Representations of Social class in Shameless

Through the miss-en-scene I can infer that this is set in a council estate in Manchester, however from my knowledge of the series I know that it is set in the fictional Chatsworth council estate, Stretford, Greater Manchester, England. This is also shown through the camerawork through the use of panning as it gives a bird’s eye view of the estate and I can also infer the regional accent of the narrator Frank Gallagher. 

Moreover, Frank Gallagher's narration of the setting suggests that the estate is like a Utopia as he portrays the council estate in a positive light which is juxtaposition of what the audience see's as the stereotypes associated with estates are usually quite negative. Moreover, his descriptions of this estate would seem like hell to someone of a higher class and status. 

Below is the extract of Shameless.

From this extract, it appears that the narrator Frank Gallagher seems to be really appreciative of what he has, this is shown through the upbeat score of music in the background, as it is quite jolly and uplifting which echo his happiness. This is also shown through his tone of voice and vocabulary as he uses a biblical reference to describe the grassy area of the estate as he called it the "Garden of Eden", suggesting that to him this place really is paradise. This could link to his class because he doesn't have much he's able to appreciate the little things whereas someone from perhaps a richer and more educated class and background would see this place as a hovel and wouldn't appreciate its beauty due to them having more materialistic things. This could be because of his class as they are usually seen as people who lack ambition and settle for less due to there "can't be bothered" mentality.  

From looking at this angle the mise-en-scene shows the counsel estate to be a sought of haven, a sanctuary if you will. This is shown through the bright setting of this particular shot as the connotations usually associated with an estate is grim and dark. During this section, the pace of the camera shots quicken, this has been done via numerous jump cuts. This could have been done to show the increase in activity, additionally, this could also mean that there isn't much to see as if this was a period drama such as Downton Abbey which solely focuses on the upper class and their servants, the camera shots would be much slower and there would be far slower and more panning shots of the grounds, whereas the camerawork in this extract is very fast and intimate, as it zooms into the house very quickly.

In this shot the director has chosen to show children playing, to suggest that this a friendly estate where everyone gets on, this is once again highlighted through the mise-en-scene. This shot shows working class people in more of a positive light thus eradicating the usual stereotypes of thugs and gang members hanging out in parks creating nuisance 

The use of CU's in this shot helped to add sympathy towards the child and it also heightens the idea that people of a lower class have less control of their children thus resulting in their bad behaviour. Although, the child looks scared of the father, the dad then loses his control and power from the situation as he is then knocked in the head by a loaf of bread by one of his children, thus suggesting that the children run the house.

In this section, the father has just been hit on the head with a loaf of bread ans has dropped to the floor. This reinforces the stereotype that a single father can not cope on his own as his children appear to not respect him, this could be due to how he acts more like a friend to them and not like a father. Moreover, as he's a stay at home dad their lack of respect could be because of this, they might be ashamed that he's not done anything with himself, he's just living of the dole and they can't really respect him as he's just acting like a kid himself, this could be as a result of him being an unemployed working class man in his middle ages, who has a tendency getting drunk, taking drugs, petty theft and getting into fights in public or with the law. His family are also working class and they all are regular drinkers, most of them are also criminals. Women are often shown using sex to manipulate people. 

This shot clarifies that there is a blurred line, in terms of hierarchy in this family as the father is supposed to be the head of the household, the more dominant character but the facts that the angle is a point of view shot looking up at his children, which in the extract is followed by them running out of the house  suggests that the father has no real control or power over them which is more profound in lower class families than middle or upper class.

This particular screenshot shows Franks daughter to be quite demonic, as the mise-en-scene shows fire to be underneath her and she's moving her fingers in away that can almost be read as casting a spell, thus suggesting that she can be seen as the "devil" child, which is another biblical reference. This can also be seen as a pagan ritual, as everyone is gathered around the fire, this could be seen as the middle classes perception of the lower class.

This shot of the police car entering the estate shows the people applauding its arrival showing their lack of respect towards authority. This also suggest that this is a usual event for them, that they have numerous encounters with the olive. This is usually associated with people of the lower class as they often turn to crime in order to get money or stop their boredom.

 



 This shot shows Franks son using an aerosol can to increase the fire showing that he see's arson and vandalism to be fun. Thus showing the lower class in a negative light, as it shows him being a nuisance to society. However, this also shows his father to be terrible at his job as he's encouraging it rather than trying to put a stop to it, another representation of social class.

Ultimately, this extract shows the working class in a very negative way as it depicts them in a very stereotypical manner; showing them swearing, taking drugs, drinking, fighting and partaking in illegal activities and scams rather than trying to get real jobs. Moreover, the fact that the children have different mothers illustrates that the father has a tendency to sleep around with different women, who clearly don't care about their children, bar one who occasionally comes in to help Frank which then confirms the connotations attached to working class people. The use of different shots, the miss-en-scene, sound and the editing really help to impact the audiences perception