Shameless Deconstruction

Exam practice task; analyse how the producers construct representations of working class in the first 5 or 6 minutes.


The image of the working class in Shameless has been represented by the setting and characters. From the opening I can infer that the main character is Frank and he's also a lone parent as he claims his partner has 'disappeared into thin air'

 In this opening shot we can see that the setting is located in a normal city like setting, with parks, bulidings, offices and houses.

While the scene is being set, the voiceover by Frank is describing his family and his life and where he residees.

 This screengrab shows that they live in a sort of council type of estate as there is a park which in between the house which may signal that the children play on it. This may give the representation on the working class that they may not be able to afford a better or bigger house especially with the number of people in the family and is therefore giving a negative representation of the working class.

 From this scene the representation on the children is portrayed unflatteringly, as one of the children hits their own father and he is knocked to the floor, showing the children as disrespectful. The clothes that the characters wear make them look slightly 'chavvy' and this can also portray a negative image for the working class.

 From this shot, I believe that the children and the father have a really strong relationship as they are all looking down on him to see if he's okay and when Frank does move slightly the rest of the children run away. This shows that there is an element of fear between the relationships.

 Negative representations on the working class may be extracted from this shot as it's showing the 'community' vandalising a car by burning it and everybody drinking alcohol, throwing cans at the car with police having to intervene. This definitely builds on the stereotypical "anti-social" image for the working class as the scene shows behaviour of an aggressive nature.

 The police having to intervene makes it look like the act the 'community' which Frank prides in are committing illegal acts, and this can understandably cause negative representations of the working class as it may be seen as 'trashy' and not very welcoming.

The title appears when the camera is focussing on the whole scene of havoc. The title 'Shameless' is quite important itself as it may refer to Frank's family and community have no shame, and do things which may not be seen as 'classy'. Due to this the show 'Shameless' can't really give the working class a positive representation if this is the sort of stuff that goes on in the community. The camera is looking down, establishing the scene and this emphasises the chaos caused by the community.


The sound in the whole opening is just a rock and roll themed instrumental to emphasise the madness of the plot and characters. The sound also is quite fast paced and makes the opening quite enjoyable to watch too. The mise-en-scene of the opening show people wearing casual clothing, nothing formal or smart; so we wouldn't expect any one to have well-paid, corporate jobs. The editing is very quick and there are some fading transitions used in some shots while the characters are being described to maybe show how each character has similar attributes all relating to Frank the dad. When considering camera work in this sequence, the characters in-your-face qualities are mirrored when the close up shots of each family member.

Overall the show 'Shameless' has negative representations on the working class due to the title itself, the type of things the community gets up to which needs intervention from the police and the setting of what looks like a council estate which some may refer to as 'rough' or 'intimidating'. However many may argue against this and feel that the light and rythmic music takes away from the serious of the imagery, along with a voiceover which describes the characters with pride and affection, showing the working class community as fun and supportive. Many working class people who watch this may feel that it is a slightly patronisinig adaptation of their lifestyle and is unrealistic.

How do the 2 extracts construct representations of social class?

Characters and Performance;
The characters in the Eastenders extract all speak with a strong cockney accent, this suggests that they are working class because stereo-typically the working class speak in slang and use short, simple sentences. Whereas in Outnumbered the accent is less 'common', indicating that they are from a working class home.
The way the characters are dressed are also indicators of representation of social class, with those in Eastenders wearing clothes that are in style or belonging to some sub-cultures, even the adults are dressed stereo-typically according to the social class they are representing, which would be the working class. There is a young girl with her hair scraped back into a "Croydon Facelift", a hairstyle assimilated with working class girls. There is also a large number of young characters in this scene, none of which are seen in some type of school uniform, this contrasts to the young boy in Outnumbered. The young girl is also seen doing her homework and appears to be very bright and insightful despite her young age.

Mise-en-Scene
The location of each extract is a key factor determining the representations of social class in both t.v dramas. In eastenders the setting changes several times, from some sort of garage, to a house, to outside, to a launderette, finally ending at a cafe. This can portray the lifestyle which these characters lead. Their lives are not family centered as the action does not revolve around a home or house. A strong sense of community is build as they find support between friends and others who live nearby. This is considered to represent a working class culture, as there is a lack of a private sphere in which there is a comforting, united and supportive family. Conversely the 'typical' middle class family are shown in the small vicinity of a family home, where all member of the family are interacting with each other.

The setting in Eastenders doesnt look like there is a lot of money had by the characters, it looks very standard, in stark contrast to the lavish furnishings and tasteful art displayed in the Outnumbered home. The family also had a popular games console associated with the middle class that is the wii. The house in which they live is fairly large for terraced housing, notably with a light and airy atmosphere, with an extended kitchen which helps to convey the family as not extremely rich, but wealthy enough to live comfortably and have a life that is financially stress free.

Editing
The editing in Outnumbered is quite fast and unique, it is something identifiable with more modern programs suggesting that this family is modern and trendy with the parents taking a less strictly authoritative nature and being able to humor their children. It also shows how they are quite a close knit family as the editing shows them altogether in several frames.