State of Play Essay

How are representations of ethnicity established through the following technical codes: mise en scene, camera shot, angle, movement and position (cinematography), sound and editing?


In exploring the technical codes we can see that mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound and editing is used exhaustively throughout the sequence to immediately establish genre and attract immediate interest. In particular the use of costume, props, setting, and lighting reinforces the contrast of the three separate narratives (stories) that appear to be connected. As a result the opening sequence deliberately does not make sense so the audience is pulled into watching more. The representation of race in 'State of Play' is that London is a more white dominated city.

In the first narrative we see through mise-en-scene of lighting and setting that the location for each narrative is daytime, inner-city London. The opening shot features a tracking shot, possibly using steadycam, as the audience are positioned in the middle of a frantic chase between two unknown characters. Throughout this scene, the mise-en-scene creates danger by using different aspects. The aspects used are setting the scene in a back alley, which immediately suggests that something is going to happen, another aspect are the dulls colours used The deliberate cinematography focusing only on their feet and legs immediately creates intrigue. The cinematography of the camera chasing after the youth also makes the audience seem as if they were the chaser.

Through a series of mid shots and close ups the main character is revealed to be a black youth who is dressed in a hoodie, jeans and he wears an earring; this is arguably a stereotypical representation of a black youth, particularly as he seems to be in trouble. The black youth is portray as being a thug as he is wearing tracksuit bottoms and a hoodie. Another connotation is the hooded youth is running away from another male; this could suggest that as the boy is wearing stereotypical thug clothing, that the chaser could actually be a police officer trying to catch him but actually he is being chased by an assassin. The assassin who is dressed in dark, formal clothing, (arguably anti-hero characters are often dressed using a dark palette), however this assassin is also smartly dressed which connotates he is a professional. Another factor of 'State of Play' that is important, is the scene on the train.

Most of the males on the train are white, which shows that there is a more dominant race of white people. In the background of the train, is a black male dressed formally which suggests that he does not follow the convention of a stereotypical black male, which is presented in this drama. Another perspective that shows the youth to be thug-like is the scene where he is running underground. As he is running, he pushes through people without giving any notice, which shows that he has no respect for other people

The use of handheld camera and tracking shots places the audience in the centre of the action and a series of short cuts increases the pace of the editing to create excitement. At the point when the black youth is hiding from his assassin the pace of the editing slows dramatically as the audience waits on tenterhooks until the climax of the murder conveyed through a dramatic point of view shot. State of Play contains many different edits to show fear of the black character and the use of cut scenes, shows fear and creates tension in that scene. At one point in the scene, a reverse shot is used to show the perspective of the black man hiding from the assassin. A combination of diegetic sound, for example heavy breathing from the youth to connotate a lengthy chase, and non-diegetic sound through ambient music- (arguably tribal music is played during the chase sequence to further represent his black identity)- ensures the opening sequence makes full use of the technical codes to excite the audience.

In sharp contrast the second narrative introduces a dramatically different character: a white, male middle aged and of high social status. His clothing immediately symbolises his superior status as he wears a shirt, tie and expensive suit. With reference to props he is reading a Financial Times which is indicative that he has a professional occupation. Through the mise en scene of gesture he has a serious disposition and the dimmed lighting and surroundings indicate that he is on the tube, possibly on his way to work in the city. Most of the cinematography focussing on this character features a series of mid and long shots so that the audience can pick up clues through clothing and gestures.

The third narrative introduces another contrast; a young girl aged approximately twelve who is waiting in a café with an essential prop central to the narrative: a black plastic bag disguising a silver brief case. A mid shot pans down to a close up of the bag to reinforce the significance of this prop to the narrative. The director uses mise en scene to reflect the passage of time as we see within the frame that the girl has had time to consume three cans of coke. Through gesture and a series of returning mid shots and close ups, the girl is directed to appear nervous and anxious through body language and facial expression.

All three narratives combine to embed conventions of the thriller/ conspiracy genre present the audience with a series of questions: why are these three disparate (different) characters connected? Why was the black youth assassinated? What is in the bag?

The representation of race in ‘State of Play’ is presented as being dominant throughout the first scene. The black youth is represented as being a youth who is dressed stereotypically like a thug. The factor of him wearing tracksuit bottoms and a hooded top implies that he is a miscreant.