1. Representation of Disability
The Street (Jimmy McGovern 2009)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80K5P1qqQOI&feature=player_embedded
Watch the extract from The Street and answer the following:
1. Genre- Disability
2. Target Audience- old audience male and female
3. What are your first impressions of Nick Calshaw? He seems quiet angry
and upset about his restrictions due to his disability.
4. How does Dee’s reaction to Nick help POSITION the audience and create
a preferred audience response? Helps the audience sympathize with his
loss of identity in his job and lack of respect people have for him now.
5. How does the director of the show encourage you to empathise with
Nick? The separation at the beginning of the clip to show the wired net
stops him regaining his job because of his accident.
6. What type of representation does the extract construct, in terms of
disability? People react to him differently now he is perceived disabled

2. because he has a disfigurement and only one hand. Although he is seen in
a stereotypical way by others, he challenges this by fighting against them
and remaining determined to be the same as he once was.
7. Write down at least one example from camera, sound, mise en scene and
editing which support your argument
Camera Sound
Close up of her reaction when he Diegetic sound of the background
appears next to her. workers, where he used to work.
Diegetic sound of her screaming to
emphasis her exaggerated reaction
to his appearance.
Editing Mise en Scene
Shallow depth of field of him walking His face is made to look like a
away and the strangers around him realistic disfigurement, making his
blurred out. disability seem sympathetic to the
Shot reverse shot of her reaction and audience.
his reaction to making her jump.
Now in groups of 4 design a PowerPoint presentation which argues how
disability is represented in the extract. To be finished and given in class
tomorrow.