REGIONAL IDENTITY

North and South

WHEN WAS THE CLIP SHOWN AND WHAT IS IT? I have chosen the clip from the BBC

period drama ‘North and South’ based on the novel by Elizabeth Gaskell. It was first broadcast in November/December 2004. The drama see Margaret Hale and her family moving from the Southern countryside to a Northern industrial town. She finds it hard at first but soon meets friends. She also discovers John Thornton whom she develops a ‘will-they-won’t-they’ relationship.

THE CLIP http://youtu.be/qa1BsOayheg?

t=29m48s

REPRESENTATION - CAMERA Most of the shots of John Thornton are low angles to

show his importance as a factory owner. The audience can dennotate he is a strong leader but they feel that he is above them so is distant from them.

There is a contrast with the representation of Southern Margaret and Northern John. As John is filmed at a low angle and Margaret at a high angle, this contrasts with the higher class association of someone from the South and a lower class worker from the North. Moreover, Margaret almost looks like she is begging to John but if fact she is being caring, making him look distant from her.

The character of John is also filmed with a close – up (C/U) shot. From this the audience can infer that he is isolated from the other characters.

REPRESENTATION - CAMERA In the countryside scenes there are lots

of pan shots so the audience can see the full beauty of the countryside and how it contrasts with industrial northern towns.

The Establishing shot allow the audience to see the full setting.

REPRESENTATION - SOUND The music in the town is long sorrowful

notes showing the serious emotions that the character Margaret is feeling as she leaves her home. She follows the stereotypes of emotion fuelled Southern characters.

When one of the characters says ‘I can’t imagine how many friends you have here’ showing how she is suggesting there is a the Southern opinion that Northern towns are not social places because they are fuelled by work and the lower classes.

REPRESENTATION - SOUND In the Countryside scenes the

background noises are filled with natural and birds. This highlights the beauty of the countryside and the contrast between the industrial background noises of the town.

Furthermore when a character says ‘life is a little more wild’ shows that there was a stereotype of hard driven Northern men doing everything they can to make money. This also shows contrasts of development between them.

REPRESENTATION - EDITING In the scenes set in the Northern town

are all very dimly lit with a little amount of natural lighting. The audience can dennotate that the industrial town is dire circumstances to live in.

However the countryside scenes have been shot with a yellow tint to show the lush, sun-drenched setting. This is typical of Southern climate. Moreover, the yellow tint could represent idealist settings and memories flooding back for the characters.

REPRESENTATION - EDITING The slow pace as Margaret rides away in

her carriage makes the audience feel the tension and desperation between the characters. However with the jump cut and the introduction of a new setting, the pace increases to show the ‘hussle and bussle’ of the industrial town.

In the countryside, the pace is slower highlighting the slow pace of life.

REPRESENATION – MISE-EN-SCENE Clothing in the North was dark,

matching the background. From this, the audience can infer that Northern people were less fashionable because they had less money.

However the clothing of the young women in the Northern town is lighter and more girly showing her influence of Southern fashions.

The working class people’s clothes show they are industrial workers and are rugged as they can not afford current fashions.

REPRESENATION – MISE-EN-SCENE The wallpaper of the Northern towns are

dark highlighting the tragic circumstances and their lack of dedication to interior fashion.

Although in the countryside, flowers are in focus of the scene so therefore show the innocence of the place and the contrast of natural beauty in the country and in the town.

REPRESENATION – MISE-EN-SCENE As John shows little emotion in his face, he is

characterised by the stereotype of Northern business men being hard and ruthless, struggling to show his inner emotions.

Moreover, as the working class man refuses Margaret’s money, he plays further on the stereotype by highlighting his pride in himself.

In contrast, the audience can connotate the middle class women rising a napkin to her face as she stops in the street. Therefore the audience can dennotate that she is disgusted by the Northern industrial towns and much prefers the pleasantness of the Southern countryside. Furthermore she appears to be a snob against the lower working class and the North/South economic divide.