Sunday, 15 April 2012

Doctor Who essay


This extract from Doctor Who creates a representation of gender that mainly supports the general stereotype of the female gender when in comparison to males. However there are still some sections in the extract which portray a different representation of the power of genders.
 In the first three sections we see a man trapped inside a cage. This gives the viewer a feeling that the doctor is vulnerable and powerless to stop what may happen. This portrays the binary opposite ideas of the typical stereotype of the male gender and more to the point, the regular stereotype of the doctor who is usually able to sort out all problems that he may face. After this we see the doctor’s partner stood below the evil man commencing the final moments of his plan. He is positioned above the women to give the viewer a sense of power to the man. This is reinforced in the camera angle used in the shot. It is positioned slightly below the middle of the women which shows the sign of the power and strength of the man against the women even more.
However, in this same shot at five seconds we see a women positioned even higher than the man wearing a bright red dress. Although this may seem meaningless she has been intentionally placed there to very subtly give off the impression that maybe the women do have more power than men in this situation. This goes against the regular stereotype of genders and women being less powerful than men. Plus, the fact the women is wearing a bright red dress is important as the colour red usually connotes thoughts of danger and pain, which may also give the impression that a change in power may occur very soon. This would surprise the general viewer because a woman overpowering a man would not be expected because of the typical stereotype of females.
After this we get a close up of the evil man, this camera angle is usually used to show the emotion on the persons face. However, the camera is again positioned slightly below central, this is to give the impression that the shot is taken from the women’s perspective and again encourages the stereotype that the man is more powerful than the women. Also, from these early shots we get a good look at the two protagonists clothing. The female is wearing some overalls which are usually seen to be very cheap but more important as more of a male clothing choice. This challenges the stereotype of women and gives the viewer an impression that maybe she isn’t the typical women and possible is seen as being underestimated by the confident and cocky male at the moment. Whereas the man is wearing a very neat black suit, this portrays thoughts of power and wealth and again this in comparison with the female protagonist gives the man a huge look of power and yet again this supports the stereotype of genders in the public eye.
Later on in the extract the man commands the women to kneel and to bow her head, this almost pushing around of the women being made so easy for the man gives the impression the man is in complete control and reinforces the gender stereotype that has already been well enforced so far in the extract. We then get closer ups of the man and women as the conversation continued and both of these were shot from just of central, this keep the sense of strength and power with the man. Then, just before a minute into the extract the position of the camera becomes even lower when shots of the man are shown. This is best seen in the mid shot of the man as he tells the story of how this will destroy the world. This gives the viewer a sense that the power of the man is becoming even larger and gives them a sense of sadness as it looks less and less likely the doctor and his assistance will be able to get out of this danger.
However after the minute mark of the extract we get some close up shots of the doctor and the cameras for these shots was also position slightly above usual. This gave the impression of weakness and this is reinforced with the bars of the cage in shot as well. This gives the impression he is weak and powerless to stop the man trying to destroy the earth. This challenges the male stereotype that usually portrays feelings of strength, power and freedom.
However, all these angles change when the main female protagonist starts to become confident and reveal her plan of how to save the world. Just over a minute and a half into the extract the girl chuckles and the close up of the women is now perfectly central on height, this is a huge change to how they had previously been throughout the rest of the extract and give the viewer a slight hope of a change in fortune for her. This challenges the stereotype of females which would usually still portray the women as week and without a hope of stopping this man.
Then just a little bit further on the plan begins to unravel and the man’s confidence and belief in his own plot starts to crumble. The camera angle on his close up shots have been lowered and are now central, this visually shows how he is slowing starting to lose power and control of the situation. Then as the plot is finally revealed the shots go back to how they were, as the man gets more confident while listening to the ridiculous scheme. But then the full plan is revealed and the camera lowers on the man to a middle point showing that all that power and confidence is gone. This is also shown by the women in red appearing in more of the shots again. The red dress connotes feelings of danger and this tells the viewer that the man’s plan is about to be ruined.
Then after this there are several shots of hundreds of people all together trying to save the world. These are all shot at the same angle, whether it is a man or women in the shot. This portrays a feeling of everyone being equal and in a huge level community together. This challenges the stereotype which usually tells us that men are seen to be more powerful and higher ranked than women, but this section shows a completely different representation of gender by showing all as one, as equals.
Overall this extract challenges and shows pieces of typical stereotypes of genders, mainly about how females are usually represented as weaker and less powerful as men. However the largest representation must be the challenge of this stereotype at the end of the extract when everyone came together for the sake of saving the world. 

Tuesday, 6 December 2011

Film 4 Fact File

Film 4 Fact File

Monday, 5 December 2011

Editing Skins Example 2

The pace of editing during the montage of the protagonist working out gets faster. This shows hes image conscious and that he has to rush because he may have a busy lifestyle. This conforms with the stereotype of teens who are seen to be very much obsessed with being seeing attractive by the opposite sex and that they also  live busy and disorganised lifestyles. However, the music we hear during this montage is very repetitive and steady, this contrasts the mood we get from the pace of editing.

Editing Skins Example

Parallel editing is used to show that the boy and girl are related and have a strong relationship. We can see through the parallel editing that they lead very different teenage lives, showing binary opposite characters. She is coming home; rebelling against house rules and he has been in his own bed. This conforms to Levi Strauss' idea that all narratives have opposites. The two narrative threads come together as she reaches the window and the cut a ways show that she relies on him to cover up for her.

Sound Skins Example 2

The non diegetic music that the boy plays in his room during his work out montage is repetitive and in a single tone. This could suggest that teens enjoy routine and structure in their lives. This argues the regular stereotype that usually believes that teens are very messy and disorganised people. Its played during a montage of the protagonist working out and getting ready for school, this suggests this is a regular theme in his life, being the same routine every morning while also suggesting hes a very alone and boring person. This again argues the stereotype of teens who are usually very social and loud people.

Sound Skins Example

The dialogue between the father and the son shows a reversal in audeince expectations. We see the father shouting and swearing at the teenager, which is normally something we would expect to hear from the teenager. The father's aggressive reaction to the diegetic rock music plays to the stereotype that teenagers play loud music and are inconsiderate to older people. His reaction also plays to the stereotype that teenagers frustrate their parents.

Thursday, 1 December 2011

Mise on Scene Example 3 - Skins

The mise on scene of the girl in the scene is a binary opposite of the boy we have already met. We see her walking down the road in the morning, obviously after spending a long night out. This conforms with the stereotype of teenagers that we enjoy to party and don't really care about anything else. We hear the sound of her heels on the ground, telling us shes wearing high heels. This tells us that shes trying to act like more of an adult than she is. We think this because we see heels as a typically more older thing. Her clothes are all very revealing, this conforms with the stereotype of teens that we want to look good and sexy for the opposite sex. This is one part of the stereotype that both the boy and girl have in common. This could be on purpose as teens being sexually charged is the largest stereotype for the teens age group. Finally, we see that these clothes are messy and obviously the same as she wore last night, we also see her make up is a mess. This all also conforms the stereotype of teens that we are very messy.