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.
Some good points here Selene, but you need to write about all 4 micro elements. If you find it easier you could do seperate paragraphs for each micro element. Include a lot of terminology and always refer back to the question.
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