2. White people are represented as superior and
authoritative.
• White actors are dominant within the first minute and all take on high
class roles and jobs. This is signified in their expensive costumes. For
example, the receptionist is dressed in all white. This connotes an
angelic sense about her and religious higher being in which people
look up to her. It also places an emphasis on that she is white
skinned.
• Parallel editing is used to feature even more white characters, such as
the manager and policemen at the start, which represents the
dominancy of the white race. It also symbolises a build up of tension
and encloses the few black people who seem directly targeted with
no escape.
3. Black people are still being looked down on,
even in the highest roles.
• The first black person in the clip is hiding behind a newspaper
signifying a barrier between him and the rest of the white characters.
He is in a dark costume which makes him stand out from the lightly
coloured mise-en-scene with warm, bright lighting.
• There are only distant shots such as mid and long shots. Whereas, for
the white characters many closeups are featured and even long shots
zoom in close. This makes the audience feel more connected with the
white characters, as if they know them. They feel separated and
distant to the black characters reinforcing the hypothetical barrier.
• Both black men at shot from a high angle which creates pity from the
audience according to Alvardo et al’s theory of ethnic representations.
Within the shot of the first black man an unknown character walks
passed the camera. Along with the continuity editing, this makes the
scene feel more realistic suggesting the issue of racism is a reality.
4. Black people are still being looked down on,
even in the highest roles.
• The main black man is seen to be waiting on a white man and takes
orders from the white receptionist. This is a macro element suggesting
that all black people are still seen as a subservient role signifying
slavery and segregation. The white receptionist sneers ‘brain like a
sieve’ which puts Ben down and reduces his status of authority. Even
when he is rushing down the corridor the lower class workers refuse
to move meaning that Ben has to dodge around them.
• When he begins running the cuts become shorter which gives meaning
to the fast pace non-diegetic music. It builds tension and drama to the
scene. The only diegetic sound is the dialogue in which the receptionist
lowers her pitch when speaking to Ben. This emphasises her racial
dominance and how she also looks down on him.
