'How does the extract construct representations of social class?'

 'How does the extract construct representations of social class?' 
Throughout this extract this particular social class is represented through various micro elements such as editing and sound  this extract is a representation of the working class .
At first we watched the extract without sound ; without the audio we made various  assumptions about the characters who were  presented  for example in the opening scene the children attack their father we assume that  the father is the victim as the camera uses a high angled shot to show that his status is low and to highlight his lack of authority in addition a low angled shot of the children shows them towering over the father  ; as the children attacked him we could assume that the relationship between the father and children is not stable this is additionally emphasized by their immediate departure the camera movement is frantic which mimics their actions and state of mind at that moment we could additionally assume that the family is not tight nit as they scatter or separate in different directions  ; on their departure we are given a short glimpse of their front yard  in it we can see broken down washing machines  this could show the audience that  they do not have the money to repair the machine or that they are too lazy to move the machine to a scrap yard when we are shown short snippets of the children we can also see how run down the area that they live in is  . Already the working class has been depicted in an unflattering light this is accentuated in their gathering below the tower blocks; the tower blocks is a stereotypical area/ place of living  that is usually associated with the working class . Without sound we assume that they are up to no good as the camera pans around we are shown their expressions they seem happy and content destroying somebody's or someone's car committing a criminal offence when you see a big crowd like this it easy to feel intimidated  ;when the police approaches they show a lack of respect for authority by running around and even taunting the officers .


When we were shown the extract with sound our views on the characters were influenced and changed by the voice over we hear that the father has a cockney accent which could usually be associated with the working class . our first assumptions before hand was that the family was not tight nit  and the father does not have a good relationship with the children however the voice over counteracts this argument as he father expresses his approval of his children he even narrates that he is proud of them "because every single one of them reminds me of me " whether that is a good thing or not is left for the viewers to decide whilst watching the series . we are shown clips of his children as he telling the viewers some information about them ; we later find out that his is a lone parent as the mother has"disappeared into thin air " this  challenges basic representations of gender as the father is the lone parent, usually we would associate a lone parent family with a female character ; our first assumptions of the family is that they are not tight knit  however when they are towering over their father in the opening scene a sense of unity is displayed as their mother has left their father may not be in the right state of mind or condition to perform his fatherly functions which could mean that the children may have to stick together or look after one another in the mean while this is emphasized by one of the children coming to the aid of their brother when the father seems to want to attack him . the audio works well as it is comical as the audio does not match the visual in particular the scenes when he is talking about his children the voice over shows that he is happy in his present condition  .


When we are shown the community; even though the act they are performing  is illegal the voice over does not make the crime as  heinous  as it was perceived beforehand  the comunity seems unified and happy the camera pans round showing various expressions that they are enjoying themselves  the man describes them as fantastic neighbours  they do not seem as intimidating as beforehand this could show that they are not depressed in their situation though it may not be great . when the police arrive the non digetic sound changes it becomes more frantic and playful which makes the viewers less worried that something may happen to the characters this is also emphasized by the way they are running carefree and having a laugh about it .