Hotel Babylon- Mise en Scené

 One way in which the director chose to use Mise En Scené in order for us to sympathise with Ibrahim is through the use of the prop the hoover. The hoover is a significant object as it represents Ibrahim's character. When the camera cuts to the hoover left on the floor, this tells the audience how Ibrahim will be remembered as a cleaner, rather than a person. The use of the metonymic shot tilting down onto the hoover also shows how though he is working hard and putting in the effort for his job, he is still going to prison for it and being taken away.

The workers are seen wearing maroon jumpsuits, whereas the white people are seen wearing suits and heavy makeup. This shows the difference in social class due to the colour of their skin. This represents the white people as high class, rich and presentable, whereas the other ethic groups are seen in basic clothing, and as outcasts.

Furthermore, when the immigrants are rushing to the stock room there is a sense of sympathy from the audience as they are obliged to feel tense as they want the immigrants to avoid getting captured. The immigrants rush down to the stock room in which they are enclosed in a small room to hide. The small room downstairs is out of the way which reinforces the representation of the immigrants being below the white people as the white people are upstairs in the hotel, with lots of space. This makes the audience sympathise with the hiding immigrants.

The use of facial expressions also helps represent race during this clip. When the immigrant officers arrive, the white woman on the desk speaks calmly and presentably by smiling and has open body language. In contrast, the hotel workers show signs of nervousness as they tremble on their words and also have a worried and tensed facial expression. This shows how the white manager feels superior to the other workers because she is the same colour as the officers and does not need to worry about being arrested.

When Jackie is clearing out Ibrahim's locker, the audience sympathise with him being arrested through the use of the music and also the photographs of his family and football club. When Jackie removes the photographs, this presents to the audience that he is now alone as his only family were the other immigrants. The director has done this to show how the closeness of the immigrants is like a family because they all stay together with fear that they could be taken away from the officers at any moment.