Discuss the Representation of Regional Identity in the Clip Doc Martin -
In the clip Doc Martin there is a strong reference to regional identity through the depiction of the Cornish and the contrasting Londoner Doc Martin himself. Regional is displayed through the four main roles within production and these are: camera, sound, editing and mise-en-scene.
To begin with, camera techniques are used to display regional identity through implication and connotation. For instance, a low angle camera shot is used when setting the scene of Doc Martin's general practice; this is relevant as the low angle shot is focused on a young Cornish plumber in blue overalls. The connotation of a low camera angle is that the person within the frame of the scene is shown to be of lower class or displayed as inferior to the others. Dyer (1979) states that stereotypes are all about power, those with power stereotype those without it and as a result Doc Martin forms stereotypes about the local Cornish people. Doc Martin, as a qualified doctor and from a region of more wealth and status, is displayed as middle class through mid body shots rather than low angle shots portraying the working class status of the Cornish plumber. This reinforces the idea of social hierarchy with the people from a middle class background being educated and in a skilled professional position of power whilst the people from the working class background are presented as uneducated manual labourers. Furthermore, the panning shot following the two characters down the small town high street depicts the regional identity of living in a rural Cornish area. The scenery shown is small unique shops with the cliffs of the coast nearby, this depicts the quaint relaxed lifestyle of the villagers in the extremely southern region of the United Kingdom. The speed of the panning shots was also relevant as the panning shot was slow which reflected the slow lives lived by the inhabitants of the rural area and this depicted the two characters, of which one was a foil, stressing the differences between the calm and somewhat slow Cornish people and the fast paced stressed Londoner Doc Martin.
Secondly, sound and accent are also significant in depicting regional identity in the media text Doc Martin. The most obvious example of sound is accent and dialect employed by the characters. For example, the dialect synonym for someone who is in a state of declining mental health is referred to as "going Bodmin" which is a local moor that people tend to walk towards when going mad. Additionally, the use of music in the production is implicitly linked to regional identity due to the pace, tempo and tone. For instance, the music was comical and of a slow pace therefore in keeping with assumptions of the west country people as country 'bumpkins' with a slow mentality and lack of education but this is only a stereotype.
Furthermore, editing also plays a role in showing regional identity through the use of jump cuts. Jump cuts would normally be linked to a fast pace but in the context of this media production it is used to show the stark contrast between the middle class Londoner, Doc Martin, and the working class Cornishmen. For instance, at the beginning of the clip there is a quick succession of jump cuts when the water main bursts and this cuts between the face of Doc Martin and the faces of the plumbers. This particular scene is not only an example of regional identity but also of class divide. Doc Martin is a middle class Londoner who is out of place against the working class Cornishmen but still holds a position of superiority over them despite his status as an outsider. The theorist Gramsci discussed hegemony from a marxist perspective which suggested that media reinforced capitalist ideals through the depiction of regional identity and class divide. Hegemony is when the norms and values of the higher classes are imparted onto the working classes forcing them to adhere to their social position. The jump cuts placed Doc Martin in the position of power over the others reinforcing the ideas that regional and stereotypically working class areas are still controlled by a patriarchal figure representing the hierarchical structure of inequality due to region and class within society.
Finally, mise-en-scene which can be argued as the most important factor in media productions is another way of demonstrating regional identity in the text Doc Martin. The stereotypes of the rural Cornish regional area are reinforced through the muse-en-scene of setting, character, props and costume. For instance, the setting of the village is depicted as a small place in which everyone knows everyone else; the elderly lady moving cabbages, who requested Doc Martins' help, tells him the name of the women who he had previously met and was looking at. Furthermore, the plumbers were a small village family business, a father and son team, working in a manual labour trade representative of the regional working class areas due to lack of a high class education; this is further supported through Doc Martin suggesting that the older plumber should get a mop and learn how to use it when the water main burst. Additionally, the costume of the blue boiler suit worn by the two plumbers implies a working class, blue collar, trade. The blue boiler suit costume further supports the connotation of the blue collar working class whilst Doc Martin was wearing a white shirt that represents the white collar middle to upper classes further reinforcing the idea of regional identity being strongly related to the class divides.
Therefore, regional identity can be displayed through the variety of production means of camera, sound, editing and miss-en-scene in the media text Doc Martin. Not only is regional identity represented in the clip but so is the class divide and hegemony and as a result some theorists can be applied to the text as well; this relates to the theorists Branston and Stafford (2001) who state that soaps rely on archetypal characters and stereotypes that are readily accessible to entertain families and communities. As a result, the show can be perceived in either way as biased or non-biased. Some audiences would believe the media programme to be biased as Doc Martin is perceived as more intelligent and of a higher class than the Cornish people who are presented as un-educated farm workers who live in a small village.
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Additionally, regional identity is presented through make-up, or lack thereof, in the media text Doc Martin. Very few, if any, of the characters, stereotypically females, wear make-up. Within society it is perceived that make-up is usually worn by young women and in rural areas the stereotype is that the elderly and retired live there; therefore the lack of make-up is representative of an ageing population which is a stereotype associated with rural regions such as Cornwall. Also, the females presented in the media text are depicted as manual labourers who would not need to wear make-up in their everyday life especially compared to someone who is from Doc Martin's region of London where appearance is vital is certain workplaces.
Moreover, props are also significant in representing regional identity for instance through the use of the vegetable cart prop. A member of the village who Doc Martin stops to speak to is emptying a cart of cabbages and delivering them to local businesses. This displays regional identity as it implies the farming lifestyle of the rural Cornish people and that all businesses are small local businesses that work in cohesion with local farmers to keep the urban lifestyle away from their village.
