We are introduced to the clip by the normal average teenage boy watching his brother sleeping; a monologue is being told over the top of the clip and we can tell this is from the teenage boy's perspective due to the establishing shot at the beginning of the clip where it uses a close/ medium shot to focus on the boy sitting against the wall; his facial expression is giving nothing away but his eyes gleam with a secret within them which is revealed through the monologue which expresses his dislike at having a disabled brother- he explains how we are given a structure and if that is mucked up we are left with 'a potato with eye tentacles' when he repeats this by linking it to his brother the clip changes to a close up of his brother's face enforcing his opinion that his brother is stupid- due to the characteristic differences the audience is immediately told that the brother is down syndrome. This scene is set in a kitchen with the family going about their everyday morning routine; it is a small kitchen that is usually associated with council houses due to the design of the cupboards and shape of the windows which can be shown that the family is an average working class family- this lets the audience know it is a normal family that could easily be someone's actual reality therefore making this story already relatable and realistic- this is also made significant by the 'normal' clothes they are wearing- jeans and a t-shirt. When the close up shot of his down syndrome brother is used a 'happy-go-lucky' soundtrack begins which could mean that it is metaphorically symbolising the disabled boy's perspective on life, that everything is happy and simple and does not see the bad things in life; however when the teenage boy walks in that is in stark contrast to the music playing in the background. the subject of weetabix is extremely average and almost pathetic but it can easily be a relatable topic in a normal household- this reinforces the realistic storyline. Nevertheless, this also emphasises how exceptions are made for the disabled child due to his condition and the teenage child is scolded for making a big deal out of it; this could also be interpreted as the fact that the parents prefer the disabled child as they have complete control over his life and what he does where the teenage boy is a free mind that can rebel and choose what he does and the parents don't have control over him for much longer. when the teenage boy is told of the normal routine for being responsible for his brother and taking him to school it is as if the teenage boy is being told a job title and the dad makes an excuse that he was working all night and that he just wants to eat his breakfast in peace so he cannot do it- the teenage boy is taken granted for his help in the household and the responsibility of looking after his disabled brother. The next shot is a long shot of the two brothers sitting at the bus stop; the dreary drab weather and council flats behind them give the realistic setting of somewhere in London. The brothers sit at opposite ends of the benches which presents a contrast between the two brothers; the monologue begins again by explaining how having a down syndrome brother means his life is repetitive and the holiday destinations are chosen due to the disabled brother's interest in the ice cream truck and play activities; it uses shots of past experiences to reinforce this for example a high angle shot is used on the disabled brother eating ice cream- the high angle shows that the brother has no power and the teenage boy in the tree has power over his brother in both body and mind. When it alternates back to the clip of them at the bus stop it shows in time steps of the disabled boy having a slim attention span and doing random things to keep himself amused but also people turning up at the bus stop in groups and how the disabled boy retreats closer to his brother for comfortability but shows how the people keep distance between themselves and the disabled boy showing that even though society say that disabled people are equally accepted they still judge and have a withdrawn attitude towards them. This is then cut to the teenage boy sitting in lesson drawing on the desk; this is introduced using a close up to show what he is doing; then a long shot is used using a perspective shot from the teacher scolding him by asking him a question about what she has just been teaching- he proves to her that he has been listening all the time by saying all the facts about the great fire of london- she is left shocked and speechless until the boy sitting in front of the teenage boy makes a point of the teacher being proven wrong- by his body language and his speech the audience can tell he has some form of disability which is most likely why the teacher then decides to victimise him so to reinforce her authority over the class by downgrading him saying when he is older all he will be capable of is working in some branch in Asda; she knows the boy will stay silent which is probably the reason for her picking on him- he does stay silent in the clip, his whole posture slumping back in the chair- this is emphasised by using a close up so that the audience empathises with him, showing that he feels uncomfortable with being made an example of in front of the whole class- by using this camerawork it makes the teacher the villain and the class the villain as well as they react positively to her victimising the disabled child. The clips are cut to make a sharp effect between the shots and make a distinction between the disabled children and the able bodied children. there is a use of match on action in the kitchen scene most likely to make it softer to fit in with the happy-go-lucky music and fit in with the disabled boy's perspective.
No comments:
Post a Comment