Re-written Mock

This clip highlights the difference and the split between the disabled and the people with ability; in this clip they convey this through the two characters David, who is the normal teenager, and Ben, the disabled one. They are brothers who are roughly the same age as each other and through out the clip there is a clear difference between Ben and David.

Firstly the use of the camera helped display the differences between the two brothers from the very start of the clip through the use of a bird’s eye view. The view captured the difference between Ben and David as the disabled brother, Ben has a very colorful, child like room which automatically suggests to the reader that he is not the average teenager. Then on the other side David has a rather plain, dull room with black and grey, which could highlight his emotions as in the dialogue he is speaking about a depressing subject. The next close up shot of Ben indicates to the viewer that Ben is disabled as the audience can see his facial features which makes it clear that Ben has down syndrome, this makes the viewer feel a sense of sympathy towards Ben already before they even know his personality. In the following scene in the kitchen the mum says ‘bye’ to Ben and gives him a kiss on his head, the camera then does a reverse shot to David who is looking at his mum who is showing Ben affection; this indicated to the audience that the child with no disability is ‘under-loved’ and care is not shown towards him unlike the child with a disability. In the following scene there is an extreme long shot of Ben and David at the bus stop, again this implies a tremendous difference in the way the two brothers act. Whist David is sitting at the bus stop patiently and silently, Ben is playing around with toys and is being very fidgety; this displays to the viewer that Ben’s mental age is un developed, this again shows the difference between the people with disability and the ‘normal’ person. The over the shoulder shot of David drawing a horse indicates that he is not concentrating in class, however when the reverse shot of the teacher questioning him on what they are discussing in class he can answer the question, this indicated to the audience that David is an intelligent boy; this also highlights his ability and tries to get the viewer to compare him to Ben and how he wouldn’t have been able to have done just what David did. Finally the medium shot of Ben on the bus indicates to the audience that he is worried as he keeps looking round and acting very cautious.

The sound in this extract helps portray the emotions and differences between the two characters. Firstly the dialogue in the opening scene explains to the viewer that David is not enjoying his life and how he has to look after his brother, he even let the viewer know that he tried to kill him once; this creates a sense of connection between David and the audience as he lets them know his ‘secrets’. When the house appears and the non-diegetic music enters the scene however it only highlights one of the characters emotions, this is Bens as he is happy whilst eating breakfast. On the other hand the music contrasts with David’s mood, as he is miserable and unenthusiastic about his life. This is unusual as the audience start to feel a sympathy for not only Ben, however for David as well as his character is conveyed as brother who is always looking after his disabled brother; this is shown by David having to look after his brother whilst he goes toilet. Generally programs cause the audience to feel sympathy for the people with disabilities. Later on in the clip when David starts narrating again he keeps refereeing to Ben as ‘they’, this represents not only David’s opinion but also the whole of society’s opinion on disabled people as something else; they almost apply to them as not human. Finally, when Ben is on the bus the non-diegetic music is slow and depressing, this reflects Ben’s mood and emotions, which implies that even though it looks like he doesn’t get along with his brother he misses him. It portrays to the reader that even disabled people have emotions and care for people.

The use of mise en scene helped foreshadow something bad is going to happen which again naturally causes the audience to feel sorry for Ben. When David is talking to his friend and is about to leave Ben on his own an explosion happens in the reflection of a window, this foreshadows something bad is going to happen to Ben as he is making his own way home. It makes it clear to the viewer that people with disabilities cannot do what the average person/teenager can do. They help emphasis the fact that the disabled can’t live a normal life through David, as David is going out with his friends on the weekend. The sky is also grey and dull in the scene when Ben finds out he is going home alone, all of these foreshadow something bad is going to happen to Ben.  

Finally the use of editing helps portray the difference between the disabled and the ‘normal’ people. In the first scene it displays animal and creatures that highlights that David looks at Ben as non-human and more like an animal; supposedly so does society n a whole, this again causes the audience to feel sympathetic for Ben. The sharp cuttings of David talking to his friend also indicates that David can have an actual conversation with someone, in comparison to Ben who can’t have a conversation with many people, which leads to him having no friends; this again makes the audience emotional and feel sorry for Ben. When Ben is on the bus and there are people arguing and fighting, this highlights Ben’s disability, as he is worried that he could get someone picking on him or starting an argument. Finally the slow motion shot of Ben on the bus at the end displays to the audience that he is thinking about things and even though he has a disability he should be treated normally.