Monday 5 May 2014

Gender



The representation of gender is shown through this clip with the use of camera work (camera shots, movement and angles), editing, sound & mise-en scene. 

Camera work: 

Representations of gender is shown through camera work. There is a low angle which is looking down on the male character, this allows the audience to see his venerability, meaning he is subordinate which is normally stereotypically portrayed through female characters as it is a feminine characteristic. An extreme close up on the female character is used during the flashback to show her struggle and fear, portraying her as feminine. However there is also a medium close up used on the female character which contrast with the extreme close up because in the close up she is shown to be confronting the male character, showing braveness and fearlessness and also power, therefore showing her to be dominate. The establishing shot  at the very start of the clip allows the audience to see the setting, where the action will take place, during this establishing shot the male character is at a higher level than everyone else, due to him standing on a higher platform, looking down at everyone else. There is also a close up of the doctor in a cage, this strongly portrays him to have feminine characteristics due to the fact he is be controlled by the other male character, the doctor being in a cage represents him to be powerless. 
The shot of earth lacks verisimilitude because it doesn't represent the real world due to the fact that it isn't believable. 

Editing: 

Representations of gender has been shown through the use of editing. Eye-line matches are used a number of times. For example at the very beginning of the clip there is a eye-line match between the women and the man in the suit. During this eye-line match the man is shown to be masculine as he is portrayed as dominate. A flashback is also shown in the clip which uses the montage editing technique. During this flashback the women is portrayed to have a masculine role because she controlling the way people are thinking about the doctor. However just before this flashback there is a cross dissolve of the women shown to be struggling. This shows her feminine side because the stereotypical women cannot cope in tough situations. Straight cuts are also used to show one scene and then another one at a quick pace to keep the viewers attention. While the women is telling the story there is a shot reverse shot used while in conversation. The women is portrayed to be dominate as everyone is listening to her she becomes masculine. 

Sound:
The representation of gender is also shown through sound. Throughout the clip diegetic, non-diegetic, asynchronous and synchronous sounds are used. The diegetic and synchronous sound used in the clip is the dialogue/speech. The deep, loud voices portray the characters as masculine, whereas the quite, sweet voices portray the characters as feminine. Also through the characters speech you can hear when they become scared or unsettled which shows a feminine side. There are a number of non-diegetic and asynchronous sounds used. For example the background music throughout the clip which changes when the atmosphere becomes tense. The exaggeration of the footsteps in the clip creates a masculine feel as it also creates a tense atmosphere, meaning something is about to happen. The sound effects used such as the ticking clock creates suspense for the audience and also the laugh which shows masculinity as it is a women laughing which shows she is brave in this situation. 

Mise-en scene:
costume & make-up
setting
lighting
decor
props
body language 

lastly the representation of gender is shown through Mise-en scene. The costume of the worn by the main female character comes across very masculine as she is wearing trousers and a leather jacket whereas the other female character in the clip is wearing a silk, red dress showing feminine characteristics as she looks classy and expensive, whereas the other women is portrayed to not care about her appearance which is expected for a feminine female. The male character is wearing a suit which portrays him to be masculine as it signifies he is of a higher class or has more power. The setting of the clip looking like a space ship is very much masculine as space is associated with men. The decor of the location used is very plain and simple suggests that its masculine as a feminine decor would be very colourful, pretty and vibrant. The props used throughout such as the doctors pen shows masculinity because it represents power and shows that the male character is in control, however this could also show a feminine side because without the pen the male character would have no power, leaving him weak and powerless. The body language of the male character in a suit at the beginning of the clip comes across very confident, as this is a masculine characteristic he is portrayed to be masculine. The body language of the female character comes across both masculine and feminine in different parts of the clip. For example: when she starts to laugh at the male character in the suit she is portrayed to be masculine because she is coming across brave which is associated with masculine men. Whereas when she is told to kneel down by the male character she comes across feminine because she does at she's told. Throughout the clip personal distance is used between the characters, therefore this could suggest that the characters are not masculine enough to create intimate distance.  

Overall the representation of gender is shown through masculine and feminine character, either being portrayed as dominate or subordinate with the use of camera work, editing, sound and mise-en scene.

Terminology: 

Realism - do the different techniques used make these piece realistic?
Verisimilitude - the construction of a believable world, bearing resemblance to real world
Stereotypes - how people are expected to be or represented in larger groups
Denotation ( or denotes) - the meaning of something eg we could see that from the empty bottles they had been drinking.
Connotation ( or connotes) - the implication of that meaning eg they are all alcoholics and will die due to lover failure! 

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