This clip explores the ways in which ethnic minorities are stereotypically represented and reflects the fact that these ethnicities can be stereotyped in such a way within society.
The clip begins showing an older white male being served by a young black man. The white man is seen relaxing on a sun-lounger by the swimming pool in a dressing gown. Whereas, the black man, who could be assumed as being a waiter, is dressed in a smart black suit behaving attentively towards the customer/client. Although the mise-en-scene is quite plain, the audience immediately gets the impression that the scene is set in quite a posh and expensive, higher class hotel. The basic pastel colours give the setting quite a 'clean' look, and compliment the fact that the mise-en-scene is quite empty, as this gives the impression of quite a peaceful and tranquil place.
The high key lighting on the white male suggests that he is important and has a higher and more significant status than anyone else in the screen shot. however, there is a slight shadow and lower key lighting cast on the black waiter, which implies that he is not of a very high status and is not very significant within the shot. The audience's attention is therefore drawn straight to the customer rather than the waiter. This could however cause juxtaposition, as the lack of lighting and therefore information that the audience gain from who the waiter is, could cause them to be more interested in who he is and what he is doing. The fact that the black man is initially represented as quite a mysterious character can be seen as quite stereotypical, as they audience does not know what
to expect.
Near the beginning of the clip, a black man is seen to be conversing with the waiter previously seen in the clip. The two characters seem to contrast in terms of their stereotypes through the use of mine-en-scene. The guest has dreadlocks and tattoos, along with noticeable silver jewellery. These features can be associated with someone involved in gang culture, therefore suggesting that this character may cause trouble. This stereotype is also emphasised by the way in which he speaks, as he uses a lot of slang, and language which you would not normally associate with the type of environment in which he is in. As previously mentioned, the mise-en-scene shows the setting as being an expensive, higher class hotel. This gives the implication that is character does not belong in this type of setting, which causes the audience to be interested into why he is there. This is in contrast to the waiter, who is dressed in a smart suit and is quite well-spoken, suggesting a more sophisticated character, which in turn makes him look more comfortable and suited to the environment. This gives the connotation (Barte's theory) of the fact that the guest represents the typical stereotype of a young black man, whereas the waiter could represent how he has broken this stereotype. This suggests that, through their familiarity with each other, the waiter may have had a past which was involved with the other characters and gang culture, which he is does not want to go back to.
During the conversation between the guest and the waiter, there is a frequent use of over-the-shoulder shots when the camera is on the characters. This use of cinematography could connote the fact that one or both of the characters may have something to hide. This is shown, as the over-the-shoulder shots make the audience feel as if they are sneaking up behind the characters and almost as if they are listening in on their conversation. This in turn suggests that they are talking about something which they shouldn't be talking about, which relates back to the stereotyping of gang culture and young black people causing trouble.
During the clip, there is a scene when two maids go into the room of a Japanese man, and it is suggested that they are there to pay him an extra service in order to receive extra money. The fact that both the maids are European could be seen as stereotypical, of the fact that it is not uncommon for the majority of maintenance staff to be foreign, as these types of jobs do not require many qualifications. Before the maids walk into the room, the more dominant maid tells the other maid something, which suggests that even the lower status staff have levels of authority within their groups.
When the more inferior maid is told what she is going to have to do, she is seen touching the cross which she is wearing around her neck. The cross is a signifier (Saussure's theory) of the fact that the maid is Christian. It is therefore implied that what she is about to do could be of concern in terms of her religious beliefs, which creates tension within the audience, as they know that something climatic may be about to happen.
Later on in the scene, there is a close-up shot of the Japanese man and then immediately after, a close-up shot of a pile of money on the table beside him. The close-up shot could also be seen as a reaction shot, as it shows the reaction of his face to what the maids are doing, which is an expression of anticipation. The diegetic sound is quite sensual, and put together with the man's facial expression, the audience gains a clearer idea of what is about to happen, and what the maids must do to get extra money. Also, when the camera shows a close-up shot of the money, there is a non-diegetic chiming sound. This gives the connotation of something that is magical or precious; it emphasises the importance of money from the maids' point of view and suggests to the audience how rare this kind of money is for them.
