Find two examples (a mixture of images and clips) from UK and US TV dramas for each of the following:
Upper Class (rich/posh)
Middle Class (neither rich nor poor/in the middle)
Working Class (poor/common)
Add a brief justification for each choice.
Representations of the upper class and wealth
Neo-Marxists argue that mass media representations of social class tend to celebrate hierarchy and wealth. Those who benefit from these processes, i.e. the monarchy, the upper class and the very wealthy, generally receive a positive press as celebrities who are somehow deserving of their position. The British mass media hardly ever portray the upper classes in a critical light, nor do they often draw any serious attention to inequalities in wealth and pay or the overrepresentation of public-school products in positions of power.
Newman (2006) argues that the media focus very positively on the concerns of the wealthy and the privileged. He notes that the media over-focuses on consumer items such as luxury cars, costly holiday spots and fashion accessories that only the wealthy can afford. He also notes the enormous amount of print and broadcast media dedicated to daily business news and stock market quotations, despite the fact that few people in Britain own stocks and shares.
Representations of the middle classes
Four broad sociological observations can be made with regard to mass media representations of the middle classes.
The middle class are over-represented on TV dramas and situation comedies.
Part of the British newspaper market is specifically aimed at the middle classes and their consumption, tastes and interests, e.g. the Daily Mail.
The content of newspapers such as the Daily Mail suggests that journalists believe that the middle classes of middle England are generally anxious about the decline of moral standards in society and that they are proud of their British identity and heritage. It is assumed that their readership feels threatened by alien influences such as the Euro, asylum seekers and terrorism. Consequently, newspapers, such as the Daily Mail, often crusade on behalf of the middle classes and initiate moral panics on issues such as video nasties, paedophilia and asylum seekers.
Most of the creative personnel in the media are themselves middle class. In news and current affairs, the middle classes dominate positions of authority – the ‘expert’ is invariably middle class
Representations of the working class
Newman argues that when news organisations focus on the working class, it is generally to label them as a problem, e.g. as welfare cheats, drug addicts or criminals. Working class groups, e.g. youth sub-cultures such as mods or skinheads, are often the subject of moral panics, whilst reporting of issues such as poverty, unemployment or single-parent families often suggests that personal inadequacy is the main cause of these social problems, rather than government policies or poor business practices. Studies of industrial relations reporting by the Glasgow University Media Group suggest that the media portray ‘unreasonable’ workers as making trouble for ‘reasonable’ employers.
Curran and Seaton (2003) note that newspapers aimed at working class audiences assume that they are uninterested in serious analysis of either the political or social organisation of British society. Political debate is often reduced simplistically to conflict between personalities. The content of newspapers such as The Sun and the Daily Star assumes that such audiences want to read about celebrity gossip and lifestyles, trivial human interest stories and sport.
Here is an example taken from the BBC show merlin. It shows the distinct difference in class between lower and upper. It does this as it conforms to the stereotype that all upper class citizens are uncompassionate and also ungrateful, this by showing Arthurs disgust at him being awarded a slave. Also this extract shows us that upper class people feel as if they are deserved of there position and are un equal, this through the fact that they see awarding someone for saving his sons life they let him be his slave to say a sort of thank you. This clip conforms to these stereotypes.
Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of ethnicity using the followers:
Camerawork is the area that I am focusing on when analysing the extract taking from the TV drama "Line of duty". This Drama is shown on the BBC.
The first scene in this extract is partaken in the office where it shows the lead character looking upon a screen in utter disbelief. An extreme close up is used in this scene. This creates the image of his disbelief showing his opened mouth which may suggest that he is completely lost for words. Also the way he looks upon the computer screen with pure astonishment. This shot is used by the director to make the audience on edge as they firstly do not understand why the character is so in awe at his screen. This extreme close up and throughout the office scene the camera is angled downwards. This is used to make the character look weaker in the scene to the audience. This is because it allows the audience to look down upon a certain character and feel above him. This may make suggestions that the black character is weaker within comparison to the white woman. This because whenever the white character is shown to the audience it is always at an eye level shot meaning that she is also confused and relatively neutral in the situation but still has more power than the black character. The fast paced slight zoom when looking at the computer screen is used by the director in order to build up the tension to the audience. And also to highlight a key part of information to give the audience knowledge on the topic and situation. A handled camera is used and is relatively shaky. This is used in order to reflect the black characters mental well being as he has suddenly become on edge and very erratic. During the conversation many different lengths and angle shots are used. This is used by the director to again create a greater tension and make the audience feel like something big is about to happen. A long shot over the females shoulder is used to highlight the black character is walking away from her without fully answering her questions prior to their interaction. This may suggest that the black male character is superior to her in his field of work and he can treat her as she is beneath him, disregarding her opinions and leaving her questions unanswered. This is a countertype of the ethnicity. Consistently through the office scene the camera, which is handheld, follows the movements of the black character. This suggests that he is in control of the scene and may be the most important aspect when in relation to the narrative. They do this through crabbing left to right. This is also used to show fluency by the director throughout the scene.
The scene moves into the house. This is where the extract climax's to the audience as they're is a confrontation. The scene starts with a long establishing shot which highlights the woman lavish lifestyle. It also does this by using a shallow focus which focus's on the car and the background as the black character walks past. The director has done this to make the audience notice the anger within the black male character. A handheld camera is used throughout this scene yet again to create fluency within the extract and also to ramp up the tension and intensity. During the confrontation between the white woman and black male close ups are used to show the characters emotions as the narrative continues. Also the women is seen to keep trying to get too close to the male character suggesting a sexual relationship may have already or is in the process of forming between the characters. This matches the stereotype that all white woman are sexual deviants and will sell themselves to get what they want. This is backed up when he says to her "No you loved his money!". Every time the black character looses his temper and his voice increases in volume the camera zooms in slightly further, this again to reflect the characters mental wellbeing. Eye level shots are used throughout to show that both characters are on par with each other when fighting to gain control of the scene. An extreme close up is used as the black male character pause's in his speech. The director has done this in order to show the character is thinking and he does this by highlighting his expressions. This in partner with eh pause in sound increases tension massively in the scene and keeps the audience on edge as they do not know what to expect from the character. This also puts the black character in power of the scene. The scene ends as it started again using a shallow focus to highlight the violent shutting of the door. This goes with the stereotype that black people have a short temper and prey on white women. This again to show the audience the tension in the scene and the mental state of the male character as he is the one in control of the scene.
Finally the last scene is taken place in the car. This scene is less intense when in comparison to the last and is relatively equal to the first scene. This again to show fluency in the extract. The scene begins with both characters in the car driving fast on the motorway as a medium shot shows this out of the window. And also focusing the camera on the black character who is shown to be driving, again in control. This may suggest that he is on edge about his decision to arrest the other character. A canted angle is used throughout the extract, this to look up at the black male and down at the white female. This is used by the director to suggest his morale correctness in his decisions. The shaky camera again reflecting on is uneasy mental state. It zooms finally at the end this time to highlight his emotion and his speech as he is saying "Don't talk about my kids" as if the woman as weakened him and made him feel weak, also maybe he sees mentioning them as taboo. Consistently throughout this scene the director has used the camera work to show the character looking away from the woman as if he is trying to forget about what he has done and maybe he feels a certain level of guilt and uneasiness. This goes against the stereotype that all black people are thuggish and feel no remorse when making mistakes.
Find examples of how the following ethnic groups are represented in TV drama (British or American):
Black
White
East-Asian
South-Asian
Find examples from three TV dramas (not soaps or films) for each ethnic group. Make it clear which TV dramas your examples are from. Post your examples to your blog, and answer the following questions about each of them:
Are the representations stereotypical or not?
How and why is this the case?
The 3 tv dramas that i will use for example will be Prison break, The walking dead and Mr. Robot.
Black people:
African Americans have a long history in Hollywood. They have won Academy Awards for acting, screenwriting and music production, to name a few. Despite the fact that an increasing number of three-dimensional roles have opened up to blacks, African Americans continue to be stereotyped as thugs, domestic workers, Magical Negroes and more in film and television. This analysis of the common ways blacks are typecast in Hollywood reveals why stereotypical roles do a disservice to the African-American community.
Magical Negro
Magical Negro characters have long played key roles in films and television programs. These characters tend to be African-American men with special powers who make appearances solely to help white characters out of jams, seemingly unconcerned about their own lives. Movefone also points out that Magical Negroes are problematic characters because they have no inner lives or desires of their own. Instead they exist solely as a support system to the white characters, reinforcing the idea that African Americans aren’t as valuable or as human as their white counterparts. They don’t require unique storylines of their own because the lives of blacks simply don’t matter as much. Morgan Freeman has played in a number of such roles and Will Smith played a Magical Negro in “The Legend of Bagger Vance.”
Black Best Friend
Black best friends largely function in films and television shows to guide white characters out of a crisis. Usually female, the black best friend functions “to support the heroine, often with sass, attitude and a keen insight into relationships and life,” critic Greg Braxton noted in theLos Angeles Times. Like Magical Negroes, black best friends appear not to have much going on in their own lives but turn up at exactly the right moment to coach white characters through life. In the film “The Devil Wears Prada,” for example, actress Tracie Thoms plays friend to starAnne Hathaway, reminding Hathaway’s character that she’s losing touch with her values.
Thugs
There’s no shortage of black male actors playing drug dealers, pimps, con-artists and other forms of criminals in television shows and films such as “The Wire” and “Training Day.” The disproportionate amount of African Americans playing criminals in Hollywood fuels the racial stereotype that black men are dangerous and have zero respect for the law. Often these films and television shows provide little social context for why more black men than others are likely to end up in the criminal justice system. They overlook how racial and economic injustice make it more difficult for young black men to evade a prison term or how policies such as stop-and-frisk and racial profiling make black men targets of the authorities.
Brash Women
Black women are routinely portrayed as sassy, neck-rolling individuals with attitudes in television and film. The popularity of so-called reality television serves to fuel this stereotype. To ensure that programs such as “Basketball Wives” maintain plenty of drama, often the loudest and most aggressive black women are featured on such shows. Black women say these depictions have real world consequences in their love lives and careers.
Domestics
Because blacks were forced into servitude for hundreds of years in the United States, it’s no surprise that one of the earliest stereotypes about African Americans to emerge in television and film is that of the domestic worker or mammy. Television shows and movies such as “Beulah” and “Gone With The Wind” capitalized on the mammy stereotype in the early 20th century. But more recently movies such as “Driving Miss Daisy” and “The Help” featured African Americans as domestics as well.
Here is a clip from the walking dead, showing the character "Michone", which conforms to the racial stereotype of Black women being "Brash". This is shown through her lust for violence and her attitude shows us that she is very confident of her own abilities in order to survive, as she takes on and beats a herd of walkers when completely outnumbered.
Here is my second example, it is a clip from Prison break, showing us the character "Lechero", which again conforms to the racial stereotype of black people in media. This time it shows a black male being shown as a "Thug". This is shown as he is in prison and when he is being accused of hiring a prosistute the female character says "wouldn't of been the worst thing you've done". Also again relaying this firm stereotype he goes on to admit that he has done wrong by saying "I would never hurt you again".
Here is my final example. This time from the tv program The walking dead, showing the character of "Morgan". This clip shows Morgan chained up behind a women, women are portrayed in the media as also being inferior so for this character to be possessed like an object to a women shows the stereotype towards level of weakness of black men in society. It also shows the stereotype of black men being "domesticated" as a reference to the slave trade in the early 1800's. Also the other characters saying "good catch" reiterates this point.
East asian:
Long-running British soap operas such as EastEnders and Coronation Street have each introduced only one East Asian character in their entire history. And those very few British East Asians who manage to appear in mainstream broadcasting often find themselves having to conform to stereotypes.
“Many of these representations are … still heavily accented, outsiders, foreigners made to be the butt of the joke or cruel shady gangsters exploitative of the poor hapless and helpless indigenous people like Caucasians,” said Lucy Sheen, a British Chinese filmmaker and actress.
STEREOTYPES OF EAST ASIAN MEN
EMASCULATION AND ASEXUALITY
In the mid-1800s, Chinese laborers were given an emasculated image due to their physical appearance, and the fact that they did what Americans considered to be "women's work" The Chinese workers sported long braids and sometimes wore long silk gowns. Because Chinese men were seen as an economic threat to the white workforce, laws were passed that barred the Chinese from many "male" labor-intensive industries, the only jobs available to the Chinese of the time were jobs that whites deemed "women's work" (e.g. laundry, cooking, and childcare).
According to Cajayon, "Mainstream America, for the most part, gets uncomfortable with seeing an East Asian man portrayed in a sexual light. Asian men are often portrayed as feminine or sexless in American media.
PREDATORS OF WHITE WOMEN
East Asian men have been portrayed as threats to white women in many aspects of American media. Depictions of East Asian men as "lascivious and predatory" were common at the turn of the 20th century.Between 1850 and 1940, both U.S. popular media and propaganda before and during World War II humanized Chinese men, while portraying Japanese men as a military and security threat to the country, and therefore a sexual danger to white women.
MISOGYNISTS
Another stereotype of East Asian men is that they are misogynistic, insensitive, and disrespectful towards women. This stereotype is that all eastern asian are gang related and all know martial arts and are often the antagonists of a story line. Guy Aoki of the Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA) said that in The Joy Luck Club, white men were presented as more suitable romantic interests than East Asian men.
STEREOTYPES OF EAST ASIAN WOMEN
THE DRAGON LADY
East Asian women have been portrayed as aggressive or opportunistic sexual beings or predatory gold diggers using their feminine wiles. Western film and literature has continually portrayed such stereotypes of East Asian women: depicting East Asian women as cunning "Dragon Ladies".
"CHINA DOLL" STEREOTYPE
According to author Sheridan Prasso, the China [porcelain] doll stereotype and other variations of this submissive stereotype exist in American dramas.
This includes the "Geisha Girl/Lotus Flower/Servant/China Doll.
Submissive, docile, obedient, reverential.
the Vixen/Sex Nymph: Sexy, coquettish, manipulative; tendency toward disloyalty or opportunism; the Prostitute/Victim of Sex Trade/War/Oppression: Helpless, in need of assistance or rescue; good-natured at heart." Many examples that conform to these stereotypes, or infact the Countertypes. These can be found easily in the media, or more precisely tv dramas being British or American. My first example conforms to the Countertypes. The character glenn, shown in the walking dead, is shown in the media as being the complete opposite as a predator of white women, this is won through his relationship with the southern american character maggie throughout the series. Here is an example. This clearly shows glenn's affection for maggie and his respect for her feelings.
An example of the stereotypes of men can be found within the tv program prison break, Feng Huan, was a Chinese businessman interested in purchasing Scylla from Cole Pfeiffer (Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell) and Gretchen. He has little or no remorse for any associates who fail him. this conforms to the stereotype that asian men are misogynists and being related in a gang. Also his reluctance towards characters is shown throughout and the ruthlessness of his nature.
White people
Educated
White people are shown throughout the media as being of a high social class and being superior to ethnic counterparts through knowledge. This is most predominantly shown in the british media as it is bias toward the patriotism of the country.
Rational
Commonly again through brutish media white characters are shown as a sort of voice of reason nd there decisions are mostly quantifiable by the audience.
Socially awkward
White people may also be shown as quite socially backwards meaning that they struggle to interact with other characters making the audience feel pity towards them, this kind of character often invites the narrative to have him narrate directly to the audience.
Arrogant
Arrogance is a common theme in white characters this may be positive or negative as sometimes it can be done by a white antagonist to create a hatred from the audience or to show the audience who is in control when it is shown by a white protagonist.
Leaders
Finally often in TV dramas the leaders are most likely going to be from a white background this is mostly because of the other positive stereotypes and characteristics they have been given through other stereotypes. An example of this stereotype can be found within the character Rick grimes, shown in The walking dead, He fits the stereotypes of white people craving leadership and being unsettled without it. This clip shows him as being a leader as he says, "my people" and also the fact that he is trying to reason with the antagonists shows his rationality and maybe even arrogance.
Another example of stereotyping may be found within the character Elliott Alderson, shown in Mr robot. This character conforms to the stereotypes of white men being socially backward and also highly educated. This is demonstrated in the clip. South asian
Glamorous
Educated
Very religious
criminal/brutal
Villains
An example of this may be found within the character Naveen Banerjee was a man who worked with Christina Scofield before he was killed. He was the son of one of India's most important minister and he was a very famous scientist. This follows the stereotype that south asians are educated and slightly villainous.
Another example of a stereotypical south asian in media is Trenton is a young Iranian-American woman who is a member of fsociety in the programme mr robot. She is won as being very intelligent as she is an internet hacker and slo religious and she is always shown to be praying.
Dominant notions of disability: the individual model
The societal view of disability generally conforms to the individual or overcoming or medical model of disability. This holds that disability is inherent in the individual, whose responsibility it is to ‘overcome’ her or his ‘tragic’ disability.
Often this ‘overcoming’ is achieved through medical intervention, such as attempts at ‘cures’. For example, top wheelchair athlete Tanni Grey-Thompson was forced as a child to wear heavy leg callipers which gave her blisters, rather than being offered the simple and practical option of using a wheelchair.
This approach to disability aims for the normalisation of disabled people, often through the medicalization of their condition.
The social model of disability:
This distinguishes between impairment (the physical or mental 'problem') and disability (the way society views it as being a negative). It holds that impairments are not inherently disabling, but that disability is caused by society which fails to provide for people with impairments, and which puts obstacles in their way.
Examples include access: the built environment often does not allow access for people with mobility problems. Discriminatory attitudes are also disabling: for example, the idea that disability is a personal tragedy for the ‘sufferer’ impinges upon disabled people in a variety of negative ways, from their social relationships to their ability to get jobs.
"Disability is produced in different forms, and in different proportions, in different cultures" (Oliver, 1996).
Difference:
It has been argued that dominant notions of ‘normality’ and beauty do not allow for the natural range of difference in human form. These notions are not only prejudicial to the acceptance of disabled people, but also increasingly impact on non-disabled people. Charlotte Cooper, for example, applies the social model to obesity, and concludes that there are some important categories through which obesity can be defined as a disability:
• A slender body is ‘normal’
• Fatness is a deviation from the norm.
• Fat and disabled people share low social status.
• Fatness is medicalised (e.g. jaw-wiring and stomach-stapling).
• Fat people are blamed for their greed and lack of control over their bodies.
Consider why it is that fat people or disabled people are rarely portrayed as sexually attractive.
By portraying disabled characters according to stereotypes, the media are perpetuating (continuing) out-dated ideas about disability. The media itself is arguably responsible for misconceptions about ability and disability, by regurgitating portrayals of disabled characters that fit stereotypical ideas about disability. Paul Hunt, in his 1991 study states:
Stereotype assumptions about people with impairments are based on superstition, myths and beliefs from earlier less enlightened times. They are inherent to our culture and persist partly because they are constantly reproduced through the communications media; books, films, television, newspapers and advertising.
Shakespeare (1999) presents a potential reason behind the use of one of these stereotypes:
"The use of disability as character trait, plot device, or as atmosphere is a lazy short-cut. These representations are not accurate or fair reflections of the actual experience of disabled people. Such stereotypes reinforce negative attitudes towards disabled people, and ignorance about the nature of disability"
In other words, the disability itself is often used as a hook by writers and film-makers to draw audiences into the story. These one-dimensional stereotypes are often distanced from the audience - where characters are only viewed through their impairment, and not valued as people.
Shakespeare (1999) continues:
"Above all, the dominant images [of disabled people] are crude, one-dimensional and simplistic."
The stereotypes:
In his 1991 study, Paul Hunt found that there are 10 stereotypes of disabled people, used in the media:
The disabled person as pitiable or pathetic
An object of curiosity or violence
Sinister or evil
The super cripple
As atmosphere
Laughable
His/her own worst enemy
As a burden
As Non-sexual
Being unable to participate in daily life
Examples of the disabled areas that are stereotyped in TV:
here is an example of the sixth out of the 10 points because they consistently make jokes about a disabled character and how the fact that because he is disabled he wouldn't be able to climb a tree.
here is a clip from Narnia: Prince Caspian where in this fight scene numbers 2 and 5 are used as the smaller people are used commonly in medieval fight scenes to create atmosphere.
here is a scene from the film Dodgeball where number 4 is used as he uses a cloth to blind himself but wins and make the antagonist look laughable.
here is a clip taken from the film Kingsman, in this clip the antagonist, being played by Samuel L Jackson, has a speech impediment and kills one of the antagonists, meaning that this is an example of number 3.
Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of gender using the following:
Camera shots, angles, movement and composition
Editing
Sound
Mise en scène
Try to refer to the following:
Camera shots:
establishing shot
close up
mid shot
two shot
Camera angles:
wide angle
high angle
low angle
Camera movement
pan
tilt
Composition
framing
Editing
shot/ reverse shot
long take
short take
Sound
diegetic sound-ambient sound/background noise
non diegetic sound-soundtrack/music
Mise en scene
costume
make up
setting/ location
set/ props
lighting
Camera work:
Camerawork in this extract of Luther is used to present a change in power through out the extract. This can be used in order to highlight that the binary opposites of man or women and that men also conventionally end up having the power. However, as the power switches throughout the extract, it shows that this is challenging the stereotype, causing the audience to find the programme more interesting and mostly enhances uniqueness.
At the start of the extract the camera work is mostly focused on the facial expressions and movements of the female character who is referred too as Alice throughout this extract. Firstly it has a close up of her emotion which connotes that off confidence, this is because she is smirking at the camera, this further shows that she is gaining control as it radiates confidence from the character. Also this may put a more sexual orientation on the original scene because she is connoting to the male character that of a sexual nature, which she may be using to assert her dominance within comparison to Luther himself. An establishing shot of the London building landscape is then shown straight after Luther talks about the killing of her dog. This is used in order to highlight male dominance and also his power over her, this fits the stereotype of male dominance. As the extract moves on in the next scene a tilt shot of Alice is used. It starts at the bottom and works its way up the female character showing the curvature of her body. This is used again to put a sexual orientation on the scene and the male character. Also the use of this shot may connote that the male character is looking upon awe at the females body along with the audience, this again fitting the stereotype that male characters may objectify females for their sex appeal. Plenty of over the shoulder shots, 2 shots and shallow focus is used throughout this extract to highlight conversation and a conflict also maybe a contrast between the characters opinions on the topic of conversation. Luther consistently is shown through the camerawork as looking down on Alice, this is used to portray his power over the female. Also this may show the stereotype of a male being far physically developed and therefore stronger within comparison to a female character. Nearer to the end of the scene as Alice and Luther continue to exchange words, the scenes focus changes to the photo of the “black hole”, A dolly zoom is used in this scene in order to highlight the high levels of intensity on a negative aspect of life, this being the black hole. This fits the stereotype of women as it shows a female character, in this case Alice, showing an uncanny amount of interest on this negative photo meaning that she may be too transfixed on emotions and therefore overly emotional when compared to the male character.
Soundtrack:
Asynchronous sound is used at the beginning of the extract though a low, loud booming noise when the camera focusses on Alice turning to face Luther. This highlights the impact of an antagonist on the plot as this music may connote her to be evil and plotting against the male protagonist. Synchronous sound is used this is through road activity, such as vehicles and transport for commuters this used in order to create a more believable aspect for the audience in order to add to its realism. This realism may also show us that all things that happen in the show are representations of real life aspects and dilemmas, this through the noisy contested traffic. Meaning that if stereotypes of gender are used in the show then they may be taken from reality and not just fictional. The non-dietetic soundtrack that is used as the background sound of most of this extract is a dark dramatic noise that is fairly slow in tempo, until it reaches more intense parts an example of this maybe being when Luther says that Alice is “incapable of feeling love” the tempo then picks up and creates a louder, faster paced noise. This is used to create tension at the start of the extract. Also it may shows that females have mental dominance this is represented through the soundtrack. This also provides connotations of confidence, authority these are both unconventional of a female character in TV drama’s. Diegetic sounds through the conversation between Alice and Luther is used throughout the clip. Alice's voice is very smooth, calm and has a hint of confidence. This can be used to attract Luther, using her voice to gain dominance over him. Luther's voice may be seen as loud and quite frankly abrupt and has a common cockney London accent which shows that he is in his zone as the scene is set in London, this can link to connote the idea that he is in a place he feels most comfortably making him seem authoritative but in a way less powerful as Alice is able to lure him in. Alice's gender is stereotypically represented through her voice as women are commonly used during such means as advertisement and in some stressful situations their voices are more pleasing to the audience's ears, allowing them to control a situation better. and ultimately gain power through this calmness.
Editing:
Editing is very important in laying certain messages in TV drama’s. A cross cut is used when the setting moves from outside to Alice's Apartment together. This editing shows how the storyline is progressing and highlights as they are going back to her place together. This implies that these two chart terms may be interacting positively and on good terms with each other. Also maybe the fact that she is hosting Luther in her apartment may show her dominance and she in on “home turf”. Also the idea of them going back to her house commonly may connote sexual chemistry between both characters. This shows that due to Alice's feminine features Luther can't help but feel some attraction highlighting the fact that her gender creates a control over him. Continuity editing is also used throughout the extract, this is used to allow the audience to take note that the story is moving at a fast pace as they quickly swap scenes and backgrounds. Multiply shot- reverse shots are also commonly used throughout the film clip to show how their conversation is flowing and highlighting many things such as the way they communicate with each other and possibly the emotions that come with their interaction. An example of this is when we have a close up shot in the direction of Alice's face, this is when Luther is tell her that she cannot love, then we see a slight flicker in emotion this editing highlights her weaker reaction. This can show the dominance that Luther has over Alice when she tries to get inside of his head. Also highlighting her emotional weakness compared to Luther who doesn't let it get to him when Alice asks about his recent marriage scandal. This supports the stereotype that women are emotionally weak and men are emotionally stronger meaning male dominance. Fast- pace editing is shown many times throughout out the extract and example of this being when the close up flicks back and forth from Luther to Alice's faces when they talk interact and refer to Luther's marriage or lack off. This is done to capture their reactions to the personal questions because this is rare for a person to ask another in society no matter what gender. This shows that Alice's is strange character highlighting that she fits the stereotype of a type of a crazed and slightly deranged women. This makes the audience scared of Alice as she is odd and potentially dangerous to the protagonist being Luther. This may confuse the audience as she has shown intelligence and her physical attraction is very prominent.
Mise en scene:
clothing in this scene is very different. Alice is seen wearing a purple coat and black trousers and Luther is seen wearing a grey business suit. The clothing within this scene is seen to be formal from both genders. The fact that both characters are wearing very formal outfits may indeed suggest that both characters have a lot of power within their outside lives and within the TV Drama as a whole. This is shown as the expense of the clothes match from male to female and they both come up as high value items of clothing. This is again breaking the stereotypical traits when it comes to gender, as the female would usually be in something slightly less expensive than the male because he would want to be personified as the most dominant in the scene, a very consistent and famous example of this would be found within the James Bond films and books.
Throughout the entire extract lighting appears to be very bright this is shown as the audience members can see it is set in the daytime. The only time the lighting changes to a darker tone, is when the camera emphasises the fact that there are ashes present. maybe that could show that the character Alice has a dark side to her as she is in possession of the only dark object/thing in the whole scene. this may not be discovered straight away as she is a sneaky character.
The scene is taken place on the outskirts of the inner city of London this is shown as they are exchanging conversation in a very lower class area. In the background you can see the big skyscraper business buildings, this may be used to highlight the state of the area that they find themselves and also that the characters are not where they are supposed to be as they are most likely wealthy and intelligent.
The fact that there is only one prop between two characters emphasises again the idea of everything being very run down, as it suggest that objects of high value either don't exist where they are or the fact that if they did have anything of any value it would be in hiding because of the likely high crime rate in that given area at that given time.
WWW: You have provided a comprehensive and full analysis using all four areas of textual analysis here, well done. Great effort.
EBI: How can you add punctuation and change some of the phrasing so this sentence makes sense? "Firstly it has a close up of her emotion which connotes that off confidence as she is smirking at the camera, this shows that she is gaining control as it radiates confidence from the character and also may put a more sexual orientation on the original scene that she is connoting to the male character which she may be using to assert her dominance within comparison to Luther himself."
You say that the flat seems 'run down', when in fact there are a few valuable looking props used in the scene. Revise and change this section and analyse props such as the telescope. How are they used to represent gender?
NOTE: You call the male an "agonist" the word you need is "protagonist".
The Male gaze means a quality of a visual work, where the audience is put into the perspective of a (heterosexual) man. It emphasizes and focuses on aspects considered interesting, pleasing, titillating to the assumed viewer (for instance, zeroing in on a female character's derrière as she walks away from the camera), and averting aspects considered awkward or uninteresting to the assumed viewer (for instance, zeroing in on a male character's derrière as he walks away from the camera). The term is discussed by Laura Mulvey in her essay, "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" (1975). It is used to describe when female characters are sexualized, and the camera may zero in on female body parts considered sexual. This takes after the psychoanalytical term brought into popular usage by Jacques Lacan. The video that I am using as my example, in the music industry, that this male gaze actually exists and an example of this is shown in Nicki Minaj's controversial video of her late single "Anaconda".Upon release "Anaconda" was met with generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised the song's production and Minaj's return to her hip-hop roots. Commercially, the song was an international success peaking at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, consequently becoming Minaj's highest charting single in the United States to date. It went on to spend eight consecutive weeks in the top ten of the Hot 100 chart. The song also fared well in other countries peaking within the top ten in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Here is a screenshot from the video. This is taken even before lyrics have been exchanged to the audience (18 seconds in). This may show the heavy sexual orientation of this music clip right from the get go. The camera shots shows both curves of the women in a close up shot. The lighting also concentrates the shot onto the women's body as it stands out ahead of the background, connoting the idea of god or an angel. Also the costume of the women is very revealing. The women's face isn't even revealed showing that she is only used for her body and not her personality or even her face, just purely her body.
Here is another screenshot from the video Anaconda. This screenshot is important as it shows clearly the Artist who is a woman "breaking the fourth wall", this means looking into the camera to show the audience that they acknowledge that they are indeed acting and trying to create an effect for a video. This screenshot is sexualised as when she is connecting with the audience she is looking into it as she is trying to seduce the viewer, This creates a one on one affect on the audience which may make them think that Nicki is trying to connect with them and them alone. Also the position of her and the way that she is bent over shows the curves off her arse cheeks this is also sexualised.
She continues to run her fingers through her hair and tilts her head back several times. Her mouth is parted at all times and her eyes remain closed throughout, leaving us to connote what we see with sex, pleasure and orgasms. The camera angle concentrates on her facial expressions.it is also a tilt shot that moves upwards as does the characters head.
Here I have taken two screenshots to help me evaluate on to one specific point. These screenshots show her smirking at the camera in a sexual manor again breaking down the fourth wall trying to connect to the audience through sexual behaviour. These screenshots are taken about 4 seconds apart. One shows Nicki shaking whipped cream which can connote to a sexual act, then after she is photographed holding a pealed back "erect" banana which again refers to a sexualised act.
