Representation of Terrorism and Ethnicity in Spooks

Ahmed is represented in a negative way, Fiona and Danny positively. How are those binary opposites conveyed to audiences?

Ahmed has the power in the scene, he has the gun and he is controlling and dominant. He has a threatening and imposing stature over Fiona and Danny as he is standing over them and he paces the floor in a threatening way. We can tell by how he speaks and what he says that he has no pity or remorse left in him, that he has been driven to a point where he does not care what he does anymore, he is simply there to make a point - a harsh point. He seems like an incredibly unjust man to the audience. Fiona and Danny are smaller, powerless and vulnerable. They are shaking and it is hard to concentrate because they are so scared, so the audience have sympathy for them. Their conversations are longer and more meaningful, whereas the shots of Ahmed are short and sharp like his personality and what he is trying to achieve. It creates and effect of the characters being scared of Ahmed and trying not to look at him, because he is the evil one, whereas Danny and Fiona are the unlucky ones who have to try and stop him with their lives at risk.

What role do mise en scene, camerawork and editing play in underlining those representations?

The camerawork varies from character to character. We see lots of CU's and MCU's of Danny and Fiona to see their detailed expressions of terror. We see their real human emotions clearly. The shots of them are at HA to make them vulnerable and alot of Ahmed's shots are slightly LA to make him taller and imposing. We are also more distant from him often at MS or him being in the background of shots of Danny and Fiona. The shots are edited quickly of Ahmed, skipping past his CU shots as if we are trying to avoid him. It also devoids him of personality and human emotion. Instead we focus long and hard on shots of Danny and Fiona, even as Ahmed speaks, showing who the audience is focused on wanting to "win" - they are real humans. For mise-en-scene, Ahmed is wearing a black suit, which implies death and makes him inhumane and dark. In contrast, Danny wears a purple shirt and Fiona wears a white shirt, showing their much lighter and bouncier personalities. We can tell they have suffered with their messed up hair, running make up and scruffy collars. Also, the light streaming from the window silohettes Ahmed to make him seem a dark character with no emotions who we cannot understand.

What techniques are used to involve audiences emotionally? How does that position audiences?

The topics of conversation involve the audiences emotionally as people can relate to real-life issues such as talking about Fiona's husband and past references to Winnie the Poo - a child memory, or talking about Fiona's children. The thought of never seeing family again is a huge emotional trigger. The audience seemed attatched to Fiona and her husband as they were normal people living normal lives, as was Danny. Danny's speech at the end before he gets shot is highly emotionally-charged and opinionated, directing pure hatred at Ahmed - this allows the audience to release these emotions of hate they have for Ahmed and highly respect Danny (who has also saved Fiona's life). We then sympathy with Fiona who is made to look at Danny's dead body and we feel guilt.

What view of terrorism emerges from these scenes?

Because of these binary opposites, a bad view of terrorism is implied, as the audience imagine terrorists to be like Ahmed - heartless and inhumane, cold-hearted monsters. Ahmed has taken a life and disrupted the normal everyday lives of British people like the majority of the audience, and so has spoilt the mood for us. We learn to disrespect terrorists and we are against their thoughts and policies and how they act to make their points. This is because Ahmed was not a peaceful person and killed a hostage at the first sign of cracking. We hate him and dislike terrorists.

What do you understand by Arab, Islamic, Muslim, Middle-Eastern?

Islam is the main religion of the area of the world that is Arabia/Middle-East, so these people are Muslims. I do not know enough about the religion and have never visited the area, but I know a bit about them as there are many who have migrated to Britain who we have to live with every day. Most are peaceful people going about their day to day lives in concurance with their religion, but a minority are extremists who may have taken their religion the wrong way and are not peaceful. These people are terrorists and often are against the capatalist "west" world such as Britian and USA.

What are the equivalent categories for describing British people?

White-British, English, Protestant, Christian, Catholic, Western European.

Since Britain is an ethnically diverse society, are there equivalents? What does this suggest about using these categories, which are widespread in the mainstream media?

There can be equivalents such as British-Muslim or British-Arab. Two different ethnicities can be mixed together to create lots of different ethnic groups in Britain, which the media have to try and appeal to. The categories can become confusing and issues maybe created in the media. It will become easier to upset some ethnicities as there is more to think about, so it is probably a good idea to learn more about the different ethnicities before trying to represent them in the media, and then doing your best to convey this to the rest of the country through the media.

What do you know about Al Qaeda?

It is a general title for the main extremist Muslim group or community. They are a minority but are well-know in Britain for being associated with widespread terrorism in the Western World. I know them as evil, twisted people bent on revenge and destruction in the country I call home. I do not know too much about them in detail other than that they are behind many of the terrorist acts carried out on our world today.

Try to find three contrasting representations of Iraqi people from the internet, newspapers, magazines, films. What conclusions can you draw from these representations?

1) http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/12/iraqi-man-throw.html <> Web article about an Iraqi man throwing a shoe at George W Bush - the then president of America.

2) http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0925-02.htm <> Web article on the needless killing of Iraqi civilians by American soldiers.

3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Narcicyst <> A Wikipedia entry on Iraqi hip-hop artist - The Narcicyist.

The first two are contrasting web articles on Iraqi people. The first represents Iraqis as uncontrollable animals with no manners and driven by hatred for the American government. The second article justifies this with an emotional article on how peaceful civilians are killed by Americans unnessecarily. It presents Iraqis as vulnerable and peaceful, lacking in a national leader, but far from monstrous animals. They are seen as civilised. The last link is a wikipedia entry on a fun-loving hip-hop artist from Basra, Iraq. This shows Iraqis as down to earth and warm people just like the rest of us. They too can have a sense of humour and a similar music taste to much of Britain.

Look back at the representation of Ahmed and Khatera in this episode of Spooks. How far does the drama position audiences to equate 'Muslim' with terrorism.

I do not think the episode associates Islam with terrorism as the actual Muslim faith is not mentioned much in what Ahmed says, he is more just making a political statement against capatilism and the "west". Danny does not make the association either when he calls Ahmed a "death-worshipping facist", as this singles out Ahmed as from a cult or a minority extremist party. It is quite clear that Ahmed is not an average Muslim as he is said to have no pity or mercy in his sole and is not seen as human - he is a monster. Islam is not associated with this personality at all in Spooks, which is clever of the producers as they do not want to create issues with normal Islamic communities in Britian.

Think of other characters from British ethnic minorities in the drama. What is their significance?

In the MI5 team there are other ethnicities present such as Danny who is British-black and another new young male character is British-asian. This shows these other ethnicities can be part of a civilised British culture and are normal people in our society who we can get on with and respect. These characters are significant in telling the audience not to make an association with a whole religion and terrorism, as it is only the minority who are like Ahmed, whereas the majority live and work with us in our every day lives without causing any trouble. They can be decent people.

So3 Eo10 - Everyone (finale)

Episode Overview

Cook and Effy are in self-imposed exile from the gang, having gone to stay with Cook’s father. Effy is running away from everything she’s ever known and Cook enables her escape. Problem is, Cook is slowly falling out of lust, and in love. Back in Bristol, JJ tries to snap Freddie out of his depressed stupour, down about the loss of both his best mate, and the girl he loves. Freddie and JJ find Effy and force her to confront who she is and what she really wants. She has to make amends for the damage she’s caused. She also has to decide whether to follow her heart and decide between the 3 boys who she wants. It seems that her heart wants Freddy and Cook runs away in anger and disapointment, only to be rejected by his own father. Freddie saves Cook from being harmed by his father and the two have a conversation to settle their differences. It appears this can only be done if Freddie does not get with Effy. The 4 steal the boat and are temporarily in a calm friendly equilibrium with one another, but no real solution is reached about the Effy situation, and so the half-series ends on uncertain terms with no real cliffhanger other than what Cook and Freddie will do about Effy and their uncontrollable love for her.

Location/Lighting

I will analyse two short clips from the episode, one establishing location and one with interesting lighting.

Location: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB6bjZfe--8
The location in this scene is representative of Cook and Effy's story thus far. They have escaped from the gang to try and find a better life. This is summed up by Cook's quote, "It's not about the destination, it's about the journey." He is on a journey and this is what he needs, freedom and escapism from the problems of every day life, and with the girl he loves. The location here appears open and free, full of nature (trees, fields, a river and a beautiful sunrise), and the sounds of birds and trickling water are peaceful and relaxing. They could be anywhere, they are without a destination and are on a journey to nowhere (they are literally in the middle of nowhere) just like Cooks said. Although this appears quite nice, looking closely at the location it is easy to see that they have not escaped the problems of the grimey city in which they came from, and this can be seen in the polluted canal, littered with rubbish and waste products. They pollute the environment, and the problems and broken relationships are still at the back of the character's minds, polluting their sense of freedom, their taste of the outdoor world. We know they are uncertain by this because it is a typical grey British day - dull and wet - they have not escape their old lives yet.

Lighting: Here is the first scene of the episode at the beginning of Cook and Effy's "journey", where I will be analysing a contrasting scene (after the 'previously' introduction to the episode). This is a more exciting scene signalling the beginning of their journey, so is full of energy and freedom (living for the moment). This is shown in the lighting of the light-dominating location - a nightclub.

The release of energy is shown in the strobe lighting. Everything else is dark like any other nightclub, taking away the personal identities of people and congregating everyone in one big dancing mass, with everyone escaping from their problems (what Effy and Cook try to do). The strobes are disorientating and confusing as the character's get lost in the moment and lose themselves. The lighting represents the youthful and exciting qualities buried inside the depressed problem-filled characters of the teenagers, and this comes out as they begin to dance at the nightclub, with a strong, vibrant, neon-green colour being prominent and striking lightning-bolt shaped patterns immerging, showing their sharpness. The whole thing is energy-filled, in a unique atmosphere created by this very low-key lighting. It is an extraordinary scene, one which Skins is famous for producing a lot as it appeals to teenagers. This flash of teenage-ness marks the beginning of Cook and Effy's journey as they begin to forget the recent past and do the things they enjoy doing, once again, in an attempt to get away from present life.

So3 Eo9 - Katy

Episode Overview

Katie won’t leave the house because of her damaged face and reputation. Fortunately, Emily is able to disguise herself as her sister, and sits an exam for her. Emily and Naomi get closer, but when Emily asks Naomi to accompany her to the college ball, she says no – breaking Emily’s fragile heart. Against her better judgement Emily agrees to partner Katie to the ball, and they plan their outfits together. Out shopping, though, Katie sees a way of regaining her hard-sought status at college. When Freddie inadvertently drops the bombshell about Emily and JJ, Katie hatches a plan – making her sister the ultimate victim. Katie’s scheming results in the mother of all show-downs. But she’s the one who has to face her fears and accept some hard truths - that Emily is gay and loves Naomi.

Sound/Music

Here is a scene from the episode, where music and sound is used to create meaning to the audience, which I will analyse > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elpv_9UUTmw.

Diegetic Sounds:

• Throughout the scene we here background city noises to establish the scene and create realism. These noises include traffic, police sirens, pedestrian chatter and wind. It shows everyday life going on behind Emily and Thomas (the characters in the scene) creating the film world in which the audience imagine themselves in when watching the episode. The scene is made as real as possible and could be at any bus stop in any city in the world. However, the sounds are faily distant and this is because we are focused on the tight, personal world of the characters - their little bubble of problems and relationships. The quiteness of the real-life sounds the audience away from reality and into the minds of the characters and what they are feeling.
• The dialogue is also part of the real film world the audience has stepped into, but this is louder, clearer and alot closer to us - it is what we are focused on. We get every bit of detail of the sounds coming from the characters, such as Emily's upset sobbing and chitter-chatter of teeth due to the cold. When Thomas speaks his voice is suitably soothing as he consoles Emily. He sounds mysterious and philosophical as he speaks, which ultimately calms Emily down, making the scene a really nice warming scene despite the dark, dangrerous location, cold climate and deepening disruptions in the story plot. The background sounds are faded and the audience focus on the conversation between Emily and Thomas, which proves that nice deeds can be done amongst this group (enforcing Thomas' character as the nice guy as he gives Emily his shoes and coat), and proving significant in the scripted lines, such as towards the end of the scene where Thomas advises her to not carry on loving the person who has screwed her over, but admits how it is impossible to do so.

Non-diegetic sounds:

• There is only one type used, and that is the choice of music. The music is fairly calm and ambiguous, as well as being highly alternative - so the audience knows it has been picked for a reason. It is quiet and reserved but also highly emotionally charged in melody and in lyrics, which quite suits the situation of quiet lonliness for Emily in the middle of the city. The lyrics say, "run away, find a way", over and over again, which is meaningful. It suits Emily's situation as she does not know whether to run away or find a way (run away from her love of Naomi or find a way to make it work). The song represents this bridge of confusion and the choices Emily is facing, as well as presenting a theme of uncertainty to the audience (Emily is at a bus stop alone and could well be running away from home). The beautiful piano melodies are touching and emotionally all over the place as they move up and down (the keys on the piano) much like the character's emotions - and this effects the audience in a big way. The overall tone of the music is sad, uncertain and lonely, but yet it is comforting and consoling (you can imagine someone just breaking down and crying to the music, letting all their emotions out and not caring anymore). This suits the scene as Thomas does exactly that, consoling Emily and letting her know of the choices she can make (run away or find a way). The lyrics quieten as the character's speak to keep the focus on the conversation, but the music keeps going as an emotional buffer between the characters until Emily hits a turning point. This is where she abandons her emotions (represented by the music) and decides to get something off her chest. The music stops and Emily tells Thomas she is gay. He is fine with this and there is a silence as if something is off her chest. It is uncertain what decision she will make and she is still emotionally confused, which comes out after this brief, relaxing rest, but not through music. She begins to sob uncontrollably and Thomas comforts her in a moment of silence. The audience escapes into the background noise as we are brought back to reality after a fitting climax to the scene.

So3 Eo8 - Effy

Episode Overview

Effy is at the lowest point, but this time there’s no older brother at home to notice; and home life has deteriorated so much that it’s even harder than ever for her to communicate. Katie takes every opportunity to rub in her superiority and highlight the fact that Freddie is her man, and Effy is to keep her hands off. She invites Effy to a party in the woods, but Effy has to drive, and Cook is not welcome. As they all head off, the car strains with tension - as secrets and rivalries build. Their paranoid state increases when they have a frightening run in with some poachers. Freddie manages to lighten the mood, and as they arrive at the campsite, they recover themselves and start to have fun. Effy finds some magic mushrooms, and they experiment. Katie’s jealousy of Effy returns, as Effy becomes the centre of the action. The fun and excitement intensify, that is until it becomes clear someone has been tampering with their stuff. Hearing gun shots, they realise someone is charging towards them. The atmosphere darkens and any fun they were having disappears in an instant. It turns out to be Cook who gatecrashes the little party and reveals some more dark secrets within the group. Later, Effy encounters with Katy and knocks her out with a stone, letting her lie there bleeding. She is so high on drugs she cannot distinguish it from reality and instead takes advantage by getting with Freddie. She uses her heart and not her heard, a bad decision when she wakes up in the morning to find the consequences of her actions sinking her life to an even lower state than before.

Camerawork

I am going to analyse a short clip at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwhwNzcXq9c, talking about camerawork in this episode.

The scene starts off by establishing the location at MCU, showing a sign with Gobbler's End on it. This follows on from a previous scene, telling us they have arrived at their destination. The camera crabs slowly and cautiously to the right where Effy stands staring into space at MCU. This is so the audience can see her expression in detail, which is a confused and uncertain one. The camera keeps moving until Effy is on the screens left and we can see the other characters behind unloading the car. When Katy walks past we can clearly see Effy at MCU with a slightly irritated look, so we can see the tension between the two characters. Effy stays completely still as the other characters walk past her, but the camera stays still with Efyy, not daring to follow anyone else. This way the audience knows that the episodes focus is on Effy alone and the camera is following her actions and reactions.

We then cut to a VLS overlooking a slight open space in the forest. Behind a fallen tree we can see the characters walking across at a distance, from right to left. The camera begins to crab in the same direction as the characters, very slowly and cautiously. It is as if the camera is hidden behind the trees and is stalking the characters - the movement has a creeping feel about it. The camera begins to turn to the right as the characters begin to walk towards it, confirming this secretive approach to the camerawork. The audience is distanced from the characters, and get a sense of spying on them, invading on their tight little world of problems. There is also an impression that someone else could be lurking, watching the group from the cameras point of view, unsettling the audience and making the whole scene seem quite uneasy.

Next we cut to a two shot of Freddie and JJ at MS. They are walking towards the camera, which is backtracking at their pace as they speak to each other. This gives them power over the audience so the audience focus on what they are saying. The camera is handheld so it is slightly shaky and moves with the characters. This is up close and personal with the characters in contrast to the previous shot, so the audience get a sense of being right inside the group as well as being on the outskirts watching (this is significant as it turns out to be Cook who sneaks up on the group later on in the episode, and he is the outcast watching from outside the group). The audience is close enough to the characters to see their expressions in detail as they speak.

Then we cut to the same shot but of Thomas (a few paces in front of JJ and Freddie), using a handheld backtrack as he walks. He is at MCU so we see his reactions clearly as Freddie tries to talk to him. Freddie walks over to him but remains at MS despite the shot being a two-shot, so we are not as close to Freddie and focus more on Thomas, who is significant to this conversational scene. A slight short/reverse shot is used just as Thomas stops and turns towards Freddie, signifying conversation, as we cut to over Freddie's shoulder with Thomas at MCU. We then cut back to the same shot as before, the whole time maintaing the free-moving and slightly shaky feel to the scene for realism and to be able to personally interact with the characters. Having said that, there is not too much camera movement, and it is all quite still and dead, perhaps like the characters feelings (there is alot of tensions and broken relationships). The whole scene works to make the audience feel awkward and creates a hostile atmosphere within the group, where danger might be lurking on the outside.