Regional identity representation Doc Martin

DOC MARTIN….

Mise en scene

• work clothes
• Rushed 
• busy
• Lanes
• sea gulls
• small town
• vegetables-farming
• brick houses- very rural 
• Blue overalls

Camera

• Levels- doc martin standing- workers sitting

Sound
Cornwall

• "kinda like" "what appens is"
• Lacks nouns- less intelligent 
• Seem dim
• Working class
• Laid back
• Angry people(Doc )
• rude people
• "This happens all the time"- no cares- he's the worker yet he isn't doing anything to stop the leak

Editing

• Natural lighting
• not in a made up set- clear lighting

There is contrast- Doc martin seems educated and posh- in a suit- privilege area- higher class compared to everyone else- a snob- "he didn't care for hygiene either"
yet everyone else is laid back.


Doc Martin is set in a small village by the coast in Cornwall. A rural Cornish accent is used through out the piece which  have just watch. Although within this programme, there is a contrast in characters. The "Doc Martin" appears to be very well educated. We gather this information by the speech of this character. He is presented to be someone from perhaps South England- as he seems to be a middle class working doctor.  An example of Doc Martin being a snob is when he says "he didn't care for hygiene either", this shows snobby because he is looking down at the old doctors way, even though to there village character it is seemed as normal. The element of sound and accent is a the key part to discover the identity of the character is a programme.

When the clip starts we are presented with 3 males. 2 of whom are sat down in work gear and appear to be "trying" to fix a pipe. Although the older, bigger male is sat just talking to Doc martin, not doing anything and letting the younger man do it. This in itself shows an age hierarchy. Although within tho hierarchy stands another- a class hierarchy, this is helped be conveyed through the use of levels, the idea that Doc Martin (a man who appears to hold class) is standing up, whereas the 2 workers sat down. This helps show the superiority Doc Martin feels- even though he is an "outsider". Straight from the beginning we get a sense that he has control When asked a question, the fatter man replies with "Kinda like" "what appens is"- showing a lack of nouns and low intelligence. This creates a bias stereotype of those who live in places such as Cornwall as it suggests that everyone is illiterate and laid back- especially when the pipe burst and the workers just sit there and say "Ah this appens all de time", making Doc Martin do the work. However this is a bias stereotype because we see later on a women in a school- someone who actually cares for her work and does so in a presented honour- thus showing how not everyone in this village is a lazy, laid back worker who goes with the flow. Additionally, at the beginning of this scene the younger worker has a pencil behind the ear- this stereotypically wouldn't be found behind the ear of a high class citizen, whereas in terms of a local in a rural area, it may not be so uncommon- especially with a worker; this is therefore an example of how a prop confirms regional identity. If I were to eat a sandwich, I would make sure I had clear hands, although this laid-back worker has filthy looking hands although does not seem to care about the hygiene in terms of bacteria. The way he doesn't care creates a bias stereotype because it is suggested that all people act in this way, they don't care if they are eating dirt. Furthermore, they are not spending there time usefully, they would be getting paid for there time of working although what seems like they should be working, the seem to be just sitting there having general chit chat- procrastinating away from work, rather than actually doing it.

The use of the Mise en scene of the blue overalls on the  "plumbers" but lazy workers, are a stereotype in itself because you do not see all plumbers wearing these clothing. As these clothes look unkempt and just dirty it suggests hygiene is very poor in these areas. Although there are some times when people come in, such as Doc Martin, who are well dressed well spoken and try to prevent this. Doc martin's "uptightness" creates a contrast from all these other characters. When there is an old looking woman, with her vegetable truck, she appears to be struggling, so Doc Martin helps her out. This is important because even though he appears to be a "snob", he still cares enough to help someone in need out. Also shows the difference between his character and other characters because by the looks of the workers at the beginning, people in this area don't seem to be helpful- thus creating another bias stereotype within this regional identity which is being created.

The mise en-scene helps set the scene of a rural area- the hills beside the beach. Also, we see lots of seagulls- again setting the beach scene. The way this is set by the beach supports the idea that the locals are laid back- people go to the beach to relax, as they live there it suggests they are naturally laid back. The bricked lanes are very clique for a "sea side destination" as it creates a historical view, it seems old yet modern.

It is also quite clear to the audience that Doc Martin isn't trying to fit in- he isn't willing to comply with this locals as they are lower than him anyway. Also when "Bodmin" as mentioned it is unknown to Martin although he doesn't stop them to ask what it was, he just continued as he doesn't care- he doesn't want to learn the slang for these people. This is combined with his body language, he always appears to be looking down on these people, whether it's because they are sat down or he just appears to be higher than everyone else. Additionally, when they say "Bodmin" they pronounce it as "Baadmin", introducing us to their accent and trying to get used to the accent straight from the beginning. Also the use of the accent here helps portray regional identity because it stereotypically suggests this is how everyone from these rural places speak- even though it is unlikely to be everyone. Furthermore, the language of the workers highly contrasts Doc Martins because they are put together- if we were to watch a t.v programme with just one type of accent, it may seem to be normal. However with these two different accents, it puts empathises on the difference between the too. Even when the pipe burst the worker just carried on waffling about a stopcock which would be needed to help stop the burst, rather than helping fix it, making Doc Martin do it instead.

The use of the dog shows how the close packed town doesn't normally consist of crimes. This is because  it shows how the only thing the police was around to deal with was the cause of a lost dog, it's not as if it's a massive bank robbery.