Representation of Class in Shameless UK

Discuss the representation of Class and Status in the following extract of Shameless using the following to analyse the drama.

The television show "Shameless" is about a working class family living in the north of England. Characters include the father, Frank, eldest sister, Fiona, three brothers Lip, Ian and Liam, and younger sister Debbie. The mother, Monica, is not present, and Frank is an alcoholic and therefore often not present in the family structure. 

The mis-en-scene of this television show plays a very big part in developing the sense of the working class characters. For example, the characters live in a shabby looking council estate, in a small flat. This shows that the characters are working class due to the state of the area in which they live, the size of their flat in correspondence with the number of people in their family, and the furniture and appliances that the home has. 

Another example of how mis-en-scene helps to create the sense of the working class is through Frank's appearance and attire. Frank, the alcoholic father of the family, is often seen with long, greasy, unwashed hair, and a bristly beard that looks as though it desperately needs shaving. This adds to the working class atmosphere in that it demonstrates the stereotype that working class people may be unclean and unhygienic, either due to being uneducated or not being able to afford a running hot water supply that was plentiful enough to cleanse the whole family on a regular basis. 

Thirdly, one could decipher that Frank is a working class character through where he spends most of his time - the pub. Frank is depicted both smoking cigarettes and drinking inside of this pub. These actions make him seem working class as it makes Frank seem like a very flawed character. This links to Butsch's theory (1992) that the working class are portrayed as very flawed individuals. In addition to this, when Frank is speaking to Ian, he talks about a time when his benefits were cut, near when Ian was born. This also demonstrates Butsch's theory.

Another factor that helps to demonstrate the class and status of the Gallagher family is sound. For example, the characters accents and the way in which they speak - if the characters were upperclass, one may expect them to speak eloquently and pronounce words properly, as though it were the queens english. The characters, however, appear to use a lot of slang, and some letters in words go unpronounced; for example, when Fiona says "Wha?" rather than "What?".

Characters also swear a lot - in particular, Frank. An example of this is when Ian tells Frank "You're not my dad." to which Frank responds "The fuck have I done now?". This demonstrates that the characters are of a low status and are working class firstly due to the fact that Frank is swearing in general, and secondly due to the fact that Frank is swearing at his own son. Another example of where Frank swears at Ian is when he says "Of course I'm your fucking dad." Although this may seem somewhat sentimental, it also illustrates the dysfunctionality of the Gallaghers as a family, in that there is speculation as to whether Frank is even the real father of one of his sons (which it turns out, he isn't).

When Frank first enters the pub, upbeat music is played. This is an example of non-diegetic sound. This music sets the vibe that Frank is perhaps a comical character; as though he has been designed to be laughed at. This demonstrates the stereotype that lower class people are so worse off that they may as well in fact be laughed at. 

The character of Frank could also link to Newman's theory that the working class are often demonstrated in a very negative light. Frank would be an example of Newman's "dumb baffoon" - an uneducated working class male. However, where in most situations this character is light hearted and loving, Frank is not. Frank is simply a selfish alcoholic who ultimately does not care for anyone but himself. 

As for editing, this show features a lot of fast-paced cuts, especially when within the Gallagher household. This helps to add to the atmosphere of busy-ness within the home. This helps to create the idea of the Gallaghers being a working class family due to the fact that it's just Fiona left to take care of four other young children; therefore, her household is very hectic. If this were an upper class family, Frank and Monica would be looking after the children, rather than Fiona, their older sister.

Many L-Cuts are also featured. This is when a character speaks while the camera is focused on another character. There are two main examples of this in the clip; firstly, when the camera is on Ian while Frank tells him "You are all my kids.", and secondly, when Debbie is telling Fiona what she needs for media studies, and the camera is focused on Fiona's face. The first example shows how shocked and afraid Ian seems when Frank says this to him. This may suggest that he doesn't often hear loving words from his father, which could suggest that they are working class as stereotypically, parents are not always so loving with their children. As for the second example, this illustrates the look of stress on Fiona's face when Debbie asks for things for school. This shows that Fiona is worried about finance, but still wants to give the kids the things they need. This shows that they are working class, as Fiona is concerned about buying Debbie a few things for school; if they were upperclass, this wouldn't at all be an issue.

Many different camera angles are used in this clip. For example, a two-shot is used when Frank and Ian are talking, which shows the conversation in an almost equal light. This could suggest that perhaps Frank is not quite seen as an adult in the way that he acts, and is more equal to Ian in that sense. An establishing shot is used when Frank first walks into the pub, which informs the viewer of where he is, and who he is. This adds to the idea of him being working class as firstly, he's drinking during the day, and secondly, he clearly has not got a job as he has free time to actually spend in the pub.  In addition, there are many close-up shots centred around the character of Fiona. This shows the viewer that she is an important character in the show, as she is the head of the family. This demonstrates that the family are working class as Fiona, one of the children, takes care of the family, rather than Frank who should be the one to be doing so.