How do the filmmakers construct the representation of Britain in ‘White Girl’?

There are many aspects in even just the opening of the TV drama ‘white girl’ which give examples where the filmmakers have constructed a representation of Britain in which, in many lower class areas, segregation plays a large part within their society. For example, when the family are entering their new home city in their van, they show a close-up shot of a mosque against a very working class background of flats and terraced houses, showing great contrast between the two very different lifestyles. The look of confusion on the girl’s face at the sight of this mosque indicates that she possibly doesn’t understand why she is living amongst people of a different religion, and therefore highlights the great divide between the two cultural backgrounds. When the family arrive at their new home, the van is parked in an alleyway outside, with a shot of the van from behind looking down the alleyway. The entrance appears very small and distant due to the placement of the camera. The way in which the van appears so small and enclosed amongst this alley represents the entrapment of the family having moved into this new neighbourhood, that they will now not be able to escape this new lifestyle. This segregation amongst British culture is highlighted again by the producers in the editing, in the cross-cut from a girl wearing a burka to the white girl, as this clearly presents the total difference in lifestyle between the two children’s cultures. This particular shot of the burka-wearing girl is a point-of-view shot from the white girl through the glass of the window of the van. This glass represents the separation between the two cultures, as if the glass is representing the lack of empathy or willing to accept other’s beliefs in certain areas of Britain’s society, preventing the girls from gaining an understanding of each other, and possibly a friendship between them.
The producers also create a good representation of the run down, derelict, working class and rough areas of Britain. At the beginning of the program, there are a number of different shots showing the large role played in working class Britain that is fish and chips, beer, and the overuse of substandard jewellery worn by certain male characters. All of these things aid in the creation of encapturing working class Britain in as much accuracy as possible. A large proportion of the opening is also based around the abusive father of the unnamed ‘white girl’, which identifies the kind of life that many people living in such conditions have to face. The use of an abusive parent plays a great part in representing Britain in this drama, as it clearly shows how rough some areas can be. It creates a sense of fear for the audience, as they are at the time seeing the story through the eyes of the little girl, who is under potential threat from her drug-dealing father at any given time. The use of low-angle shots of the high-rise tower blocks within the neighbourhood make them appear very daunting, as if to show that the lives of the people of this area are very subdued, with their opportunities at a brighter life being blocked by these huge pillars of concrete and cement. There is a close-up shot showing the poor condition of the girl’s trainers, implying that they are in fitting with the rest of her lifestyle, and show that her family are possibly living in such poverty, and have too little money to afford another pair. This point is highlighted again when the local chip shop owner points out the fact that the girl is “getting too big for that bike”, again showing that she has grown up with the same possessions, unable to afford another. This could also possibly imply that she is outgrowing her life amongst the council flats and dirtiness of lower class Britain, and should take any opportunity to progress out of it and make something of her life, fulfil her dreams! The true working class atmosphere of the mise-en-scene is also captured well by the filmmakers with the inclusion of a building site close to the homes, a typical example of an occupational opportunity undertaken by many people from this background.