Re done Hotel babylon essay

How is ethnicity represented in the clip from Hotel Babylon?

One way that ethnicity is presented in Hotel Babylon is through pity. We see this throughout the clip and the director uses this technique through a variety of ways, including positioning to make the audience sympathies with the migrant workers.

The director uses position from the start in Hotel Babylon, they make you feel like you are on the side of the migrant workers and that you should feel sorry for them. The use of the camera work going from Steadicam when the immigration officer comes in compared to when the receptionist gives the signal and it switches to handheld connotes the idea that there is a problem and you instantly fear for the workers. This feeling also occurs when Jacky, the seen to be organizer of the migrant workers finds out about the raid, there is instantly shouting and upheaval in the background which you can hear, this is diegetic sound. The sound of the upheaval enforces your assumption that this is a problem and again makes you pity the migrant workers as you know they may be in danger.

Another use of diegetic sound in this clip to illustrate pity is when the immigration officers emerge from the lift, we see and hear Ibrahim gasp, we obviously get from this that he is in danger and is not in a positive situation which positions us in an atmosphere of pity as the scene foreshadows what is going to happen to him.

Another way that they attempt to represent pity is through fast paced editing, this creates the representation of pity because the fast paced editing creates the impression that the situation is rushed, frantic and uncontrolled, which makes you feel pity as these elements connote to danger.

Another way that ethnicity is presented in this clip is through the contrast in power. Jacky who is the organizer is given significant power and has a set of keys and is seen to be responsible for the migrant workers, the fact that she is of Asian dissent often seen as wise, powerful and calm hence why the director has put her in a position of care.

The next significant show of power is the use of a tracking shot following the path of the immigration officer, the fact that we have to follow his actions demonstrates that he is of high importance of power because he controlled the situation as every shot on him is a Steadicam whereas any frame with migrant workers was handheld.

The next illustration of the contrast in power is using mise en scene, all of the migrant workers are in unprofessional uniform and in unskilled work because they are seen to have no choice, we see this when the diabetic female passes out in the basement and it appears that the black cleaner was originally a doctor prior to his migration, he exclaims ''I wasn't always a cleaner you know''. this juxtaposed with the fact that all the workers from non-ethnic minorities are in suits and more presentable uniform, this gives the representation that ethnic have no choice in their line of work meaning they have less power, these are called binary opposites.

Also before the ''raid'' happens the staff have no individuality or persona, this is the stereotype that immigrants are ''nobody's'' and have n real purpose, it is not until crisis when we start to see them as individuals like Zenab and Ibrahim. During the clip they use costume to identify the immigrant’s status.