Orange Is The New Black Textual Analysis

Season 2 Episode 4

When the camera first cuts to Brooke, it is a long shot and there is selective focus on her. This, coupled with the ambient sound, shows Brooke to be excluded from the others. This subverts typical stereotypes, as Brooke is heterosexual; normally, it is the homosexual characters that are shown to be loners or outcasts from society. This could derive from the setting, as the characters are in prison, meaning that typical societal roles may be reversed or completely eradicated. As Piper calls Brooke over to the table, the camera cuts to a selective focus shot of Boo among other inmates. Boo is framed by the other women, which makes her look predatory. This conforms to the stereotype of lesbians being manipulative, and presents her in a negative light. Boo's appearance is also typically 'butch', and her voice is lower. This conforms to the stereotype of lesbians being masculine, which is the way they are normally presented when the show doesn't want to sexualise the character. As Piper talks to Brooke, the camera continuously cuts between her and Boo, showing that they are both involved in the conversation (although Boo is on a different table). As Piper is bisexual, this connection between the two shows that they are both involved in the manipulation of Brooke, which presents them in a negative light. It also presents the two as working together, which subverts typical media tropes; commonly, characters of a different sexual orientation to heterosexual are presented as loners, and as being the only non-heterosexual in their friendship group. This again could account to the prison setting, as with there being many women grouped together there are going to be many women of different sexualities. Later, we learn that Piper was trying to convince Brooke to engage in intercourse with Boo. This conforms to the stereotype of homosexual characters only being interested in sex and not long-lasting relationships.

Overall, in the scene the homosexual character is being presented as manipulative, predatory, and sexually-motivated, which are typical tropes used in the media to present homosexual characters in a negative light. However, it also shows heterosexual characters to be out of the ordinary, which goes against common media portrayals.

Hotel Babylon Textual Analysis

Season 1 Episode 1

A white male walks into the hotel and dramatic music starts immediately. This raises the tension and suggests that he is the source of that tension, making the audience fearful of him. He is dressed smartly, is at the forefront of most shots, and the camera continuously cuts to his reaction shots. This shows that he has the most power, which is a common trope in the media when representing white people (especially white males). The camera is also steady when on him. However, when it is on the immigrant workers, the camera is handheld. Not only does this raise the tension, but also makes the audience feel more involved in the plight of the workers. The use of steady cam on the immigration officer also gives him power, as it connotes that he is calm and in control, whereas the workers are panicking and terrified. The parallel editing is a juxtaposition in this scene. When the camera is on the officer, the shots are wide and the lighting is artificial to add verisimilitude to the luxury hotel. However, when we are with the workers in the storage cupboard, the lighting is dark and the shots are close-ups that are close and tight within the frame. This gives the workers a sense of community, which is a trope that is commonly used in the media when representing characters of different cultures and/or races other than white/Western. This also makes the audience feel more involved, as if they are part of their community, which is again achieved through the lack of sound. This makes the audience fell sympathetic towards the workers, which subverts the stereotype of race; in the media, immigrants are typically represented in a negative light. When one of the workers suffers a hypoglycemic attack, one of the other workers assists her and reveals he used to be a doctor. This subverts the stereotype of immigrants being uneducated/stupid.

Overall, although the scene challenges stereotypes associated with immigrants be generating sympathy for them, it still represents the white male as having power over them.