ER Clip – Representational Issue of Age

                In the first scene the audience see a young boy in a hospital bed, who is suffering with a fatal disease. As soon as he and the doctor begin their conversation it is clear that the boy is wise beyond his years as he almost outsmarts his doctor, whose facial expressions show that he is confused. The boy has diagnosed himself and takes a mature approach to his situation in deciding not to inform his own mother. From the use of a lower angle shot of the doctor standing over him it is clear that he, as the adult, has more authority as he changes the boy’s mind. The lighting in this scene is very low key, to create a sombre mood about the clip as the audience are made to sympathise the boy’s tragic situation. The shot reverse shot used in this scene of the clip shows clearly the difference between the doctor and the child’s reactions to the situation; the doctor appears confused and worried, where as the child has clearly come to terms with the issue; this is perhaps not what the audience would expect from real life.

                Following this there is a short clip of another young boy, in the waiting room, who appears stereotypical in that he cries over a bite from his gerbil – completely trifling issue compared to the boy in bed. This character completely juxtaposes the boy in the previous scene, whilst it reminds the audience of what a young boy would typically act like. This again highlights the maturity shown by the ill boy, so it is made clear these characters are binary opposites despite their similar age. Amongst the waiting room the audience hear several diegetic sounds, conveying the variety of characters and their ages, such as a baby crying, adults speaking and the elderly coughing.

                Later in the clip, where the old, supposedly ‘drunk’ man lays on a hospital bed, the camerawork speeds up from cut to cut in a frantic style whilst several doctors rush and panic around the bed. The bald doctor stands at the end of the bed in his white coat, showing his authority. He is calm and collected whilst he criticizes a young female nurse in her floral uniform, for not noticing the patient’s issues and assuming he is simply a homeless drunk. As he belittles her, he also praises his fellow doctor by saying “get back to the waiting room, we clearly need you in there” as though he is complimenting the doctor’s efforts. It is made clear that these two characters are equals as they are both dresses in white lab coats, contrasting with the colourful nurses uniforms which look much less official.