This TV drama clip from 'Hotel Babylon' explores the struggle for ethnic identity. The group shown in the beginning of the clip are in formal clothing suggesting they are upper class and superior. The people shown as in power are predominantly white. When the shot switches to the other ethnicities, they are shown wearing typical work clothes like aprons.
They are surrounded by boxes in a messy room implying they are inferior because they are left to do the manual labour. They are downstairs to the Whites suggesting they are literally below them. There is a shot with all the workers locked in the stock room, this reinforces that they are unified against the common enemy of racism.
There is a shot reverse shot at the beginning between the receptionist and the migration police. This uses composition to show that the men have the power. There are more of them and she is on her own. This challenges the unified stereotype of ethnicities. This suggests whites are less unified than other ethnicities as through this clip the others are shown as being together and sticking up for each each-other.
The black receptionist looks up from his newspaper to see what is happening this implies his concern for the workers, reinforcing the ethnic stereotype that they are unified. The close ups on the people of different ethnicities suggest the tension and tell the audience they are in danger.
The shot of the black immigrant hoovering, is a mid-long shot implying he is in danger because he is alone. The only sound is diagetic, this is the sound of the hoover. This tells the audience that it is the only thing he can hear and therefore he is unaware of the crisis at hand. it also tells us that he is here solely to work and not cause any harm.
There is a tracking shot of the immigrants running through the hotel, suggesting they are in danger. This also shows they are discriminated against as they are only working and not committing a crime.There is a diagetic sound of the door handle and a close up of this, it then quickly cuts to a zoom of the group hiding from the police. This zoom to a close up on the group suggests intensity and that they are feeling nervous.
The white men from migration control, are shown taking the black worker out of the building. He is in distress as he moves a lot trying to break free, this makes the audience empathise with him as his freedom is literally being dragged away. When the Asian lady removes the black mans possessions out of his locker, the soundtrack becomes very slow paced reinforcing his stereotype and making the audience sympathise with him.
There is a shot reverse shot at the beginning between the receptionist and the migration police. This uses composition to show that the men have the power. There are more of them and she is on her own. This challenges the unified stereotype of ethnicities. This suggests whites are less unified than other ethnicities as through this clip the others are shown as being together and sticking up for each each-other.
The black receptionist looks up from his newspaper to see what is happening this implies his concern for the workers, reinforcing the ethnic stereotype that they are unified. The close ups on the people of different ethnicities suggest the tension and tell the audience they are in danger.
The shot of the black immigrant hoovering, is a mid-long shot implying he is in danger because he is alone. The only sound is diagetic, this is the sound of the hoover. This tells the audience that it is the only thing he can hear and therefore he is unaware of the crisis at hand. it also tells us that he is here solely to work and not cause any harm.
There is a tracking shot of the immigrants running through the hotel, suggesting they are in danger. This also shows they are discriminated against as they are only working and not committing a crime.There is a diagetic sound of the door handle and a close up of this, it then quickly cuts to a zoom of the group hiding from the police. This zoom to a close up on the group suggests intensity and that they are feeling nervous.
The white men from migration control, are shown taking the black worker out of the building. He is in distress as he moves a lot trying to break free, this makes the audience empathise with him as his freedom is literally being dragged away. When the Asian lady removes the black mans possessions out of his locker, the soundtrack becomes very slow paced reinforcing his stereotype and making the audience sympathise with him.
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