How Disability is Represented in The Secret Diary of a Call Girl

Camera Shots-

Pan Down- There is a pan down goes from the upper bodies of the other characters down to the man in the wheelchair. This is to put emphasis on the fact that he is in a wheelchair because we are made to look at only him and how he is lower down than the able-bodied people. However, the camera is kept level at his height which shows that he is equal to the other characters even though he is disabled.

Mid Shot- There is a mid shot that shows only the upper body of the man and is a shot that means that we are unable to see the wheelchair that he is in. This is so that we can forget that he is disabled and so that we do not view him in a sympathetic way. This is showing the fact that disabled people are the same as able-bodied people.

Two people/Mid Shot- There is a part in the clip that shows the dad carrying the disabled man to the bed. This is because he is unable to walk and was unable to get there on his wheelchair as the house was not suitable for it. This makes us feel pity towards the disabled character as he has to be carried which may be seen as this removing his dignity. The audience will automatically feel sorry for this character because he is unable to do tasks that most able-bodied people can do.

Close Up- There is a close up which shows the female character running her hand down the male characters arms. This is to show her actions and to make us focus in. She is being soft and gentle which may be a way to show that she is treating him differently to other people that she may have also done this with.

Close Up- There is another close up where it focuses in on the mans face. This is to show his facial expression as he is being touched by the women. His facial expression makes it look as though he is uncomfortable but is trying to enjoy it. This may suggest that he is not used to being touched by another women.

Two Person- There is a two person shot that shows the man and the women. This is where she is removing his top for him. By him being unable to remove his own top it is suggesting that he is not able to preform everyday tasks. This makes the audience pity this character as the majority of those people may be able to remove their own clothing and would feel bad if they were unable to.

Editing

Dad in the van- Whilst the dad is waiting in the van, we see a few different clips of him that have been put together to show his boredom. We see that at first he plays music, then he rolls his window down and up continuously, he then moves his chair back and forward and then he honks his horn. These are all little clips that have been put together one after the other. This is to show him boredom and to emphasis the length of time that he is having to wait for his son. This is showing that Blake's dad has to wait for him to help him out again and he does not know how much time he will take meaning that he is unable to leave. It also shows his worry as a father that something may happen to Blake that he may need assistance with. This shows how disabled people are treated differently because able-bodied peoples dad, would most likely not wait outside, especially if they would have to wait for a long time.

Sound

‘This is my dad’- The disabled man brings his dad along to the women’s house as he is unable to get there on his own. This is unusual as people do not normally take their dad to something like what Blake is doing. This shows that he has to have someone with him for him to be able to go at all. This shows how his life may be and how difficult it must be for him. This then automatically makes the audience feel pity towards him. This is because he is seen as less able and as though he is not able to do as much as able-bodied people.

‘Could you get that dad?’- The man has to ask his dad to get the paper out of his bag. This may be because he doesn’t want to get it out himself but we presume that it is because he is not able to. This further backs up the pity that we feel towards this character as he needs to get his dad to do things for him. His dad then has to carry Blake to the bed as it is up stairs and his wheelchair is unable to get up the stairs which further shows the difficulties that he is faced with.

Soft, slow music- This non-diegetic sound that is added to show the soft and slow actions that he she is preforming. This is as she is touching his arm. This may also try to be showing his happiness and content in being touched by a women as he is not used to this.

‘Can you feel that?’- The women has to ask Blake if he is able to feel where she is touching him. This shows that she is not aware of what he is still able to feel and shows peoples lack of knowledge towards disabled people. This would be strange for her as she would not be used to asking people if they were able to feel where she was touching. This may be used to try and show that people have a lack of knowledge in disability.

'Have you two talked about what Blake can do' - This is a question that the dad is asking the women, however it is a question that concerns both Blake and the women. By the dad asking only the women, this is making Blake seem as though he is a little child because his dad has to check. This shows that he does not think Blake would be able to say what he is able to do and not do because he may not believe that he is grown up enough to do so. This is showing that people who are disabled are treated differently and may be seen as though they are not the same as an able-bodied person.

Mise-en-Scene
Blake's clothing- His clothing is everyday clothing and what you would see a lot of men wearing. This consists of black jeans and a black top that contains the logo and name of a band that he is a fan of. This may be trying to show that he is just the same as everybody else and his disability does not make him any different. He does not have to wear any different clothing just because he is in a wheelchair and people may view him differently because of this.
The house colour- The main colour of the house is red. This includes the colour of the walls and most of the things inside of the house. This is signifying romance and love or even maybe danger. The reason could also be that she is trying to get her home masculine so that men that go there will settle in more and will feel more welcome. From these points this may be warning us that this is either a good thing and may end up in love or a bad thing and may not be good for Blake. However, we cannot tell from just this clip.