The Representation Of Disability In TV Drama

Paul Hunt in 1991 identified ten different types of stereotypes for the disabled that are commonly portrayed in TV Dramas. These include:
-The disabled being pitiful or pathetic.
-Laughable/ used for humour.
-The super Cripple.
-Being his/her worst enemy.
-As a burden.
-As a non-sexual character.
-Being unable to participate in activities in every day life.
-As an object of curiosity or violence.
-To create an atmosphere.
-The super cripple.


Disability is the least represented of all the stereotypes in TV drama, these characters are often ignored or not present at all. Also the majority of story lines focus on the carer of the disabled instead of the actual person with the disability. Many people represented in TV dramas are those who have had some sort of accident which has led to a disability rather than those who are born with a disability. The representation of those with mental illness has been criticised in recent years and often stigmatises those who suffer from mental illness, since many characters are used negatively in the storylines. Disabled peoples sexuality is often completely ignored in TV Dramas.



In this clip we see a man who has developed a disability through fighting in the army. Like commonly in TV dramas he is not someone who has had a disability from birth, however someone who has developed a disability due to an accident. We watch him coming to terms with his disability and how others react to him and change their behaviour when around him. For example at the start he is greeted by his workmates but when he asks for his job back he is told he can only come back at the minimum wage, as they look at each very reluctantly, as if making an excuse. This relates to the idea that the disabled are unable to participate in every day life, that they are unable to do their job to the same quality as everybody else. The first shot we see is a point of view shot through the barbed/ sharp wired fence. This immediately shows us that it is quite a harsh working environment, which allows us to predict that the men may not be very understanding or polite. We then see a combined close up and point of view shot of the man standing inside the building, which we see through the window. Immediately we can see from his facial expressions that he is reluctant to talk to the man with the disability, it seems like something is not quite right  and he doesn't feel comfortable talking to the man. We then have several two shots between the men where we can see the awkwardness in their conversation, we can clearly tell that the two men are trying to cover something up and lie so that they can have an excuse to not give the disabled man his job back. We then see another point of view shot as the man walks away disappointed and upset by his treatment which again represents the idea that the disabled are seen as 'pathetic', they show him to not be worthy of having a job. The next sequence in the clip shows the woman screaming at the disabled man as he goes to help her with her shopping. In this clip we see the stereotype that the disabled are pitied, the woman immediately profusely apologises and tries to make up an excuse for her reaction to him. At the end of this clip, non- diegetic music is used to help show the building frustration of the man. He is struggling to come to terms with his disability and the last part of the clip, shows his more sinister side. This represents the stereotype that the disabled are their own worst enemy. In the end sequence of the clip we see several over the shoulder shots and point of view shots where we can see the conversation between the two men. Where as before the disabled character seemed friendly and quite polite to everyone, for example when he greeted his friends and when he tried to help the woman with her shopping, he now seems quite angry and to have a sinister side. This represents the stereotype that the disabled are sinister and evil, from the way he says he wants to scare people and talks about war.

Mise En Scene:

Colour- Most of the characters are wearing quite dull and bland colours such as browns, blacks and greys throughout this clip. Also the settings appear to be quite dull, for example the weather is cloudy and it appears to be Autumn/ Winter time. Furthermore, the room at the end is also dull and is a blue/ grey colour. The lack of bright colours used throughout may show that the storyline is quite dismal and may represent how the character feels. The colours create a melancholy feel which shows the mood of the character who is trying to come to terms with his disability.
Costume-All the men in this clip are wearing quite casual clothing, such as coats and hoody's. Most of these are dull in colour such as blues and blacks. This shows the working class status of the men and may represent the monotony of their jobs/ everyday lifestyles. When we see the woman, she is also dressed casually but maturely, she is wearing a grey coat with an orangey/red scarf. The colour red is often associated with danger and something sinister. It may be used to show how the woman's reactions to the men may have implications in the future if it is something she can not come to terms with.
Lighting-The weather in this clip appears to be quite dull and gloomy. It appears to be Autumn/ Winter time weather. This creates a dull lighting in most scenes in this clip, which creates an atmosphere which is quite depressing and could represent something more sinister (which could, for example, foreshadow how the character acts at the end of the clip). At the end of the clip, again the room is dully lit and we can see this from the use of the shadows which are reflected on to the character and in the background. The use of shadowed lighting may be representative of the character. For example the light is trying to get through (which often represents hope etc.) but is being blocked by something, hence creating the shadows. This may show how societies attitudes towards the disabled character are stopping him from leading a normal and enjoyable life and turning him into something more sinister than he was before he suffered from disability.
Body Language/ Framing- Body language is significant at several points in this clip. For example when the man goes to help the woman with her shopping, she jumps back and gasps. This shows a stereotypical view of how people react to the disabled in society and how often many people do not know how to react in those situations. The way she reacts and her body language is also used to create quite an awkward atmosphere in the clip as she has to try to find an excuse for the way she has behaved towards him. Framing is also significant at several points in this clip. For example, when we see the disabled character walking through the busy street, we can see many people passing by in the background. This clip shows the facial expressions of many different people as they pass by who often look at the character in a confused and curious way. The way that this clip is framed makes the disabled character stick out amongst the crowd, which shows how he is treated differently by people in society.
Hair and Makeup- All the characters in this clip are quite conventional, none of them are made to look extravagant etc. but just like normal, everyday people. Keeping the other characters appearance quite bland and boring may be done purposely to make the disabled character stick out more and to make the storyline more effective.
Setting and Props- One of the settings includes a work environment which shows the working class status of the disabled character and other male characters in this clip. The props also represent this work setting.
Facial Expressions- At the start of the clip when the man asks for his job back, we can immediately tell by the other men's facial expressions that they do not want to give him back his job and that there is something they are not comfortable with. Furthermore, we can tell that the man is treated differently by others when the woman gasps in shock when he goes to help her with her shopping. Also when he is walking through the busy street we are shown several different passers by reactions to the man. They look at him almost in confusion and with curiosity. This links to the stereotypical idea that the disabled are pitied and are an object of curiosity.

Editing:

At the beginning of this scene we see an eye line match cut.  We see a close up of the man behind the window and can see from his facial expressions that he is focusing on something outside. This shot then cuts to what he is looking at which was previously off- screen. This allows us to see the two men talking outside. 

When the man is trying to help the woman with her shopping we see an insert. This takes us away from the main action of the man running down the street and focuses in on the shopping which has been dropped and the woman trying to pick it up.

We also see several shot/reverse shots in this scene. For example when the man tries to help the woman with her shopping we see several different cuts which switch from one person to the other, allowing us to see their reactions and facial expressions/ body language. 

When the man is walking through town we see several jump cuts. Here the position of the camera only varies slightly, but this allows us to see passing time and movement as he walks through the crowded street. 

We also see several eye line match cuts again here which allow us to see peoples reaction in the street to the mans disability. For example, we see them looking/focusing on something and then see a cut to the disabled man walking through the street. From this we can see that people are focusing on the man and staring because of his disability. 

Also the background in this frame is blurred so that our main focus is on the characters we are shown, including the disabled man.

We also see several action match cuts. Here the action in one shot cuts to another shot with action occurring at the same time. We can see this where we are shown the several different characters walking through the street.