Draft- Ethnicity essay

Discuss the ways ethnicity has been represented in the extract from ‘Hotel Babylon’.

The extract begins with a long shot of a black man serving one of the guests at the hotel, the camera pans right and tracks the black man as he is walking. Quick cuts are used to introduce an extreme long shot of the man walking, denoting the pool in the foreground so the audience can focus on another man getting out of the pool. The two men begin talking and the audience automatically see a difference between the two men, both men are black however one of the men is a stereotypical black man and the other is presented as atypical. The use of mise en scene connotes that one character is stereotypical as his hair is worn in dreadlocks and he is dressed in vibrant swimming shorts, this representation is reinforced by the diagetic sound as he is speaking in a traditional Caribbean accent which denotes he’s from a Jamaican background. The other man is also black however he is portrayed as atypical as he’s wearing a smart suit which signifies that he is a business man and has a high-paid job. The use of camera and editing connotes that there’s a sense of tension and awkwardness as quick cuts and shot reverse shots are used to create pace and to denote both men’s facial expressions. The man dressed in the suit looks uncomfortable, which is reinforced by the diagetic sound as he is slow when replying to the other man and comes across as blunt and slightly worried.  This, therefore suggests that the man dressed in the suit doesn’t want to be associated with the other man because of his background and perhaps doesn’t want to be stereotyped. Although both men are presented very differently, they have equal prevalence during the dialogue and are both shot at a medium angle, connoting that they are equal in the scene.

The extract then continues to a scene with two stereotypical  Eastern European maids who are being paid to strip for one of the guests in the hotel. Similarly to the previous scene, both women although they are from the same ethnical background, are presented differently. Minimal cuts are used in the beginning of this extract which allows the audience to focus on one of the maids, medium shots are used to denote one of the maids facial expression which signifies worry and sadness. The shot cuts from a medium shot of the women to a close up of a sign which one woman’s holding, on the sign there are two red crosses which signify danger, this implies that the women are about to be doing something which they shouldn’t be, however the red could also signify passion and love which could be because of what they are about to do. The non diagetic sound of the music creates a faster pace and connotes that something is about to happen as the music gradually speeds up, when the women enter the room the music slows down and the stereotypical Chinese man in the room starts playing diagetic music which is associated with sex. The fact that the man instigates the music connotes that he is more dominant in the scene and has more importance, however the mise en scene juxtaposes with this as he is positioned lower down on the bed in a position of weakness and the two women are at a higher level than him standing up. However, all of the characters are filmed at a medium shot at the same angle; therefore the camera also contrasts, suggesting that all characters are of equal importance in the scene. Although both women are stereotyped, one of the maids runs out and refuses to strip  for the man, therefore she’s presented as atypical as she’s disobeying the man and the other maid that she’s with. As her character conforms against the stereotype it connotes that her ethnicity is different which is similar to the two men in the previous scene as although there are stereotypes, some characters conform to expectations therefore suggesting that not all people of the same ethnicity are the same. The scene then cuts to a darker setting of a hotel room with a Chinese woman passing a guest toilet roll, she’s presented to be stereotypical as the fact that she has a high powered job connotes that she is smart, and she’s presented to be sneaky though the diagetic sound as she lies to one of the guests. The characters in this extract are heavily stereotyped as each character is stereotypical for their ethnicity, which suggests that the director wants audiences to understand the stereotype, as well as seeing how some characters aren’t stereotyped such as one of the maids.

Additionally, the extract continues and focus’ on two white managers, one male and one female. Similarly to the previous scene there is a lack of editing in the beginning when they are walking down a hallway. Both characters are presented to be high powered and of equal status; they are shot at a medium shot to begin  with, then jump cutting to a long shot, establishing the busy surroundings as they are walking; the audience is able to see people who have lower powered jobs walking around them and moving out of their way, connoting that white, English people are more important and dominant in this scene. The diagetic dialogue reinforces this representation as they both speak in traditional English accents; this is also supported by the mise en scene as they are dressed in smart business suits, signifying business and high power. Towards the end of the extract the managers enter a kitchen where there are British chefs working on one half, and Eastern European chefs working in the other half. The non diagetic music creates a sense of suspicion and foreboding as it creates a fast pace, creating anticipation for what’s about to happen. The Eastern European chefs are dressed in black which signifies danger, evilness and dirt, this juxtaposes with the costumes of the British chefs who are dressed in white which signifies purity, kindness and cleanliness. The binary opposition between the two colours creates an automatic divide between the two ethnicities and connotes that the British chefs are better than the others. When the two head chefs are talking to the managers, quick cuts and shot reverse shots are used to create tension and denote each characters facial expression, which is anger from the two chefs and confusion from the male manager. Both characters are filmed at the same angle which connotes that they are of equal power and are equally as important within the text, this is reinforced by the editing as both characters have equivalent prevalence. Both of the chefs are stereotyped as the diagetic sound of the dialogue denotes the Eastern European chefs accent, this stereotype is reinforced when he gets angry as he picks up a knife and threatens the British chef. The british chef is also stereotyped as he has a traditional british accent and is presented to be angry and rude, similar to the representation of the other chef.