his contentment. This sudden happiness is a temporary fix to the permanent problem caused by the chaos Amy has created by her reckless actions.

Next, we see Amy planning on running away again – therefore further indicating her youth as only an immature child would think of running away as it is generally a silly thing to do. She gives teddy bears to her guardians, Paul and his partner, which is the extreme epitome of a child – every youngster has one at one point or another and this foreshadows her youth. We see Amy look in the mirror in a long short as she prepares to walk out of the room – foreshadowing her two characters; the ‘adult ‘ and the 16 year old child of whom she really is.

In the final scene, the workers routine of work returns – they become a bit sloppy, tired and unbothered which is again pathetic fallacy of the sadness that is soon to be endured as they are soon to find out that Amy has ran away again, which contrasts to the scene where everyone was generally happy and satisfied. The long shots display their carelessness and when faced with the news about her leaving, Paul seems very concerned and flabbergasted in a close up shot that further indicates his mature nature.

To conclude, the various characters ages are all addressed in many different ways due to the fact that their typical characteristics are affected greatly by mise-en-scene. We can see Amy as a very stupid, unexperienced and manipulative whilst the adults are very mature, caring and considerate although they are betrayed, disappointed and somewhat angry, just like a typical parent. We can see this in the various different shots, locations, facial expressions, props, body language and even the way things react around them. To summarise, age is discriminated against in many different ways in this clip as a whole and the mise-en-scene portrays this extreme discrimination.

Our recreation:


Script:
Chelsea: Look at the state of that (throws ball at vanessa)
Vanessa: Oi!!! You did that on purpose
Chelsea: So what if I did, what are you gonna do about it?
Vanessa: (shoves Chelsea)
Mary: Just leave it, do you want to get us into any more trouble?
Chrissie: This is why I didn’t tell you, I knew you’d get involved with all this gang stuff! (turns and pushes Vanessa)

CHRISSIE AND VANESSA START FIGHTING

Mary: (Pull Chrissie and Vanessa apart) What do you think you’re doing!!!
Vanessa: She pushed me
Chrissie: I was defending myself
Vanessa: She just punched me for no reason
Chrissie: Punched her?! I don’t even know her!!!!
Mary: Just go inside (walks out of scene)

VANESSA AND CHRISSIE STARE AT EACH OTHER BEFORE WALKING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS




Primeval / Editing

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