Shameless Sequence Analysis

Shameless: How is class represented?

The scene from Shameless is set in an ordinary place that doesn’t look very attractive. The houses around the area look like there will be working class people living around there. Working class citizens are represented throughout the scene in many different ways, especially through their poorness. Camera shots, sound, Mise en scene and the editing help the audience understand what type of people this family on Shameless are.

The scene opens with a editing of slow motion used to emphasize the girl ballet dancing around her room. There is a voice over this part of the scene as the young girl reads out a poem from a fairytale but this sound is non-diegetic to the characters. Also a music box in the girls room is played (a sound motif) which might give the idea of the girl being a ballerina, or that she is living a fairytale dream and wishes that her life was simple like the music. The music and the way she dances around foreshadows the incident that occurs next in the scene, mainly about the dad and the way he is. This part of the scene is set in her bedroom which is mainly pink. This gives out a girlie idea of what the girls personality is like