Representations of the disabled- ‘A Touch Of

Frost’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C6thBrPD6g

Mise-en-scene Miss-en-scene such as locations  used in A

Touch Of Frost were the forest at the beginning where Billy was taken from the police and Billy's house where the interrogation occurred. The forest had a dim lighting which created a mysterious atmosphere for when Billy was walking through the woods, however the lighting dimmed a little more when the police were approaching him, which portrays the stereotypical way of showing the disabled in the media due to Billy having that spotlight for that little while.

This connotes that the forest is where Billy has freedom and feels independent. However using Paul Hunt’s (1991)  theory, this shows that Billy is his own worst enemy due to him falling over and cutting his face (makeup blood is another use of the mise-en-scene, the red connotes danger and anger). Also, the slow movement of Billy shows a representation of the disabled due to having a delay and restriction in actions.

Mise-en-scene In addition back at Billy's house, the

lighting on Billy was very dim compared to Mr.Frost himself. This links to Paul Hunt’s (1991)  theory as Billy is representing the disabled as a sinister due to him keeping secrets from Mr.Frost. It also links to Shakespeare’s theory of how the disabled are not shown as important as people without disabilities due to their restriction on certain actions, therefore people pity them

In contrast, the costumes which the characters wear are stereotypical. For example, Mr.Frost (detective) wears a long brown jacket, similar to the detective Sherlock Holmes. On the other hand, Billy is just wearing basic casual clothing which is very dark, which connotes dull and emptiness as he feels restricted with his freedom due to his disability.

Cinematography In the series A Touch Of Frost, it uses aspects of

representations of the disabled throughout the episode by using cinematography (camera angles) such as a two person mid-shot of the disabled boy, Billy, with his father standing behind him which signifies that the father is protective with Billy as he is dependant on others due to him having a restriction from doing certain actions independently, such as having a conversation due to speaking difficulties. This links to Paul Hunt’s (1991)  theory of the representations of the disabled, in this case Billy is representing the sinister of evil as he is being secretive.

Also, a two person high angle shot was used when looking down on the detective (Mr.Frost) and the father communicating, which makes them look vulnerable as they're bowing their heads a little to try to make the convocation more private to themselves. Furthermore, a high angle shot was used on Billy when he was in the woods being taken down by the police, which signifies his vulnerability due to him looking petrified whilst all the characters and the audience are looking down on him.

The high angle shot was used again when the detective walks into Billy's home and introduced to him, which makes Billy feel threatened in his own home. This links to Paul Hunt’s (1991)  theory of the representation of youth due to Billy being vulnerable and a burden due to him not being able to look after himself properly as shown by the cuts on his face.

Cinematography In addition, a medium shot was used in the

living room with all the characters in the shot (which also included the 180 degree angle), which relaxed the atmosphere as the camera wasn't focusing on one specific character. Another was used on Mr.Frost when he spoke, which signifies that he has more power and control due to him being able to show his body language and interrogate Billy easier.

However, Billy didn't have a medium shot, which restricts him showing his body language and showing how he really feels therefore, a close up shot was used on Billy's face more than the other characters due to the media mainly focusing on his facial disfigurement, which links to the representation of the disabled due to them looking “different” from other people and how they're treated differently from others due to their restrictions. This close up shot was used when Billy was repeating “I didn't see her”, which indicates his guilt as he is not being honest.

Sound Furthermore, the diegetic sounds used in A Touch Of

Frost are: Billy's voice which is slurred and slow, which links to Shakespeare's theory of how the audience feel pity for the disabled due to them having a struggle in everyday life, which makes the audience sympathise with them and make them feel guilty. This links to the speech of Mr.Frost towards Billy which was very patronising like a adult would to a child. However in general, he is very fluent and clear in his speech, which indicates that he is in a high class and has had full-time education. This shows that the disabled are treated differently from others as they're seen as ‘different’.

Also a lot of repetition was used. For example Mr.Frost had to repeat his questions a lot to Billy as he wasn't giving any answers. Again, this links to Paul Hunt’s (1991) theory of the representation of the disabled, in this case Billy is representing the sinister and own worst enemy due to him being secretive.

In contrast, before Mr.Frost interrogates Billy, he talks to the father and says “I need someone with me when I talk to him”, then  the mother interferes and asks “would it be better if I cleaned him up?”. This links to Paul Hunt’s (1991) theory of the representations of the disabled, in this case the burden due to Billy not being able to clean himself. Also, it comes across as disrespectful due to the mother making it come across as Billy being filthy.

Editing The editing used were: shot

reverse shot when Mr.Frost was interrogating Billy however, the camera was on Mr.Frost more than Billy, which indicates that Billy is not seen as important as Mr.Frost is the main character of the series. Also, this indicates that the media show the disabled as “different” to others due to their restrictions.

Also, a blackout was used after Billy got caught by the police at the beginning of the episode, which creates a tense atmosphere as the audience then wonder what will happen next (Barthes action code).

The next scene fades in, which creates a relaxing atmosphere to the audience.