Shameless essay

In the BBC tv series shameless, we are taken into the home of a dysfunctional Manchester family which is the epitome of the stereotypical 'underclass' portrayed by media outlets such as the sun which has contributed to the classism beliefs which are instilled into British society.

Camera
The use of particularly close range camera angles is used to draw attention to the specific themes and social undertones of the show. Whether it be the use of a close shot to highlight the drinking culture of the underclass family or the ECU shot used in the introduction to show the wild and uncivilised mannerism of the youngest child, which plays into the stereotype of lower class people having little sense or self control. (Lawler)

The show has very fast panning camera shots to represent the fast paced, stressful life of a lower class family as they struggle to make ends meet and find solutions to their many problems.
The distance of the shots throughout the clip generally ranges between ECU and medium shot with a few long shots during the establishing shot to show setting.

The camera angles throughout are relatively high which may suggest that the lower class are to be looked down upon and judged rather than to be looked at as equal and learned from as fellow human beings. Often when members of the upperclass are shown on tv, a low camera angle is used so that the audience must look up in awe at the subjects being shown.

The use of match on action also provides a sense of setting and allows the audience to gain more insight into the local community and the living conditions as you can see from the pub exit scene

Mis en scene


In shameless, the director makes the financial situation of the family evident from the dirty, raggedy appearance of their clothing. The father has an unkempt and greasy hairstyle complimented by his baggy and creased attire which makes it clear to viewers that he is a part of the underclass. This also plays into the stereotypical portrayal of poor people being unpresentable and unconcerned with their appearance.
The younger children can be seen in 'chav' like baggy tracksuits with skinheads which is typical of lower class culture in places like Manchester and Liverpool

In shameless, setting is used to reveal the lifestyle of the underclass family. The drinking culture stereotype is maintained as the father can be seen spending his time in the pub 'drinking his sorrows away' rather than making any attempt to better his life. This portrays the underclass as unambitious and content with their situations which is often far from the case.. This type of media portrayal was noted by Butsch who believed that the media tend to show the working class as flawed individuals in an attempt to villainise the lower class by the upper class. This has been proven by Lawlers (2005) theory as the under class are often described using derogatory terms such as chavs and in this tv show the characters have been created around these terms such as chav or N.E.E.T (Newman) not in employment education or training



Sound
In the opening scene the unpleasant sound of an off key flute being played over a reggae piano chord progression can be heard as the family are introduced. This is another symbol of their low social status as the reggae music genre is generally associated with the lower class and has a negative stigma attached to it due to it stemming from a minority group within the uk.

Throughout there is a constant use of colloquialisms and foul language  which portrays them as uneducated people and is another stereotype of the lower class as Newman explains that the lower class are often likened to buffoons who are incapable of acting proper and this is evident in Shameless

Throughout the film there isn't much music or non diegetic sound, which creates a realistic yet stale feel to the life of the family and may represent the hard knock life that they have to live.
In the pub Frank can be heard having a discussion with his alleged son regarding whether or not he is the biological father and despite the boy having scientific evidence that he cannot be his father due to his blood type and is reluctantly convinced by Frank that he is infact his father who quotes . This simultaneously plays into the benefit scam stereotype of the underclass and N.E.E.T.S (newman) and shows the low intelligence of Frank and his supposed 'family'




Editing
There is a frequent use of match on action throughout the clip which allows the audience to see the poor council estate environment in which the family live in. As government funded housing is synonymous the lower


The majority of the footage is shot in the medium shot range which allows the audience to pick up on the stereotypes and the mis en scene where all the signs of the families poverty are shown, from clothing to the rancid messy aesthetic of the house in which they are living in.
The fast paced camera transitions of the film represents the chaotic atmosphere of their daily lives as living in poverty rarely allows leisure. The use of short take recording represents this well also.

In conclusion, the portrayal of the underclass in shameless is extremely hurtful to the image of those people who are of the same financial status who may be ambitious and educated. In shameless there is a lot of generalisation of lower class people  and they all seem to share the same undesirable features. This creates an image of all lower class people being lazy and content with living off of government aid. This is a part of the agenda of tabloids such as the sun to villainize the underclass which instills classist mindset into the working and upper class people of Britain