Context of the film: Based on a true story from the book "A friend like Henry". The storyline is the struggles a mother faces with an autistic son. The one off drama was first broadcasted on 26th December 2006 on ITV.
Notes from the lesson:
Editing:
Slow motion at the start of the Drama when the mother is struggling to pick her son up from the middle of the road. This creates subjective time because we can see the time experienced and felt by the mother because she is longing for her son to get out the middle of the road to safety.
The clip between where the mother finally gets her son off the floor is an example of editing because it is an easier way of moving on in time. the words "This is a true story" make the whole Tv drama more believeable.
Also, before the family are about to enter the shoe store, editing has been used to add in the date of the scene. "1993" this is used to contexualise the time zone. Fast pade editing is also used to create a sence of danger, tension and it makes the viewer and rthe actors share the same action.
Sound:
Background music used to create emoition to emphasise the helplessness the mother had when trying to get her son out the road. The sound has also been maipulated by slowing it down. This is to make the problem seem never ending. Contrast between the diagetic and non diagetic sound. The diagetic sound is the noice from the cars passing the woman in the road, whereas the non-diagetic sound comes from the backing music added in in the final editing. This produces an enigma code because we do not know what is going on. The magnified sound from the cars is emphasising the danger that the mother and son are in because it is such a busy road. The sound just before the scene changes to the flashback of what actually happened for the child to be lying in the road has been sucked out. This is to make the viewer feel that the drama has gone from a dream like state back into reality.
Mise-en-scene:
The colour of the bus in the opening scene is very important. We know this because the connotations of the colour red is danger! Also, in the opening scene the colours are very dull to create a scence of depressing from the mother because this is just a normla day for her and it is a never ending circle. A change of scene happens and the action moves to an office. The fire alarm is going off in the background, this could be foreshadowing events that are still yet to come in the Drama. Also, the office is full of props including things such as; pc's, pens. lamps etc.
Camera Angles:
A long shot is used at the beginning to give the scene purpose and give some background information to the drama eg. we already know it was based in the time of "1993" so the extras in the shot are all wearing the fashion that is suited to that time period. Also, an over the sholder shot has been used whilst in the shoe shop. We see over the sholder of the shop assistant to see that the child is still wearing a nappy. This camera angle is used to make the audience feel what the shop assistant is feeling and makes the viewers instantly blame the mother for the ill behaved child. There is a close up of the mothers face when she is trying to pick her child off the floor. This is used to show the expression in her face and show that she is in distress.
Camera Movements:
A zoom is used when the boy falls to the floor in the middle of the road. This is used to shock the audience because they will be wanting to know if he actually hits the floor or his mother catches him, leaving them in suspense. Also, it gives the audience a clearer view of the childs facials expressions as he is about to hit the floor. A pan shot is used when the mother and her son are walking from the street into the shoe shop. This has been used t contexualise the scene so the audience get a clear view of their surroundings.
Narrative Theory:
The TV drama challenges Todorov's theory. This is because he believed that every narrative had a start an end and a middle, whereas this drama starts in the middle. Also, it challenges Todorov's theory because the drama does not have all the steps that he believed every narrative has e.g. a hero, a villian, the donor etc. The fil malso uses the theory of ideology. This is used to show disability to there perspective of the parent. Propp's theory shows that we are seeing the action from the mothers perspective. Also the drama relates to levi Strauss' theory of "binary opposites". This is because the family at the checkout in the shoe shop are seen as the "normal" family, whereas the mother and her son are seen as "different" because her son has a disability.
Stereotyping:
The main stereotyping that occurs in the drama is about disability. The child get looks at funny because he always throws tantrums but what people do not realise is that he has autism and that he cannot control his actions. The bi standers that were just watching the mother struggle to pick her son up from the middle of the road were all judging her because they thought she was a bad mother. This drama challenges Tessa Perkin's idea that all stereotypes are not always about minority groups. The drama challenges this idea because disabled people are usually classed as a minority group and in the drama they are being discriminated against.
