Representation of Disability Question

In this extract of the television drama A Touch of Frost, we are presented with a disabled character, Billy, who has Downs Syndrome. In this essay i will be analysing the ways in which Billy is represented to us in comparison to the more able characters within the text, through the use of camera work, editing, and mise-en-scène.

In the opening scene, we are presented with a mid shot showing a man and lady. Immediately, we can observe from the woman's dialogue that the disabled are being treated as unequal to the able bodied, due to the way that she says 'I didn't that that there was anything strange about Billy' - the word 'strange' suggesting that as a person he is disparate and disconnected to them. The juxtaposition of this dialogue with the following shot, showing Billy, confirms the character that the woman is talking about.

After this, we are shown a long tracking shot of billy walking through the woods. The use of this shot type enables us to observe Billy's body movements. As he walks he stops momentarily and begins to dust off his trousers, immediately suggesting that Billy has been mischievous and a sense of wrong doing, which is reinforced by the use of low key lighting and a minor non-diegetic soundtrack that suggests negativity in the scene. Following this, we are shown a low level long shot of a police dog which we can assume is searching for Billy. The use of a dog as a prop to aid the police investigation suggests that they are searching for somebody that is particularly dangerous, representing Billy and the disabled as irresponsible and deviant. Next, we see a mid-long shot of Billy as he continues walking and a camera tracking movement is used to follow him, which is abruptly stopped as Billy stops walking, emphasising how he has noticed and is startled by the presence of the police. This is further reinforced by a CU reaction shot, which is used to show Billy's facial expression, which appears frightened, this time representing Billy and the disabled as vulnerable. Following this, the  shot returns to the previous mid shot, showing Billy running, suggesting that the disabled may have the inability to make good decisions.

Finally in this scene, Billy is chased by the police before being tackled to the floor. A low level mid shot is used to show this, allowing the audience to explicitly see the police officer as the dominant character as Billy struggles, representing Billy as being the weaker of the two. This is strengthened as Billy is captured and shown being held by the collar in a close up shot. The composition of Billy on his knees whilst the police officer stands above him represents him as submissive and weaker and the use of the tone of his dialogue 'I haven't done anything wrong' shows desperation amongst the character,  representing the disabled as vulnerable in society.

After the main title 'A Touch of Frost' is shown, a tracking long shot is used outside what would be assumed to be Billy's house. The use of this shot type exacerbates the number of people stood outside on the street watching, and also allows us to notice that there is a uniformed police officer standing on guard at the gates of the house. Each of these elements within this shot emphasise that the community are concerned with Billy's actions and that he is potentially a threat to them, representing those with disabilities as threatening to the welfare of society. After this, we are presented with a scene where the detective speaks with Billy's father. As they exchange dialogue, the detective says 'he would be considered mentally subnormal?' and in response to this Billy's father corrects him, saying 'handicapped.' The detective's word choices here represent the able bodied as being ignorant towards and unknowledgeable about those with disabilities, due to the way that he has incorrectly categorised Billy's disability. After this, the detective says 'i will have to have somebody else with me in case i break the rules'. This suggests that the disabled are seen as different to the able bodied in that they require special care and need to be carefully handled. This idea of the disabled requiring special care is reinforced when Billy's mother says 'he'll feel better if i can clean him up' suggesting that Billy is unable to carry out daily tasks such as this at his own accord, portraying him as being childlike.

Next, as Billy's father and the detective walk into the room where Billy is sat, a high angle shot is used, creating the impression that Billy is being looked down upon and that he is inferior to the able bodied detective in the room. This is fortified as the detective is composed high in the shot (standing up) whilst Billy is sat down in a chair, also creating this impression of dominance vs sub-ordinance of the able bodied in comparison to the disabled. In this same shot, which is elongated in order to create a more tense atmosphere in the room, Billy's father kneels down next to him and places his arm around Billy's shoulder. This use of composition and body language also supports the idea that Billy is receiving special care in order to ensure that he feels comfortable, again suggesting that the able-bodied around him perceive his mentality as being child like.

As the detective begins to speak, we are shown a close up shot of Billy's face, allowing us to observe his facial expressions. From this, we can gather that Billy looks suspicious of the authoritative figure (the inspector) from the way that he doesn't look him directly in the eye as he speaks and the way that his head is tilted to the side slightly suggests that he feels confused about the circumstances that he is in, representing the disabled as being unaware. In contrast, as the inspector speaks, he uses overly simplistic language within his dialogue, speaking to billy in the tone that one would usually speak to a child, ensuring to support and reassure him at every opportunity, saying things such as 'yes, I'm sure you were'. This gives us the idea that often the able bodied will act in a condescending manner towards the disabled and may consider them to be incapable of understanding. In addition, a low angle shot is used to show the detective during the shot reverse shot sequence. This camera angle again created the impression that Billy is looking up at the inspector as he is the more dominant figure, whilst a more high key lighting is used for the inspector in comparison to Billy, indicating that the disabled figure is

As the conversatiom between the two continues, the shot reverse shot sequence changes, and we are shown a shot of Billy with his father on his right hand side, composed just behind him. The deliberate use of composition creates the idea that Billy is constantly being watched over by his father suggesting that the able bodied are not able to trust those with a disability. Moreover, at one point, when the detective is unsure of what Billy is referring to by 'workshop' he turns to his father to reiterate. The way that his facial expressions look puzzled by this suggestion as he says 'what does he mean workshop?' suggests a lack of respect for Billy as he talks to his father as though he isn't present in the room, again demonstrating how the able bodied are represented to be untrusting of the disabled in this text.