Hotel Babylon

 In this clip from the TV series "Hotel Babylon", the main groups represented are through Ethnicity and social status, and their connection. An over the shoulder shot is used in the first scene from the angle behind the swat team facing the leader of the whole operation. This camera angle was used so that the audience could almost feel as though they were there with the swat team, being talked to by the leader, it allows the audience to be more emotionally involved in the film material. It also shows the audience the relation back to the groups being represented, it shows that people of authority seem to be white/European, and it is showing that there are generally significant ties between ethnicity and social status in our society and this actively showcases that. There is a zoom-in shot where the camera moves in on the receptionist lady and it's done this way to show the audience the reaction of the receptionist when the inspection team comes into their hotel which later on we move to find out that the hotel employs illegal immigrants. Ironically this also ties back into the representation of white people in this clip which is that white people are the saviours of society, the inspection team think they're doing good for the country, and the white receptionist woman is thinking she's doing good in the eyes of those in need as basic humans, giving them what she feels they're entitled to regardless of the law which is a source of income to survive. Either way, this first scene alone is showing us that white people are seen in society as the "good" people. A hand-held shot is used to show the inspection team coming in, it is filmed in this manner to only capture the chaotic feel of the whole situation, to capture the tension of it all, this way the audience can almost feel the frustration and stress through the screen, keeping them on the edge of their seats with this drama. As Jackie, seemingly someone who is for the immigrants is opening the door, we see that there is a mid-shot used to show her unlocking the key lock and it is almost representative of the immigrants being locked up in their own countries for a while and coming to the hotel in the country they're currently in would've been them unlocking themselves from the chains of their own country. There is a close up of the "staff only" sign on the door, it is in red which is a representative colour of danger, warning and it accurately relates to the current situation of the immigrants as their lives are at stake here. We see Jackie taking a headcount, and to showcase the reaction when she realises one of the workers are missing, a zoom shot is used. It shows the expression up close and then in drawing the camera out they are showing that this is reality and then they proceed to show how she acts on the situation. 

After this whole ordeal is done with there is a quick panoramic shot of the foyer, this is so that the audience can grasp the reactions of those who were staying at the hotel as well as the other staff who work there legally. Finally, there is a close up of Ibrahim's locker (the man who was missing), as Jackie removes the photos of him that he put up, we see that this is in fact the life of a lot of immigrants, stripped away because of the fact that they were just trying to make a better life for themselves. During the beginning scene, there was the non-diegetic sound of almost a ticking time bomb, ticking away as everyone is moving fast-paced trying to get the immigrants hidden. This is just to really elevate the stress and allow the audience to be fully emerged into what is happening. It makes every single thing that happens in the scene, anticipated. An important piece of dialogue is when the man entered with the search team and said "John from immigration services" it instantly had a light switch effect on the people who ran the hotel as they were hoarding illegal immigrants there. This is what allows the audience to grasp the situation for what it is and make them wonder if the immigrants will truly be caught. While Jackie is running through the hotel trying to gather all the immigrants there is a diegetic sound of shouting and this is kept in so that the audience can feel the frustration that the people on screen are experiencing, this generally actually keeps their heart rate up which makes them feel more for what is happening, anticipating if they will make it. When a woman collapsed due to her diabetic problem, one of the immigrant cleaners knew exactly what to do, and took initiative to make sure the woman will be okay, during this scene a very significant bit of dialogue was shared and it was "I wasn't always a cleaner". This really ties back in with the represented groups in the film, as someone who is coloured and seems like they're at the bottom of the social ladder, with having the reality be for this man and for many just like him, that back in their own countries they were extremely qualified but due to being in the country illegally, they are unable to practice they're filed openly so they have settled for jobs such as cleaners and such just to make a living. This is a hard reality for a lot of immigrants. Another thing to note is that when the lady did collapse, there was soft music playing in the background as non-diegetic sound, it was so that even though the world outside that maintenance room may be chaotic but in a time where a peer is in danger, it is best to stay calm and be rational. 

The mise en scene showed to be based around a classic hotel that was fairly old, it was draped in classic old timely colours like red and such which would lead the audience to see that the place was definitely not modern. The lighting when the inspection team are first introduced is quite bright which ties back into the idea of the white people to always be seen as the saving grace even if they're saving one side to hurt the other, a group of people at that. However when all the immigrant people were in the maintenance room with Jackie, the light was dim, this really shows that these characters are boxed into a dark place, mentally, psychologically and physically. This reflects. that outside the hotel things may seem average and innocent but from within the hotel, there have been immigrants working illegally. Another thing to note is that the receptionist woman was also wearing almost fully white, which would again tie in with the white saviour mentality as white is associated with purity, innocence, good and peace. During this entire clip, the main transitions that were used were just quick cuts and the reason for this is because everything is so fast-paced in the film, things are moving quickly and it is very highly tensile and so the film-makers just really wanted to capture that, capture the speed at which Jackie also had to be moving in order to save these immigrants. Cutaways and jump cuts made up a majority of the shots that were taken just for time sake along with that seamless editing was a technique used so that there is more continuity and flow, which gets the audience engulfed in what is happening and makes them believe whats on the screen is real, and overall just increases the amount of verisimilitude, which is ironic because things like this happen daily to immigrants which is why the film-makers made the show this way, to really open the eyes of the audience to whats happening in our society.