Denotation
|
Connotation
|
The lighting- The high key
lighting is extremely bright due to the light from the light bulbs; which
illuminates the whole place.
Colour- The colours are quite vibrant, with brownish tones due to the walls. The colours of their costumes are quite dark, as it is navy and black. The lights from the stairs are blue and pink. Setting- Is what seems to be a spaceship looking office, as you can see the windows at the front with panels. There are stairs leading up to the main area where the main male is. There is a large space yet it focuses only on the characters.
Body language/Facial
expressions;
The main female- She is kneeling, which her head held down,
looking quite helpless, and saddened, with an expressionless face also.
The main male- He is high above her, with a strong posture and
his head looking down at her. He looks quite arrogant, the way he is smirking,
and laughing at the female.
Female in red dress- She is behind the male, standing up, with
her head held high. She looks quite worried, yet content at the same time,
with a slight smile.
Costume/Hair & Make up;
The main female- Has limited amount of make-up, with mascara, and
lip gloss. Her hair is tied back neatly in a small bun. Wearing a black
military style outfit, with black boots.
Female in the red dress- Natural looking make-up, she is wearing
a silky red dress. Her hair is curled and loosely left around her shoulders.
Props- The props that are used include large guns that the male soldiers are holding.
The female had a
technological device, which the male confiscated.
The male also had a
technological device, which he used as a weapon.
|
The high key lighting is
used to insinuate the setting, as well as to create tones/shadows on the
characters face, to make it more dramatic, as you can clearly see their
expressions. The lighting is very
bright when the female in the red dress is shown; this then reinforces the
stereotype of the female gender being quite elegant, and some sort of angelic
beauty.
The vibrant colours are used
to connote the sci-fi genre as usually, there are various lights on board a
space-ship due to the technology, so therefore there are bright, vibrant
lights. The colours that are shown are blue and pink, this then would
symbolise both genders, pink for females, and blue for males. Both colours
are on either side of the stairs, which show the stark separation, and that
the blue colour is more dominant; therefore reinforces the stereotype of men,
as being powerful.
The setting is quite large
and big, which reflects the main male, as everything looks very tidy and
sturdy, which reinforce the stereotype of males, as they are seen as someone
strong, and masculine.
The main female- With the gesture of her kneeling in front of a male, it gives the impression of the stereotype for women, as being submissive, and that they are weak without the control of men. With the expression of a saddened look, it reinforces the stereotype of females as they are stereotypically known to be weak, and not strong unlike men.
The main male- With his head held above the female, and a strong
posture it reinforces the stereotype of males being superior and intelligent-
generally better than females, which is clearly shown in this scene as he is
superior over the female. With the look of arrogance, as he smirks, it again
reinforces the stereotype of men being quite headstrong, and egotistical; in
here it is shown clearly, as he boasts to the female/audience how he is so
superior.
Female in red dress- Due to the fact that she is hiding behind the
male, it automatically reinforces the stereotype of females being vulnerable
and weak, without a man to protect her.
The main female has a limited amount of make-up; this then
challenges the stereotype of females, as they are known to wear a lot of
make-up due to society’s pressures that pushes them to hide behind a façade.
It strips her bare of any mask that she hides behind- which then makes her
look more strong and bold.
As well as with her hair
tied back in a neat bun, it really goes against the stereotype as they say
that the hair of a women is what shapes her beauty, so with it tied back it
completely strips her bare, and makes her look more courageous.
Female in the red dress has a natural look, as the camera does
not zoom into her face, so you cannot clearly see if she is wearing make-up;
this then could also be a stereotype for women, as it only focuses on her beauty, and body
only, and females are stereotypically known, that they are only good for
their looks. With the red silky dress;
the red connotes passion and love, but due to it looking silky, it
automatically looks flirtatious, and feminine, which females are
stereotypically known to be.
The guns automatically
reinforce the stereotype, as men are known to be violent, and in charge, so
with a gun it emphasises their dominant side.
The female also had a device
(transporter) which the male then confiscated, which reinforces the
stereotype of being the one who is always in charge and that the woman would immediately
obey.
|
Main female-
First is shown at a medium
shot, when she walks in, the camera is tracking her, as she walks towards the
font.
Long shot at a low angle to
show the man in front of her.
The camera then zooms in the
give a close-up shot to show her facial expression.
When they are talking she is
shown at a high angle, with a close-up shot. Nearer to the end, the shot
angle went to eye-level.
Main Male-
First he is tracked by the
camera as he is moving towards the stairs. The camera angle is at a low
angle, as he is looking down at her. The camera then zooms in to show a
close-up shot to show his expressions. Near to the end the camera pans out to
show a medium close-up shot.
|
The high angle shot, shows
that she is vulnerable and at mercy towards the male who is clearly in
charge; this then then reinforces the stereotype as the male is at a higher
angle, therefore making the female inferior towards the male.
The eye-level shows equality
between the genders, as now she is at eye-level with the camera, it shows
that during that period of time she
has gained power, therefore she is no longer at a high angle view.
The low angle is used to
make the main male character look dominant and in control, as he is looking
down at the female, with a superior look. As the clip progresses the shot is
turned into a medium close-up shot, which shows that he has lost all of his
power, which then challenges the stereotype of men as they are usually the
ones with the upper hand.
|
The first scene includes a
soundtrack and non-diegetic sound, where the main female slowly enters the
room.
When the main male talks about the countdown there is a rhythm, which is a slow hum.
The countdown is diegetic
sound, with a high pitch beeping noise.
There is a diegetic sound
when the main male lifts the technological device with a loud ding.
The main male’s dialogue is quite masculine and commanding when he says ‘bow your head’ it is in a deep tone. (diegetic sound) It is almost as if he is shouting, as he emphasises his points. The main female laughs.
There is a whooshing sound
effect where it is for the flashback, so that the audience recognise it is a
flashback and not a part of the scene.
During the flashback, there
is an echoing sound effect. There is also a diegetic sound when the main
female is talking over the flashbacks.
The main males dialogue
changes to quite short sentences, and he has a disbelieving tone, as he
questions her a lot.
There is a non-diegetic
soundtrack where there is some sort of glorious drumming music, during the
point where the main female’s tone goes higher, and becomes stronger with
fast pace sentences.
There is a non-diegetic
sound twinkling sound when the ‘Doctor transforms’ and the music starts to
become more upbeat and loud trumpets and drumming start to increase.
It is a diegetic sound when
everyone in the room says ‘doctor’ and when everyone in different countries
also says ‘doctor’.
The female in the red dress
only speaks when every says ‘doctor’, as she whispers it.
The soundtrack becomes more triumphant with
louder trumpets.
There is also asynchronous sound when the doctor is speaking yet the camera is focusing between the main female and the doctor. There is a sound effect when the main male points the sonic screwdriver at the ‘doctor’ after he shouts ‘No’.
There is diegetic sound when
the device gets knocked out of the main male’s hand.
|
Which constructs the
representation of the female gender as it shows that the female has a lack of
power due to the slow pace music, as it dampens the atmosphere.
Which intensifies the
atmosphere, and it shows that the male has control due to power over the
countdown.
This again shows his control,
as he has an advantage with a weapon, this then reinforces the stereotypical
representation of males being dominant.
This then show his authority
as he is the dominant character. This reinforces the representation of both
males and females, as he is commanding, and she is submitting.
Also with the raise in his
voice it shows his power, and that he talks louder than anyone in the room.
She laughs in a mocking way,
which then challenges the stereotype for females, as it shows she knows
information he doesn’t, therefore it is an advantage, putting her in power.
This then emphasises the
importance of her speech, which then challenges the stereotype for females,
as it is putting her above the male, and making her more potent than him.
The man male has quite a
clipped tone, which
shows that he is slowly losing
control, as before he used to have a confident tone, now it is slowly
slipping, which then challenges the stereotype as men are normally seen to be
the dominant.
This then challenges the
female stereotype as with the background music it emphasises her tone, being
in control.
This then reinforces the
stereotype of men, as now the ‘doctor’ is becoming more in control, escaping
the cage.
The female is still unsure when she joins in saying ‘doctor’- which then reinforces the stereotype of women being quite dependent on everyone, and that she would have to blend in with the crowd in order to get noticed. This then shows the relationship between the two, and that even though the camera is on the female; the male is still talking- showing that the male still has dominant power.
This then shows that he has
lost power as he now cannot do anything, so therefore he is stripped from any
control.
This again shows that he has
no power as is now stripped from anything that could protect him; this then
challenges the stereotype of males as he has stepped down from his high class
authority.
|
The first shot is of the
main male which then is an action match-up, when the camera cuts to the main
female as she walks into the room.
The next shot is the main
female, which is an eye line match, when she looks at her family, as well as
her friend.
The main female, again has another eye line match when she looks at the doctor. When the main male asks for the technological device it is a reverse shot, as it shows two people in conversation.
When the main male converses
with the person to ask if they’re ready, the camera cross cuts to the scene
with the rockets.
There are an eye line match
with the main male and the doctor, as he looks down on him.
As well as an eye line match with the main female.
The shots are more spaced
with the cross cutting between the main male and female.
The camera then fades when a
flashback is shown for the main female.
The camera often cuts to the
countdown, then back to the characters.
A flashback happens again, with a fade, and during the flashback, there is a dissolve as the main female is walking, and it dissolves into a more zoomed in shot.
When the main female, starts
to stand up, the cutting starts to get fast, between the characters.
The shot is cut to the countdown
once again, between the characters.
The shots are really fast
pace when the shots are cutting between all the characters as they look at
the doctor.
It is also fast pace as everyone says ‘doctor’.
There are also visual
effects when the doctor transforms, as well as when the main male shoots the
sonic screwdriver at the doctor- when it bounces on the doctor it has a
ripple effect to show that it did not harm him.
There are visual effects
when the doctor hovers over to the main male.
|
This then shows that he is
the one who has power as he is the dominant one in the shots, which then
reinforces the stereotype of males as being the one in control.
This then reinforces the
stereotype of females being quite dependent on other people, as she seeks
comfort from her family and friends.
This then shows their
relationship between the two, which then shows that they are equal as the
shots are balanced out.
This then challenges the
stereotypes of males being superior as the shots are quite equal, therefore
showing the genders are equal.
Showing that he has power as
he has weapons at hand.
This reinforces the stereotype of males as being dominant, as he has control over another person.
The shots are slower, as it
switches between the male and female as they are in conversation, showing
they are equal; which then challenges the stereotype as men are meant to be
dominant.
This then creates tension,
as we all know that after the countdown finishes, something bad will happen.
This then shows her being
vulnerable, as she is out in the cold; trekking across the field- this then
reinforces the stereotype of females as being weak.
This then challenges the
stereotype of females as when she is standing up, the shots become fast pace
building up tension and power for the main female.
This then creates tension, as well as reinforcing the stereotype of males as every character is looking up to a male, which then shows that he has power.
The fast pace is building up
power for the doctor to transform, also with the visual effects added, it
then shows he has some sort of power for advantage. And when the main male
tried to attack the doctor, it didn’t affect him, showing that he is sort of
indestructible; which illustrates the dominant look. To add to this, when the
doctor hovers over the main male, it almost shows that the roles have
switched, where the doctor now has power.
|
The extract seems to be
reinforcing the stereotypical representation of gender as through the
mise-en-scene, the man has been represented as a dominant male, with high
authority, but as the clip progresses, through the shot angles, sound, and
editing the male has lost his high authority; which then challenges the
stereotypical representation of men, as he is seen with no more power.
The woman has been
represented as the weak and helpless female that she is supposed to be, which
is shown through the mise-en-scene, yet as the clip progresses, it is shown
through the shot angles, sound and editing that she has become a fearless
female, which then challenges the stereotypical representation.
|
|
Thursday, 6 March 2014
Gender analysis
Monday, 3 March 2014
Connotations of the mise-en-scene elements
Framing: the characters are positioned where three are sitting down, and the rest of them are standing up. The people at the back seem as if they are arguing, which then brings you back to the stereotypical type of them being dysfunctional.
Shot type: Wide shot to show everyone clearly, they are very close together.
Costume/props: Very casual, the men are dressed in rundown clothes, whereas the woman in the background is dressed quite promiscuously.
Setting: looks like it is in a rundown town/borough, this then reflects them as they are dressed in casual clothes.
The representation of the social group reinforces the stereotype as the working classes are stereotyped as dysfunctional, and that they always seem to have problems, this is then shown in this picture as they are arguing/fighting, for example the mixed race person is holding the guy by the throat- showing the ethnic minority stereotype of being criminals.
Framing:
The ethnic minority (the main character) is in the middle, and the shot is
focused on him.
Shot type: It is a medium shot with the main character in the front,
and the two policemen in the background; they are appeared in the background,
therefore showing that the main character is the most important person.
Costume/props: He is dressed very smartly, with a suit; therefore
subverts the stereotype of the ethnic minority as this person looks like he is
in high authority and that he is in charge, due to the two policemen behind
him- showing that they work for him.
Setting: It looks like it is in a park; therefore maybe they are at a
crime scene, which then shows them working; therefore highlighting the point
that this subverts the stereotype of the ethnic minority as they are usually
seen as criminals whereas here he is seen as a hardworking detective.
Framing:
The ethnic minority (the main character) is in the middle, and the shot is
focused on him.
Shot type: It is a medium shot with the main character in the front,
and the two policemen in the background; they are appeared in the background,
therefore showing that the main character is the most important person.
Costume/props: He is dressed very smartly, with a suit; therefore
subverts the stereotype of the ethnic minority as this person looks like he is
in high authority and that he is in charge, due to the two policemen behind
him- showing that they work for him.
Setting: It looks like it is in a park; therefore maybe they are at a
crime scene, which then shows them working; therefore highlighting the point
that this subverts the stereotype of the ethnic minority as they are usually
seen as criminals whereas here he is seen as a hardworking detective.
Media Notes
2 hour written exam
Section A: British TV Drama
Section B: Film Industry
Each section is worth 50 marks
Section A: British TV Drama
Textual analysis of TV Drama focusing on representation of:
Gender
Ethnicity
Disability
Regional identity
Social class
Sexuality
Age
ANALYSIS:
Mise-en-scene
Camerawork
Editing
Sound
Construction and representation- the way it is constructed
Media representation- the way in which people, events and places are portrayed in the media
Representation- media images are always a construction or a re-presentation of people, places or events. Could refer to an analogy of how a paper is copied and it loses its quality over time; the original print would always be the better one.
The media can re-present certain images or stories over and over again making them seem ‘natural’ and familiar.
Self-fulfilling prophecy- people start behaving how they see people in the media
Stereotyping- widely circulated ideas or assumptions about particular groups of people usually negative judgements made on a whole group of people based on a few characteristics.
Stereotypical media representations of the following groups:
Disabled people- weak, vulnerable
Ethnic minorities- drain on society, criminals, and illegal immigrants
Working class- dysfunctional
Women- victims, dependant on their friends
Teenagers- rebellious
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)