Ethnicity and Race

 

Class and Status

 

Representation of Ethnicity - Hotel Babylon

Representation of Ethnicity

Hotel Babylon

The clip opens with a black hotel worker handing a menu or a document to a customer. This character contradicts stereotypical attitudes towards black people because the character is dressed formal and professionally rather than wearing cheap, baggy clothing, the character is portrayed as friendly rather than being intimidating and a threat to society and lastly the character is very punctual and speaks formally instead of speaking in street language. The setting of the beginning of the clip is a luxury indoor pool area, featuring comforting soundtrack music in the background and darkened lighting to suggest a warm and comforting atmosphere. A panning shot is included to follow the character as he walks through the scene. This displays the sheer size of the room and the luxury that is provided in the hotel by using an establishing shot. After passing a pillar, the camera shot changes to a long shot due to cross cutting, and then another character is introduced. A Jamaican-like. As the second character appears, the first character becomes startled after witnessing him appear in front of him directly from the swimming pool. The second character repeatedly refers to the first black character as ‘bro’ or ‘bruv’, this suggests that the two characters share a bond or friendship. This character resembles a stereotypical black person as he speaks using street language and he can come across as humorous on occasions. In attempt to carry on the conversation the formal character attempts to act and behave like his friend by speaking and acting in a stereotypical way. An over the shoulder shot captures the discomfort of the character as the conversation escalates. A two shot is used to emphasise the distance between the two characters in terms of success. As the character tries to leave, the other character suggests an out of the ordinary party in which the formal character remains uncomfortable with. The other character tries to be persuasive about this party idea, however a close up captures the formal character thinking long and hard, may be concerning whether this is appropriate.

The next scene portrays two cleaners approaching a customer’s room. Both female characters appear to be dressed in formal clothing that is associated with a typical hotel. As the leading female character mentions the double payment of the customer, the other character looks away as if she already understands the protocol. She prepares herself and then enters the room. The wall painting surrounding the room is fuchsia which suggests that the customer living in the room provides pleasure and comfort to whoever enters the room. This introduces to the audience the customer in the room, a Chinese or Asian gentleman. The darkened lighting and thick duvet covers support the fuchsia wall painting by also expressing comfort and pleasure. Additionally, the character looks very eager to continue when the two female characters have entered the room. A close up of the extra money for the service is displayed to query to audience to what the extra service is. The money is a stereotype towards Asian people as they are considered to be wealthier than other people. The soundtrack in the background suggests that the extra may be sexual due to the upbeat tempo of the soundtrack. The camera pans a close up of the leading female character as she locks the door to the room. The other female character looks back at the Asian man as if she does not understand what is going on. The man then brings up a remote control and activates a nearby stereo. The loudness of the music is to drown out any noise from the females. The women are prostituting themselves for the extra payment from the customer service. A close up on the male character shows that he is prepared whilst the females remove their clothing. It becomes clear that the other female character is uncomfortable with the situation as she would have not expected this to happen. Whereas the leading female feels overly confident with this as takes her clothes off first and then dances flirtatiously. The uncomfortable female flees the room whilst the confident stops the male from reacting to this by continuing to flirt.

The next scene opens with a female hotel worker peeking through a door with toilet roll. The professionalism of the character continues here as she is dressed appropriately and appears to be sophisticated. The character appears to want to provide for here customers and so, she goes directly to them with what they desire. In this case, a customer has run out of toilet roll. Upbeat, action like soundtrack is included here suggests that the character may be heroic and attempts to achieve a task under any cost. As she apologises to the customer, this emphasises how white British people are sophisticated but she is not organised as the issue has happened and has never happened previously. After this, the character quietly mutters a possible situation where a shortage of toilet paper has occurred before.

The next scene shows a conversation between two other characters, a male and a female. Similarly to the white British females from the previous scenes, these two are also punctual, sophisticated and dress formally. The setting is a cramped corridor with many members of staff passing through. This can situate a chaotic situation that occurs and links to the conversation of the characters. The sound effects are of the supporting characters conversing themselves to add to the chaotic atmosphere. A long shot confirms this as a view of the corridor is displayed. Many close ups are used here to focus primarily on the two characters and the responses in the conversation. The quick tempo of the character’s speech further supports the chaotic atmosphere as the characters are having to respond to this appropriately and quickly. The dark coloured lighting and clothing suggest that the characters are of high authority. The scene concludes with a close up of the female character and action-like soundtrack, this suggests that the characters are attempting to resolve an issue following the conversation.

The following scene introduces the hotel’s kitchen. The kitchen appears to be a typical large, crowded and chaotic. This places emphasis on the work process of the chefs. A mid shot opens the scene as the female character enters the room. A short cut away focuses on a chefs hands prepping potatoes for food products. Then another cut away shows another character, who may be the person that the male and female where conversing about in the previous scene. The blank expression of this character gives the impression that he may be unintelligent or focusing primarily on chopping ingredients. Another cut shows the high authority characters advancing further into the kitchen, using a panning movement to allow the audience to view more of the details of the kitchen. As the female character approaches the head chef, the audience can see that he is of an Asian background. This character is stereotypically higher in authority and is considered to be more important than his fellow workers. A close up of the character allows the audience to capture a healthy greeting towards the superiors in an attempt to impress them. Although, the larger chef that the male and female may have been conversing about may possibly not accept or belief the other chefs response, and so he shakes his head subtly to express shame or disappointment. The female character remains sophisticated as she ensures that the demands of the chef are indeed met. This leads to the head chef bringing in the other chef into the conversation by tapping in on the shoulder to get his attention. To make amends, he kisses the chef on his forehead to express to create a positive impression in front of his superiors. This then follows with a speech from the chef that is said sarcastically. As the male and female character leave the room, a mysterious and eerie soundtrack is included in which creates the idea that an event is to happen. The chef turns to the head chef and begins a conflicted argument. In response to this, the head chef acts more harshly than he did towards his superiors. This expresses his superiority over the other chefs. As the conflict continues, insults and name calling are added to liven up the argument and grab the attention of the other workers. After this, a close up of the head chef picking up a knife from the working surface is included with additional emphasis using sound effects to try and intimidate the chef even further. This follows the stereotypical view that this character is a threat to society as the character is threatening another with a butcher’s knife.  

The final scene follows the worker that was previously visited with the toilet issue. It appears that she is returning to her former post. That is until she hears the music from the room that contains the cleaner that has prostituted herself. The character knocks on the door and then quickly hides. This draws out the female cleaner, looking suspicious and guilty. A cut of the female worker behind the wall is viewed through a close up of her hiding behind the wall and then peeking round. This extends her curiosity. As she looks away, the cleaner rearranges herself in attempt to show that nothing has happened. She then leaves and returns to her cleaning duties as if nothing has happened.

Representation of Class and Status - Shameless

Representation of Class and Status

Shameless

The clip opens with the main character waling down some stars. The setting clearly shows that the characters in the clip are living in a lower class society because of the clothing positioned on the stair case which suggest that the environment is dirty and cluttered, the paint on the stair case is faded away at parts which suggests that the building in which the characters are living in is old in which age can be associated with lower class as well as the clothes in which the main character is wearing, unclean and baggy clothing that allows the character to be presented in a poor state. Blue wall paint suggest cold temperatures which is also associated with a lack of wealth and lower class society. As the character enters the scene, he appears to be disorientated and confused due to the slow pace of his movements and the way in which he speaks. ‘Oooohhh’ suggests a slurred speech that is associated with disorientation. The mid shot allows the audience to witness the poor state of the environment of the characters and the main character. The additional soundtrack in the background creates a slow and disorientated atmosphere that further supports the idea that the characters in the household are lower class citizens.

At six seconds of the clip, the audience are presented with the other characters of the family. The male children of the family appear to be wearing fairly mainstream clothing that allow them to stand out from the lower class society and attempt to enter a middle class society. Although, one character is not wearing any trousers which suggests idleness and the lack of money needed to purchase more clothing. The female character is presented in a dressing gown which further supports the idea that the family are having money issues and therefore impacting the clothing choices of the children. Additionally, she is holding and feeding a baby that could possibly be her son or daughter. This again refers to the lower class society as some teenage pregnancies occur due to a parent living in a lower class society. Teenage mothers are associated with being poor, unemployed and stressed. The setting of the living area of where the characters are sitting in appears to be similar to a garage due the painted wall on the left, and the grey brick work on the right. The curtains are drawn which emphasises that the characters prefer to live in a darkened environment. And similarly to before, the room is cluttered with empty glass bottles and other discarded items.

As the father character is speaking, his arm gesture suggests that he is talking directly to his family, the wide distance between his arms suggest that his family is large. The slow speech continues here which suggests that the character is still disorientated. A handheld camera is used throughout the scene, this emphasises that there may be a possible tension in the family. As the father character speaks, the words that he is saying are slurred or repeated. This shows that the character is unintelligent and he is trying to use longer vocabulary to allow him to sound more intelligent and appear more like a father figure rather than alcoholic. An over the shoulder shot allows one of the sons to talk back to the father by contradicting his father’s speech. The hand held camera emphasises the tension between the father character and his son. The camera shakes more violently as the sibling faces up to his father and the conversation escalates. The father pauses to emphasise that he is clueless of thinking of a comeback to the point risen by his son and responds with an immature and sarcastic ‘I don’t know smartarse you’re the one with the answers’. This shows that the character is not portrayed as a father figure, but more of an older child. Another over the shoulder shot is included to allow the other siblings to join in with the conversation. To further support the idea that the father is appeared to be immature, it becomes evident that the character has edited details about a house to impress his family. In response to this, the father responds angrily by expressing through hand and arm gestures and facial expressions. Editing is used here, such as jump cuts to continue to idea that the character may be ‘crazy’ and tilting of the camera to create a sensation that expresses the insanity of the character.

Despite the argument, the female character raises the point that the family want to stay together by living in the same house. Following this response from the female character, a calm, tranquil soundtrack is introduced to create the realism that the family want to stay together.  The camera zooms in the characters to capture the expressions of the characters so that they can express their own thoughts and opinions. This creates a large pause to allow the father to come to terms with the situation. This generates that a ‘lesson’ is learnt here and strangely it targets the children rather than the father. This contradicts the idea of the conversation as the character that is needing to learn from a lesson is the father as he is meant to be responsible for his children and put them first instead of himself. The character appears distressed as he explains how being a father and telling lies to his children is a ‘job’.

The concluding scene opens with an up beating soundtrack that is included to raise the spirits of the children as a new home is introduced. The darkened lighting emphasises how the family have sunk to a new low by essentially downgrading themselves from a house to a caravan. A panning movement is used to quickly change from a scene of the caravan to a scene of the family. This allows the audience to witness their reaction to this. The father character continues to try and sound intelligent by using large vocabulary which again become slurred and not understandable on occasions. As a close up of the female character is displayed, it becomes clear that she is disappointed with his father as he already knew that it was not a house and therefore parts her mouth and shakes her head in disappointment. As the father continues to talk, the close up of a turtle moving closer to the road is displayed. This is used to eliminate the other characters from this part of the scene and focus on the turtle. This eventually shows that the family is unaware that an awkward event will soon occur. Quick cuts are used to change from when the turtle is being run over to the father continuing his conversation. It is not until a crushing sound effect of the turtle’s shell that a member of the family realise that the turtle is a priority and has now met its doom. They immediately assume that the animal was attempting to find its way home and eliminate the fact that none of the family were watching it to prevent an event like this from happening. Following this, an estate agent appears and explains that a buyer has been found. He then presents the father with the money which leads to a negative response. A close up shows the negative response from the father by focusing on his face. His mouth is parted and a blank expression is left on his face. The estate agent continues to talk whilst the camera focuses on the father. Unaware of the children laughing at the father from behind his back the father begins to join in, thus bringing together the family. The clip concludes with an aerial shot of the scene thus emphasising how low the characters are in modern society.

 

Disability in TV Drama

Disability in TV Drama

Stereotypes of Disability:

The first stereotype of disability is that disabled people are represented as pitiable and pathetic. This the most common stereotype that is applied to disabled people as it persuades the audience to feel sorry for them as they are less able than able bodied people. This allows the audience to feel more compassionate towards disabled people as they can be portrayed as needing assistance to continue with life. In TV Drama, this stereotype is used as a shortcut due to it being common and is then applied to many disabled characters.

An example of a pitiable and pathetic disabled character is the disabled girl from The Inbetweeners. This is because she is pitied due to her state of being in a wheelchair and the audience are not aware of here condition. However, when the character is hit by a frisbee, the character produces a reaction that is viewed as an over exaggeration and pathetic.

A countertype to this is Donna Yates from EastEnders. A strong market trader who declares war on stall holders Bianca Butcher and Kat Moon. Despite her condition, she continues to be a competitive market trader who has a darker side to her outward appearance. She is not pitied and she does not act in a pathetic way.

Another stereotype is that disabled people can be viewed as humorous. Humour can be generated through the type of disability the individual has and be turned into jokes that can have a positive or negative outcome. This is used in the misfortune of others so can be used as an element that van target a specific individual or a group of people that have a similar disability.

An example of Leslie "Rem Dogg" Remmington from Bad Education. A pupil who uses a wheelchair and constantly wears a pair of headphones and baseball cap. He came across as a cheeky chap who poked fun at Alfie.

A countertype to this is Jimmy from Degrassi. Jimmy's paralysis was a huge turning point in Degrassi and Jimmy's character development in general. The audience saw as Jimmy struggled to maintain his passion with basketball and turn to art for solace, which led to some pretty powerful moments. His overall character is taken very seriously.

A final stereotype is that disabled people can be presented as sinister or evil. Through scarring and disability, TV Dramas can use these elements to represent a character as either evil or sinister. Supported by this, these elements are also used to signify violence and anger. This is from either within the character or actions exerted onto other characters in the TV Drama.

An example of a sinister and evil character is Nick Calshaw from The Street. Nick is a character that returns to the TV programme after fighting the war in Afghanistan with half his face terribly scarred due to a female suicide bomber. After attempting to return to his former job, Nick grows angry after his peers treat him differently due to his scarring. He then enters an army recruitment building and pitches the idea that he can be of assistance to the army because of him looking ugly and intimidating.

The countertype to this is Artie from Glee. Artie is a pretty endearing character. Not only was he in the Glee club, he also got involved in a passion for film direction. He's the definition of a go-getter, too. Plus, he's got a good heart. Thus countering the idea that disabled people are sinister or evil.

 

 

How Disability is Represented Through the 4 Areas of Textual Analysis

Camera Shots/Angles/Movements:

Establishing shot – This shot is used in the first second of the clip so that the audience are introduced to the scenery and the two main characters. This shot shows a typical camping area for tourists, including a lake and being surrounded by mountainous terrain. The two main characters appear to be walking towards their hospitality which are the tents set up by the lake.

 

Close-up – This shot is used to capture the facial expressions of the two main characters as they converse about female friends and whether they would have the opportunity to have sexual intercourse with them. The large amount of close-ups used suggest that the conversation between the characters is serious and that the relationship between them is strong.

Long shot – This shot is used to capture the scenery at night, this includes the characters from a distance and the objects to support them. The objects are lit up to place emphasis on the focus of the characters with in the shot.

Editing:

Jump cut - This transition is used when there is a conversation between characters in a scene. This I used in this scene to ensure that the following scene begins immediately without any details being lost. The quick reactions of the transitions allow the audience to capture the expressions of all the characters in the scene as well as what the conversation is about.

Sound:

Sound Effects – The main sound effects used on the clip is the crackling of the camp fire. The quiet cracking of the flames create a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere over the scene. Additionally this creates a warming gathering of the characters to extend their closeness.

Mise-en-Scene:
 

Clothing –
The characters appear to be wearing thick coats and clothing. This suggests that the setting is a cold environment and warm clothing is needed to prevent the characters from becoming cold. One character is wearing a blue coat whereas the other is wearing a red coat. This suggests how the characters are opposites. Just as red and blue are opposites, an able bodied character and a disabled character are opposites.

Lighting – Throughout the clip, a pitch black lighting is used to place emphasis on the two main characters and the objects in the scene. This allows the audience to primarily focus on the characters and the conversation rather than the background scenery.

How Disability is Represented with the Other 6 Areas or Representation

Age – Differences in behaviour can occur in disabled characters. Typical stereotypes of age can be applied to the characters. For example, disabled children are more pitied and innocent compared to older characters who are either slightly pitied or sinister and evil.  

Gender - Behaviour and actions of disabled people can all depend on the gender of the character. Typically, female characters that are disabled are considered to be more pitied than male disabled characters. This depends on how the audience think that the characters are represented.

Sexuality – Paul Hunt’s representation of disability shows that most disabled characters are viewed as non-sexual and therefore are not very sexually active. The sexuality of disabled characters differ in representation in TV Drama such as a disabled character who appears to be in a wheelchair is not associated as being homosexual.

Ethnicity - Characters that are disabled are represented in both genders. However, there are a more white disabled characters in TV Dramas compared to coloured. This is used to portray real life issues in TV Drama in which there is no link between ethnicity and disability.

Class and Status – Disabled characters commonly occur in middle and lower class society. Middle class disabled characters can differ from the typical pitiable or sinister and the lower class disabled characters are viewed to be just as pitiable. But this depends on how the character is represented in the TV Drama.

Regional Identity – Differences in regional identity are not impacted by the disability of the character. This shows that there is no clear link between the disability of the character and their regional identity.   

 

 

Representation of Disability - The Secret Diary of a Call Girl

Representation of Disability

The Secret Diary of a Call Girl

The clip begins with an appearance of the main character. Her character at first gives the impression that she is formal due to her clothing and also warming because of the condition of the flat. The red coloured walls and the tidiness of the room suggests warmth and comfort of the character.  However, it is later discovered that the term ‘call girl’ means sex worker. So this impression of comfort and warmth can be seen as aspects to draw in men and express elements of pleasure through sexual intercourse. In the first seconds of the clip, the audience is introduced to the disabled character. It is clear to see that he is physically unable to move and the evidence to support this is the fact that the character is presented in a wheelchair. This character is wearing a black t-shirt which suggests that it is worn to shown how frail and weak, in terms of physicality, the character is. Additionally, there is more evidence to support the weakness of the male character as he is accompanied by his father. The clip shows that the male disabled character has difficulties to function in daily life without the support of a relative to provide for him and take care of him. The father figure appears to be a decorator or a painter due to the dungarees that the character is wearing. Also, he appears wearing a similar t-shirt to his son which shows emphasis on the closeness and the bond that they both share.

As the characters enter the apartment, the audience can get the impression of the comfort and the warmth in the atmosphere through the condition and the appearance of the apartment. The apartment is easily lit up due to the large window which is shown later on in the clip, this emphasises how it can draw in men as well as being presented as homely. Diegetic sound in this section include “So shall we get the formalities over with” which suggests that the female character is cautious of the disabled male character as she does not want to harm him in any way. The father character appears to be caring as he accompanies his disabled son and completes the tasks that he is unable to do. Such as retrieving a letter that is out of the young male characters reach. However he does appear to be clueless as he wonders around the apartment with a parted mouth. It is not until his son asks for him, for the father to react with a response. This response was to pick up the disabled character and place him on a comfortable bed. The character is placed down gently to ensure that he is again not harmed and is further comforted by adjusting his leg positioning and fluffing pillows for him. This again refers to Paul Hunt representation of disability as the disabled character in this clip is viewed as pitiable because he is needing attention more often to do things in life in which the audience and the characters feel apologetic for the disabled character due to the numbers of inabilities that he now has compared to an able bodied person.  The father does exactly what his son asks such as when he asks to untie his dungarees so that they do not look similar in order to try and raise the popularity of the character. The bed in which Blake is resting upon is large, wooden and pink which suggests comfort, gracefulness and pleasure. All aspects of pleasing men that appear on the female character’s doorsteps. As the female character appears in the frame once again, she stops and smiles. This suggests that she admires the closeness between the two male characters. An over the shoulder shot is used to show the conversation between the two male characters. The father assures his son that he will not be far away and then kisses him to express the bond that they share.

As the character departs from the apartment, the female character firmly shuts the door and attempts to lock it. This can suggest that she may be taking advantage of the disabled character by preventing the possibility of the male’s father returning. However it is not until the female character looks at the disabled character for her to realise that he may need attention from his father, so she unlocks the door and approaches the disabled character. She approaches the other character whilst rubbing her hands together which suggests that she is preparing for sexual intercourse or is uncomfortable being around the character. After the female character’s speech about the ‘nice’ relationship between the two male characters, the disabled character appears to be very uncomfortable around her as his facial expression appears blank and occasionally looks in a different direction to the female character. When he asked for whether he wants a drink, there is no vocal response from the character but a head nodding gesture which furthermore supports the discomfort of the character. It is not until the female character has left the room for him to speak about the relationship between him and his father. He mentions ‘gigs’ which focuses on the clothing that the characters were wearing in the clip thus further emphasising the closeness of the characters. When the female character approaches the male character with the drink, she pauses as if she doesn’t understand what to do. In response, she acts like a mother figure by assisting the male character with drinking as he may have a difficulty doing so as well as watching over him to prevent anything from happening to him that may affect him.

The following scene follows with a close up of the father entering his vehicle and then a long shot of the building of which his son and the female character are inside. Diegetic sound in this scene includes music played on the vehicle radio which is classical to ensure that the character is calm and is not worried about his son. This allows the character to pass the time by thinking that his son is not harmed. Eventually, the radio is turned off and the character plays with functions of the vehicle further prevent the character from worrying and also to pass the time. However, the pace in which the functions emphasise that the father is concerned about his son. This is supported by the father character occasionally looking at the building to express his concern. Jump cuts are used throughout this scene to emphasise the anxiety of the character.

The concluding scene opens with the female character touching the disabled male character intimately using a close up as well as a panning shot to capture this. The closed eyes and facial expressions of the disabled character whilst the female character touching him express the uncomfortable position that he is in. A mid shot is included at the end of the intimate touching to show the female character’s realism of the discomfort of the male character. Diegetic sound here is ‘I’m not used to being touched’. This is related to Paul Hunt’s representation of disability because disabled people are viewed as non-sexual in which there is no sexual intimacy. Referring back to the clip, the disabled character is uncomfortable because he has not been touched intimately before. Regardless of this, the female character maintains here composure by continuing to smile at the other character to exert her confidence. The female character asks to take off the disabled character’s shirt, this then allows the disabled character to experience more sexual intimacy that may progress to sexual intercourse. The female character assists with the male character’s movement and taking off the clothing in not an intimate way, but again a motherly way. The soundtrack does not emphasise sexual intimacy but calm and caring moving. As she assists with lying the male character back down on the bed once again, she is positioned on top of him in a sexual position. This may show that she is taking advantage of him or allowing him to experience sexual intimacy. The clip concludes with this scene.  

Representation of Disability

Representation of Disability - The Inbetweeners

Representation of Disability

The Inbetweeners

Why is this clip funny?

This clip can be interpreted as funny because according to Paul Hunt, humour of disability can provide pleasure to others due to the misfortune of disabled people. The context of the clip provides humour because the situation is awkward as the audience would not have expected that the frisbee was to collide with the disabled person until the very last moments, in which were uncontrollable and could not have been prevented.

How is the disabled girl being represented?

The disabled girl in the clip can be viewed as pitiable and also pathetic. Her character is represented as pitiable because in order to protect herself, she is assisted with a guardian, most likely a relative and relies on others to support her and protect her, in this case Donavon and his friends, as it difficult when facing against prejudice towards disabled people.

Are we meant to laugh at the disabled person?

It is not recommended to laugh at disabled people in both the media and society. However, according to Paul Hunt, disability is has been projected as a source of humour since the Ancient Greeks. Laughing directly at disabled people is obviously wrong but people may find the behaviour and response to disabled people because they do not fully understand the misfortune and inability of the disabled person.

Are they the ‘butt’ of the joke?

The disabled girl is not the centre of the joke because she is the victim who happens involved be in an awkward situation. However, her reaction to the frisbee hitting her can be interpreted as over exaggerated which does create a small element of humour.

How do you think disabled people respond to this?

Disabled people who watched this could feel hurt because they could interpret the disabled girl in the clip as themselves and to think that it humour is the resultant to this, they would feel hopeless and hurt inside. Although a small minority of people may laugh at the reaction of Will and not the reaction of the disabled girl. However the large majority would feel angry and respond aggressively.

Are we as a society cultivated to think we should pity the disabled?

I would agree that society is cultivated enough to pity the disabled because society now have an interest in helping the less able by giving them advantages so they can live similarly to physically able people and now-a-days society respects disabled people and treat them as equally as physically able people. 

Why Did Dredd Flop at the Box Office Essay

Why Did Dredd Flop at the Box Office Essay

Representation of Gender - The Wire in the Blood

Representation of Gender

The Wire in the Blood

The clip opens with the two main characters, Alex and Tony, arguing about the case in which they are investigating. A hand held camera is used in this scene to emphasis chaos and tension between the protagonists along with the panning movement that applies to the camera shot to show that the characters are being rushed, to show emphasis of their dispute. This shot is viewed from behind a barred gate. This could represent that the two characters are trapped and imprisoned, linking to their occupation. The lighting is darkened to create an element of mystery and dark activity. The male character (Tony) is clearly viewed as the dominant character in the conversation due to his character arguing with the inferior female character. This applies to the Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze theory because males are viewed to be more superior over women. Alex is viewed wearing thick clothing and a turtle neck top, which shows that her character is hiding her femininity by covering her female aspects. This allows her to appear more masculine. This contradicts the Male Gaze as women are shown as flirtatious and reveal bodily parts in order to appeal to men.

The following scene shows that after the dispute, the female character and the male character have reversed roles. This scene shows the female character taking the lead role leaving the male character behind. Although a close up of this scene shows that the male character is still superior by positioning him higher up than her, thus adding pressure onto the female character. This shows a power play between the two characters. When Alex discusses an investigative plan with another female officer, Tony turns away, indicating that he does not agree with her decisions. His character is placed in the centre of the frame which indicates that his ideas are separate to Alex’s. Tony’s character walks upwards to express dominance whilst Alex is left below him and undermining herself. She replies to his speech with ‘please’ which expresses weakness and the need for male support. Again this follows the Male Gaze as females are considered to be weaker and inferior to men, thus in need for male support. The scene concludes with a crane shot, capturing Tony continuing onwards expressing higher authority and leaving Alex below and helpless. This conclusion shows that distance between the two characters and how fractious their relationship is.

The next scene continues with an insight into Tony’s house. It contains references to his occupation, such as the red wall colour which represents crime, blood and death and the butterflies hanging on the walls which could represent biological science and intelligence of the character. Additionally, Tony is wearing the same clothes with his sleeves rolled up to express his masculinity. The darkened lighting suggests independence with emphasis on male characters. This links to the Male Gaze as the character is clearly motivated and consumed by his work. Diegetic sound in this scene is the character sharing to the audience the evidence that he has uncovered from the case, which questions the audience to what happened and whether they can solve the case. Non-diegetic sound in this scene is the soundtrack in the background which suggests the character is walking the audience through his though process and links to the concentration and seriousness of the character. The scene concludes with a close up of the character which again focuses primarily on the concentration of the character as well as the thought process. Throughout this scene, illustrates and highlights how much work has been put into investigation as well as working at a brisk pace in an attempt to get the answers needed quickly.

The next scene gives the audience an insight into Alex’s living area. In which the audience can pick out is that it is disorganised as the house is cluttered and her character is clearly rushing to get to an important meeting. A similar theme appears here as red coloured walls appear again here to emphasise masculinity. This is so that she can bring in a feeling of masculinity in the house because she is a single parent who is living in a man’s world so by projecting masculinity her character can exert more dominance. The diegetic sound in this scene is the narrative of the character as the speaking at a faster pace than normal and how she is rushing to achieve something which emphasises how disorganised her character is. As she is on the phone, her son, Ben, is sitting in the corner of the stairs. The character appears neglected and lonely. This character is wearing the same coloured clothes as the walls which show that this character is consumed by this job and is often left alone due to his mother being disorganised and spending very little time with him. As Tony enters the house, the double doors emphasise parts of a woman which indicates that they are inviting men in. This refers to the Male Gaze as women need companionship and one way to help with this is to appeal to men to draw them in. Tony enters the hallway to try and talk about the case with his working partner but realises that she is neglecting her son by not being there for him as her character puts her job in front of her family. Tony asks ‘What happened to the nanny?’ in a confused way as he is unaware of the story behind the babysitter and Alex. The gender stereotype becomes reversed when Alex asks Tony ‘Are you busy tonight? Which shows that the male is the figure that looks after the family at home, thus contradicting the Male Gaze.

The next scene opens with an establishing shot which gives the audience an idea of the setting. An abandoned house and dark lighting creates a dark and eerie atmosphere to the scene. The car that pulls up in the drive way is a modern Mercedes-Benz which indicates that the owner is wealthy and the colour silver emphasises violence. The audience is then introduced to the antagonist of the clip, a bald man dressed in thick, black clothing to exert masculinity. However this masculinity is expressed through violence. The character breaks through the door and storms into the following room. The camera is positioned and follows the antagonist to create a sense of chaos similarly to the beginning of the clip. For this another hand held camera is used again. As the characters in the main room begin the conversation, the audience hear of a character called Danny who has mysteriously disappeared. A flashback showing this Danny character being gagged a red lighting feature indicates blood and fear. The antagonist is positioned as the highest character in the scene to express his dominance and masculinity. Meanwhile the supporting characters look away from the antagonist as they express fear and fright towards the character.

The final scene of this clip creates the opposite atmosphere to the previous scene. The scene shows Tony and Ben playing with popcorn in the kitchen. The stereotype continues here as Tony has no idea how to control the situation. Uplifting music is played in the background for this scene to emphasise to emphasise the enjoyment and fun of the situation. However this only occurs when Tony is around, when Alex is around a feeling of tension between the mother and son. Fast paced editing is used to again place emphasis on the fun and enjoyment between the two character and the activity. The appearance of the kitchen is similar to the rest of the building and inside Tony’s house. Here it clearly shows that Alex is trying to represent herself and her family to be in a man’s world. By conversing, the two characters are bonding far better than the mother. Tony is presented to be higher than Ben as the close up positions Tony’s character in the background and higher than the child. This shows the dominance of the character. Lastly, when a conversation about the nanny occurs, the audience begin to realise that the nanny has spent more time with Ben than his own mother. This shows that there is a very little balance between a male job and a female lifestyle of Alex’s character.