Disability and TV Drama

What are the stereotypes

How are they used

What issues are there

What do we already know

• What types of disabled are there?

– Physical

– Behavioural

– Emotional

– Health

– Sensory

• You have five mins to list all the disabled characters on TV you can think of (any TV Drama)

In General

• How are these people being represented? Are they victims? Does everyone have pity on them? Are they treated like everyone else?

• What stereotypes do we have?

• Are they different depending on the disability.

• What part do they have within the show, is it a crucial role?

Camera Mise en Scene

Editing Sound

Example One

What stereotypes are used here and how are the technical elements used to make us focus on the representation of disability

• Tony and Skins – Family

• Tony and Skins - Friends

Camera Mise en Scene

Editing Sound

Under Representation

• “The representation of Disability in the media in the last ten years is pretty much the same as it has always been: clichéd, stereotyped and archetypal”

• How far do you agree with this statement?

11th March 2009

• British TV drama bosses from across the main channels are to take action to ensure that more disabled actors are cast in their programmes

• There was consensus that much more effort should be made to include disabled actors in parts not originally written as disabled characters, and that there was a need for more inclusion of disabled people as background characters as a matter of course and for the development of disabled characters as permanent members of soap casts

• Do you think this has happened? What do you think might be some of the difficulties associated with this?

Example Two

• There was a bit of an outcry about Glee and its use of able-bodied actors – what do you think?

Camera Mise en Scene

Editing Sound

A very different Representation

• Part One

• Part Two

• How is Ability and Disability dealt with? Give specific details

Summary

• Write down five stereotypes about disability that we have discussed today.

• Give examples from TV Dramas where these stereotypes are reinforced

• Give examples from TV Dramas where these stereotypes are challenged.

• Give examples of how technical elements can be used to represent disability