Practice exam question

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of gender using the following:
- camera angle, movement and position
- editing
- sound
- mise-en-scene

The extract constructs gender representation right from the beginning of the scene where we see a male and a women walking up the stairs. The man is in the full front of the shot and we get a wide angle shot of him to establish what he is wearing and the type of man that he is where as the women in the shot is seen to be coming up the stairs in the background showing that she is less important than the man. From first seeing the man we see that he is dressed in a suit and looks clean and well-kept showing his importance and status. The old woman who is seen to be shopping in the shop is the typical stereotype of an older woman. She has grey hair and quite bland and simple clothing which helps to make her look out of place in the shop. During the conversation between the shop assistant and the old woman we see the use of shot reverse shot and a close up to see the old ladies expression. The man talks down to the woman here, making her feel unimportant and unwanted in the shop. Then again could signify man’s authority and power over women. 

The next woman we see in the shop you automatically see that she is a well-kept woman who is well presented. You can also gather from her image that she is married to a rich man because she is wearing a business suit yet shopping in the middle of the day implying that she may not work. This again is a stereotype of women showing that the stays at home while the man or husband goes off to work. As soon as we see the women there is a close up of the woman’s ring showing us she is well off. This also helps us to see that the shop assistance is driven by money as he takes a very big interest in the woman once he has seen the ring. Both the woman and the shop assistant speak in a posh accent meaning that they could be seen at the same status as one another. When the lady is trying on the dress her dialogue could be seen as quite sexual and the dress she is wearing shows of her figure turning her into a stereotype of a sex object for men.

During this drama sequence it changes between two different shots which could be to show that the things are happening at the same time. The scene we then see is of two men sitting in what looks like a bar at a hotel. The lighting is quite dark, with a slightly unclean atmosphere which could be representative of men. Both the men are in suits, drinking whiskey which is a stereotype of a typical upper class man as drinking during the day is not seen to be a normal thing to do. There are no females around which could mean they are not allowed and not important enough to ne socialising with the men there.  

During this scene the two men seem to be having a discussion where one is trying to persuade the other to do something. The man is trying to persuade the other with money where as if it had been a women she would have used her sexuality, this again shows a difference between the two genders. There is the use of shot reverse shot and close ups during their conversation to engage the audience. This scene ends and it cuts back to the shop again. 

We see the woman has lost her ring and as she is frantically looking around for it the music because faster adding a comical aspect to it. The music cuts off suddenly when the man begins to speak, this again showing his importance in the scene, and they make an agreement with the reward of money to find the ring which the shop assistant jumps to. The next man to enter the shop you can see is going to be trouble by his whole persona and the way that he dresses. Although he is in a suit he has his top button undone with a tacky necklace on and chewing gum which gives him a kind of thug image. 

When the shop assistance first see’s the man there is a camera tilt up to the man to make him seem more important and intimidating. They then get into an argument about the ring where the shop assistant goes against the male stereotype as he argues like a woman and almost becomes upset and quite bitchy which traits of a woman. As the man walks away he breaks the 4^th wall and he speaks directly to the audience making them feel involved in the scene. 

That scene then ends and we are taken to a shot of a man making a bomb. Again this is a hand’s on, DIY type of thing which is a typical thing for a man to be doing, again going with the stereotype of a man. We are not quite sure what exactly is going on in the scene but we can hear that he is on the phone to someone giving him in orders and instructions. 

Homework notes on the exam sequence

Mise En Scene

• typical stereotypes on each charater that in onscene. Old women in the shop dressed old with grey hair. Blonde women look well looked after and very well kept. golamerous. Man in the shop is a typical upper class stuck up shop owner who turns away anyone with no money. in a suit and well presented.
• old men in the bar in suits to drinking wiskey. no females around saying they are not allowed. looks like a very posh hotel. he persuades the other man by using money where as the women uses her sexuality.
• second guy in shop typical thug look alike chewing gum and a tacky necklace. sales person is driven by money. however he has quite femine traits to him. seductive behaviour of the women towards the man.
• location of hotel is much darker to show a less clean atmosphere to the shop.
• in the argument the shop owner asks like a women in the argument, goes against gender representations. seems to have a rish husband, stereotypical well kept women.
• old women in the first scene help us understand how the shop owner is driving by money.
• scene of the man doing the bomb shows that men do more of the laubour work while women just go shopping.

Editing

• two shots makes it seem like it is happening at the same time. goes between toodifferent naratives

Sounds

• music in the background is sped up when in a rush. in the shop it is quite chilled 'elevator' music to show the standing of the shop.
• dialogue of some of the characters is quite posh to show there representation. the talk directly to the audience at some point. sound effects used to end scenes.
• when the lady trys on the dress she makes quite sexual noise to the man, emplying that she is seen as a sex object. music helps the speed of the scene, there is a cutting noise to show the end of something dramatic.
• music stops when it is the man scene showing that it is slightly more serious that the women in the shop.
• the mans dialugue is shown to be more important than the womens as he has more.
• two different women have a different acdcent, one is more well spoke than the other to help show class.

Camera Angle

• long shot as you see each customer so u can see what they look like. Shot reverse shot when they have a conversation.
• close up to show different expressions. close up of the ring.
• camera tilt on the second man to make him seem important and intimidating.
• break the forth wall by talking into the camera to involve the audience. (direct mode of address)
• first sceen the rich women is shot coming in in the backgroud but the man in the front gets the full shot, showing that men are more important.

Analysisng Desperate Housewives Clip

Mise En Scene

Wearing sexy underwear and a silk gown. She give off a seductive and promiscuous image. She is the typical blonde,big busted figure who uses her sexuality as part of that narrative. Perfect hair and makeup so falls into the typical female stereotype. She is in a kitchen which would be an abnormal place to wear her underwear espcecially as it isnt her kitchen.

Sound

The music in the background ands to the comedy. She is not being serious and having fun with making the other character feel uncomfortable.

Camera Angle

Long shot as she walks down the stairs so you can see all of her 'check her out'. Also mid shots to see her expressions.

Editing

The blonde woman has more screen time as she is the one people want to look at, she is controlling the scene.







Mise En Scene

She is a stereotypical women as she is being portryed as a typical housewife. She is wearing a dress and an apron, quite an old fashioned traditional clothing. The dress is pink and floral so a typical girl pattern and colour. She is holding a mixing bowl and in her kitchen showing she is a dosmestic housewife. She is wearing a peral necklace showing she is a high standing lady.

Sound

The music shows her discomfort and her dialogue has a use of sexual references.

Camera Angles

More close ups of her so you can see her reaction and big use of shot reverse shot. To help the audience feel her uncomfortableness. Lenght of time spent on that chracter means she is the one you are ment to be identifying with.

Media Terminology

Semiotics - The science of signs. This does not mean road signs but anything from a logo to a flower in someones hair.

Denotahon - What it actually is. It is at its basic form (e.g a rose at its basic form would be a plant)

Connotation - Is the meaning you associate with that sign. This changes as to where and how you have been bought up. (different countries would see things differently)


Micro                                       Macro (elements)

- Mise en scene                    - Representation
- Sound                                  - Narrative
- Camera angle                     - Genre
- Editing                                 - Audience


Vensimilitude - Realism in the TV drama, something you can relate to.

Binary Oppositions - (claude levi strous) means the opposite .

Disequilibrium - the period of instability and insecurity in a films narrative

Equilibrium - a state of peace and calm, which often exists at the beginning of a film's narrative

Enigma - the question or mystery that is posed within a film's narrative

Iconography - the objects within a film that are used to evoke particular meanings

Homework set 26/09/2011 - Stereotypes in TV Dramas

Naomi from the TV Drama series 90210 is the typical stereotype of a blonde bimbo and a sexual object. She is always wearing tight clothing showing off a lot of skin and is seen as a sex object by the other male characters. She also uses her female attributes to overpower men in the drama and is seen to be not very clever and is always looking for a boy to make her feel good about herself.

 

The TV Drama skins is a big example of a teenage stereotypes and how the public may see teenagers today. The characters are made to been seen to have a wild lifestyle involving a lot of drinking and drug taking. They always wear old, damaged clothes and are made to look dirty and un kept. The girls in the drama are seen as sex objects and the guys are seen to be powerful and dominant always getting into fights and trouble with other males showing aggressive behaviors.

 

Nathan from the TV drama One Tree Hill is the typical male stereotype in that he is seen as a lead role and an important figure. He has a family yet is in charge of all the decision making and is the main bread winner for the family. He is a sportsman, playing basketball so is seen as a hero and a good looking and fit man. He is always dressed smartly and lives in a rather large house showing he is a wealthy man.

 

A role in a TV drama that challenges the typical stereotype is John Paul McQueen in the TV drama Hollyoakes. He is a gay character who is very feminine showing feminine qualities such as dressing un manly and talking in a more high pitched voice than a typical man. He also would show his emotions a lot more that a typical male character and his story lines have significantly revolved around his sexuality, evolving from the initial denial of his homosexuality.

 

Character from a TV Drama that you feel closely relates to you:

I feel that Brooke Davis from the TV Drama, One Tree Hill is someone that i feel i can relate to because of her experience and her personality. From growing up in a unstable family environment to boy problems but also her determination and passion for things, including her love for fashion which is something i am very interested in. She is very close to her friends and they mean the world to her which is something i feel i can relate to. She is in a large social circle and loves to go out to parties and other social events which again is something i feel i can relate to.

Gender Representation Cont.

Feminism and The Male Gaze:

Male Gaze- Laura Mulvey came up with the idea that the representation of women is dominated by the male point of view. She said that men have the 'active' roles and women 'passive'.

Traditionally:

• men play active roles which drive the narrative
• women tend to play the passive roles and are seen as erotic objects which slow the narrative.
• men far outnumber women
• female roles are sidelined
• they are very few lead roles for women

Stereotypes

• bimbos
• often use physical attractions such as figure and breasts to overpower the male
• easy
• housewife
• mother, maternal
• intelligent yet willing to settle down

Male Gaze

Two distinct models of the male gaze of this era: voyeuristic (you look or watch for sexual pleasure) and fetishistic (all to do with fetishes).

Mulvey argued that women where given two character types - sexually active female & powerless female.

Films presented images of women that were produced simply for the gratification of male viewers.

Where women were seen to have important roles they were more likely to be shown as....

• fightened
• in need of protection and direction
• offering support to the male lead role
• not independent or self driven
• generally weaker
• still objectified sexually

In the Alien series the main lead role was played by a women and she was seen to change, develop and mature to meet and tackle each situation placed before her in the series. This role challenged all the social norms. Although she was the main role she was still seen as a sexual object to both the audience and the characters.

Changes in society

• as women's roles change so does the media repersentaion still objectified but also likely to be...

- Career driven
- Intelligent
- Confident
- Empowered
- Able (violent)

Remember changes may be cynically and in order to make money rather than change ideologies.

Modern representation

Films like Kill Bill, Tomb Raider, Catwomen and Charlies Angels go against normal female roles as they are seen as dangerous killing machines but yet they still have a sexual apperance and use there sexuality to overpower the men.






Misogyny

This is a term used for people who are sexist towards women. It is the hated for women or girls.

Exam notes

Overview of exam

2 different sections :
Section A: assess your media textual analysis skills and your understanding of the concept representation.
Section B: assess your knowledge and understanding of media institutions and their production processes. E.g music magazine.

Exam will be 2 hours including 30 mins for viewing and making notes on the moving extract. (4 times)

Section A

After being shown the 'unseen' moving image extract with one compulosry question dealing with textual analysis. You will be asked to focus this anlysis on the creation of a specific representation:

• gender
• age
• ethnicity
• sexuality
• class and staus
• physical ability/disability
• regional identity

Area of focus when watching the moving image will be:

• camera angles, shot, movement and compositon
• mise-en-scene (everything in the scene. E.g clothing, makeup, hair, lighting, props, location etc.)
• editing
• sounds

Reception Theory

• Stuart Hall (1970)

He suggested that the media texts are encoded and decoded. Lots of layers to a subject, all the layers added up together to make a genre. So they create a code, then we as an audience decode that as an individual. You find yourself identifying with things and using you own experiences to relate to the media, e.g teen dramas, or comedy films.

Question u should ask yourself when reading or analysing a media text:

• who produced it?
• what/who is being represented in the text ?
• how is that thing being represented? (lighting, narrative, dialogue, location etc)
• why was the representation chosen? What might the alternatives have been?
• what frame of reference does the audience use when understanding the representation?

Representation

Masculine:

(Characteristics)

• strong
• powerful
• independent
• physical
• aggressive
• dominate
• confident
• courageous
• funny
• charming

(Ojects)

• cars
• beer
• guns
• cigars
• trousers
• porn
• motorbikes
• razor
• yorkie
• x box
• hair gel
• video games

Feminine:

(Characteristics)

• fragrant
• emotional
• maternal
• delicate
• stubborn
• chatty
• social
• domestic

(Objects)

• makeup
• clothes
• shoes
• handbags
• gossip magazines
• wine
• cocktails
• hair straighteners
• accessories

Representation is the the re presentation of someone or something. It is a perception, stereotype or someone else opinion on someone or something.

Representation in the MediaBy definition, all media texts are re-presentations of reality. This means that they are intentionally composed, lit, written, framed, cropped, captioned, branded, targeted and censored by their producers, and that they are entirely artificial versions of the reality we perceive around us. When studying the media it is vital to remember this - every media form, from a home video to a glossy magazine, is a representation of someone's concept of existence, codified into a series of signs and symbols which can be read by an audience. However, it is important to note that without the media, our perception of reality would be very limited, and that we, as an audience, need these artificial texts to mediate our view of the world, in other words we need the media to make sense of reality. Therefore representation is a fluid, two-way process: producers position a text somewhere in relation to reality and audiences assess a text on its relationship to reality.

Production Rules

180 Degrees Rule:  the 180° rule is a basic guideline that states that two characters (or other elements) in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary line connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line. The new shot, from the opposite side, is known as a reverse angle.




Match-on-action: is the seamless movement from an interior shot to an exterior shot. As if you are watching them. (The purpose of continuity editing is to smooth over everything inbertween shots. So each scene follows on perfectly from each other.)

Shot reverse shot: Flipping between characters. (you see him, you see her, you see him, you see her etc) makes you realise there is a dialogue going on between the two characters. Helps you to identify with the characters emotions.

Eye- line match: The audience sees what the person sees. If they look up to the sky then the camera will point up to the sky.

TV Dramas

TV Dramas	Genre	Narrative	Channel	Time
Gossip Girl	Teen Drama	Betrayal	Itv	9.00 pm
The Bill	Police Drama	Murder	Itv	9.00 pm
Eastenders	Soap	Family Problems	BBC 1	8.00 pm
90210	Teen Drama	Adolescents	E4	9.00 pm
One Tree Hill	Teen Drama	Love	E4	9.00 pm
Spooks	Crime Drama	Murder	BBC 1	9.00 pm
Desperate Housewives	Family Drama	Friendships	E4	10.00 pm
Hollyoaks	Soap	Affairs	E4	6.30 pm
Correnation Street	Soap	Betrayal	Itv	7.30 and 8.30 pm
Neighbours	Soap	Friendships	Channel  5	1.45 pm
Waterloo Road	Teen Drama	Morals	BBC 1	8.00 pm
Mid Summer Murders	Murder Mystery Drama	Muder	Itv	1.00 pm
Casualty	Medical Drama	Accidents/Dying	BBC 1	8.00 pm
Downton Abbey	Period Drama	Social Standing	Itv	9.00 pm

TV Drama Definition

A TV drama is based on real life but more elaborate. It is fictional and structured and part of a series. Each episode follows on from each other. They try and make them relatable to you so you can identify what is going on. They have to make the audience believe that it could all happen in real life. There are no massive special effect in TV dramas because it wouldn't happen in real life.

Cover Work for AS

Create a reference worksheet for shots, angles, movements and compositions with still images to support. You must include the following (use these subheadings too):


Shots:

• Establishing shot in film or TV sets up or creates the context for a scene by showing the relationship between important figures and objects. Establishing shots may use famous landmarks to indicate the city where the action is taking place or has moved to, such as Big Ben to identify London, The Statue of Liberty to identify New York, The Sydney Opera House to identify Sydney etc. 

Example of establishing shots: 

• A master shot is a film recording of an entire dramatised scene, from start to finish, from an angle that keeps all the players in view. It is often a long shot and can sometimes perform a double function as an establishing shot. (Shot that shows most or all of the scene and most or all of the characters.)

Example of a master shot:  

• In film making and television production a close-up tightly frames a person or an object. Close-ups are one of the standard shots. Close-ups display the most detail, but they do not include the broader scene. Moving in to a close-up or away from a close-up is a common type of zooming. Close-ups are used in many ways, for many reasons, such as to show a characters emotions. Close cuts to characters' faces are used far more often in television than in movies, they are especially common in soap operas.

Examples of a close up:  

• A mid shot shows some part of the subject in more detail, whilst still showing enough for the audience to feel as if they were looking at the whole subject. In fact, for example a mid-shot is how you would see a person "in the flesh" if you were having a casual conversation. You wouldn't be paying any attention to their lower body, so that part of the picture is unnecessary.

Examples of a mid-shot: 

• A long shot (sometimes referred to as a full shot or a wide shot) typically shows the entire object or human figure and is usually intended to place it in some relation to its surroundings. 

Examples of a long shot:  

• A wide shot is positioned to observe the most action in the performance. A shot which covers the action of the scene in a wide or panoramic view.

Examples of a wide shot: 

• A Two shot is a type of shot in the film industry in which the frame takes in a view of two people (the subjects). The subjects do not have to be next to each other, and there are many common two-shots which have one subject in the foreground and the other subject in the background.

Examples of a Two-shot:  

• Aerial shots are usually done with a crane or with a camera attached to a special helicopter to view large landscapes. This sort of shot would be restricted to exterior locations. A good area to do this shot would be a scene that takes place on a building. If the aerial shot is of a character it can make them seem insignificant. Circular shots are also possible

Examples of aerial shots: 

• A point of view shot (also known as POV shot or a subjective camera) is a short film scene that shows what a character (the subject) is looking at (represented through the camera). It is usually established by being positioned between a shot of a character looking at something, and a shot showing the character's reaction.

Examples of a point of view shot: 

• An over the shoulder shot (also over shoulder, OS, OTS, or third-person shot) is a shot of someone or something taken from the perspective or camera angle from the shoulder of another person. The back of the shoulder and head of this person is used to frame the image of whatever (or whomever) the camera is pointing toward. This type of shot is very common when two characters are having a discussion.

Examples of an over the shoulder shot: 

Angles:

• High angle is usually when the camera is located above the eyeline.With this type of angle, the camera looks down on the subject and the point of focus often get "swallowed up" by the setting. High angle shots also make the figure or object seem vulnerable or powerless. High angle shots are usually used in film to make the moment more dramatic or if there is someone at a high level that the character below is talking to.

Examples of high angles: 

•  A low-angle shot, is a shot from a camera positioned low on the vertical axis, anywhere below the eyeline, looking up. The camera films subject from below. This usually has the effect of making the subject look larger than normal, and therefore strong, powerful, and threatening.

Examples of a low angle: 

• A canted angle is a camera angle which is deliberately slanted to one side, sometimes used for dramatic effect to help portray unease, disorientation, frantic or desperate action, intoxication, madness, etc.

Examples of a canted angle: 

Movement:

• Pan: Moving the camera lens to one side or another. Look to your left, then look to your right - that's panning.
• Tilt: Moving the cameras lens up or down while keeping its horizontal axis constant. Nod your head up and down - this is tilting.
• Zoom: Zooming involves changing the focal length of the lens to make the subject appear closer or further away in the frame.
• Dolly: Motion towards or motion from. The phrase dolly-in means step towards the subject with the camera, while dolly-out means to step backwards with the camera, keeping the zoom the same.
• Track: Defined more specifically as movement which stays a constant distance from the action, especially side-to-side movement.
• Reverse Zoom: This shot moves you farther away into a Medium Shot or a Wide Shot. If you have a close up shot of a flower, and want to see the entire field that the flower is in, you will reverse zoom.
• Crane: A crane is a large, heavy piece of equipment, but is a useful way of moving a camera - it can move up, down, left, right, swooping in on action or moving diagonally out of it. 

Composition: 

• Deep focus is a photographic and cinematographic technique using a large depth of field. In deep focus the foreground, middle-ground and background are all in focus.
• Shallow focus is a photographic and cinematographic technique incorporating a small depth of field. In shallow focus one plane of the image is in focus while the rest is out of focus.

Storyboards

A storyboard visually tells the story of an animation panel by panel, kind of like a comic book.

Your storyboard will should convey some of the following information:

• What charaters are in the frame, and how are they moving?
• What are the characters saying to each other, if anything?
• How much time has passed between the last frame of the storyboard and the current one?
• Where the "camera" is in the scene? Close or far away? Is the camera moving?