I am going to analyse this clip using the four categories of editing, miss en scene, camera shots and sound that help to shape the contrasting cultural identities in this short clip.
Camera Shots
This short sequence from Silent Witness starts with a close up of a woman, of apparent Asian ethnicity, pouring water over her hands and washing her face. Just from this opening shot, we see an important aspect of this person’s ethnicity or culture being displayed. In this case it is in a religious sense, as what she is performing is a traditional Islamic ritual, which acts as a way of cleansing the mind and soul. This is then followed by a mid-shot of the Muslim woman kneeling on a prayer mat, wearing a headscarf - this reaffirms not only her identity as a Muslim woman, but also her seemingly strong dedication to her religion. Her actions in this sequence present her in a way that shows us that her identity, in particular her cultural identity, is very important to her.
The portrayal of this Muslim woman conjures up images of a somewhat exotic location, possibly in an Islamic country somewhere. But the next shot gives us a strong sense of identity, culture and tradition in the form of a long shot of a milkman delivering milk on a typical suburban British street. This particularly occupation, combined with its mode of transport- the milk float, is strongly linked to the British culture of having milk delivered fresh every morning.
We are then shown a shot of an all-white SWAT team getting ready to carry out a raid. The camera shots alternate between the police force and the Muslim women, adding an ominous feel to the whole situation. The SWAT team seems united in their cause, and their shared ethnicity adds to this.
Editing
Jump cuts between the Muslim woman and the SWAT team are used frequently. This is done to highlight the contrasting values and customs of the two groups. An example of this shows the woman praying in Arabic, before cutting to a shot of the team gathering their armour and weapons. These two contrasting ideologies, of aggression and peacefulness are highlighted in the editing.
The jump cuts between the two different locations also give us some idea of culture and identity. The shots of the woman are presented in a way that makes her ethnic and cultural identity very clear, whereas the SWAT team are seen wearing masks, which conceals their ethnicity making them unidentifiable and less accessible to the viewer.
Mise En Scene
The main aspect in this category is the costume of the Muslim women, she is wearing a headscarf and traditional Islamic dress; this shows the extent of her religiousness and the headscarf is blue- which almost acts as a calming presence to the situation she is in.
Although we know from earlier scenes that the SWAT team are all of white British ethnicity; their costume adds a certain amount of ambiguity to their identities. They are wearing full body armour and gas masks, which conceal their faces and in turn- their ethnicities.
Sounds
Diagetic sound is very prominent throughout this clip. The most memorable of these sounds involve water dripping, first from the woman pouring water onto her hands, and then in the form of rain pattering against the pavement. These two sounds both add a sense of peacefulness in the midst of the imminent chaos and possible suffering.
When the SWAT team is shown getting ready, we hear a man cackling in quite a disturbing way as he walks off with his bulletproof gear and weapons. This adds to the ominous feel to the clip and obvious tension between the two ethnic groups.
The focus then switches back to the Muslim woman who has begun to pray in Arabic. This further reinforces her ethnic identity and dedication to her religion and cause. The sound of her praying also provides an obvious contrast between the two ethnic groups, with her completely peaceful and the SWAT team very frantic and nervous.
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