Regional Identity North and South Clip

Regional identity is the identification of specific geographic regions of a nation. The two main categories are rural and urban, rural is the country and urban is the city. In this clip it seems to be in the city however it seems to be based in an older time. The representation of regional identity is Victorian England in the city. There seems to be a woman probably middle classed and she is shown in an area with a lot of working men which suggest city. This clip shows regional identity though: the peoples clothing, the mise-en scene, speech and more.

How shot types are used to show regional identity:

The first shot in this clip is of a woman and as she stands up and moves to stand in front of the man the camera tracks her movement, this also shows that behind her there are candles, flowers and an old picture in a gold frame. The candles show that Victorian England does not have electricity in their houses and the old picture in the gold frame shows that the Victorian people appreciate art and take pride in what their homes look like. There is an over the shoulder shot of the man the woman is talking to and this close up also shows the clothing of the man. The clothing that the man wears shows Victorian England to be well dressed, smart and well groomed. The woman also shows this but represents Victorian people to wear hats and knitted items.  

A tilt, establishing shot is used to show the viewer were the woman is and this shot helps to represent the Victorian England to be dark, gloomy and other crowded. On the streets there are women doing the washing in a big looking cauldron which shows that its Victorian time and this also represents Victorian England to have the men working and the women doing the house work.

There are close up, medium and long shots of men running down the stairs and the woman being teased by the men and she seems concerned. The fact that there are many men and there in a rush shows the men are coming to work or from work and this shows the men to be the providers to their families. Victorian England is represented to be busy and the people don’t seem very nice to know people.

How editing is used to show regional identity:

To show the chaos in Victorian England the editing is very quick to emphasize the chaos.

How sound is used to show regional identity:

The beginning conversation shows Victorian English people to be very well spoken and to be concerned about money. The family in the beginning seem to be middle class and this fits with the stereotype that there main priorities is money. The diegetic sound main by the people speaking shows Victorian men to be the provider for the family and to be reassuring to his wife. During the conversation she mentions God and Faith and this represents Victorian England to be religious.

As the setting changes there is asynchronous sound which occurs which is of a woman reading out a letter she has written to someone. The way this woman speaks represents Victorian England to be well spoken. More asynchronous sound is used of a baby crying and of a dog barking which represents Victorian England to be busy noises.

When the woman is walking down the city stairs, asynchronous sound is used of a steam train and its horn, this represents Victorian England to have little and old fashioned transport compared to present day.

How mise-en-scene is used to show regional identity:

The setting of the clip is very concrete based with little greenery which represents Victorian England in the city to be this way; also the amount of people around shows also that it’s a city. The washing on the line in the streets shows that there isn’t enough space around to have their washing inside and also the close buildings represents Victorian England to be a in the city.

The clothing of the men is very well dressed, well groomed and well spoken in the county house however in the city the men are in old, dirty work cloths which shows Victorian England to be mainly working class people. The clothing of the women however didn’t change much from the rural to the urban, all seemed to where floor length skirts and a hat of some sort. The woman that came from the country had a cleaner and more presentable outfit and the women washing on the street seemed to be darker, dirtier looking clothing.

Towards the end of the clip its shows a horse and carriage which represents Victorian England to be old fashioned compared to the present day.

In conclusion, the regional identity of Victorian England was shown using mise-en-scene, editing, shot types and sound. The sound and mise-en-scene mainly showed the regional identity because it was more obvious to the viewer.