Tuesday, 13 September 2011
Analysis of Hotel Babylon clip.
In Hotel Babylon the tension is created as the immigration service’s come looking. This is done effectively using fast paced non-diegetic music. When Jackie is hiding in the cupboard there is a low angle, pan forward, leading to a close up of her face. At this point, the non-diegetic fast pace music begins to play louder. This is effective as it highlights the fear and anxiety the characters feel.
The director has taken into consideration that immigrants that are caught by the police will be put in prison. This is signified by the camera shots used throughout the clip. For example, a medium long shot is filmed through metal bars, this symbolises prison as the characters on the other side of the gate rush to hide. This highlights what the immigrants in the drama are trying to escape from, not only are they trying to escape the police, but they are running from a life in prison, or being sent back to a place worse than prison. This is effective as the audience are able to understand the characters panic.
When the characters are trying to hide in the cupboard, the director uses symbolism to make the audience empathise with the characters. He does this with a low angle shot of Jackie trying to unlock the door. The diegetic noise of the rattling of the keys creates panic and symbolises how, if caught, the immigrants could spend their lives locked away. This mise en scene is used also, by using dark lighting to highlight the fear and how being caught will lead them to a dark life.
The show tries to create binary opposites between good and bad, the bad being the police and the good being the immigrants. This is interesting, as shows would not usually try to make the police look negative; however in this case they have. The noticeable division is shown with the editing styles. When the characters in the cupboard have just saved the woman’s life, there is a sense of calm and relief. However, then there is a fast cut to a scene with the police violently arresting an immigrant. This scene involved diegetic shouting over the sound of a hover. This is effective as it makes it clear to the audience who they should disagree with and who they should empathise with.
Another way the director has chose to imply how fearful the experience is, is with tension and mystery. Just as the immigrants in the cupboard begin to calm and there is a silence, it is interrupted by a loud knock at the door. The non-diegetic music is then played loudly, and a low angle, pan forward leads the audience to see the shocked and fearful expression on a woman’s face. The diegetic knock continues, implying the person on the other side is eager for an answer. This scene creates fear yet curiosity for the audience, as they wonder who it is.
Tuesday 27th September 2011
Analysis of 'Life on Mars' frame shot
The analysis in writing:
I have taken a screen shot of the popular TV drama ‘Life on Mars’. The drama is set in 1973 and follows the life of a detective inspector living in Manchester.
The frame I have taken from the series is a low angle, medium long shot, looking up at a man wearing a leather jacket and a striped shirt. Behind him is large, red telephone box that is in the centre of the shot.
The low angle shot has been used here to signify his position of authority, implying to the audience he is an important character and also an important person in society in the programme. His general body language is confident and assertive, as his head is up high and looks as though he is swinging his arms whilst walking, this also signifies how this character has a strong personality and also a destination, as he does not seem to be walking with hesitance.
The frame I have taken from the series is a low angle, medium long shot, looking up at a man wearing a leather jacket and a striped shirt. Behind him is large, red telephone box that is in the centre of the shot.
The low angle shot has been used here to signify his position of authority, implying to the audience he is an important character and also an important person in society in the programme. His general body language is confident and assertive, as his head is up high and looks as though he is swinging his arms whilst walking, this also signifies how this character has a strong personality and also a destination, as he does not seem to be walking with hesitance.
His leather jacket indicates he might not necessarily be a good guy, although the audience are aware he is a detective, his general image implies he isn’t a polite and respectful police officer, but possibly one that often breaks the rules himself. His top buttons are undone on his shirt, making him look less smart and more relaxed and rebellious. His shirt also portrays the era in which this drama is set as it is a style that was common on the 1970’s.
The use of the red telephone box is to make it clear what country this drama is filmed in, as red telephone boxes stereotypically represent Britain and especially our capital, London. The vibrant red colour connotates the danger and risks this character has to take in his job and how his general lifestyle is out of the ordinary.
The use of this telephone box not only connotates the story, but is another contributing signifier that tells the audience the time this drama is set in, as you do not see the original telephone boxes that often any more.
The light is also on inside the telephone box, which implies the character has just used it. This also portrays that this drama is set in another time era, as in modern dramas, a character would use a mobile rather than a telephone box.
The use of the red telephone box is to make it clear what country this drama is filmed in, as red telephone boxes stereotypically represent Britain and especially our capital, London. The vibrant red colour connotates the danger and risks this character has to take in his job and how his general lifestyle is out of the ordinary.
The use of this telephone box not only connotates the story, but is another contributing signifier that tells the audience the time this drama is set in, as you do not see the original telephone boxes that often any more.
The light is also on inside the telephone box, which implies the character has just used it. This also portrays that this drama is set in another time era, as in modern dramas, a character would use a mobile rather than a telephone box.
The dark walls behind the character contrast against the brightness of the telephone box. The black and brown represent that this drama isn’t a light hearted programme, and also indicates that the scene the character is in has a dark and negative atmosphere. Informing the audience on what to expect.
Life on Mars frame shot:
Camera Shots
Spooks Clip Analysis
I watched a clip from the popular TV drama, spooks. Whilst watching this clip, I looked at what features were post important to create such a tense and exciting scene.
To begin with, I looked at sound. In the clip, sound was used with: Helicopter noises (diegetic); sirens from the police cars (diegetic); shouting dialogue (diegetic); fast pace music at the beginning of the clip (non-diegetic); slow, tension building paced music at the end (non-diegetic).
The director has used diegetic noises of sirens at the beginning of the clip, in order to signify that this is a situation of panic and urgency. This instantly makes the audience feel more on edge, as they hear the loud sirens, recognise it is a warning of danger, and they are curious as to what is happening in the scene.
The use of the diegetic sound of the helicopter flying makes the audience feel worried. It signifies the seriousness of the scene as the police have had to bring in people in aircrafts; it indicates the criminals being chased are dangerous. This adds to the excitement of the scene, as it makes the audience feel they are involved in a thrilling scene.
The uses of such vehicals make the programme look more successful and planned, making it instantly more appealing. This is because the audience recognise that using a helicopter is an expensive prop and stunt for a programme to include, therefore they feel the programme is worth watching.
The dialogue is very important in this clip as it also signifies the panic of the situation. The characters are shouting over the loud noise of the rushing air, caused by the helicopter. They are all shouting over each other, this illustrates their fear and worry. This is effective, as if the scene was silent and the characters were just discussing politely what was happening, it would give the impression they are calm. Therefore the diegetic loud use of voices, adds to the tension of the scene, making the audience feel more on edge when watching it and building excitement to the outcome of the actual programme.
Fast pace music is used also to create tension amongst the audience also. It is played at the beginning of the clip, as this is where all the high angle shots of the helicopters and cars are. Therefore it is used to build up of excitement and curiosity for the audience, as they wonder what is going to happen.
On the other hand, slow paced, tension building diegetic music is used at the end of this clip, as the innocent are being revealed and the guilty have been discovered. This is in order to create a sense of sadness, however also for a sense of relief, as the audience feel all has been resolved. It also creates sympathy for the person that is being kicked off the service, as he has done wrong. But the slow paced music makes the reader confused about who they should side with.
I also looked at the camera editing. The camera is usually directed on the men as women are a key feature in the clip. The camera is moving fast, changing shots with the pace of the music. There are a lot of cross cuts this makes the clip seem more action packed. Also there is shaking headshots making the audience feel like they are part of the action. Moreover there is an extra long shot of the area allowing the audience to see where the actors are. Close ups warm the audience to wanting to watch the programme and feel like there is a personal connection.
The quick cut pace of the camera editing draws attention to the speed the men are in leaving the women behind looking like not as much as an influence and un-needed. Also when the camera zoom's in on the man it evokes he is a key role where as the woman is not.
Gender is used clearly to portray men in a way that makes them wrong. As the bad person is male, and the officer that fires him is male too. Everything the woman says is ignored by the male and seems unimportant. Therefore, men are shown to hold power and status that women are not.
I then analysed representation. It is raining in the clip, which represents the desperation and sadness of the situation the characters find themselves in. In addition, the barren trees connote the season and the despair of the situation.
In addition to this, all of the men are wearing standard business looking dress while the woman is wearing jeans and a regular top. This objectifies women because they are ‘supposed’ to be looking attractive when they are around men.
Another point is that there is only one woman in the entire scene, out of about ten characters. She only gets a total screen time of ~15 seconds which signifies how women are oppressed and not valued in the media. The fact that men occupy almost all of the screen time represents the hegemonic norm of men being the most important part of the police force. It is important to note that all of the men are looking very serious and seem to be armed, while the woman is not.
This clip also gives us some insight in to the hierarchy of the police force, and how superiority works within what the director of Spooks thinks the police force is like. It is quite obvious that the man in the middle of the police trio is the man in charge, and lets his two inferiors do the talking for him until it comes time to decommission the rogue operative. Lower still than the two officers helping the boss, are the guards. This is immediately obvious when the boss shouts a command at one of the guards, ‘take him back’ and the guard immediately responds to this.
This clip also has some ideas of relationships between men. It signifies the heated moments that can happen when two men have a disagreement, and ultimately ends with one police officer losing his job. The connotation of relationships between men is most apparent when the rogue operative yells “I’ve woken up to this job!” directly at his boss.
Lastly, I chose to acknowledge what I could about the mise en-scene. The whole scene is presented in a dark blue tone; this represents the darkness, coldness and bad events. At the beginning the car swerves and a helicopter chasing them and already the audience are introduced to a chase being pursued and the audience are engaged to what’s going on and why. Also all the cars that are seen are black this forebodes that the people in the cars might be responsible for negative behaviour later in the show. The dark colours the men in the cars are wearing again suggesting the darkness and negativity of this scene. We see that one man is behind the other this shows status of the man in front. Also when they are confronting each other there seems to be multiple people against one, this is unfair, the one man loses the argument and walks alone, signifying his loneliness and rejection from the crowd. We then see the helicopter fly above and over showing that he has lost and they have risen. Furthermore his cold breath shows his failure and disappointment.
Analysis of TV Drama: Cutting It
Sound, camera, editing, mise en scene.
Sound, camera, editing, mise en scene.
The scene begins with diegetic dialogue between the couple, in order to create a sense of realism. The sound is focused on the dialogue in this scene, to signify the importance of the couple’s relationship. Whilst the female character speaks to her consultant, all diegetic sounds are blocked out and there is a non-diegetic song played. The song represents the mood of the scene and highlights the idea of ‘being free’ and ‘remembering’ with the lyrics. Its female vocalist forces the viewer to empathise with the female character’s emotions. The sudden squealing of the breaks followed by the smashing glass shocks the audience and informs them of an accident. This is then followed by echoing and muffled heartbeats, which represent the male character’s fear and shock. It builds tension and anticipation amongst the audience as the heartbeat could also portray the woman is dying as it eventually fades to silence. The silence is broken by a blaring car horn – highlighting the man’s horror as he is brought back to reality. The scene ends with diegetic dialogue spoken over an instrumental, setting a mournful atmosphere.
The scene begins with an establishing shot, showing two characters in a taxi, this is effective as the clearly visible traffic indicates a city location. In this scene, there is also a mid-shot of the female character leaning on the man’s shoulder. This is important to the narrative as the audience are instantly aware of the characters obvious close relationship. There is a close up of the couples hand, highlighting the strength of the relationship and also highlights the rings they are wearing, indicating they are married. There is then a wide-shot of the a building and a road, an ambulance pans across the shot, this instantly forebodes this scene is going to end in a tragedy, preparing the reader for a negative outcome. The high angle shot of the female character is a reference to her death, highlighting she will be leaving the world soon, indicating she will be going to heaven. The business of the traffic when she is entering the hospital leaves her to be obscured by vehicles. This is foreboding later events. The quick changes of indoor and outdoor shots when the female is with her consultant, highlights how both characters are clearly unaware of the horrible events yet to occur, it indicates the male and female are living parallel lives. The episode ends with a high-angle crane shot of the couple lying on the floor together; it is framed diagonally across the screen, surrounded by flowers. Here, the camera represents the female character, indicating her body is leaving the world, and also allows the audience to see the flowers signify the mournful pain the male character feels.
The editing of this scene is used in order to highlight different emotions. At the beginning of the programme, the pace is slow and includes a lot of still shots and panning, this highlights how both characters are calm and unaware of the events that later happen. The style and pace of the editing then becomes more urgent and emotive when the female is seeing her consultant and the man is at the cafe. There is a strong contrast of indoor/outdoor, daylight/dark lighting to heighten the dramatic tension as the audience wonder about the mysterious results coming from the consultant. The camera slowly pans forward, framing the female characters face highlighting her faint smile through her tears, creating anticipation as the audience cannot hear the conversation due to the slow soundtrack. The rapid cross cutting builds up emotional impact. The use of the slow motion as the man runs across the road, highlights how time almost stopped as he sprinted to his wife that had been knocked over, it slows the dramatic scene down, making the audience feel on edge about the outcome of this accident.
The mise-en-scéne is used to highlight the location this programme is set in. The obvious view of the black cab has a strong significance to London, therefore informs the audience on where the characters are. The woman pays for the cab, highlighting how the female is the pain aspect of this scene and also in control of the current situation, instantly giving her character more power and status than the male. Their smart dress sense and obvious well-groomed look highlight that these characters are from a high social class and have status in society. The repeated focus of the wedding rings; during the rapid cross cutting, in the taxi etc, highlight how the fact these characters are married has a strong impact on what events occur later. The dark room the woman is consulted in highlights how it is a place of drama and tension, indicating the news she is receiving is important. The dramatic close of the green folder implies that the news she has received is positive. The contrast of light from the dark consulting room and the bright outdoors, give the audience a mixture of emotions from fear to hope.
Analysis of Life On Mars five minute opening
I analysed the first five minutes of the popular TV drama Life on Mars. It begins using dark lighting and a dirty mirror, shown with a close up reflecting main character Sam’s face in the mirror. In view is also the wacky wallpaper, an interesting use of mise en scene used to highlight the era this TV drama is set in (the 1970’s). The editing is slow pace, with a switch of shots, often using panning in order to indicate a calm atmosphere to the scene. The only sound is the radio music which also keeps the scene calm. The shots speed up as Sam hears fuzzing noises on the radio, highlighting something unexplainable is happening. The slow panning forward, following Sam out the room holding the stereo indicates the importance of it and how it will later provide a story line.
The use of the mid shot of the television reminds the reader of the era this TV drama is set in. The accent of the character as he speaks sarcastically to the television highlights the location in which this drama is set, using sound to give the reader further information on this Manchester set drama. The mise en scene is used in this scene to highlight the intensity of what is about to happen, as the room is dark and there are shadows over character, foreboding negative events. There is then rigid cross cutting between the TV and radio as they discuss Sam’s illness in the real world. The mid shot that uses focus pull draws the audience’s attention to the radio as it is in focus and Sam is blurred. This demonstrates that what the radio is saying is what creates an emotional response from the reader. As the discussion between the TV and the radio continues tense music begins, using the sound of chords, as the scene continues the volume increases and the pace begins to get faster. Sam then shouts loudly over the television, and over the non-diegetic music. This creates tension and helps the audience to feel the characters distress. The long shot of Sam kneeling on the floor as this discussion goes on around him shows the audience, using levels, his lack of power in this situation.
The next scene is opened with a tilted framed, long shot of cars driving down a cobbled road; this sets the scene for the next half of the story as outside. This then switches to a medium long shot showing the officers crammed into a car, this indicates the social class of the people in the car. The car itself also is another contributing factor highlighting the era of this programme. There is then a close up of Sam followed by a close up of DGI Gene Hunt as they argue about the suspected car bomb they are on their way to visit. The quick cross cutting between Sam, DGI Gene Hunt and the whole car highlight the tension between the characters. As the cross cutting gets quicker, it is used to reflect the speed of the car. DGI Gene Hunt is wearing black gloves in this scene and is also driving the car, this informs the audience on this characters high status and authority over the other characters, as black conotates success and power, and his control of the car reflects his control over people’s decisions in this drama. This tension is then broken with the diegetic noise of the car wheels spinning; this implies that a car will later be a big part of the story. This sound is accompanied by the close up of the spinning car as it drives fastley round the corner, highlighting the rebellious ways of Gene Hunt and his careless attitude.
The next scene opens with the diegetic dialogue of children yelling and people shouting as the camera pans quickly through a big crowd of rustling people, this highlights the panic of this scene. Then the audience is shown a conflict between Sam and Ray, two officers who are arguing about the situation, they are positioned behind a car indicating the fear the officers subconsciously feel about the bomb possibly being in the car. There is non-diegetic music, using instruments such as tambourines, in order to create an intense and edgy scene. There is an over-the-shoulder shot of Ray and Sam, highlighting how Sam is responsible for what happens to Ray later in the scene. The editing in this scene is quick as it switches quickly between Sam and Ray to highlight tension. Sam is wearing a leather jacket in this scene highlighting how his character is confident and cocky, and also rebellious alike Gene Hunt.
This tension is then broken with an extreme long shot of Ray walking towards the car that supposedly has a bomb in it. This scene is silent as he approaches the car. This intense silence is broken with the loud and shocking diegetic sound of the car exploding. This is the sound of smashing glass and flames. This surprises the audience as the silence indicated a calm and peaceful atmosphere. There is a bird’s eye view, high angle shot of the car exploding, allowing the audience to see the damage caused. The editing switches from realistic to slow motion as this happens, allowing the audience to feel shocked and see all the characters emotional responses, Sam’s in particular as he was responsible for Ray approaching the car to begin with. This is followed by a low angle shot of Ray on the floor, and the officers running towards him in slow motion. The finishing shot of this scene is a panning close up of Sam’s shocked and anxious reaction to Ray being blown to the ground by the explosion. This is still in slow motion, keeping the audience drawn to the screen. Non-diegetic slow pace music begins to play, using instruments such as drums to create tension and to make the audience feel surprised yet interested. The mise en scene is used in the way the bright blue sky is behind Sam, highlights the luck he possesses, in the way he didn’t let his stubbornness win him over and he didn’t go and look at the car, or he would have been in the same position as Ray.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrrrlUagfCo
My Version of a TV Drama
We created our own version of a school TV drama, focusing on the issue of bullying.
The scene begins with an establishing shot, showing two characters in a taxi, this is effective as the clearly visible traffic indicates a city location. In this scene, there is also a mid-shot of the female character leaning on the man’s shoulder. This is important to the narrative as the audience are instantly aware of the characters obvious close relationship. There is a close up of the couples hand, highlighting the strength of the relationship and also highlights the rings they are wearing, indicating they are married. There is then a wide-shot of the a building and a road, an ambulance pans across the shot, this instantly forebodes this scene is going to end in a tragedy, preparing the reader for a negative outcome. The high angle shot of the female character is a reference to her death, highlighting she will be leaving the world soon, indicating she will be going to heaven. The business of the traffic when she is entering the hospital leaves her to be obscured by vehicles. This is foreboding later events. The quick changes of indoor and outdoor shots when the female is with her consultant, highlights how both characters are clearly unaware of the horrible events yet to occur, it indicates the male and female are living parallel lives. The episode ends with a high-angle crane shot of the couple lying on the floor together; it is framed diagonally across the screen, surrounded by flowers. Here, the camera represents the female character, indicating her body is leaving the world, and also allows the audience to see the flowers signify the mournful pain the male character feels.
The editing of this scene is used in order to highlight different emotions. At the beginning of the programme, the pace is slow and includes a lot of still shots and panning, this highlights how both characters are calm and unaware of the events that later happen. The style and pace of the editing then becomes more urgent and emotive when the female is seeing her consultant and the man is at the cafe. There is a strong contrast of indoor/outdoor, daylight/dark lighting to heighten the dramatic tension as the audience wonder about the mysterious results coming from the consultant. The camera slowly pans forward, framing the female characters face highlighting her faint smile through her tears, creating anticipation as the audience cannot hear the conversation due to the slow soundtrack. The rapid cross cutting builds up emotional impact. The use of the slow motion as the man runs across the road, highlights how time almost stopped as he sprinted to his wife that had been knocked over, it slows the dramatic scene down, making the audience feel on edge about the outcome of this accident.
The mise-en-scéne is used to highlight the location this programme is set in. The obvious view of the black cab has a strong significance to London, therefore informs the audience on where the characters are. The woman pays for the cab, highlighting how the female is the pain aspect of this scene and also in control of the current situation, instantly giving her character more power and status than the male. Their smart dress sense and obvious well-groomed look highlight that these characters are from a high social class and have status in society. The repeated focus of the wedding rings; during the rapid cross cutting, in the taxi etc, highlight how the fact these characters are married has a strong impact on what events occur later. The dark room the woman is consulted in highlights how it is a place of drama and tension, indicating the news she is receiving is important. The dramatic close of the green folder implies that the news she has received is positive. The contrast of light from the dark consulting room and the bright outdoors, give the audience a mixture of emotions from fear to hope.
Analysis of Life On Mars five minute opening
I analysed the first five minutes of the popular TV drama Life on Mars. It begins using dark lighting and a dirty mirror, shown with a close up reflecting main character Sam’s face in the mirror. In view is also the wacky wallpaper, an interesting use of mise en scene used to highlight the era this TV drama is set in (the 1970’s). The editing is slow pace, with a switch of shots, often using panning in order to indicate a calm atmosphere to the scene. The only sound is the radio music which also keeps the scene calm. The shots speed up as Sam hears fuzzing noises on the radio, highlighting something unexplainable is happening. The slow panning forward, following Sam out the room holding the stereo indicates the importance of it and how it will later provide a story line.
The use of the mid shot of the television reminds the reader of the era this TV drama is set in. The accent of the character as he speaks sarcastically to the television highlights the location in which this drama is set, using sound to give the reader further information on this Manchester set drama. The mise en scene is used in this scene to highlight the intensity of what is about to happen, as the room is dark and there are shadows over character, foreboding negative events. There is then rigid cross cutting between the TV and radio as they discuss Sam’s illness in the real world. The mid shot that uses focus pull draws the audience’s attention to the radio as it is in focus and Sam is blurred. This demonstrates that what the radio is saying is what creates an emotional response from the reader. As the discussion between the TV and the radio continues tense music begins, using the sound of chords, as the scene continues the volume increases and the pace begins to get faster. Sam then shouts loudly over the television, and over the non-diegetic music. This creates tension and helps the audience to feel the characters distress. The long shot of Sam kneeling on the floor as this discussion goes on around him shows the audience, using levels, his lack of power in this situation.
The next scene is opened with a tilted framed, long shot of cars driving down a cobbled road; this sets the scene for the next half of the story as outside. This then switches to a medium long shot showing the officers crammed into a car, this indicates the social class of the people in the car. The car itself also is another contributing factor highlighting the era of this programme. There is then a close up of Sam followed by a close up of DGI Gene Hunt as they argue about the suspected car bomb they are on their way to visit. The quick cross cutting between Sam, DGI Gene Hunt and the whole car highlight the tension between the characters. As the cross cutting gets quicker, it is used to reflect the speed of the car. DGI Gene Hunt is wearing black gloves in this scene and is also driving the car, this informs the audience on this characters high status and authority over the other characters, as black conotates success and power, and his control of the car reflects his control over people’s decisions in this drama. This tension is then broken with the diegetic noise of the car wheels spinning; this implies that a car will later be a big part of the story. This sound is accompanied by the close up of the spinning car as it drives fastley round the corner, highlighting the rebellious ways of Gene Hunt and his careless attitude.
The next scene opens with the diegetic dialogue of children yelling and people shouting as the camera pans quickly through a big crowd of rustling people, this highlights the panic of this scene. Then the audience is shown a conflict between Sam and Ray, two officers who are arguing about the situation, they are positioned behind a car indicating the fear the officers subconsciously feel about the bomb possibly being in the car. There is non-diegetic music, using instruments such as tambourines, in order to create an intense and edgy scene. There is an over-the-shoulder shot of Ray and Sam, highlighting how Sam is responsible for what happens to Ray later in the scene. The editing in this scene is quick as it switches quickly between Sam and Ray to highlight tension. Sam is wearing a leather jacket in this scene highlighting how his character is confident and cocky, and also rebellious alike Gene Hunt.
This tension is then broken with an extreme long shot of Ray walking towards the car that supposedly has a bomb in it. This scene is silent as he approaches the car. This intense silence is broken with the loud and shocking diegetic sound of the car exploding. This is the sound of smashing glass and flames. This surprises the audience as the silence indicated a calm and peaceful atmosphere. There is a bird’s eye view, high angle shot of the car exploding, allowing the audience to see the damage caused. The editing switches from realistic to slow motion as this happens, allowing the audience to feel shocked and see all the characters emotional responses, Sam’s in particular as he was responsible for Ray approaching the car to begin with. This is followed by a low angle shot of Ray on the floor, and the officers running towards him in slow motion. The finishing shot of this scene is a panning close up of Sam’s shocked and anxious reaction to Ray being blown to the ground by the explosion. This is still in slow motion, keeping the audience drawn to the screen. Non-diegetic slow pace music begins to play, using instruments such as drums to create tension and to make the audience feel surprised yet interested. The mise en scene is used in the way the bright blue sky is behind Sam, highlights the luck he possesses, in the way he didn’t let his stubbornness win him over and he didn’t go and look at the car, or he would have been in the same position as Ray.
The representational issue of this TV drama that I chose to focus on was gender representation. Males in particular, are represented to be rebellious, argumentative and fighting for status. This is shown in the way that Sam and Gene Hunt are arguing in the car, highlighting that although Hunt is driving the car, Sam is fighting for the same sort of status and respect, although he is a less important police investigator. It is also portrayed in the mise-en-scene as Hunt wears black gloves to highlight power and success; Sam (the main character) is wearing a leather jacket in order to gain a rebellious and authoritive reputation, regardless of the fact that Hunt is his boss. Males are shown to be fighting for approval from women also as Investigator Ray says: “He’ll do anything to impress you.” This embarrasses the character Sam; therefore he has to regain his reputation by arguing with Ray, and being aggressive. This shows that males in this TV drama will use threat, clothing and attitude to try and gain respect. They are also portrayed as stubborn, as Ray does not want to lose pride, therefore goes against his own protection and ends up getting hurt by the explosion.
SELF ASSESSMENT
explination/analysis/argument 18/20
Use of examples 20/20
use of terminology 7/10
I have decided to focus on the representational issue of bullying in this TV drama. The scene I am focusing on displays a young boy called Ben being bullied for a rumour about having HIV.
The location of this scene is in a busy canteen in a school, this is clear as there is the sound of people talking, kids shouting and knives and forks hitting plates. This sort of hectic atmosphere highlights how Ben is being publically humiliated implying the cruelty behind this bullying. It begins with a mid shot of Ben walking through the door happily; there is then a quick cut to a mid shot of Bolton walking forward, towards the camera. The use of the same shot allows the audience to grasp a better understanding of both characters, by focusing on the mise en-scene. Ben is wearing a black hoodie, a black necklace and a black bag. This reflects the darkness of this scene and the unhappiness of his life. The audience can then see that Bolton (who is the bully in this part of the scene) is also wearing a black hoodie and also a chain. This allows the audience to understand that the two characters are not all that different and would usually get along due to their similarities; however the rumour has destroyed Ben’s chances of friendship with anybody. However, Bolton’s chain is hanging out of his shirt, highlighting to the audience that he is a more upfront and cocky character compared to Ben. His earrings also indicate he is a rebellious person. Bolton’s body language can instantly be interpreted as violent due to the way he licks his gums before speaking, his aggressive and emphasised steps and his quick movements.
The conversation is opened with the loud slam of Bolton’s lunch tray hitting the table, reflecting the harm he’s capable of. There is then a medium close up of Ben’s surprised reaction to the noise. Bolton then begins to threaten Ben, shown in an over-the-shoulder shot of Bolton and the back of Ben’s head. As the diegetic dialogue begins, the background noise of the canteen quietens, allowing the audience to hear Bolton’s accent, furthering their interpretation of his character, as his harsh accent highlights his character-type. There is then a quick cut to another over the shoulder shot of Bolton’s head and Ben quietly and softly answering, highlighting his confusion to the threatening conversation.
There is then a two shot medium long shot of two girls noticing the heated discussion and questioning it, but not intervening and helping Ben, simply watching, highlighting how Ben has no real friends who support him. There is then a cut to a two shot medium close-up of Bolton and his mate still threatening Ben, highlighting how Ben is fighting a losing battle, as he is being ganged up on by more than one person. There is then an over the shoulder shot of the Bolton’s head as his volume increases and he begins shouting at Ben, this allows the audience to see Ben’s shocked and hurt reaction to Bolton’s threatening behaviour. A cut to a medium close up of just Ben, looking upset highlights his loneliness in this situation. There is then a single medium close-up of one of Bolton’s gang looking sternly at Ben, highlighting how people agree with Bolton and Ben is being victimised. There is then a long silence after Bolton says ‘got it?’ indicating Ben’s confusion and fear. The tension is then broken with the obvious sound of Bolton’s shoulder bashing past Ben’s, shown in a medium shot as Ben attempts to rush away. This highlights how Bolton is a bully and a violent character. As Bolton is a different ethnicity to Ben, this highlights also that the bullying might also be down to racial differences.
The scene then switches to a conversation between two girls, sitting at a table nearby. It opens with a medium long shot of a girl quietly discussing why the two boys were arguing, the volume of the girl’s discussion highlight how the reason the boy is being bullied is supposed to be a secret – indicating how people must have gone behind his back, making the audience feel sympathetic for Ben even more. There is then a medium long shot of the girls sitting at the table, this allows the audience to consider their characters and decided what they think of them. Both girls are wearing short skirts; they have their shirts hanging out and their ties on loosely. This indicates this is not a posh school and the students within it are not respectful or necessarily smart.
There is then rigid cross cutting of the girls, using medium close-ups, discussing the rumour about Ben and how everybody knows. The fast pace editing in this scene highlight the quick cuts which reflect the intensity of the conversation and also represent the frustration of the characters. This is then broken with a medium long shot of one girl slamming her fork on the table, the loud noise represents her anger that Ben is being bullied, showing that people do care about him.
The scene is then taken to a close up of Ben, who is at the food court, being served by a dinner man. His sarcastic tone highlights instantly to the audience that he is a bully that has heard about the rumour also, foreboding that Ben is about to get more grief from another character. The close up of this dinner man allows the audience to judge him as a character due to the mise-en-scene. He is wearing all white, which is a contrast to the connotations of white: calm, pure, angelic. However, the colour is used to imply he is staff in the canteen, and also to indicate how Ben is bullied by all types of people, the obviously mean and the unexpectedly mean also. He is wearing a hat which is twisted sideways, indicating his rude attitude.
A medium long shot of thee dinner man serving is opened with the loud clatter of the plates, reflecting Ben’s fear of what is about to happen. There is then a close-up of Ben’s shocked and startled reaction that even a staff member is bullying him. This is followed by a close up of the stuffing being served reminding the audience that this bullying is taking place in a busy canteen environment. The medium close up of the dinner plate allows the audience to hear the slam of the sausage being hit onto the plate reflecting the threat of violence and also the two loud hits of the spoon on the plate, indicating that Ben is powerless and the dinner man is stronger than him, mentally and physically. There is then a two shot of Ben and another student watching the dinner man, indicating to the audience that this bullying is being done in front of other people, highlighting Ben’s embarrassment. A volume increase of the dinner man shouting at the staff to ‘throw away’ all cutlery highlights how this man is more powerful than Ben and he is too weak to stand up to him. The dinner man’s violent emphasis of the word ‘catch’ demonstrates the cruelty of this bullying and reminds the audience of the rumour.
There is then a focus pull of the man to a close up of a dinner lady in the background who has been watching the way he has been bullying Ben. The silence highlights how, alike the girls earlier in the scene, she has witnessed the bullying but not intervened and tried to help Ben. This then cuts to a focus pull from the man helping another student, using a soft and subtle tone, to a big close up of Ben looking hurt as he notices the harsh and obvious victimisation of this bullying.
Here is a link to the clip i analysed:
explination/analysis/argument 18/20
Use of examples 20/20
use of terminology 7/10
Analysis of Waterloo Road
The location of this scene is in a busy canteen in a school, this is clear as there is the sound of people talking, kids shouting and knives and forks hitting plates. This sort of hectic atmosphere highlights how Ben is being publically humiliated implying the cruelty behind this bullying. It begins with a mid shot of Ben walking through the door happily; there is then a quick cut to a mid shot of Bolton walking forward, towards the camera. The use of the same shot allows the audience to grasp a better understanding of both characters, by focusing on the mise en-scene. Ben is wearing a black hoodie, a black necklace and a black bag. This reflects the darkness of this scene and the unhappiness of his life. The audience can then see that Bolton (who is the bully in this part of the scene) is also wearing a black hoodie and also a chain. This allows the audience to understand that the two characters are not all that different and would usually get along due to their similarities; however the rumour has destroyed Ben’s chances of friendship with anybody. However, Bolton’s chain is hanging out of his shirt, highlighting to the audience that he is a more upfront and cocky character compared to Ben. His earrings also indicate he is a rebellious person. Bolton’s body language can instantly be interpreted as violent due to the way he licks his gums before speaking, his aggressive and emphasised steps and his quick movements.
The conversation is opened with the loud slam of Bolton’s lunch tray hitting the table, reflecting the harm he’s capable of. There is then a medium close up of Ben’s surprised reaction to the noise. Bolton then begins to threaten Ben, shown in an over-the-shoulder shot of Bolton and the back of Ben’s head. As the diegetic dialogue begins, the background noise of the canteen quietens, allowing the audience to hear Bolton’s accent, furthering their interpretation of his character, as his harsh accent highlights his character-type. There is then a quick cut to another over the shoulder shot of Bolton’s head and Ben quietly and softly answering, highlighting his confusion to the threatening conversation.
There is then a two shot medium long shot of two girls noticing the heated discussion and questioning it, but not intervening and helping Ben, simply watching, highlighting how Ben has no real friends who support him. There is then a cut to a two shot medium close-up of Bolton and his mate still threatening Ben, highlighting how Ben is fighting a losing battle, as he is being ganged up on by more than one person. There is then an over the shoulder shot of the Bolton’s head as his volume increases and he begins shouting at Ben, this allows the audience to see Ben’s shocked and hurt reaction to Bolton’s threatening behaviour. A cut to a medium close up of just Ben, looking upset highlights his loneliness in this situation. There is then a single medium close-up of one of Bolton’s gang looking sternly at Ben, highlighting how people agree with Bolton and Ben is being victimised. There is then a long silence after Bolton says ‘got it?’ indicating Ben’s confusion and fear. The tension is then broken with the obvious sound of Bolton’s shoulder bashing past Ben’s, shown in a medium shot as Ben attempts to rush away. This highlights how Bolton is a bully and a violent character. As Bolton is a different ethnicity to Ben, this highlights also that the bullying might also be down to racial differences.
The scene then switches to a conversation between two girls, sitting at a table nearby. It opens with a medium long shot of a girl quietly discussing why the two boys were arguing, the volume of the girl’s discussion highlight how the reason the boy is being bullied is supposed to be a secret – indicating how people must have gone behind his back, making the audience feel sympathetic for Ben even more. There is then a medium long shot of the girls sitting at the table, this allows the audience to consider their characters and decided what they think of them. Both girls are wearing short skirts; they have their shirts hanging out and their ties on loosely. This indicates this is not a posh school and the students within it are not respectful or necessarily smart.
There is then rigid cross cutting of the girls, using medium close-ups, discussing the rumour about Ben and how everybody knows. The fast pace editing in this scene highlight the quick cuts which reflect the intensity of the conversation and also represent the frustration of the characters. This is then broken with a medium long shot of one girl slamming her fork on the table, the loud noise represents her anger that Ben is being bullied, showing that people do care about him.
The scene is then taken to a close up of Ben, who is at the food court, being served by a dinner man. His sarcastic tone highlights instantly to the audience that he is a bully that has heard about the rumour also, foreboding that Ben is about to get more grief from another character. The close up of this dinner man allows the audience to judge him as a character due to the mise-en-scene. He is wearing all white, which is a contrast to the connotations of white: calm, pure, angelic. However, the colour is used to imply he is staff in the canteen, and also to indicate how Ben is bullied by all types of people, the obviously mean and the unexpectedly mean also. He is wearing a hat which is twisted sideways, indicating his rude attitude.
A medium long shot of thee dinner man serving is opened with the loud clatter of the plates, reflecting Ben’s fear of what is about to happen. There is then a close-up of Ben’s shocked and startled reaction that even a staff member is bullying him. This is followed by a close up of the stuffing being served reminding the audience that this bullying is taking place in a busy canteen environment. The medium close up of the dinner plate allows the audience to hear the slam of the sausage being hit onto the plate reflecting the threat of violence and also the two loud hits of the spoon on the plate, indicating that Ben is powerless and the dinner man is stronger than him, mentally and physically. There is then a two shot of Ben and another student watching the dinner man, indicating to the audience that this bullying is being done in front of other people, highlighting Ben’s embarrassment. A volume increase of the dinner man shouting at the staff to ‘throw away’ all cutlery highlights how this man is more powerful than Ben and he is too weak to stand up to him. The dinner man’s violent emphasis of the word ‘catch’ demonstrates the cruelty of this bullying and reminds the audience of the rumour.
There is then a focus pull of the man to a close up of a dinner lady in the background who has been watching the way he has been bullying Ben. The silence highlights how, alike the girls earlier in the scene, she has witnessed the bullying but not intervened and tried to help Ben. This then cuts to a focus pull from the man helping another student, using a soft and subtle tone, to a big close up of Ben looking hurt as he notices the harsh and obvious victimisation of this bullying.
Here is a link to the clip i analysed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrrrlUagfCo
My Version of a TV Drama
We created our own version of a school TV drama, focusing on the issue of bullying.
Analysis of my version:
This school drama focuses on the issue of a boy being bullied for the music he listens to. This is shown instantly using a long shot of a boy sitting at a table with a pen and paper. He is wearing a shirt, highlighting he is a student; however his shirt colour is black. This mise en-scene is used effectively as the colour black conotates darkness and negativity, reflecting the characters bad mood. The shot then zooms into the boy at the table, until it stops at a mid shot, highlighting the boy has his head phones in. There is diegetic sound of rock music playing, highlighting this is the music the boy is listening to and indicates it might be an issue as later we discover that is why he is bullied. This rock music is then interrupted by the loud dominating diegetic sound of a teacher saying ‘Dan, are you listening?’ This effectively reminds the audience that this boy is a student and the drama is based in a school. The boy pulls his head phones out and the music stops.
The shot then changes to a medium close up, of two girls wearing hoodies. This mise en-scene is used to highlight these characters represent the typical stereotype of a rebellious teenager. Their body language indicates they are unfriendly. There is then cross cutting between the two girls and a friend of the boy being bullied, using mid shots to show the other boy is trying to protect his friend from being bullied. There is diegetic dialogue between the characters as the girls bully the boy and the boy’s friend tries to make them stop. This highlights that the bulling is being taken place in a typical classroom environment, indicating public humiliation for the boy being bullied, making the audience feel sympathetic for him. There is then an extra long shot, showing the girls throwing a ball of paper at the boy and it hitting him. This is used in order to show the bullies characteristics and the Dan’s sad reaction to the bullies, as he just puts his head down. It is also used to show that Dan is sitting far away from both the other boy and the bullies, indicating his loneliness and segregation from his classmates because of the bullying.
The next scene is opened with non-diegetic instrumental sad music, using pianos and violins. The characters are wearing different outfits, highlighting how this scene is taking place the next day, implying the extent of the bullying. It begins with a long shot of the characters walking through a classroom door, once again indicating how Dan is lonely, as he walks in alone, last with his head down. He is wearing all black in this scene, continuing to highlight his mood is getting worse and worse as the days go on. The girls however are wearing bright colours such as yellow and light grey, this indicates that they are happy with the way they are treating Dan and don’t feel bad at all. There is then a mid shot of the girls whispering and laughing as they are sending a text. The music is playing loudly and all diegetic sound is muted, showing that what they are saying is unimportant as the music represents the mood of the scene.
The next shot is a close up of a phone vibrating and a boy’s hand picking up the phone, followed by another close up of the boy opening the text which says ‘Screamo freak!’ This indicates there girls are now cyber bullying the boy based on the stereotype he is given because of the music he listens to. Then, there is a high angle close up of the boy looking down, covering his face with his hand and hair, this makes the audience feel sympathetic for the boy, as its clear he is upset and effected by the girls bulling. It also indicates that he feels small as the camera is looking down on him.
Then, the camera switches to a medium long shot of Dan, throwing his chair back in anger. The camera pans around the room, following the character as he walks out the door. There is a still medium long shot of the door as it slowly closes behind him. As soon as it shuts, the sad music stops, and the audience is shown mid shot of the two girls, as one says ‘come on.’ The non-diegetic rock music begins again, showing the sad atmosphere has now changed to a threatening one. The camera pans to the left as it follows the girls out to a medium long shot of them leaving the classroom and walking the same direction as Dan did.
The location changes to a corridor, with the non-diegetic music still playing, there is an extra long shot of the girls swinging the doors open aggressively and walking quickly towards the camera but looking straight ahead. The shot then changes to a medium close up of Dan, turning around with a scared expression on his face, highlighting he can see the girls have followed him and is afraid. There is then another extreme long shot of Dan running out of one of the corridor doors and sprinting past the camera, looking behind him as he runs, indicating he is trying to escape the girls. This still shot then allows the audience to see the girls follow him through the doors and once again fastley walk past the camera, as if they are chasing him. This is effective as is makes the audience feel sympathetic for Dan’s character as his fear is portrayed as he runs away from the girls.
There is then a cut to a long shot of the girls walking into a lift and then another quick cut to Dan walking out of a door. There is then a change of music, as mellow non-diegetic cheesy music begins to play, as the bullies look around the lift and fiddle with their hair. This creates humour, as this is a school TV drama and is aimed at young teenagers who also go to school/ can relate to this environment; therefore it is trying to be serious, but also entertaining and not too depressing. There is then rigid cross cutting as it shows the girls in the lift and Dan in an extreme long shot running down the stairs scared and panicked (with non-diegetic rock music playing, reflecting his mood). This highlights how the girls are cruel and they are enjoying putting Dan through this fear and upset.
There is an interesting point of view shot, which is filmed from the level of Dan’s eyes, displaying him running down the stairs. This is done in order to portray Dan’s rushing panic to the audience, making them feel sorry for him as he is running away from the girls, creating sympathy.
This cross cutting is interrupted by a medium long shot of the girls, and the diegetic dialogue of ‘Stop running away you pussy’. The non-diegetic music stops, allowing the audience to focus on the scene more closely, as the silence after the dialogue builds tension. The language ‘you pussy’ links to zeitgeist, as it indicates this TV drama is based in the present day.
The non-diegetic sad violin music begins to play again, as there is a close up of Dan’s foot slipping on the stairs and his hand slipping off the banister is presented, these quick cuts between the shots highlight how the accident could not be stopped and build tension amongst the audience as they have sympathised with Dan’s character throughout the show. The scene ends with a mid shot of the two girls with their hands over their mouths, shocked. This indicates the guilt they feel and shock that he fell down the stairs, as they were not expecting that to happen and perhaps did not prepare for that sort of situation, as they were responsible. This makes the audience dislike the girls characters further, as they feel it is their fault.
Story Board:
This is some of the story board for our version of the TV drama, showing we planned welll.
Prime Evil Analysis - representational issue of gender
Haydon G322 Daley: Representation of gender
The shot then changes to a medium close up, of two girls wearing hoodies. This mise en-scene is used to highlight these characters represent the typical stereotype of a rebellious teenager. Their body language indicates they are unfriendly. There is then cross cutting between the two girls and a friend of the boy being bullied, using mid shots to show the other boy is trying to protect his friend from being bullied. There is diegetic dialogue between the characters as the girls bully the boy and the boy’s friend tries to make them stop. This highlights that the bulling is being taken place in a typical classroom environment, indicating public humiliation for the boy being bullied, making the audience feel sympathetic for him. There is then an extra long shot, showing the girls throwing a ball of paper at the boy and it hitting him. This is used in order to show the bullies characteristics and the Dan’s sad reaction to the bullies, as he just puts his head down. It is also used to show that Dan is sitting far away from both the other boy and the bullies, indicating his loneliness and segregation from his classmates because of the bullying.
The next scene is opened with non-diegetic instrumental sad music, using pianos and violins. The characters are wearing different outfits, highlighting how this scene is taking place the next day, implying the extent of the bullying. It begins with a long shot of the characters walking through a classroom door, once again indicating how Dan is lonely, as he walks in alone, last with his head down. He is wearing all black in this scene, continuing to highlight his mood is getting worse and worse as the days go on. The girls however are wearing bright colours such as yellow and light grey, this indicates that they are happy with the way they are treating Dan and don’t feel bad at all. There is then a mid shot of the girls whispering and laughing as they are sending a text. The music is playing loudly and all diegetic sound is muted, showing that what they are saying is unimportant as the music represents the mood of the scene.
The next shot is a close up of a phone vibrating and a boy’s hand picking up the phone, followed by another close up of the boy opening the text which says ‘Screamo freak!’ This indicates there girls are now cyber bullying the boy based on the stereotype he is given because of the music he listens to. Then, there is a high angle close up of the boy looking down, covering his face with his hand and hair, this makes the audience feel sympathetic for the boy, as its clear he is upset and effected by the girls bulling. It also indicates that he feels small as the camera is looking down on him.
Then, the camera switches to a medium long shot of Dan, throwing his chair back in anger. The camera pans around the room, following the character as he walks out the door. There is a still medium long shot of the door as it slowly closes behind him. As soon as it shuts, the sad music stops, and the audience is shown mid shot of the two girls, as one says ‘come on.’ The non-diegetic rock music begins again, showing the sad atmosphere has now changed to a threatening one. The camera pans to the left as it follows the girls out to a medium long shot of them leaving the classroom and walking the same direction as Dan did.
The location changes to a corridor, with the non-diegetic music still playing, there is an extra long shot of the girls swinging the doors open aggressively and walking quickly towards the camera but looking straight ahead. The shot then changes to a medium close up of Dan, turning around with a scared expression on his face, highlighting he can see the girls have followed him and is afraid. There is then another extreme long shot of Dan running out of one of the corridor doors and sprinting past the camera, looking behind him as he runs, indicating he is trying to escape the girls. This still shot then allows the audience to see the girls follow him through the doors and once again fastley walk past the camera, as if they are chasing him. This is effective as is makes the audience feel sympathetic for Dan’s character as his fear is portrayed as he runs away from the girls.
There is then a cut to a long shot of the girls walking into a lift and then another quick cut to Dan walking out of a door. There is then a change of music, as mellow non-diegetic cheesy music begins to play, as the bullies look around the lift and fiddle with their hair. This creates humour, as this is a school TV drama and is aimed at young teenagers who also go to school/ can relate to this environment; therefore it is trying to be serious, but also entertaining and not too depressing. There is then rigid cross cutting as it shows the girls in the lift and Dan in an extreme long shot running down the stairs scared and panicked (with non-diegetic rock music playing, reflecting his mood). This highlights how the girls are cruel and they are enjoying putting Dan through this fear and upset.
There is an interesting point of view shot, which is filmed from the level of Dan’s eyes, displaying him running down the stairs. This is done in order to portray Dan’s rushing panic to the audience, making them feel sorry for him as he is running away from the girls, creating sympathy.
This cross cutting is interrupted by a medium long shot of the girls, and the diegetic dialogue of ‘Stop running away you pussy’. The non-diegetic music stops, allowing the audience to focus on the scene more closely, as the silence after the dialogue builds tension. The language ‘you pussy’ links to zeitgeist, as it indicates this TV drama is based in the present day.
The non-diegetic sad violin music begins to play again, as there is a close up of Dan’s foot slipping on the stairs and his hand slipping off the banister is presented, these quick cuts between the shots highlight how the accident could not be stopped and build tension amongst the audience as they have sympathised with Dan’s character throughout the show. The scene ends with a mid shot of the two girls with their hands over their mouths, shocked. This indicates the guilt they feel and shock that he fell down the stairs, as they were not expecting that to happen and perhaps did not prepare for that sort of situation, as they were responsible. This makes the audience dislike the girls characters further, as they feel it is their fault.
Story Board:
This is some of the story board for our version of the TV drama, showing we planned welll.
Analyse the representational issue of age in the monarch of the glen
In this short clip, I have focused on the representational issue of age. This clip clearly portrays young people to be foolish and rebellious, whereas old people are shown to be responsible and stern.
The clip begins with a long shot of a river establishing shot surrounded in trees, there is some light, indicating its early morning. This highlights where this programme is set. There is then a panning, high angle long shot of older men and women dressed in worker coats, hoodies and wrapped up in warm, loading tools onto trucks. The next shot is an over-the-shoulder shot between Amy and a boy, she is dressed lightly with no jumper, highlighting she is tougher than the older people shown earlier.
Slow paced non-diegetic music begins as Amy speaks: “threes something I need to speak to you about”. This dialogue forebodes this young character is keeping a secret. She is dressed in yellow how’re, this is effective as it implies she is happy with her current life, helping to emphasise her sadness later when she runs away. She is also wearing baggy jeans, this gives her character a rebellious, and ‘I don’t care attitude’.
There is a panning medium close up of the girl in the car as she mutters to herself; there are diegetic car engine noises after constant clicking of the keys turning in the ignition. This implies to the audience that she lied and doesn’t actually know how to drive. There is then a cut to the young boys face watching the car drive away indicating he knows she can’t drive and foreboding something bad is going to happen.
In the background are the noises of shovels being loaded the truck. This noise is interrupted by the diegetic noise of a crash – highlighting that the young girl was not responsible enough to drive the car and obviously lied about knowing how to drive.
Cutting to the crash scene, there is rigid cross cutting using medium long shots between Paul and the school teacher. The school teacher is dressed in a suit, indicating his importance and spoke with a strong English accent, this highlights how he is intelligent and wise. He is an older man, implying that older people are smarter and more responsible.
There is a cut to a large wooden room that Paul gets a drink from a teacher in, this portrays Paul as middle class man as the room is very large and beautiful. This highlights that he has earned a nice home. Paul uses articulate dialogue: “reimburse” in this scene, highlighting that he is older and more intelligent than Amy.
This scene is ended with the loud, abrupt opening of the door, instantly informing the audience of Paul’s anger. The argument between Paul and Amy is shown using a medium, low angle close up of Amy, but as it’s a two shot, the audience can see that Paul is taller and pointing his finger at her. This shot enables the audience to see the body language between the two characters and conclude that Pauls height and body language shows him to be an authoritive figure, highlighting his age gives him a higher status than young Amy.
There is then a fade into the extra long shot of a rainbow through trees; this sets the location for the next scene. This scene has non-diegetic fast paced jolly music playing as there are a number of long shots showing people busy at work, building and gardening. The characters shown doing this activity are all of an older age group, indicating they are more motivated and hard working than young Amy.
In contrast to this, slow paced, sad non-diegetic music is playing as Amy is running away. There is a medium long shot of her looking in the mirror, this shot is effective as it indicates she is ashamed of who she is, and therefore cannot look at her reflection for long. There is a cut to a close up of a photo on the mirror, of Amy and the other characters, creating a sad atmosphere and building sympathy as the audience understand that she does not want to leave them. Later, there is a long shot of a woman walking into Amy’s room and realising that she has run away. This is filmed using a P.O.V shot through a window, implying that Amy is outside and isn’t in her room.
The scene then cuts back to the people working. There is a pan forward towards an old man arguing with Paul indicating that the older generation in this programme fight for status. This is interrupted by the older woman that realised Amy has run away, running towards Paul. Her heavy breathing indicates her panic and builds tension as she tells Paul: “Amy has run away!” The scene ends with a close up of Pauls face, shocked, highlighting that he is upset and worried that she has gone.
In conclusion age is portrayed in a way that makes the young character Amy seems like a childish, untrustworthy girl, who is too young to make her own responsible decisions. Older people such as Paul and the teacher, are shown to be authoritive figures and are shown to have power younger peoples actions. They are also perceived as foolish for not knowing Amy was only 16 and also for not knowing she had run away.
Prime Evil Analysis - representational issue of gender
Haydon G322 Daley: Representation of gender
The clip begins with a woman and a man having a conversation, the woman seems distressed as she says: “this shouldn’t have happened!’ There is then an over the shoulder shot, showing the woman getting into a car, as sad, slow pace non-diegetic music plays. This indicates that the woman is worried about something and the man was trying to support her. This indicates that males are perceived as assistant and comforting in this programme, and the people women will rely on.
However, this idea is reversed during the forest scene. It begins with the panning shot of a crane, displaying a blonde haired woman driving it. The woman is wearing a leather jacket indicating she is rebellious, yet her white hair reassures the audience she is trustworthy. As she is handling the crane, it instantly portrays her character as having masculine qualities. The slow panning shots then switch to fast pace editing when Sabertooth appears, as well as quick paced drum non-diegetic music during the chase; this helps to build excitement as the audience are now aware this creature is life-threatening. There is then panning from left to right whilst the animal attacks the crane, allowing the audience to see that the creature is angry, this is accompanied by loud roaring from the creature and the mechanical sound of the crane over the fast paced music.
The man in this scene is being chased by the creature, whereas it is the woman who is trying to save him, this portrays the male as the ‘damsel in distress’ and the woman as a heroic figure, challenging hegemonic ideas as it is switching the typical gender roles. The excitement continues to build as the audience are shown a long shot of the man as he says the dialogue: “Come on!” The man’s obvious bravery conserves the male’s reputation of being the hero, as the audience feel the male and female are both equally as fearless.
The audience can then hear the sound of running through bushes as a high angle, bird’s eye view shot of the man running through the woods and climbing a ladder is displayed. In order to maintain excitement and anticipation amongst the audience, there is rigid crosscutting between the man attempting the zip wire and the creature roaring up the tree, this makes the audience feel on-edge as they can see how close the animal is to catching the man, further building excitement. The quick-cut editing used as the man puts his belt onto the zip-wire portrays the man to be bold and courageous; it sets the genre of the programme as action adventure as it builds anticipation for the audience as they feel the rush of the character trying to escape.
The low angle panning of the man above sliding along the zip wire and the diegetic noise of the zip wire leads the audience to a long shot of the man lying on a level. The fast pace music builds up, increasing in pace as Sabertooth leaps closer towards the man, this tension is then broken by the loud noise of a gunshot, which is later revealed with an extra long shot to have come from the blonde haired female with a gun. This again continues to portray the woman to have masculine features, and challenges the typical stereotype of males being the hero and the females being needy. The slow motion editing used as the tiger leaps over the ledge and away from the man allows the audience to capture the relief of the male character as he had escaped the possibly brutal death of the creature.
There is a slow long shot pan from right to left, presenting all the characters to the audience as they strut towards the camera. Due to this shot, we are able to see a male dressed in pink, wearing a hat. This further challenges the idea of males being masculine and females being feminine, as earlier we were shown a woman with male qualities and the male character in pink appears to have obvious qualities that make him female. This character could possibly be portrayed this way as comical though, as we are later shown him picking up a spade as a defence weapon, maybe using humour to make the programme less serious and more entertaining at times.
In the barn scene we are shown cross cutting between Mr. West and woman conversing. The woman is dressed in black, with a white over coat. This implies to the audience that perhaps her character is attempting to appear as a good when in fact she is not a hero like the other characters, and has bad intentions. There is a medium long shot of the Mr. West with a gun, followed by a medium close up of the woman, displaying her fearful expressions to the audience, highlighting how she feels under threat by the other character. This again switches the roles of gender, as now it is the woman who is the ‘damsel’ and the man is carrying the weaponry – conforming to typical stereotypes of genders.
The lighting in the barn scene is dark, foreboding that something bad is going to happen, making the audience feel intrigued but tense. As the male character holds the gun over the woman, there is the loud diegetic noise of the dogs barking, reflecting the female characters panic and urge to cry for help. The editing is used to build anticipation, as there is slow motion as Mr. West raises his gun as if he were about to shoot, accompanied by non-diegetic banging drum music, making the scene even more intense for the audience to watch as they understand the woman is seconds away from being shot. The tension is the broken by dialogue from a familiar male from earlier on in the programme, the medium long shot used allows the audience to see the three people standing behind Mr. West and feel relieved as they remember they are good characters. Here is where they are shown the male dressed in pink holding the shovel, lightening up the intensity and seriousness of the scene. The scene ends with a close up of Mr. West as he hears the name “Sabertooth”, allowing the audience to see the confusion and fear in his face, building curiosity amongst the audience.
In conclusion, the representational issue of gender varies in this clip as the audience are shown familiar sequences of women being in need of help and men in control of machinery, and ‘saving the day’. However, they are always displayed situations that involve females saving men, using masculine qualities and actions to do so, challenging hegemonic ideas and switching typical gender roles.
However, this idea is reversed during the forest scene. It begins with the panning shot of a crane, displaying a blonde haired woman driving it. The woman is wearing a leather jacket indicating she is rebellious, yet her white hair reassures the audience she is trustworthy. As she is handling the crane, it instantly portrays her character as having masculine qualities. The slow panning shots then switch to fast pace editing when Sabertooth appears, as well as quick paced drum non-diegetic music during the chase; this helps to build excitement as the audience are now aware this creature is life-threatening. There is then panning from left to right whilst the animal attacks the crane, allowing the audience to see that the creature is angry, this is accompanied by loud roaring from the creature and the mechanical sound of the crane over the fast paced music.
The man in this scene is being chased by the creature, whereas it is the woman who is trying to save him, this portrays the male as the ‘damsel in distress’ and the woman as a heroic figure, challenging hegemonic ideas as it is switching the typical gender roles. The excitement continues to build as the audience are shown a long shot of the man as he says the dialogue: “Come on!” The man’s obvious bravery conserves the male’s reputation of being the hero, as the audience feel the male and female are both equally as fearless.
The audience can then hear the sound of running through bushes as a high angle, bird’s eye view shot of the man running through the woods and climbing a ladder is displayed. In order to maintain excitement and anticipation amongst the audience, there is rigid crosscutting between the man attempting the zip wire and the creature roaring up the tree, this makes the audience feel on-edge as they can see how close the animal is to catching the man, further building excitement. The quick-cut editing used as the man puts his belt onto the zip-wire portrays the man to be bold and courageous; it sets the genre of the programme as action adventure as it builds anticipation for the audience as they feel the rush of the character trying to escape.
The low angle panning of the man above sliding along the zip wire and the diegetic noise of the zip wire leads the audience to a long shot of the man lying on a level. The fast pace music builds up, increasing in pace as Sabertooth leaps closer towards the man, this tension is then broken by the loud noise of a gunshot, which is later revealed with an extra long shot to have come from the blonde haired female with a gun. This again continues to portray the woman to have masculine features, and challenges the typical stereotype of males being the hero and the females being needy. The slow motion editing used as the tiger leaps over the ledge and away from the man allows the audience to capture the relief of the male character as he had escaped the possibly brutal death of the creature.
There is a slow long shot pan from right to left, presenting all the characters to the audience as they strut towards the camera. Due to this shot, we are able to see a male dressed in pink, wearing a hat. This further challenges the idea of males being masculine and females being feminine, as earlier we were shown a woman with male qualities and the male character in pink appears to have obvious qualities that make him female. This character could possibly be portrayed this way as comical though, as we are later shown him picking up a spade as a defence weapon, maybe using humour to make the programme less serious and more entertaining at times.
In the barn scene we are shown cross cutting between Mr. West and woman conversing. The woman is dressed in black, with a white over coat. This implies to the audience that perhaps her character is attempting to appear as a good when in fact she is not a hero like the other characters, and has bad intentions. There is a medium long shot of the Mr. West with a gun, followed by a medium close up of the woman, displaying her fearful expressions to the audience, highlighting how she feels under threat by the other character. This again switches the roles of gender, as now it is the woman who is the ‘damsel’ and the man is carrying the weaponry – conforming to typical stereotypes of genders.
The lighting in the barn scene is dark, foreboding that something bad is going to happen, making the audience feel intrigued but tense. As the male character holds the gun over the woman, there is the loud diegetic noise of the dogs barking, reflecting the female characters panic and urge to cry for help. The editing is used to build anticipation, as there is slow motion as Mr. West raises his gun as if he were about to shoot, accompanied by non-diegetic banging drum music, making the scene even more intense for the audience to watch as they understand the woman is seconds away from being shot. The tension is the broken by dialogue from a familiar male from earlier on in the programme, the medium long shot used allows the audience to see the three people standing behind Mr. West and feel relieved as they remember they are good characters. Here is where they are shown the male dressed in pink holding the shovel, lightening up the intensity and seriousness of the scene. The scene ends with a close up of Mr. West as he hears the name “Sabertooth”, allowing the audience to see the confusion and fear in his face, building curiosity amongst the audience.
In conclusion, the representational issue of gender varies in this clip as the audience are shown familiar sequences of women being in need of help and men in control of machinery, and ‘saving the day’. However, they are always displayed situations that involve females saving men, using masculine qualities and actions to do so, challenging hegemonic ideas and switching typical gender roles.
How is sexuality
portrayed in this clip from Finger Smith?
The clip begins with a medium close up showing two girls
reactions to a dress, one of which seems interested in the dress, but the one
behind her looks more intrigued in the girl holding the dress. The clothing of
the females reflects this is set during the 1920ish era, as fashion was this
way at the time. The way she is positioned behind the girl holding the dress
reflects how she is hiding from something. There is then a cut to the
reflection of the girls in a dusty mirror, the dust highlights how the woman
holding the dress cannot see how the other woman feels about her and how she is
oblivious to it. This is accompanied by the narration of a soft female voice,
with slow symphonic music playing in the background.
This shot is faded into a panning mid shot of the female looking at some books, the audience can here conclude that the narrator is this woman. This shot fades into a panning forward of the two females lying on a bed, showing how one is asleep, but the other is staring at her, whilst temptatiously hovering her hand above her body. The dim candle lit lighting in this scene reflects a calm and relaxed mood, accompanied by the soft voice of the female and the slow orchestra music is makes the scene romantic and a reflection of love. In this scene the female that is asleep is wearing a white dress, but revealing her legs, making her seem seducing and attractive. The shot slowly pans into a close up of just the females’ hand hovering above her body.
There is a change of scene to a close up of the female painting a picture whilst intensely staring at something. At this point, the music quickens, the narration has stopped, and there is just the fast pace, louder orchestra music playing. There is then a cut to the other female lying down asleep; the audience are then notified at what the woman is intensely staring at. The random jolts of the violin in the music reflect how the female that is painting is on edge, as she is trying to hide her love for the other woman. There is then a medium shot of a man interrupting her painting, as the music increases in volume over his speech it reflects how he is disrupting her peace. This represents the way heterosexuality is disrupting her true feelings, which are essentially homosexual. The clear era in which this clip is set also highlights why this character has to hide the way she feels, as it was not accepted during that time. The weather is bright, yet the female is sat under a dark umbrella, reflecting how she is constantly hiding from her true feelings and pretending to be something she’s not.
The sounds of the bells ringing over the deep male voice, shown using a close up of the male speaking and the female looking away – almost as if she’s disgusted, highlights how she is rushed for time, and has to figure out a solution to her feelings soon. This builds tension, especially over the jolty, high pitched symphonic music playing non-diegetically. There are then a selection of quick cuts, between a close up of the female’s concentrated face and the breasts of the female asleep, and then the lower body of the female asleep. This reflects what the female that’s in love with her is thinking about, and how she is captivated by her image. This is reinforced in the quick cuts between a close up of the red paint dripping off the brush, to a close up of it falling onto her dress. This implies that the female’s interest for the girl disrupts her life and causes her to be oblivious to anything else around her. This further represents her deep passion and obsession with the female. During this there are ringing echoing noises of piano keys, building tension and highlighting how someone (the male) has been alerted of her captivation for the female.
We see the male character is dressed in all dark colours during a long shot of him dragging the woman behind a tree. This conotates how his character is portrayed in a negative light, which is enforced in his forceful and aggressive body language as he grips the females’ throat in a mid shot. This portrays the male as aggressive and dominating with conforms to hegemonic ideas about stereotypical males. This image of the male makes the audience feel less happy about heterosexuality and more understanding of the homosexual woman’s feelings, as scenes with the woman are gentle and peaceful, whereas with the man are aggressive and fearful. This is reinforced in the way there is the diegetic sound of the woman breathing heavily and shaking, indicating she is scared and repulsed by the male, who appears to be a vulgar character as he is shown in a mid shot licking the female’s hand, with silence to build tension, followed by blowing wind. This is reflecting sexual activity which can be both linked to males and females, however the fade to a long shot of the female slowly undressing highlights that the woman is thinking about the female in a sexual way and not the male. There dim lighting during the scene of the female undressing shows only her body lit up, again highlighting how she is the only thing that the other female really focuses on. The gentle sound of the crackling fire, in comparison to her heavy breathing and blowing wind in the previous scene, highlights how the other female represents safety and happiness and warmth for her, making the audience feel more understanding of her homosexual feelings towards the girl.
This shot is faded into a panning mid shot of the female looking at some books, the audience can here conclude that the narrator is this woman. This shot fades into a panning forward of the two females lying on a bed, showing how one is asleep, but the other is staring at her, whilst temptatiously hovering her hand above her body. The dim candle lit lighting in this scene reflects a calm and relaxed mood, accompanied by the soft voice of the female and the slow orchestra music is makes the scene romantic and a reflection of love. In this scene the female that is asleep is wearing a white dress, but revealing her legs, making her seem seducing and attractive. The shot slowly pans into a close up of just the females’ hand hovering above her body.
There is a change of scene to a close up of the female painting a picture whilst intensely staring at something. At this point, the music quickens, the narration has stopped, and there is just the fast pace, louder orchestra music playing. There is then a cut to the other female lying down asleep; the audience are then notified at what the woman is intensely staring at. The random jolts of the violin in the music reflect how the female that is painting is on edge, as she is trying to hide her love for the other woman. There is then a medium shot of a man interrupting her painting, as the music increases in volume over his speech it reflects how he is disrupting her peace. This represents the way heterosexuality is disrupting her true feelings, which are essentially homosexual. The clear era in which this clip is set also highlights why this character has to hide the way she feels, as it was not accepted during that time. The weather is bright, yet the female is sat under a dark umbrella, reflecting how she is constantly hiding from her true feelings and pretending to be something she’s not.
The sounds of the bells ringing over the deep male voice, shown using a close up of the male speaking and the female looking away – almost as if she’s disgusted, highlights how she is rushed for time, and has to figure out a solution to her feelings soon. This builds tension, especially over the jolty, high pitched symphonic music playing non-diegetically. There are then a selection of quick cuts, between a close up of the female’s concentrated face and the breasts of the female asleep, and then the lower body of the female asleep. This reflects what the female that’s in love with her is thinking about, and how she is captivated by her image. This is reinforced in the quick cuts between a close up of the red paint dripping off the brush, to a close up of it falling onto her dress. This implies that the female’s interest for the girl disrupts her life and causes her to be oblivious to anything else around her. This further represents her deep passion and obsession with the female. During this there are ringing echoing noises of piano keys, building tension and highlighting how someone (the male) has been alerted of her captivation for the female.
We see the male character is dressed in all dark colours during a long shot of him dragging the woman behind a tree. This conotates how his character is portrayed in a negative light, which is enforced in his forceful and aggressive body language as he grips the females’ throat in a mid shot. This portrays the male as aggressive and dominating with conforms to hegemonic ideas about stereotypical males. This image of the male makes the audience feel less happy about heterosexuality and more understanding of the homosexual woman’s feelings, as scenes with the woman are gentle and peaceful, whereas with the man are aggressive and fearful. This is reinforced in the way there is the diegetic sound of the woman breathing heavily and shaking, indicating she is scared and repulsed by the male, who appears to be a vulgar character as he is shown in a mid shot licking the female’s hand, with silence to build tension, followed by blowing wind. This is reflecting sexual activity which can be both linked to males and females, however the fade to a long shot of the female slowly undressing highlights that the woman is thinking about the female in a sexual way and not the male. There dim lighting during the scene of the female undressing shows only her body lit up, again highlighting how she is the only thing that the other female really focuses on. The gentle sound of the crackling fire, in comparison to her heavy breathing and blowing wind in the previous scene, highlights how the other female represents safety and happiness and warmth for her, making the audience feel more understanding of her homosexual feelings towards the girl.
