How are regional identity and sexuality represented in the opening sequence of Shameless episode 1?
In our lesson, we watched the opening of Shameless episode one. Firstly, we discussed what stereotypes we currently come across daily and how they make people look. They can be biased as it might just be somebody's opinion but generally that's how people come across. Binary opposites were related to this as we found the differences between the two. The first ones we looked at were a person's sexuality. The stereotypes we discussed were gay and straight. For gay we found that most people agreed that they are usually camp, limp wristed with a mincing walk. They are also very loud and flamboyant. Although as time passes the stereotype can change as they are normally people think of them to be very feminine and girly whereas now, they are quite muscular and manly. Another point is that they have two different types for each gender. We classed the females to be camp and males to be butch. This just shows how the stereotype can change. For straight, we came up with the idea that they are either too sensitive or not sensitive at all, they love girls, they read lads magazines, they drink beer and are usually quite unhealthy. Another thing that we found was that they were metro sexual or didn't care about their appearance at all.
We also looked at stereotypes for regional identity. We split the stereotype into two and looked at northerners and southerners. For northerners we found that they are generally poorer, they have strong accents, can be quite butch, they are quite old fashioned, they wear flat caps, have whippets, they are less educated, they speak slang, there is more crime, they swear a lot and are very witty. For the Southerners we came up with the idea that they are richer, quite camp, well educated, they wear suits, have the 'Essex' stereotype, speak cockney, have expensive possessions and have different cultures. Overall the class decided that the northerners were the positive ones and the Southerners the negative ones. This is down to how they represent themselves.
Then we went on to look at the opening of episode one of Shameless. It starts with the dad of the family Frank Gallagher, introducing the rest of his family. There is his daughter Fiona who is a "big help, massive help", his son Lip who is quite gobby, his second son Ian "who is a lot like his mam", his other son Carl, his youngest daughter Debbie who is "a total angel" and finally the youngest son Liam, "the little rock and roller". This introduction gives us an idea of what the whole family is like, including Frank by the way he talks and what he says. You can tell that the Gallagher family are from the North, because of their accent, they are very laid back, they swear a lot, they're quite rough, there are high levels of crime, not very educated and are quite funny. They also don't have a lot of money and we can see this because of the amount of people living in that one house and they're possessions are very basic and cheap.
To begin with I looked at each individuals sexuality. Firstly there is Lip. He is obviously straight and comes across as a typical hormonal teenager. He is also quite funny but he seems quite cheeky to everyone which is also stereotypical but teenagers of today sometimes get in trouble because it can be mistaken for being rude. He gets himself involved in a sexual encounter which is also very normal for a teenage boy and this adds a level of humour since boys can relate to it and laugh at how they look. Then there is Ian. Ian's sexuality is probably the most unexpected. He seems to be a normal teenage boy, just like Lip, but as we can see in the opening, that Lip finds his folder and obviously finds out that he's gay. Humour is added to the scene once again when Lip looks at the Kylie poster on his wall that Ian has put up. It is funny as Kylie is an idol to most girls, not boys. Ian surprisingly comes across as quite feminine as he immediately starts crying when Lip finds him out which is stereotypical for gay people. Once again he does not come across as a stereotypical gay because he acts and looks like a normal teenager. This shows how the stereotype is not always the same for everyone although they may change during time but they are not always the same as the typical stereotype. Next there is Fiona. She is also straight and she makes it very clear. She is very flirty and outgoing. When she goes out with Veronica to to club, she has lots of fun and like the attention from the boys. When she meets Steve, she automatically flirts with him as she knows he's interested in her. She is the stereotypical straight girl as she likes to go out, get herself dressed up and have fun. Lastly, there is Steve. He is clearly a straight man due to his personality and sex-driven attitude. At the club when he meets Fiona, he immediately tries to impress her by running after the person who robbed her purse but he fails. When he meets her outside it is clear that they are both interested in one another by the way they act and their attitude to one another. The atmosphere is also set up so it makes the audience think that they are going to get together. He seems to be quite metro sexual as well as he dresses smartly and its almost as if he loves himself. He also has a sexual encounter with Fiona which is very stereotypical as it was the start of their relationship. Many men always get themselves involved in these situations. He is very masculine which also shows that he fits the stereotype.
Next, I looked at their regional identity. Fiona, Lip and Ian are obviously from the North and Steve from the South. Steve seems isolated from everyone else because how different he is and he doesn't fit in. Not only his appearance but also his personality is a complete contrast to the others. Fiona, Lip and Ian all live in a very small house and are quite uneducated. They also swear a lot and have a strong northern accent and speak in slang. This brings humour as it stereotypes a typical northerner to most people. They get involved in crime as well where the rate of crime is a lot higher in the North. Steve is the complete opposite to this family. He is well spoken and cares about his appearance. His accent is very posh which shows he is from the South and he is also well educated. He seems like he has a lot of money because of the clothes that he wears. This shows how different two classes of people can be and how they vary stereotypically.
Mise en scene is used effectively to emphasise these stereotypes. This also relates to regional identity as it makes it clear where they are. At the beginning when Frank is introducing everything, He says that "nobody is saying that Chatsworth Estate is the Garden of Eden" which shows that even he doesn't think anything of it although he goes on to say that it has been a good home to him so he is happy to live there. The setting is very important to build up the scene and helps show what is happening between the characters. They also went to a club which shows what Northerners do in their spare time and what they like to do. The lighting is also quite dark and dull so it shows that the house that they stay in is nothing special. Music is also used well as it helps sets the mood and atmosphere. It also helps the audience understand where the characters stand with one another, whether they are angry or happy. For example, when Steve and Fiona are kissing, we can hear birds which could possibly show a new relationship blossoming and the sound of birds represents and stereotypes love. It's something we can all relate to. The camera work which is also used represents the mood but also highlights the scene. There are quick, snappy shots but also longer ones when the conversations are more intense and meaningful. The variety of shots are effective as they create a different mood for the characters in each scene and helps tell the story. Intertextuality is also a main feature as it relates to other films that the audience may have seen.
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