OCR G322 – Cranford (Class)

OCR G322 – Cranford (Class)

The representation of class is highly shown through outfit. At the beginning we are introduced with a tracking shot of peasant boy, they have show him as a peasant by having him with bare feet and dirty clothes with holes in them, his outfit is much slimier to a slaves outfit symbolizing that they are in the power of other people and live in such conditions just trying to survive. He is clutching a bag of food to his stomach to show that he is practically clinging on to life; this is how precious a small bag of food is to him and his family, it’s a matter of life or death.

A long shot shows a little log cabin in the woods which can be related to the ‘Three little pigs’, it’s symbolizing that it’s weak compared to the brick mansions of the rich and even though it’s vital it is so easily taken away from them and then they go to the rich begging for help, symbolizing that rich always have the power.

A close up of the old second hand boots and a close up of the boy’s face have been edited together back and forth between the two, to show that something as little as that can mean so much, this showing the class well as the poor appreciate what they are given. It also symbolizes hope, his feet were bare and venerable but now they are covered and protected.  A close up shot of the father pointing to the boy as he says ‘We do fine without’ which is to do with education as people of that class don’t have that luxury.

A long shot of a huge white mansion, the white connotes heaven, a place that will bring the boy happiness. The non-diegetic music is a slow and deep sound suggesting something bad is going to happen and it’s building the tension.

Close ups of all the different types of fruits with the non-diegetic music of hearts and flutes which connotes Paradise, it’s like the donkey with the hanging carrot, and he wants to try theses delicious looking fruits but he knows he can’t have it.

Introducing the higher class is with a low angle shot of a man in a pair of expensive brown leather boots, the complete opposite of meeting the lower class boy showing the difference between them. It snaps into a mid shot so you can see the man’s expensive, well tailored and clean clothes, yet again the difference from meeting the boy.  

They have done a tracking shot of both classes together showing binary opposition of Rich vs. Poor as he drags him by the ear to his office. They have angled the shot upwards when focused on the man to show that he has more power and then the opposite for when the camera is on the boy to represent that the higher class are in charge of the poor because they have more money.

They represent the higher class not just through their clothes but the was they talk, a two person shot of a higher class man and lady saying such things as 'My lady' show they are of a higher class.

There is a scene where the posh man is having people set up a tent for a party, they have edited shots together that swap from woman in dirty maid outfits scrubbing the floor to formally dressed butlers carrying flowers showing that the poor get the horrible jobs because they will do anything for money as its vital for them to survive whereas the people that have money have the pleasant jobs. The non-diegestic music in the background is very upbeat and happy representing it’s going to be a fine evening.

The editing snaps between the different classes at mid shots as the man asks the boy to collect some ice cream and the boy replies ‘what’s ice cream’ which is representing his class because when you are poor you only have enough money to buy food and not fortunate enough to have luxuries.

We are shown a scene of the higher classes getting into horse and carriages showing that they don’t even have to walk to places where as the boy was walking around bare foot.