Silent Witness Ethnic Reps

Discussing How Ethnicity is Represented in the Introductory Clip of 'Silent Witness'

There are many camera shots and movements that represent the ethnicities different. One camera shot is a Close Up of a woman washing her hands with bottled water. This washing of the hands is a custom before praying among the muslim religion, and the ethnicity is displayed as respectful and cleansing. 

In contrast to this shot, there is an Extreme Long Shot of a group of policemen, all white british, in a police station preparing for something. All are shown in matching uniforms, giving a sense of unity among the ethnicity and sameness. They share the same culture, language and in this shot, clothing. 

Next is a Medium Shot of a swat team outside ready to raid a house, that is made to look like the house of the muslim lady praying. This makes the team look like a 'new race' as their faces are hidden and wearing the same outfit. 

A Long Shot of the muslim woman putting on her head scarf and laying out a carpet to pray on, demonstrates more religious customs and symbolizes respect and obedience towards the ethnic culture. ( there is also a medium shot that follows this of the woman praying) 

One final camera shot that represents ethnicity is a zooming in from Long Shot to Medium Shot of a white man looking through the eyepiece of rifle. this makes the man seem quite threatening and the zooming camera angle creates suspense and curiosity as to who he is aiming for. 

Sound is also effective in the representation of ethnicity in this clip. One distinct diegetic sound I remember clearly is the sound of a man, white and a policeman, laughing, but almost cackling. This makes him sound quite sinister, and gives the impression the policeman are superior and rule over other ethnicities. 

There is a piece of dialogue, said by the leading police officer, who says to the rest of the police force 'Come on boys and girls'. The use of the word 'boy' is demeaning and the fact that no girls are in the police force suggests he is calling his men weak or inferior. This implies his authority over them, and suggests, as just another white british police officer, he still is powerful and has a high status within his own ethnicity. Their is still a hierarchy within ethnic groups. 

Another diegetic sound is of the muslim lady praying in another language. The voice is a quiet and calm voice, compared to the harsh, energetic voices of the police and swat team. This makes the two ethnicities seem very contrasting, with the white british seeming loud and active and the muslim lady being vulnerable and harmless. 

One final diegetic sound is the rain that can be heard both outside as well as inside from the window. Although this is not relevant to ethnicity, it could suggest a particular place, such as London (being known for such rainy weather). London is a multi cultural city and having the white british with the muslim woman gives a sense of community as they live within London together. 

Mise En Scene can also contribute to the representation of ethnicity within this clip. The house in which the lady is praying is full of warm, serene colours. This suggests welcoming and tranquil environment within the home and perhaps within the religion and ethnicity.

On the other hand, the surroundings of the policemen has very cold, harsh colours. This could symbolize the harsh reality the men have to tackle, or the cold-blooded actions of some policemen to those inferior to them.

Costume is key in this clip as it can show sameness between an ethnic group or the complete opposite. The policemen are all wearing the same armed costume, symbolising unity within the ethnic group. The swat team are also wearing matching uniforms, however they're faces are covered, so despite wether the men behind those masks are of different ethnicities, the uniform brings them together as one force, one group. The muslim lady is wearing a head scarf and decorative overall which could be the type of dress for her culture, thus representing her ethnicity. 

The final section of media that can represent ethnicity is the editing of the intro clip. There are many jump cuts from the muslim lady to the policemen. This connotes the difference between the two cultures and reminds the viewer of this. 

Cross cut parallel editing is used to cut to and fro between two or more narratives occurring simultaneously. This applies to the police force getting ready for a mission, the woman praying and the swat team about to raid a house. This makes the viewer think the police will raid the muslim lady's home, and could signpost that she may be a threat. 

The  jump cut of the Close up of the lady's face affects her anonymity, as we see who she is, her ethnicity and what she is doing. However, the fade in of the swat teams van and the bright headlights, maintains anonymity as we cannot see who the swat team are, what ethnicity they are and things such as facial expressions. These cuts suggest ethnicity does not matter within a service force, such as the swat team, so long as they do the job correctly.