disability and tv drama 2015
TRANSCRIPT
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?
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
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?
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