Discuss How Skins uses camera shots, sound, mise en scene, editing to construct representations of ethnicity.

Skins, series 3, episode 3 ("Thomas", first broadcast 10pm, 26th March 2009) shows a young man,called Thomas, who we assume to be african, unpacking his belongings, dancing, cleaning and washing in a filthy council estate flat, littered with beer cans and covered in dirt and dust. We watch him emerge from the safety of his flat and into the cruel outside world, where he is treated as if he is a mad man.

Camera shots are used very effectively to show representations of ethnicity. At one point, there is a point of view shot zooming into close up of the young man's family photograph, showing himself and other children, all with smiles on their faces. This signifies that people in his, presumably, African hometown are quite happy and content. The photograph shows unity, with the young children all sitting close to each other,  yet Thomas is now alone by himself. This connotes that he's lonely, showing that living in a country different from your own is hard, and the photograph is giving him motivation to carry on living away from home. We are first intoduced to Thomas through an over the shoulder shot showing him looking into a mirror, with a big wide grin on his face which then drops. This connotes that perhaps he feels out of place in the strange new country and the fact that an over the shoulder shot is used, makes it seem as if we are looking into his life, observing him as if he is in a documentary and is an animal because he's different. Also, the fact that he is smiling suggests to us that Africans are very smiley people, whose smiles can brighten up people's days. This idea is reinforced by medium shot of the man looking at his cassette player and smiling, showing that music plays a big part in the African culture. There is a shot tracking the fingerless gloved hand holding an old cassette player. This is highlighting that the technology in his african town is not as advanced as what is in western countries. It also shows that he comes from a simple background who posess practical things and still get on in life just as well as others. The carefree atttitude is enforced by a shot showing Thomas dancing connoting that African people love to smile and have fun, even through the hard times. It also highlights the fact that dance is a huge part of African culture.

 

Sound is also used to enable the audience to learn about the ethnicity in the clip. At the beginning of the clip we hear the sound of seagulls in the background. This shows off the British culture as sea gulls are a common bird heard in a lot of English countries. The sound of sea gulls also suggests a sense of freedom suggesting that England is a very free country and perhaps the african environment which Thomas grew up in provided no independence or freedom. The african hip hop music which is played in the clip, gives the viewer a sense of what type of music African youth listen to and what is cool showing that their music is quite similar to our own, displaying a similarity between African and  British cultures. Later on, we hear Thomas singing to the music. This shows us that African people like to have fun and highlights that music is a big part of their life.In the clip, we hear the young man's voice saying "Hello, my name is Thomas, pleased to meet you." This acts as an introduction to the character and we are shown how people from his African town speak. His choice of words also show us that people like him tend to be polite and have been brought up with manners. The fact that he says his name first shows how open African people are and also how friendly they are. Toward the end of the clip, we hear a woman shouting at her son, to not speak to Thomas. The fact that her dialogue is shouted in such a violent way, highlights how hostile British people can be toward foreigners, being afraid of foreigners or anyone who is different to themselves. It also shows that they are quite reserved, not wanting their children or themselves to speak to strangers.


The mise en scene also plays a vital part in ethnic representation. The trash cans which litter the apartment show how messy British people are. They don't care about their surroundings or looking after their environment. They have no sense of cleanliness or care. This point is also emphasised by the presentation of the apartment which is covered in dust and is quite dull, which shows how British people can turn a perfectly fine apartment into an ugly place, through misplacement and no care. In the clip, traditional items of the African culture are shown. First we see, Thomas' wooden African necklace then we see his African blanket, covered in patterns which he uses for his bed. These items both display, the beauty that Africa has to offer, showing them to be beautiful and creative artists, designers etc. Thomas' clothing shows us how practical African people are and how they are used to living in a hot climate. He is wearing lots of jumpers, two hats and gloves, which shows us that he's very cold and that he's not used to the British climate. His mix and match clothing also shows us the universal attitude that Africans don't care what they look like as long as they have clothes on their back.

Editing plays a strong part in the representation of ethnicity. A large number of jump cuts are used. First there is a jump cut going from a long shot of three blocks of flats to a medium shot of of the inside of a grotty flat. This shows us how some people  in the UK live, in poverty, stuck in the dirt and grime. Another range of jump cuts cut to various blocks of flats and a church, showing an England flag. This shows representation of Britain, the side that lives in poverty but are still proud to call themselves British. The flag shows their proud nature and the church shows the Christian religion which is one of the countries main religions. There are also graphic match shots showing Thomas dancing. The constant shots of him dancing display the fact that dance is a huge part of African culture. Also, it highlights ability that Africans posess, to have fun even when times are hard. More graphic match cuts are used showing Thomas washing. The fact that he is able to wash in such dirty surroundings highlights how hard people have it in Africa and how appreciative they are. They don't fuss or moan, they just get on with life. There are reverse shots showing Thomas looking at a bot with a smile, then the boy returning a cautious smile. This shows the contrast between the two cultures. The British are more reserved and cautious whereas Africans are generally more friendly and willing to be kind to anyone.