ER Clip

This clip I am evaluating is about ER, which demonstrates representations through age, this clip is suggesting to the audience that age is too complicated or it doesn’t matter at all and we gain an uderstanding of the different roles people play due to their age. The representation age is shown through camera, mise-en-scene, sound and editing which are the four key elements.

The clip we see at the start of the scene is a close-up of a male doctor in a white coat walking beside a female doctor, who is also white coat, conferring about something to do with a patient. The dialogue between the two doctors suggests that the male doctor is confirming and giving feedback about the patient’s latest test or health which signifies that the female doctor is more qualified and to be more qualified in the doctor career takes a lot of time which can indicate that the female doctor is older than the male doctor. While the two doctors were conferring a behind the shoulder shot was taken behind the male doctor. There was non-diegetic sound in the background such as telephone ringing, other people talking, paper rustling etc. This makes the scene more realistic to the audience.  The next scene is where the male doctor walks in to a patient’s room as the camera is zoomed out to create a mid-shot so the entire room is fit into the camera frame. The patient was a little boy in a patient’s gown with medical wires around him. The lighting is low key so it is dark as the scene is tensed and serious. Then a role reversal is taking place. The little boy is severely ill and could die and has not told his mother about it. The doctor is persuading the boy that it is about time he should tell his mother. This scene indicates to the audience that the boy looks and sounds like he has more knowledge than the doctor which suggests that however much knowledge one knows, age doesn’t matter and there is no age in learning. During the scene a number of close ups and shot reverse shots have taken place to build up the tension for the audience. There is continuing editing throughout this scene. The scene after clearly signifies a transition scene because it is in the A&E ward where a number of patients are waiting to be seen and there is non-diegetic sound with telephone ringing, people talking and crying. A little boy, who looks similar in age to the boy in the previous scene, is being checked by two female doctors. The boy is wearing a brown hoody and is with his mum. This is a transition scene because the boy is moaning and groaning as his was bitten by a gerbil. This ‘illness’ is not so much a life and death situation has the doctor prescribed him an antibiotic. Whereas the boy in the scene before, he was in a life and death situation but was acting mature about it. So the boy who was bit by a gerbil, he’s reaction to his pain is seen as over-reacting if compared to the boy in the patient’s gown. This is a signifier that age does not matter and it all depends on the maturity and personality you consist of.

Moving on we see the place in a surgery room through a long shot as the doctors are wearing such equipment. There is low key lighting used as someone is being operated and the doctors seem quite distracted. Also from the non-diegetic sound of the dialogue it seems that the doctors do not quite know what to do which brings the audience back to the age concept where age doesn’t matter as this scene suggests that no matter how old you are and how qualified you are, you will still not know everything you are supposed to know. There is a number of quick jump cuts and close ups of each doctor to emphasise the conversation taking place. There is continuous non-diegetic sound from the equipment which gradually gets louder as the scene gets tenser.  The last scene consists of a lot of tracking shots in the waiting room. A woman is sitting in front of the elevator as the elevator opening sound is heard. A doctor comes out as she approaches to the woman and questions her about a patient related to her. The woman then gets up and they walk into the reception room. A black shadow-like comes over face and darkens it suggesting a tensed scene is taking place with low key lighting. This low key lighting suggests the woman is a culprit of something, as from the dialogue it seems that there is a missing bullet. As soon as the word ‘missing’ was mentioned a zoom on the woman’s face was made. There is continuous editing throughout this scene. The scene then ends on a cliff hanger as the audience don’t know what the situation about the missing bullet is.