Representation of Ethnicity - Spooks

By: Nathan on 02:21

Ethnicity is represented in TV drama through a variety of different stereotypes for both black and white roles. These are presented to the audience via camera shots/angles as well as editing, sound and mise-en-scene. These stereotypes link in to the 1987 theory of ethnicity by Alvarado. 

The clip starts with a close up of a white male on a mobile phone, the lighting behind this male is bright and shining through, behind him, this could be representative of his success and position in society. Jump cuts are also used throughout this part of the clip to show how the characters are reacting to each other, for example when something is said by the woman on the phone, the clip cuts to the back m,ale in the other place. 

The second part of the clip opens with an out of focus close up type shot, this has got darkened lighting, both of these aspects (the out of focus clip and the dark lighting) could be a representation of the stereotype that black people are largely 'out of focus' in society and the darker lighting could represent 'dark' activities, referring to the context of the scene.
The sound in this clip (non-diegetic) is silent. This could be representative of the fact that he is disallowed from contributing to the situation. Also an interesting effect is how the lighting situation contrasts between the two races.
The entire scene is also filmed with a camera using the 'hand held' effect, this could be used in order to achieve a certain degree of tension in the situation. This passes on to the audience, which allows them to pick up on the fact that there is conflict between the black and white characters. This technique is therefore used to accentuate another effect or story point in the clip.

Also worth noting is that when the woman is shown to have a gun pointing at her, the male holding said gun is higher than her, which could indicate that he has more power in this situation than her. I can't correctly see wether she is black or white but if she is black it is hugely representative of the racial stereotype that white people are generally in favourable positions, if however, she is white it could be representative of same-race discrimination. 

There is a close up on the gun which could have been used to emphasise the fact that the white character in the situation has most of if not all of the power, it also tells the audience he is the person who will be ultimately responsible for the deaths of these characters. However, when the gun is shaking and he is unable to hold it in a still position, the viewers get an insight into the fact that his consciousness may be kicking in. This may represent that he has got in to a situation that he would rather not be in. But can't exit it. This could indicate  that white people can sometimes feel as though they have excessive power and thus, they feel immense pressure to carry things out that society perceives that they should be able to do.
After and during Danny's death the shots are blurry, this could be representative that to these men, it means nothing and just blurs in with all the other times, this representation contrasts the earlier idea of pressure upon them [white people].
In the same scene there is a kind of slow motion effect, which is used primarily to accent the moment and make it more hitting to the audience. 

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Editing - The Street (complete groups task)

By: Nathan on 02:48

Cuts

• Jump Cuts: There is a jump cut used at 6 seconds to allow the audience to focus on the two characters and to let them know that this is where the action is going to take place. The change not being smooth indicates to the audience that this is not going to end well and there will be a bad outcome to the scene. There are a lot of jump cuts used throughout the conversation between the three men. This is used so that we are able to see the facial expressions of all the men when they are talking. One of the men looks comfortable with the scarring of Nick whilst the other does not. This may be used to show how people react differently to disability. The audience are made to want to be like the man who is comfortable with it so may be influenced to change their attitude if they act like the man who is not comfortable with the scarring. There is a jump cut which shows the back of Nick. This shows how people with a disability often turn their back on society as a result of the stereotypes which they have to deal with on a daily basis. 

• Cut: The scene cuts to Nick walking up the road. This suggests that disability is a long, uphill battle that people have to deal with. It shows how people with a disability do not find it easy because of how people act towards and around them.

• Matched Cuts: There is a matched cut which shows the man standing behind the shop door. This shot is used to link to two scenes together and to let the audience understand that these characters know each other. By the man standing behind the door, this may be used to show that he is scared to go and talk to the disabled character as he does not know what to say so it looks as though he is hiding away. There is a matched cut used to show the relationship between the two men and how they should be seen to be similar. However, the bar in the window of the van acts a physical fraction between the pair and shows how their relationship has changed between the two man as result of the scarring. There are matched cuts used in the scene when Nick is helping the women to pick up her shopping. The matched cuts are used to show the relationship between the shots. This changed from the view from a distance to his view of him helping pick up the woman's shopping.

• Motivated Cut: There is a motivated cut which allows the audience to see the disabled characters face. This allows the audience to see his scarring for the first time and understand what the situation is about. This shot is used to shock the audience as they did not see this side of the characters face before. This negatively highlights the scarring as the shots makes it feel as though it is secretive and should not be talked about.

• Cutting Rhythm: Whilst nick is with the women, the cutting slows down and stays on Nick's face for a little while. This may be used to show how people can sometimes just stare at people who have a disability as they may find it unusual or interesting. It shows how society does not find disability normal and people are not used to scarring. There is then fast pace cutting which is used between the conversation between the two characters. The fast pace is used to show the anger building in Nick and his frustration to the fact that he is scarred. It can also show how quickly the woman has to think in order to defend herself and defend the reason she screamed at the view of Nick. This shows how people are normally not comfortable in the presence of disabled people as they do not understand the disability or because of the fact that people with a disability are not treated as though they are the same as people who do not have a disability. 

Shots

• Reaction Shots:There is a reaction shot which includes Nick telling the other character to 'fuck off'. This is used to show the anger of Nick at the fact that he would not be on the same pay if he were to return to the job that he had before he became scarred. This is used to show how disabled people are not seen to be as important as people without a disability and are not valued as much as. There is a reaction shot which is used to show the horrified look on the woman's face as she looks up at Nick. This is used to show that she is scared by the scarring on Nicks face and how she does not find it normal. This represents the parts of society which  are scared by disability and do not see disabled people to be normal.

• Super Imposition Shot: There is a super imposition shot which shows the metal fence with Nick in the background. As Nick is the person who is behind the fence, this may be used to show that people with a disability feel trapped as a result and feel as though they are a prisoner in their own body. As he is also blurry this may also be used to show how disabled people are often forgotten about and not seen to be important.

Other

• Change in POV: Whilst Nick is in the office, there are a lot of shots used which all show the audience the scene from different points of view. This may be used to show how different people see disabled people differently, some people see the disability as that is all the person is whilst others do not see the disability and see the actual person. These cuts also happen quite quickly which may be used to show the anger within the disabled person. 

• Change in Location: There is a rapid change in location from Nick being outside to in a office. This may be used to show how people with a disability do not like to hang around in one place as they do not want to be seen by society. This scene changes from outside, in a crowded place, to inside where there are not a lot of people. This may be used to show how people with a disability hide away from society and do not like to be seen. 

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Representation of sexuality in Queer as Folk

By: Nathan on 07:00

First of all in the clip we see the main character walking through the school corridor. He does not appear to be highlighted or singled out in between other characters walking around the shot. This could be representative of how his general appearance does not differentiate him from the other students at the school showing that at first many people can't even tell wether a person is gay or not, thus putting across the idea to the audience that physically, gay people are no different to straight people.
The camera then moves forward in a POV type shot towards another male character. The movement is slow and could be representative that the homosexual boy is shy and reluctant when communicating with others, he immediately feels judged due of his sexuality; this could further link to how he has been treated in the past, thus giving the representation that many gay people are feel unwanted or even bullied because of who they are.
The homosexual male is shown to be smirking a little as he talks about his boyfriend. He could be attempting to make the other character jealous, this is clearly working as the other characters reaction is aggressive at best and he storms away from the scenario. This happens after a speed up in the editing of the shots between them increases in speed signifies the increase in tension/conflict between the two characters. His smile is instantly taken away but he still seems to be happy that his attempts to cause jealousy worked. This links to representation of sexuality as it represents how sometimes sexuality is utilised to create jealousy/conflict between people due to the use of common misconceptions associated with the topic as a whole.

Next a new scene is shown and a straight woman is talking about her sex life with a group of people at an event of some kind. She gives a lot of details and nobody else in the room/conversation react to what she is representative how as a straight woman she doesn’t feel judged/alienated because is it usually perceived as being the 'norm'. She is also shown amongst many other people in the shot which further represents how she is part of the crowd and doesn't  stand out or being an object or curiosity like a homosexual person could be.
 A very camp gay character is also sat at the table with the female is portrayed to have a strong accent that is very feminine in the tone and style in which he speaks. He is holding a cigarette delicately, pursing his lips when he blows out the smoke and is wearing an eye-catching animal print shirt. These are all points that add to the typical stereotype of a camp homosexual man as he acts, speaks and dresses very feminine. Many of the shots of this character are of him alone or only with a few others, this represents the opposite of my last point as instead of being shown to be ‘normal’ he is segregated from others in the scene and made to look different or abnormal from other heterosexual people.
Another male character that is sat at the table represents the typical butch heterosexual character that is often represented in TV dramas. His clothing is formal, masculine and typically worn by men, he is also shown to be slouching and acting like a typical man through butch actions and having a deep voice.
 The two gay characters are walking down a street pavement, the gay man although seeming to be very confident in his posture and loud speaking is shown to be lower than the other man, this shows how because of his obvious sexuality it makes him regarded lower than people that may seem more heterosexual than others. It could also show how although trying to put on a front of being confident and out there, he is actually shy and maybe even secretly anxious about how people perceive and judge him.
 A shot is shown of the family, including the two gay males, sat together at a table with the little girls back to the audience. This could be because homosexuality and even sexuality in general is not perceived to be a topic that is appropriate for children to be discussing with parents at a very young age. The little girls face is not shown to the audience showing how she is segregated from the topic of sexuality as a whole, homosexuality is seen as a taboo topic that can be seen as unnatural, many traditional parents don’t want their children to be subject of homosexuality in case of influences, as if gay people are something to be scared of.
The feminine acting man speaks with a high tone in his voice; he speaks very quickly and seems to have a lot of energy and motivation for subjects he’s talking about. He is talking with lots of enthusiasm about acting in theatres and pantomime plays which is commonly a hobby associated with gay men as it’s seen as very energetic and feminine. He also wears tight costume adding to how the mise-en-scene makes him look like a show-off and trying to get attention from other men, this is also a common misconception and stereotype of gay men especially- the need for constant attention.
There are many stereotypes and uncivilised ideas that are associated with adding humour to those who are gay through props and even common saying that certain characters say. This next scene shows the camp man eating a sausage from a fork; this is represented as being humorous to the audience as the sausage simply associates with the male phallic symbol. Audiences can react to this in different ways as they can see it as light hearted humour or actually not very tasteful stereotypes. This represents to sexuality because it gives an impression of the gay man as being desperate or even animalistic because of the manner in which he eats the food type.
There is a mid-shot in the kitchen which shows the mother of one of the homosexual boys talking to her son with her back facing him. This may at first seem harmless to an audience as she is busy washing up and carrying out daily tasks however if you look into it more deeply it has a very strong meaning representing her as someone who turns her back on her son because of her sons sexuality. This is a very strong stereotype and representation that is associated with gay men; that their families often disown them or feel that they have failed as parents because their children are deemed unnatural because they are homosexual.

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Editing - The Street (Group PowerPoint)

By: Nathan on 08:28

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Editing Through Moving Image (diability)

By: Nathan on 02:37

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Gender representation - Sherlock Holmes

By: Nathan on 02:29

When the video starts There is an establishing shot with some upbeat music (diegetic sound), we are immediately drawn in my the combination of the sound and the shot, which focuses us on the fact that there are no women in the scene. This is quite an effective way of stereotyping that the world that we live in is a very much male dominated one. Also worth focusing on is that the people (men) in this scene all clearly have good jobs, and I will explain how I came to that conclusion below, it portrays the representation stereotype that women all occupy lower level jobs comparatively with their male counterpart, if we look in deeper we could see that this has been used to represent that they also occupy a generally lower role in society as a whole and that they are an inferior gender. 

In this same section of the video we find out that these men are represented to have high level jobs, we can tell this as they are wearing high level clothes, such as suits, top hats and pocket watches. All of these items are associated with wealth. This gives the impression that women are generally accepted (due to a stereotypee) to be inferior as these clothes are generally only made for males.

Of further interest is that the main character "Sherlock Holmes" is often looked down on by the camera which, points down. This could be representative of the fact that, despite the previous gender superiority idea, there can still be inferiority/superiority within the same gender. This is further portrayed as the character that tries to shoot Sherlock is often mounted higher in the shot, thus further representing the fact that there can be superiority/inferiority within the same gender. This is also further backed up when goes to turn the extractor fan on, in this shot the camera is clearly pointing upward and by doing this the director empesizing is the characters control over the situation, this could further link back to the question as it could be representative of the fact that males are stereotypically level headed and in control of situations. 

Also in this scene is the fact that in all places where there is a male presence the decor is of gold. This could be further representative of the importance that males have in society as gold is often associated and represents high class and superiority, in this particular scenario, the male gender as a whole. 

The relatively calm colours of white and black could also be representative of the commonly used stereotype that as mentioned before males are always level headed and can stay calm in an otherwise stressing situation/environment.

Also present in this section of the video is that most of the men have beards, these are often associated with strength and raw power. Which is the desired image and stereotype (that men are powerful and always strong).

Throughout this section of the video the transitions between different shots are largely jump cuts and fade effects, the latter could be representative of the tranquility and calmness in which men can stereotypically deal with stressful situations. The jump cuts in this scene are largely used in order to create tension. Both of these transition effects back up points made earlier, for example the jump cuts that are quick are generally used as I said before to increase tension, this is likely to give the effect that the situation is quite intense and this then represents the stereotype I talked earlier about that males are strong and have a lot of power. This would cause the situation to be more tense as it is more equal. 

In the scene, when it cuts to the male in the sewers, the initial camera angle is a sort of areal view, giving the effect of vulnerability, thus portraying that in some secnarios even males (agreeing with the stereotype that normally they can always cope with situations) can be out of their depth. In a way this can be seen to promote gender equality as it gives the effect that both men and women can be out of their depth and that men went always totality in control of everything. This effect is, however reversed when we later see an up-tilted camera angle, this re-imposes the genes superiority as a camera pointing up is indicative of power and superiority. 

The lighting in the house of commons scenes is natural while by contrast, the sewer scenes are darker. This is representative of the stereotype that males are conformable;e in most situations. This gives of the general effect that the stereotype that the male gender is the strongest and most easily adaptive, as they can deal with multiple scene changes and receive no effects.

Once the main character (Sherlock Holmes) jumps out of the window and into the river and we see the male on the boat, he is higher placed in the set consistently, which could again be signifying in-gender superiority. 
In this same scene there are various shots of a woman, she is clearly not important though, as the shots are short and the editors have sped up the transition speeds. We do however, get a chance to see what she is wearing, it is a tweed style (grey) coat which could represent efforts to fit in to make society in order to get some importance. She has though still got lipstick on to keep her feminism. meaning that women always try to make themseveles appealing to men, this is also caused with her hair, as it is nicely made up and is styled in a fashionable (for then) way.

The conclusision is that this video focuses largely on male superiority. As the whole idea of men fighting with guns and action is what expected of a male in that situate, stereotypically. Also touched on is how women sometimes attempt to fit. Another point we can conclude from this video clip is that it also emphasises in-gender superiority throughout.

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Regional identity in TV drama - Our Friends

By: Nathan on 10:19

Analysis
Regional identity is represented in various ways through the 4 areas of representation in this clip from our friends.
The first shot is an over the shoulder shot this shows one of the male characters, he enters in  a rush type fashion, this could be a representation that he has not been educated on how to behave in such scenarios (posh restaurants). The next scene, is also an over the shoulder shot, this time however focusing on the other characters, another male and a lady, as soon as she says "hello" we can instantly tell she has a different regional identity to the rest of the characters, she appears to be from London or another "posh" area. On the other hand they appear to be from Newcastle, this is represented through diegetic sound when she speaks, the way she says "hi" we can instantly tell that she is of a "posher" regional identity.

Further more in the scene where she starts to read the menu and asks whether anyone has had the gamberoni, all the other characters appear confused, this instantly gives the viewer the impression that she is of a higher class region then the others. When the male character hesitates and then suddenly exclaims "prawns" it backs up our initial impression that he is less educated due to being from a socially perceived "lesser" region.
As far a mise-en-scene is concerned for this scene, the "posher" woman is clearly more used to wearing the upmarket clothes.

Helen then asks about the prawns, which is diegetic sound, the male from Newcastle then replies by describing the prawns. The characters from Newcastle laugh but Helen clearly doesn't find it funny, this represents that her sense of humor is different to theirs. Which could portray that she is from a more highly perceived regional identity. 
Subsequently there is a mid-shot of Tosker which shows him attempting to eat the spaghetti. He tries to eat some of the spaghetti from his fork. However, he largely fails as all of the spaghetti falls off his fork and back onto the plate before he places the food in his mouth. This could be trying to represent how Geordies may be perceived to not have very good table manners and are not be used to situations like eating in posh restaurants. 

When Mary and Helen are having a conversation (which is diegetic sound) Tosker interrupts. Helen replies to this interruption by stating "I'm sorry I was talking to Mary".  This could represent that Helen is not familiar with people interrupting into a conversation and she is used to talking to one person at a time. This may further suggest how people from Newcastle have little manners and talking over people is included in this, Tosker appeared to have no problem in interrupting. It may also show that people from London like Helen, have better manners and are not afraid to say what and how they are feeling as she appears to tell him right away that she was in fact, talking to Mary and that she does not wish for him to join the conversation.

The intelligence of Geordies is then touched upon by way of Tosker saying to Helen "whats one of them" (referring to the job she has said). This represents both that the types of jobs available in Newcastle aren't as "high end" as their London counterparts, and that Geordies aren't as educated as they fail to construct a proper sentence.

Eventually the focus turns to region based financial stereotypes, which links to the previous issue of the job, this comes about due to the fact that Helen doesn't respond to Tosker when he asked about what her job is, yet she choses to respond when the question is about money, this would be arguably a representation that people from London and other "higher" status regions are likely to have more money, it also portrays them as liking to show off their wages. This financial stereotyping continues when Tosker asks how much the deserts are, which could imply that people from Newcastle are tighter with money as they don't earn as much. The waiter laughs the question off (takes it as a joke). This is the stereotype that again, higher class people (which largely come from places like London), don't have much care over money as they earn more. 

Once that scene is finished, we move on to a series of close ups when Helen and Tosker start arguing, this is used to make us able (as viewers) to feel their emotions and establish their feelings more easily. In relation to regional identity though, this effect could be used to establish the representation that at this particular given moment there is no authority, as Tosker's less jokey and more serious side is revealed. This could portray the fact that in certain areas people are equal no matter what their regional background is.
When Helen realises this she quickly starts to laugh, and as Tosker doesn't know how to deal with this, she regains authority in the situation. This further backs up the point that people from London are stereotypically cleverer and thus are able to plan ahead better. It also could represent the stereotype that Londoners are rude.

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Ethnicity in TV Drama

By: Nathan on 05:52

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Secret Diary of a Call Girl - representation of disability

By: Nathan on 11:51

• The characters featured in this clip are represented in a wide variety of ways. the first of these involves the female character who is known in the video as the "call girl". She is not represented to match a stereotypical image of what people perceive a call girl to look and act like. Instead she is wearing formal clothing and thus doesn't look over glamourized ( a common stereotype for a call girl). She doesn't have much makeup and her hair is fairly normal, both of which contribute to the fact that she just looks like a fairly normal woman of her age bracket. she is represented in the video as caring and tries her best to make the disabled male feel at home. As a viewer we get the impression that she isn't very used to doing this and therefore struggles at times, often stuttering. This could be because she doesn't want to and is in fact scared that she may offend the disabled male. This represents the common stereotype that more able people feel awkward when making conversation with a disabled person due to the fact they might offend them. It is represented in the video that she perceives the disabled male as being non-sexual, this links to one of Paul Hunts 10 stereotype areas (non-sexual).

• In contrast to the female character the disabled boy is represented in a way that the audience are supposed to feel sorry for him, this makes the audience pity him which is also one of Paul Hunts 10 areas of disability stereotypes (pitiable or pathetic), as an audience we are forced y the situation to do this as he is portrayed to be weak as he cant carry out simple everyday tasks. He is also represented as reliant on his dad to take him and help him about his life, it is portrayed that this is not very appealing to him as it denies him a certain level of freedom. Another fact is that in most of the camera shots he is shown as shorter than the other characters which represents his vulnerability and less able state. as far as mise-en-scene goes he is simply wearing a T-shirt, this is typical for boys of his age and is arguabley a way in which he tries to fit in and be the same.

• The dad is represented in the clip as having the best intention for his son and being caring to wards him. Visually he is portrayed as being strong we can see this due to the relative ease with which he lifts his son. as with the other two characters, he is represented as feeling awkward in the situation and to a certain extent he is nervous as well. Overall he is represented as masculine and strong, this is essentially a stereotypical male. To back this up we see the clothes he is wearing link to a decorator or some other type of labour intensive job that stereotypically women cant or don't do.

The sound for this video Is mainly a combination of the noises in the car and the music and talking in the room. The first of which is the talking which is diagenic sound, the second is in the car when the dad keeps playing with the electric window, this sound represents that he is nervous and fidgety due to the fact that he has had to leave his son.

For the mise-en-scene part of the analysis, there are various aspects to look at. These include, the colour of the flat is mainly pink, this represents that the disabled male is less masculine due to his disability. Furthermore the flat includes some luxurious features for example the bed has some elegant and posh looking bed clothes, this could represent the fact that that the woman is an item that can be used and that is desirable to men, this is an aspect of the male gaze. Also an element to mise-en-scene is the fact that the lighting has a warm tone which represents warmth and comfort which is a desirable aspect to the "users" of a "call girl".

The editing aspect to the video includes long scenes when the "call girl" and the disabled boy are in shot, thus representing that they are comfortable together and that some of the awkwardness has gone away. The scenes with the dad in the car however, a jump cuts primarily, emphasizing the fact that he is probably anxious as he doesn't like leaving his son.
In the video there are a variety of different camera shots, the first of which is a long shot which allows the viewer to see the disabled male and the back of the female, this gives an accurate view of what the female is wearing, the camera then pans up and reveals the farther, this portrays the de-similarity between the farther and the son. There is then an establishing shot which gives viewers a sense of space and allows them to accurately guess the future of the situation as the representations via aspects in the room sink in. One of the next shots is of the male in his wheelchair, this is a mid shot and only includes the male and the other character's legs this represents the fact that he can only see one thing and that also he is lower that the other characters, this links well with the class and status is clearly portrayed to have a lower status in society than the other characters due to his disability. When filming the farther (the same is true with the female) the camera generally moves around and pans more, whereas when the disabled male is the centre of the shot they generally only use a few different angles and they are all mid shots, this could represent the fact that due to his disability he can't just get up and walk as the other characters can. This is one way in which the element of pity is instilled into the audience as he cant doe the everyday tasks the other characters take for granted i.e. walk.

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Gender representation wire in the blood

By: Nathan on 03:06

When the video starts we can clearly see that the scene has been edited to appear dark, this may represent that the male is over mining the woman. It may also represent that they are dealing with the dark side of people as they are crime investigators. Throughout this particular scene a hand held camera effect is used, This may represent that their relationship is fractious and that the woman has done something wrong and thus there is anger. Also of interest is the fact that the male is then positioned in a way which makes him appear taller/higher than the female, this suggests that he is watching over her this could represent that she is "inferior" to the male in the argument. This fits with the stereotype of women having no power over men. The sound in this clip is what you would expect as it involves mostly them speaking loudly at each other, noteworthy though is the volume level for the background noise, this further concentrates the viewer in the argument. The cross cutting gradually gets faster thus representing how the argument is getting more tense (particularly for the woman as she is starting to be "put in her place", this is linked to the stereotype that women don't do skilled jobs and in this clip they are talking about a death investigation therefore indicating they are detectives. this is relevant as the woman is clearly struggling whereas the man is doing it with relative ease. The characters are wearing formal dress, however this is most interesting for the woman as she is wearing a turtle neck and a grey cote, this could represent an attempt do de-feminize herself in order to be taken seriously by the males. Noteworthy however is the fact that she maintains her feminism from her face upwards as she is wearing  earrings, make up and has clearly made an effort with her hair, this could represent the fact that although she wants to appear more masculine she still feels its her duty as a woman to appeal to the males around her, in essence fitting in with the stereotype of how women should behave, and she would also be conforming to the male gaze theory.
We then see that the male is looking at her whilst she is talking to another woman which may be causing her pressure, the male then turns away which further emphasizes the representation of his disapproval of her tiring to take charge, also interesting in this scene is the fact that whilst she is talking to the other woman he is positioned in the middle, thus representing that he is still in charge of the situation. This agrees with the stereotype that the men are always the ones in charge as women as a gender are inferior and thus should take orders from the men.
The woman then turns as the male is walking of and says "I need you're input" this is diegenic sound and represents the fact that she is undermining herself as she "needs" male input, the male continues to walk off thus turning this into a power play.

There is then a crane shot which emphasizes the difference between the male and female character, as the crane gets higher it represents the fact that she is powerless against the male.

The fact the man finds the job easy is further portrayed when we are in his home and he is looking through the pictures instantly recognizing why they are significant to the case and to an extent concluding the case. We see this via a series off close ups and mid shots these make the man out to be cleaver and successful. The male is also represented as clever and in control when he rolls his sleeves up as this shows that he can just get on with the work. also a emphesis on this is how the clips are edited to be jump-cuts giving the viewer the idea that he is progressing rapidly, something that stereotypicaly women can't do. The colour of the walls in his hose further link to the job he does as red is the colour of death and danger, red is also a dominant colour thus representing how he is superior to other genders. There are two more interesting items in his house, the first of these is a plant which represents that  he has a nurturing side as patience and care is needed to grow a plant, this would coincide with the stereotype that men have little weaknesses and can dominate most tasks, the second item is a butterfly, it is not clear wether is is a print or an actual butterfly that has been pinned but either way it represents the fact he is methodical and scientific, also coinciding with the above stereotype. The sound in this scene is non-diagenic, which gives the viewer a sense that they are walking trough his thought path which is sad as is the music. 

In the next scene the video cuts to the woman's house herewe can clearly see she is struggling to cope as the house is messy, which portrays her home life as chaotic and uncontrollable, this is portraying that women need men to rely on while they care for the kids.  Another interesting element to this scene is the way the house is painted similar colours to the males house, this could represent that she is trying to achieve masculinity, this could be down to the fact that she feels that there needs to be some kind of male influence in the household. A further interesting fact is that her son (Ben) is dressed in red, which cold indicate that he is surrounded by her job, as we already said that the colour red could represent the job, another aspect to Ben is that he is in a corner thus representing that she is neglecting him and that he comes second to her job, this sis then backed up by the fact we hear diagetic sound when she is trying to find a babysitter last minute, this also shows her lack of organisation. This references to an extent the fact that women need men to help them in everyday situations To an extent this is then reversed when she asks the man to care for Ben as she has taken on the stereotypical role of the man.

The roles are switched back when we are presented with a close up of the man and Ben, there is fast music to represent fun, this is further clarified when ben suggests that the man is more fun than his mother and that she has to work long days in order to keep the house maintained.
Furthermore, the stereotype that men are powerful and strong swell as being successful is further presented to us when we see a silver Mercedes S-Class (luxury car) enter the shot. a man gets out thus representing his success in life. He then enters an abandoned house and can control everybody in it.

The sound of the voices of the homeless people echo somewhat, representing the emptiness of their lives, this is strange as they are men and in the video men are generally always represented to be superior. It does however link in to class and status and shows that whatever gender you are, if you don't have the status you will not over power anyone. These men are represented to have equal power to the women in the video. The homeless me are further portrayed as powerless  when we get a good look at the set of where they are, this is dirty and generally run down. this is designed to represent how their lives are.

The stereotype that men need to be strong and powerful is further backed up when the man that enters the abandoned house slams someones head against a wall. We get shown this via a closeup which shows that the man has all of the pose in that scene and thus represents gender superiority.
Once the video cuts back into the house with the man and Ben in we hear the fast music which automatically causes the viewer to feel positive, this feeling is backed up by a sort of long shot with the man and Ben in making some popcorn. they are making a mess which generally fits in with the stereotype that men are more careless and "messy" than the equivalent woman.

To conclude, gender in the video is represented in a variety of ways, this includes various stereotypes towards both men and women. Also included is the relation to class and status with the homeless men. The overall stereotype it creates for men is that men have to be strong and powerful as as all as being successful and still being funny and entertaining. The stereotype towards women is there are times where women can have power but they are quickly put back into their place. and struggle to manage with the home and work.

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Gender in TV drama

By: Nathan on 13:10

Word Document

 

Video Analysis

 

I decided to do a quick video analysis because I thought that this video clip was interesting as the stereotypical gender roles appear to be reversed.  

 



 

Camera Shots

• Close Up: The first shot that we are presented with is a close up of some people these are extras as such. We are then moved on to the second shot which is a close up of two of the main characters. This is when we get to see the characters, they appear to be hiding in a sort of air vent cover. We automatically get the feeling that these characters are not very powerful in this situation. This turns out to be due to the fact that one of the men's dad (the previous king) is being striped of his crown.

 

• Establishing Shot: There then is an establishing shot, this shows the audience the characters, and show a women leading what was (in that time) a primarily male dominated society, this gives the viewer a sense of what is to become and restores a sense of space.

• Low angle: The next shot we are presented with is a low angle shot where the king (previously) is on the floor looking up (as is the camera) to a woman in front of the throne, this particular shot emphasizes the fact that the male on the floor has now been striped of all status and any power he had, we it also establishes the fact that the woman is clearly dominating and at this moment in time has more status and power than anyone else.

• Mid Shot: We are then presented with a mid shot of the male that we now find out is named Uther, this further establishers his lack of power and influence over the situation as he is being held by two guards, this further emphasizes the woman's power over him.

Editing

• Cross cutting: As the conversation takes place between Uther and the woman the editor flicks between views depending on who's talking, this allows the audience to full appreciate the power the woman has over him, as she is ignoring what he says and caring on with her proceedings

Sound

• Crowd: The crowd in the shot are making no noise this increases the tension of the situation and makes the audience experience Uther's lack of power thus further representing the female as superior.  

Mise-en-Scene

• Lighting: The room is primarily lit by candles and fire, these fires and candles are all at the front of the room this means that the fire is representing power and thus emphasizes the woman's status.

 

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