Hotel Babylon Textual Analysis.

Hotel Babylon is a BBC series following the lives of hotel workers in a 5 star London hotel. It aired from 19th January 2006 to 14th August 2009. In this scene the immigration officers have arrived and the workers at the hotel are in trouble due to being immigrants. Its a quite fast pace scene.

Camera

This Clip uses an establishing shot to begin with to set the scene and show the surroundings. A hand- held camera is being used as it has a shaky effect giving the audience the feeling as though they are apart of the action. In the scene tracking shots are used for example the camera follows the action when the man is being chased and follows the woman fall down at 2:05. This draws in the audience as they feel more attached to characters and can see exactly what is happening and how. Point of view shots are used so the audience can see the characters perspective and therefore are drawn in. Near the end of the clip when the locker is being cleared out, the pictures are zoomed in on this is because it makes the audience feel sympathetic for the immigrant who had been caught. At 3:22 the camera zooms in on the woman face to express her emotions and her agitation. Long and Short takes are used to show the importance and represent power of the officers for example the long close up of the officers face. 

Sound

Background music which is non diegetic sets the scene and tells the audience whats happening and pin points important parts in the programme. Throughout the clip a instrumental music piece is played its quite tension building. At the beginning the tone in the receptionists voice and the way she speaks shows she's trying to stay calm but is actually very panicked. Diegetic sound is used for example the heavy breathing when the immigrants are hidden in a storage cupboard, the panic and fear can be heard in their voices and breath (this is also synchronous sound) .Showing their emotions this way helps the viewers get more involved in the show and understand the circumstances which the characters are facing. Another way diegetic sound is used is when the man is running you can hear his speeding footsteps which makes everything seem much more dramatic and rushed. Also when the woman tells them supposedly that immigration are here you can hear the mumbles and yells of the people. Ethnicity is shown through the multiple languages used showing the hotel is multi-cultural. 

Editing

A cut is used when the immigration officers find the man and chase him in the hotel corridor at around 2:50. It switches between the people in the cupboard and the man being caught to show the contrast between their situations and how some are safe yet one is going to be caught. This is gripping to the viewer. A shot-reverse-shot is also used at the beginning of the clip when the receptionist talks to the man sitting own and tells him a reminder but is actually trying to be discrete and tell him to hide the immigrants.

Mise-en-scene

The women in the hotel are dressed formally for their job. The immigration officers are dressed quite casually. The main immigration officer is followed by 2 other men who always
 walk slightly behind him, this shows that he has a lot more power and is in a higher position of authority. Another representation of ethnicity is when put in the storage 
cupboard to protect the immigrants being taken some of them pray showing their religion and culture. They also pray towards the end of the clip after one immigrant was unfortunately caught. Artificial light is used upstairs however downstairs is natural light 
which represents status. The reception who is English wears white which represents  
innocence, however the Asian woman is on black this could show the contrast between cultures. Another possible representation of this is that the clothing is showing hierarchy. 

Our Girl: Representation of Gender and Ethnicity

Our girl is a TV Drama shown on BBC One. This is a mainstream drama about a white British woman who works as a medic in the Army. Georgie Lane played by Michelle Keegan is over in Kenya to help as she is seen to be one of the best. In this programme thereis multiple representations of gender and ethnicity shown. 

Gender

The first gender stereotype is that the medic is a woman. Women are seen to be unable to fight on front line and instead handle taking care of other people. However, there is a counter stereotype linking to this as a woman in the army isn't common. In all of the posters of Michelle Keegan playing the part of Georgie she is wearing lots of make-up and seems very neat and tidy. This could also be seen as stereotype because the woman has to be made to look nice even though she is representing someones role in the army. 

In the clip we watched from episode 2 season 2, Georgie had been kidnapped and taking hostage. The men overpower her and she gasps for air and panics showing she's a victim. The terrorist group don't seem bothered about her well being and are just using the woman to make people better. She is also thrown in a cage with another white woman and they are forced to stay there and sit on the dirty floor and treated with no respect from the men. Another representation of how women are treated in this episode is that she is never trusted to just walk on her own, instead she has to be dragged around by men showing that she has no contol of her actions and has to do what she is told to do. 

Ethnicity 

Ethnicity is represented in multiple ways in the episode. One representation is that Abu is white converted Muslim, this is a counter stereotype as this is not a usual thing in society but Abu's beliefs are clearly related to the Muslims. Abu refers to himself as 'us' so he sees himself as one of them and that he's no different. However, Zaki who is a muslim actually doesn't want to fight and be apart of the terrorist group which shows him as young and vulnerable and in a way may show how he knows right from wrong and believes what they are doing isn't right. The terrorist group objectify Georgie as they don't ever call her by her name instead they call her a 'white hostage' and therefore show no respect to other cultures even though Abu was originally British so this shows he knows how they are treated in society compared to other religions. Elvis is an Asian British this shows that he has more than one faith and culture. Abu says to Zakki that 'one woman is as valuable as a thousand black children' showing that he understand how people are treated and he knows what people will do to free the woman so he uses this against the Army to get what he wants.

Editing

During the end of episode 1 and start of episode 2 of our girl, Georgie Lane is kidnapped. In this scene there is a lot of fast paced editing as everything is very dramatic and builds up tension for the viewer. The scenes need to change quickly between characters to show whats happening and build up the scene.

Camera

There are lots of different camera angles used to show emotion and the representation of gender in the end of episode 1 and start of episode 2. The cameras zoom out to show area and scenery, this shows the wrecked houses showing the poverty of the country. There is an Ariel shot of the car driving away when they are in the middle of nowhere showing the distance away from society and how she's been taken away from civilisation. In this episode  the camera shows the view from her perspective for example when climbing in the truck. By the camera being at her level it makes the viewers understand her position and feel on her side. When she's being dragged from the truck towards the abandoned building the camera follows her feet and gives the impression that you're also being dragged. 

Sound

Sound is an important part in to and film as it can be used to show emotion and build 
tension. Music is used when the car is driving way to build tension and draw in the viewer as no one knows where the girl is being taken. The music increases in pitch. The emotion in their voices is key to show the atmosphere. You can hear the panic in her voice and the fear how her voice shakes. The anger in the terrorist voices is very clear as they give orders in a stern aggressive way. All the music cuts out and it's silent, it then focuses on her heavy breathing and her pain. This makes it a lot more dramatic and sets the atmosphere. The gun shots are digetic and synchronous. Other sound effects used are things such as footsteps, screams in the distant, all of this together builds to a crescendo. 

Mise-en-scene

The setting is in Kenya, it's dusty and houses and buildings are dilapidated showing the country's poverty. A stereotype of Muslim terrorists is used as they have their faces covered just showing their eyes. This is helpful to the audience as it shows their true emotions and therefore the audience can see how the people truly feel. They are hiding their true identity. Blood is used after the gunshot scene to suggest death and danger. The black clothing is antagonistic. The leader is in black whereas the rest of them are in red showing how he controls them and has the power.