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Thursday 20 March 2014

How does Editing represent Disability in "The Street"?


In the extract from "The Street", editing is used to create a negative representation of disability.
At the start of the scene, the use of shot reverse shot during the exchange between the disabled character and his former co-workers allows for focus on the expressions of the other men when they look at the man's face and answer his questions. The other men seem surprised and shocked that the man will get his job back, and the disabled man is hence represented as inadequate. A focus pull is used at the end of this section to show the man through a barbed wire fence, signifying the physical barriers he must overcome amongst other members of society. In the section where he approaches the woman who has dropped her shopping, a long shot is used to show the man's change in pace as he goes to her aid, contrasting stereotypical negative representations of disability. However the woman's reaction is shown negatively, by using eyeline match alongside an over the shoulder shot. Shot reverse shot is used when they are walking away when he tells her to "stop digging", and a sound bridge builds to represent his anger at the views society has towards his disability when he is trying to assist the public. The editing pace increases for the street segment alongside the diegetic soundtrack to enhance the notion of him being alone in society, and ellipsis between each of the 4 sections creates a representation of the man being an exile and outcast in each one of the four sections, matching the stereotyped representation of disabled persons being a burden and a victim. In the final section, the 180 degree rule of continuity is broken, so the man is shown to be looking in two different directions during the conversation - this is used as a technique for representation as it shows the "two sides" to the man's appearance and character - one side of his face is disfigured, and covered by the shadows in the scene, which connotes a representation of having a split personality. This exchange also shows an angry side to his character, as opposed to the positive side shown in the section with the woman. Eyeline match is also used here to show the reactions of the Sergeant towards the man, and hence the main negative representation in the scene is the views of society towards disabled people.

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