8/10/2019 Secret Diary of a Call Girl
2/2
Thursday 8thJanuary 2015
How is disability represented in The secret diary of a call
girl
People with disability are usually seen as being weak ,useless
and pitiful, this are the most common stereotypes for disabled
people in
the 21stcentury. In the secret diary of a call girl, the
disabled boy has corrected these stereotypes by showing that he is
weak, therefore
his father has to carry him instead of the boy walking. He is
also useless which is why he has to get his father to help him e.g.
push him
in the wheelchair.
Disability is shown in a number of ways in this extract, the
first is editing. Editing techniques such as shot/ reverse shot,
eye line and
jump cut are all used in this extract. Shot/reverse shot has
been used within the first 10 seconds, it is used so we can see the
relation
ship between the boy and the girl on other sides of the door. By
them being opposite each other we always see both of them in
the
shot which reveals the boys disability and the girls ability,
which also juxtaposes each other. Throughout the extract the
relationship
gets stronger, we can tell this because at the beginning,
shot/reverse shot is used at a door way and by the end it is used
on the bed,
which confirms that their relationship is also strengthening.
Jump cut appears in the middle of the extract, it is used so that
time is
fastened if something is taking along while. We see this
technique being used when the father is sitting in the car waiting
for his son to
finish having his experiences with the girl. When the father is
in the car we see him playing with all the equipment (belts, chair,
windowand music) but we dont see the boring things like when he
could be sleeping, this is what is cut out to make the time in the
car seem
quicker for the viewer. This also reinforces the fathers ability
and the boys disability, as the boy would not be able to do these
things in
the car like his father can. The eye line technique helps the
viewer indicate what is going to happen next. For example we see
the girl
look over to the bed which indicates that she is going over to
the bed next and looks at him again to see if he needs any
help.
Mise en scene also helps represent disability in a call girl . A
part of mise en scene which is used is setting. The setting is made
out to
be not disability friendly, we can tell this because we see a
shot of the flats that she lives in and flats arent usually
appropriate for
disabled people. Steps are also found in the girls flat which
makes it harder for the father to wheel the chair around inside her
flat, so
he has to carry him into the bedroom. This also reinforces that
this is her first time with a disabled man as well as his. Props
are also
used, such as his wheel chair so that we can definitely tell
that he is disabled and also his father who acts like a prop as he
needs him to
help as much as the chair which also dehumanises him. Casual
clothes are used as their costumes in this extract, but his father
is
wearing a painters attire which again shows his ability to do
things that his son cannot do. The composition that the boy
features in is
always in the centre of the screen, this could portray that most
disabled people are the centre of attention as they always need
looking
after and keeping a close eye on. By putting him at the centre
of the screen it make sure that the viewer is always watching him
and
that he is the main character in this extract.
In conclusion disability is portrayed in a number of ways in a
the secret diary of a call girl and shows that disabled people can
live up to
their most common stereotypes but also make the viewer feel
sorry for them and pity them.
