Showing posts with label stereotypes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stereotypes. Show all posts

Tuesday, 11 November 2014

Gender representation - Sherlock Holmes



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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Tuesday, 4 November 2014

Regional Identity - Stereotypes



Scottish Sterotypes
One of the most used Scottish stereotype areas is that they all wear kilts and tartan clothes, this is not true and there are many people that certainly don’t. In the TV drama Outlander the male characters generally wear kilts, this would fit in with the original stereotype. An example of a counter type to this are most if not all the characters from Taggart, a Scottish TV Drama. They don’t adhere to this stereotype due to their lack of kilts. Another common stereotype for Scottish people is that they are very heavy drinkers; this can be highly offensive to some people in Scotland and is largely a false belief. Although not strictly a TV drama “Grounds Keeper Willie” from The Simpsons is a heavy drinker, thus representing this stereotype. He is also a cartoon, which means that his persona is completely manufactured, this means that the producers purposely decided to use this stereotype. The counter type to this popular stereotype is, again from Taggart. They don’t all drink heavily and a great proportion of the characters are Scottish. One further stereotype is that Scottish people are traditionally ginger haired, this stereotype originates from way back. A lot of producers choose to include this stereotype in a Scottish characters portrayal. This stereotype was used by Dr Who in the character Amy Pond, she has ginger hair, and she is Scottish. This is clearly an effect that the producers wanted to include. A counter type to this stereotype area is The Hound from The Game of Thrones, he does not have ginger hair which means that the producers did not choose to use that stereotype.

Liverpool Stereotypes
It is largely stereotyped by people of other regional identities (primarily people from London and other "higher" areas) that people from Liverpool are unintelligent, uneducated, thieves, violent and hopeless. This is down to the fact that traditionally people in Liverpool did low paid jobs and left school early, now however this is largely untrue. Most current media representations of Liverpoolians are the old fashioned, outdated view.

Newcastle Stereotypes
This is one of the most stereotyped region in the UK, one stereotype of how a Geordie should be is that they are loud, usually drunk, always joking and many more things. These stereotypes are largely unfounded and not true. There are many successful people from Newcastle, thus contradicting the stereotype that people from newcastle are uneducated. Examples of Geordie stereotypes in media are Tosker and some other characters from our friends in the north. They largely fit the common stereotype. 

Yorkshire Stereotypes
The dialect in Yorkshire is easily distinguishable. The most common stereotype of a Yorkshire person is as tight with money, there is a saying that "a Yorkshireman is a Scotsman with all the generosity squeezed out of him", which referrers how Scotsmen are also stereotyped as being tight but not as tight as people from Yorkshire . Yorkshire people are often stereotyped as friendly but they are also stereotyped to be "bloody-minded" argumentative and stubborn. Generally it is stereotyped that men from Yorkshire wear flat caps and tweed style clothes. There are certain foods that are commonly associated with Yorkshire, these include: Yorkshire puddings, potatoes and other similar foods.

Birmingham Stereotypes
Brummies as they are referred to commonly, are largely stereotyped to be relatively unintelligent, this stereotype was largely brought about by the fact that a lot of Brummies had low level manufacturing jobs, for companies such as the now collapsed MG Rover Group. They had these jobs as there where many, and a lot of them where following in at least one ansestors footsteps. This is largely untrue today as many of the big employers have either seised trading or moved most of the production abroad, this is the case with MG Motor UK. The intelligence stereotype is also related to their instantly recognisable accent. Which to some may sound unintelligent.

Welsh Stereotypes
Wales is sometimes known as the land of song, and is used for its singers. A very widely used stereotype of Welsh people is that they all like rugby, although many people in wales do, in fact like rugby it is not everyone. The welsh also have their own accent when speaking English but they do also have their own language.
One example of a TV Drama that uses Welsh stereotypes is Gavin and Stacy, which all of Welsh characters, speak in the stereotypical accent. Another example of a TV drama that focuses on Welsh stereotype areas is Sky 1 series Stella.

Irish Stereotypes
There are many Irish stereotypes, one of the most widely used ones is that Irish people only eat potatoes, and cant be without them. This of course as with most stereotypes is not true and is a dated and passed view to take. Also a big stereotype area for the Irish is that they drink a lot, this I'm not going to go into to much detail about as it is not completely incorrect, however it's not 100% correct either. Ireland is often associated with lepricorns and people having ginger hair which again ins't true. The TV comedy Mrs Brown's Boys includes a lot of the above stereotypes and many more.

London Stereotypes
London can be seen in various ways because, as with other big cities there are good parts and bad parts. The residents from the better parts are stereotyped to be rich, which is largely true, well spoken, which is again, largely true and snobbish which can depend on the person in question. These stereotypes can be seen in some of the episodes of Sherlock Holmes. The other side to London stereotypes is the poorer not so good side of London, which its residents are largely stereotyped to be gang members, ethnic minorities, uneducated and other similar things. These are mostly untrue for the most part. These characters can be seen often on TV.

Essex Stereotypes 
Essex is an area where many stereotypes are aimed at, most of these are appearance related. For example it is widely stereotyped that people from Essex have fake body features, are orange and have had their teeth whitened. It is further stereotyped that they can only care about their appearance and that that is their number one priority, which is true in some cases. The Show The Only Way Is Essex uses these stereotypes and to an extent has caused them to be more widely used.

Cornwall Stereotypes
One of the most used and well known stereotypes for Cornwall is the fact that they are "inbred" this stereotype is obviously incorrect and can cause significant offence to local people. a further stereotype is that the people there are "backward" again this causes great offence to residents of Cornwall. Unfortunately these stereotypes are used in TV and it needs top be stopped.









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Monday, 27 October 2014

Friday, 24 October 2014

Wednesday, 8 October 2014

Secret Diary of a Call Girl - representation of disability

  • 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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Tuesday, 7 October 2014

The Inbetweeners - disability in media


Why is the clip funny?
The clip may be interpreted as funny, as according to Paul Hunt the misfortune (disability of others) can provide pleasure to the more able. This means that non-disabled people find pleasure in laughing at disabled people and have done since Greece. Another way in which the clip may be considered funny is that it the situation is awkward meaning that some may not even consider the reaction of the girl funny but the reaction of the more able male as more funny. The disabled girl just plays a part in this, as she justifies his reaction.
How is the dissbled girl being represented?
The disabled girl is being represented in a humorous sense, she is also represented as child like and pathetic.
Are we supposed to laugh at the disabled person?
No, we aren't. We are supposed to laugh at the whole situation and not individual aspects. The woman only plays a part in the whole situation and isn't the entire joke.
Are they the "butt" of the joke?
I personally would not consider them to be the "butt" of the joke and instead just a part of it, the "butt" of the joke would be considered by me and many others to be the able male and the situation he gets into. The disabled female only plays a part in the overall context of the joke.
How do you think disabled people respond to this?
I think that many disabled people will understand that the joke is not targeted against disabled people and will therefore "get it". Some disabled people however, as with any situation won't. These are usually newly disabled people that are not yet comfortable with their condition and thus may find the joke offensive and respond aggressively. 
Are we as a society cultivated to think that we should pitty the disabled?
Up until very recently, yes we were but nowadays we are very much told that they are equal and should be treated with the same respect and in the same fashion as you would treat a physically able person. An example of this is how it is no longer classed as acceptable to neal down when talking to a person in a wheelchair as it makes them feel inferior. 

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Tuesday, 30 September 2014

Gender in TV drama

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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Wednesday, 17 September 2014

About Me

I am a Yr12 Media Studies Student at Lutterworth College, I will be posting my work throughout the year.

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