Notes for Eastenders

Mise-en-scene

Lighting – Dim, looks as though it is ambient lighting in opening scene.

Costume – Bradley and his pink tie: symbolism for love. Everyone wearing black and white apart from Bradley – stands out, possibly for latter events. Black and white suggests death.

Stacey – fashionable, glamorous girl. Innocence, only brunette – intelligent. White to symbolise wedding.

Ronnie and Roxy both in dark colours – dismal environment, casting a dark shadow over lives. Roxy has a pink hat above her head, symbolises goodness and could be related to a halo – the good daughter, loyal to her dad.

Lucy could be seen as a sex symbol, young (15) suggests reaching maturity and indecency. Attitudes towards women are very sexual, despite the young age. Drinking suggests carelessness and willingness. She is blonde – stereotype of ‘bimbo’, as well as Ronnie. But not Stacey – this could suggest

Stacey is the dominant female of the three.

Phil shows a dominant character through his body language, bald head, through intertexual references.

Bianca in white dress, low cut, cheap chav culture. Loud mouthed, angry, drunk – this could suggest a negative view point of women.

“Plain Jane” – Janine. Normal costume – stands out, women that don’t wear fashionable clothing don’t fit in to society.

Peggy – elegant but old, shows that age doesn’t restrict confidence and dominance, queen of the pub – reference to Archie.

Jack – dominant body language.

Max, loyal; standing by his son. Head to head with jack and max shows violence, authority.

Diagetic sound – makes it more realistic, all throughout no music.

Props – Red paint over Ronnie’s father’s face – suggestion of blood, death, suspicion as to who is the killer. Below picture reads “the king’s head” – this could relate to Archie controlling them still even when dead – king of eastenders. Committing treason – who ever did this will have a large price to pay. View point – looking up at him, suggests authority.

Objects –

Editing – quick transactions between shots due to the footage being live, mainly cuts.

Camera shots/angles

Mid shots, over the shoulder as max and jack head to head; loads of OTS shots to engage the audience and make them feel a part of the action. Tracking shot of Janine walking out of the pub, shows her being thrown out, makes her seem hated as it is panning to people in the pub slating her. Close ups of Stacey’s face shows worry and innocence, caring.

Sound

“It was you, wasn’t it?” – Roxy: this suggests that the fathers tearing them apart even when dead, authority etc.


Introduction – in the opening sequence of Eastenders there is many different representations of women depending on the characters. Go on to say about mise-en-scene of characters, mainly costume and props, possibly body language.

Representation of men through costume, body language and props.

Short paragraph of lighting, then go on to say about the props of Ronnie throwing paint over dad’s face, include sounds and intertextual evidence.

Camera shots to do with women.

Camera shots to do with men.

Quick paragraph of editing.