The director of 'Compulsion' uses various methods, such as editing and sound, mis en scene and different camera shots to represent ethnicity. Conveying ethnicity through these techniques gives the audience a better understanding of the characters' values, tradition and culture.
The five minutes of 'Compulsion' viewed in class showed the 25th birthday of the daughter of a traditional Indian family. The daughter rebels against her family and culture and has an affair with a white man from her university even though her parents clearly want her to marry an Indian man.
Mis en scene is used a lot to convey ethnicity in this clip of 'Compulsion', particularly through costume. The majority of the characters in the clip are Indian and wearing traditionally Indian clothing (saris and a lot of jewellery) and the white characters in the clip are wearing suits and cocktail dresses. The difference in costumer emphasising culture and the differences between the two. The set is also decorated in a traditional way, it looks expensive and religious ornaments and symbols can be spotted, this contributes to the ethnicity of the clip and reflects the family throwing the party's background.
The programme starts with an establishing shot, showing the venue of the party, the decorations and grandness of the house reflect the wealth and ethnicity of the family. Close-up shots are used to allow the viewer to see the personal identity of characters. Over-the-shoulder shots are also used, this allows the viewer to see what's going on in the room.
Sounds are also used to represent ethnicity this is done through the Indian soundtrack and accents.
