Discuss the representations of Regional Identity in the Clip Doc Martin- Essay

In the clip presented of the TV Drama Doc Martin there is a strong reference to the regional dialect of both the West Country (Cornwall and Devon) as well as the South.  The TV drama Doc Martin is set in a fictional town of Portwenn Cornwall and the male protagonist of the show Doc Martin comes from South England.  It can be inferred from Doc's job and persona that is from a middle upper classed background.

Firstly, the only editing used throughout the clip is jump cuts however they have not been utilised to create a fast paced series of events in the drama by using a series of quick jump cuts to cut between characters, locations and actions in a style that is prevalent to that of horror movies or action thrillers to help simulate to the audience the stress and tension of a dramatic situation.  Instead the jump cuts used possess a slow almost lethargic quality as they follow Doc through the small Cornish village of Portwenn as he goes about mundane tasks such as fixing a broken pipe and trying to return a lost dog to it's owner.  The slow paced editing techniques used helps to reinforce to the audience the mundaneness of the tasks which he is undertaking as well as to emphasise the traditional stereotypes that nothing exciting happens in the West country. 

Secondly, sound is used throughout out the piece explicitly throughout the piece in the form of accent and dialect throughout the piece which is represented in the strong Cornish accents used throughout the piece as well as the use of the local slang of "Bodmin" which Doc does not appear to understand.  The fact that Doc does not appear to  understand what is meant by the local slang emphasises the fact that he is new to the community and the area so does not fully understand the jokes featured.  A more implicit area in which sound is used is the back ground music of the piece, the piece features a slow drawling tempo which provides the viewer with connotations of the laziness and lethargy featured presently in common conceptions of the west country.  The slowness of the beat also represents the fact that people from the West country may have a slower  mind and therefore me less intellectually able.

Thirdly, camera angles are used to emphasise status through out the clip.  Close shots and mid shots are frequently employed to demonstrate to the viewer the regional stereotypes of the characters for example Doc Marten (the south) has short neat hair and a suit opposed to the plumbers (the west country) whom appear to be scruffy and one of whom is overweight which is a stereotype associated with lower class areas.  The camera also follows Doc Martin in a number of tracking shots as he walks briskly through the idyllic village of Portwenn.  

Lastly, mise en scene is used to represent status through various areas such as costume and lighting.  Costume is used to show status in various instances such as the use of the boiler suits on the plumbers, the fact that the boiler suits are  blue link the plumbers into the work sector of blue collar workers thus showing their lower status and lower middle class background a factor which is commonly associated with the west country.  This contrasts effectively with the outfit of Doc whom is a doctor and therefore a man of traditionally high intellect and middle upper class status.  Lighting is used to represent the dark sheltered minds of the people of the west country due to the dark dingy background of the doctors surgery compared to what would have been expected of the more modern methods of the south.

To conclude, regional identity is displayed throughout the piece through variety of elements such as lighting and mise en scene to create a successful contrast between regional identity and class status.


Additional paragraphs

Additionally make up is used throughout the clip to emphasise geographical and age based stereotypes.  The role of the stereotype is a key theory in media and the importance of this was put forward by Branston and Stafford which states that soaps rely heavily on Archetypes and Stereotypes, Dyer goes on to say that due to the fact that stereotypes are always power based only those who have the most power are always the ones whom put stereotypes in place.  A key stereotype linked with the west-country is that people tend to wear less makeup and are less appearance orientated in the older age demographics where as they tend to be more appearance orientated in the younger age demographics however this is still at a lesser extent than that of the same demographic in London.  The fact that the cabbage lady wears little makeup whilst the cream lady and the teacher both wear more makeup demonstrates that they are part of a higher class bracket and are mimicking their higher status counterparts in the South.

Moreover props are used throughout the piece to demonstrate different values of the west-country.  For example the cabbage cart symbolises the fact that a stereotype of the west-country is that the farm a lot.  Another key prop in the piece is the dog as when the dog id returned to the police station the viewer sees that their are few pressing matters for the police to attend to as the biggest issue at hand is that of the fact that there is a missing dog opposed to the kind of crime which is seen in Luther which is set in central London which is of a far more dangerous calibre.