Eastenders is a popular British Soap that originated in the early 1980’s. The opening to episode four portrays a realistic view of the life in 1980’s living in London
The episode opens with a close up of a tattered white van, with ‘clean me’ written in the dust on the windows. The shot then zooms out to a long-shot, allowing the audience to see a middle aged man to stumble out. In the background of the long shot a ‘worn-out’ house is visible with boarded windows and scratched paintwork. The garden of the house is scattered with building scraps and bin liners full of various materials. This opening scene immediately connotes the poor conditions of the 1980’s. The scene also connotes that the man is sleeping rough. No bright colours one visible instead dirty colours such as creams, browns, blacks and navys are used for setting and costume, this again connotes poor conditions and also a stressful, sad atmosphere.
The camera then tracks the man to a back alley where a long shot is used showing his surroundings. In the background a factory is present, an indexical sign that this is a popular job as it is so close to the community. On the walls of the alley is unrecognisable graffiti, this connotes that the youth of the community are unruly, a common stereotype associated with the 1980’s; as shown in films about the 80’s such as ‘This is England’.
The camera then cuts to a long-shot of a girl walking across the hall. Her father then walks into the foreground of the shot, making the scene appear much more realistic. The hall is again decorated in drab ‘dirty’ colours, representing that even people who have money are not ‘doing so well’ due to the state of the economy. Once the girl has walked into another room her mother appears on the hall. The after has a pink towel draped over his shoulders whilst the mother is wearing a blue dressing gown. Whilst the objects they wear match their genders, the colours do not. This connotes that women and men were beginning to be treated equally, something trigged by Maggie Thatcher becoming the prime minster in the early 80’s.
During the hall scene the camera remains in the same place, as it does in the following scene of the kitchen. This shows a clear comparison to the soap back then and now. Eastenders, and many other soaps use a diverse range of camera shots to show their characters reactions and emotions.
The camera then tracks two young men walking towards the market. One of the young men then leaves and the camera then tracks the other man to a car where an older man is unloading his ‘stack’. In the background of the shot a tattered billboard and people walking by are visible. This connotes that this is a place where all the community go. The tattered billboard connotes the state of the economy in the 80’s, lots of people were jobless and could not afford things that weren’t necessary.
The framing later on carries strong connotations of the economies state. The man with his stall stands in the foreground, in the mid-ground is the young man and in the background the community. The stall acts as a block between the two men, connoting that the jobless have trouble finding work. As the older, working man is in the foreground it gioves him higher status. The framing of this shot represents the two ‘worlds’ in the 80’s, the people who worked and the people who didn’t. It portrays the clear divide in the community to the audience.
The next scene is the café, a main meeting place that has remained central to Eastenders throughout. The shot opens with a wide shot of the three men sat at a table. The second man is sat slightly behind, an indexical sign he is not ‘with’ the other two. He is immediately given the higher status due to his position, costume and dialogue. On the table is empty plates and mugs, this connotes two significant English ‘things’, an English cooked breakfast and a cup of tea. In the background of the shot, people walking in and out of the café are visible, an indexical sign that it is a popular meeting place for the community; as cafes often were in the 80’s. The woodwork in the café is red which has connotations of love and happiness, another reference to the café being a popular meeting place for members of the community.
The action then cuts to a mid-shot of a woman working in the café, she is wearing all pink a colour commonly associated with femininity. This matches the job she does, conforming to the stereotype women had in those days – someone who cooked and cleaned.
The camera then cuts to the three men and the pace speeds up as the camera uses quick cuts from close-ups to two shots to create tension parallel to the dialogue on screen. As the policeman stands up to leave a close-up of one of the young man is shown , in the corner of the shot the policeman’s finger is visible pointing at the younger man, stating his authority. The position of the camera appears to be a low angle making the young man look weak. All these features help represent the higher authority in the policeman.
The opening of the soap portrays a realistic view of the urban London in the 80’s by featuring many stereotypes. The mis-en-scene of the scenes are very important as they carry strong connotations and representations of the 1980’s. The continuity, complexity and variations of the soap itself is weak in comparison to modern day soaps. Due to it being a soap opera the only sound evident is ambient sound and dialogue, all the sounds are diegetic and appropriate to the shot. This is used so that the action appears as spontaneous and realistic as possible.
No comments:
Post a Comment