Tuesday, 10 November 2009

Shameless

How are the various characters represented in episode one of Shameless?
Consider how different elements are used to construct the representations e.g. mise en scene, sounds and camera work.



Fiona
Fiona comes across as the mother figure in the Gallagher family even though she is another of Frank's children. The use of mise en scene portrays her as a stereotypical 'chav' character by her clothing and jewellry etc. This could also been shown through the area she lives in which is commonly seen as lower class, although this stereotype seems to fit more with her best friend Veronica. In one camera shot, Frank is on the floor with Fiona behind him on a higher level, this seems to represent her power over him and again shows us her matriarchal role.




Steve
When Steve is first shown to us in the club we can instantly see that he seems more wealthy and of a higher class than Fiona. He is wearing a suit whereas no-one else in the club is again showing a different social background. This is also shown to us through the mise en scene that he is higher up on the balcony than Fiona who is dancing on the floor below.




Lip
Lip is the oldest boy in the family and at first it seems like he may be a stereotypical chav, like Fiona, through the way he is dressed etc. but we find out that he is actually very intelligent when he is tutoring Karen. We also see that he has a close relationship with his brother, Ian. When he learns that Ian is gay he seems quite angry about it but we see that he's just worried about him and doesn't want his brother to get hurt.




Ian
Ian is Lip and Fiona's younger brother who we find out early on in the episode, is gay. He is having an affair with his co-worker Cash who is married with a family and seen as religious. They buy each other presents but Ian's gifts to Cash, often seem to be more extravagant than what Cash buys for him which could mean Cash is taking advantage of him, especially as he is only 15.

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