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1. Mise en scene Camerawork Editing audio
Typical council house
lookingestate
suggestingthose of
disabilityare lower
class
Dressedindirtyand
stereotypical clothes
Close upof brother
shootingthe brother
withdisability-
suggeststhattheyare
to be gottenrid of
Close upto show upset
and angryemotionof
the brother
Highangle shotlooking
directlyonthe pair,
the well brotherisneat
and tidythe disabled
brotherismessy.
Alsohoweverthe
disabledbrotheris
colourful andfilled
withfununlike the
boringcomparisonof
the otherbed
Fade transition
suggestingthere has
perhapsbeena
transitionisthe view
of disabilityinsociety
Happy andupbeat
musiccomparisonwith
violence
‘bigpotatowitheye
tentacles’
‘lookafteryour
brother
Why me?’suggests a
burden
‘theyhave to have
someone withthemall
the time
Disability is a large issue within modern society, with many stereotypes surrounding the way
in which it is portrayed within th3e media. Stereotypes often suggest that those with
disabilities are unable to cope by themselves and considered burdens by the family in which
they live, creating a very harsh society for those with disabilities to live in. In is vital for Tv
drama’s to use stereotypical representations within their production in order for viewers to
recognise and relate to characters and develop opinions early on in the series furthermore
engaging them. Within this essay I will be discussing how disability is shown within the
English TV drama ‘Coming down the mountain’
Firstly, the establishing high angle shot immediately introduces positive stereotypes of
disabled people within the production. The shot shows two brothers, one surrounded in
bright and colourful bedding with interesting patterns. Furthermore this side of the setting
is messy and slightly chaotic; this is the side of the disabled brother. In comparison, the
‘normal’ brother has plain and neutral bedding surrounded by a clean atmosphere. These
two differences suggest that those who are disabled are more fun and creative as shown by
the bedding, unlike those who are considered normal and have boring uninteresting
personalities, represented by the bedding. This creates a positive for those who are disabled
as it goes against the usual stereotypes in which suggest disabled people are unintelligent.
These two opposites can furthermore be supported by that of Levi strauss who introduces
the theory of binary opposites, this theory creates the idea that within a production there
must be two opposing forces (disabled VS able) to drive the narrative forward which is
conventional of a Tv drama.

2. Camera work can furthermore be used to create a negative stereotype for those with
disabilities, suggesting they should be put out of existence. The close up of the brother
without a disability shows him firing a toy gun at the character with down accompanies with
the introductory audio heard at the start stating ‘I killed my brother’ creates a harsh and
violent theme to the Tv drama and suggests to the audiences that those with disabilities
should be killed due to the large amounts of negative atmosphere they create for families,
which is very controversial. This is typical of Tv drama’s as they have to include elements to
emphasise drama.
Editing can also be used to suggest that the views and opinions of those with disabilities are
developing. This can be seen from the use of transitions within the start of the opening
sequence. This could mimic the idea that the stereotypes on disability are transitioning in to
a more positive light as suggested by the high key lighting accompanied with the transition.
As the extract can also be considered fast pace with a few jump cuts this could furthermore
suggest that the views are progressing faster as time develops.
Despite these positive views on disability, within the extract there is also an underlying
stereotype that the family of those with disabilities are of lower class. This can be seen
within the Mise en scene as an establishing shot of the house the family they live in appears
to be scruffy and dirty, as well as small in comparison to other houses. The location of this
house also appears to be in a ‘council estate’ type setting. This could suggest to audiences
that those with disabilities are of the lower class, and closely links to another stereotypes
that those who have a family member with a disability rely on benefits and can often be
considered ‘benefits thieves’ due to the large increase in media publicity of cases in which
those with disability have been exposed cheated the benefits systems. This could link to
Richard dyers theory to the legitimisation of inequality. This theory suggests that the media
is using stereotypes to ensure that people in minority groups within society are seen
negatively; passive audiences will accept the messages being portrayed to them and
conform to the opinions. However, this could cause conflict between audiences who
disagree with the opinions which is stereotypical of the TV drama as it causes audiences to
engage with productions and furthermore creates intensity.
Continuing on from this point, the Down syndrome character introduced can also be used to
show that disability is a burden to the family. This is suggested from the audio in which the
able brother says ‘they have to have someone with them all the time’ as well as ‘I’ve never
spent more than an hour separated from him in my whole life’ These two extracts of digect
dialogue can be used to implicate the idea that those with disabilities are unable to cope
with life by themselves and have to have the assistance of someone else to even remotely
function properly, creating a burden for the family. This is clearly negative as many disabled
people can work, function and have the intelligence to perform everyday tasks, creating a
negative view for those who are disabled within society.

3. In conclusionwe cansee thatdespite some use of anti stereotypestoshow disabledpeople
positivelywe canalsosee thatthe Tv dramahas usedthe typical stereotypestocreate conflict
betweenaudiencesandtheiropinionsoncharactersto keepthemengaged.Thisisalways
conventional of Tvdrama’sas theyhave to make sure audienceswill fullyengagewithproduction
and keepthe intensityhightooverall create the genre of ‘Drama’