Thursday 30 April 2015

Discuss The Ways In Which The Extract Constructs The Representations Of Age

At the beginning of the extract we are introduced to two doctors (probable in their thirties) that seem to both have a very high status in the hospital which is shown from the fact a mid shot is used to show that they are both walking as equals and that they both carry themselves very confidently. There status is also highlighted by the medical jargon that they use, the white coats they wear and the equipment they carry such as clip boards and stethoscopes which shows that they are experienced professionals which is common for people their age.

In the next scene we are introduced to a boy (about 12 years old) who is evidently ill which is shown from the tube in his nose, the use of makeup also makes him appear weak, however the camera movement leads the audience to believe that he is on the same level as the doctor entering the room. This is shown from the fact that the camera pans and tilts lower as the doctor approaches the bed. Our belief that the boy is strong and independent is also highlighted by the way in which he talks, for example we find out that he self diagnosed himself and is aware that his illness is "fatal" which implies that he is independent which is very atypical for a boy of his age as they are usually seen as vulnerable and dependent on being protected by their parents, however this is the opposite with this boy as he has not told his mum about his condition to protect her, so it appears that the tables have turned. Overall the child is seen as intelligent and brave. The boy in the next scene juxtaposes the first boy as he is presented as weak by being distressed by an injury that is fairly minor compared to the illness of the first boy. The way this boy talks also suggests immaturity which is also highlighted by the fact that there is a-synchronised diegetic sound in the background of babies crying, people talking etc which also  shows that the environment is hectic, this representation of the child is more of a typical representation of a child.

Later on in the scene the audience is introduced to an old lady who is presented as a burden in a busy waiting room as well as being slightly mentally ill which is evident from the fact that she states that she is only in the waiting room because of the "air." The characters weakness is also highlighted by the fact that a high angle shot is established which shown the doctors dominance over her. This representation of the old woman is a fairly typical representation of old people as they are usually seen as incapable of doing things that younger people do they are also usually seen as inferior to young people.

In the next scene the audience is introduced to another doctor who is slightly older then the other staff in the hospital and seems to be in charge of everybody else in the room as he gives orders and insults another member of staff for making a mistake. The slight low angle shot used to show this character also emphasises his power. This is contrasted by the introduction of two new characters in the next scene who are younger then a lot of the other members of staff, they also seem to have more time on their hands the other members of staff as they are able to talk about thing that are unrelate to their jobs e.g. a holiday one of the two characters also is wearing less formal clothing compared to the older characters, this suggests that their role with the hospital may not be as demanding as the the older characters however they do still seem to be busy as they are constantly moving and doing something.     

Thursday 23 April 2015

Tv Drama Analysis (Gender Representation)

From the beginning of this extract we can clearly see that the two characters have a close relationship, this is mainly shown from the use of a mid shot of the women leaning on the man which is directly followed by the a closeup shot of the women hold the mans hand which has a wedding ring on it which tells us that they are married and that their relationship is therefore a romantic one. However, though the characters have a close relationship, they seem to be emotionally distant in a way, this is emphasised by the awkward silence in their dialogue, the only sound we (the audience) is able to hear is the diagetic sound of cars driving in the background.

The female character also seems to in control in the situation which is evident from the fact that the male character is unaware of where the cab is taking them yet she is e.g.; "Were are we going?" This is slightly atypical as usually a male character is in control. The enigma of where the characters are going is answered through the cut to a shot of the outside of a hospital.

The female character is presented as independent and strong through her dialogue as she states that she doesn't need the male character to go into the hospital with her, this shows that she is strong and doesn't rely on the support of a man in order to handle possible by news, it also shows that she is protective of the man which is also atypical of a female character, however this could also be seen as a maternal characteristic which is stereotypical of female characters. Also the fact that the man offered to escort the women into the hospital is a stereotypical masculine thing to offer and suggest that he sees the woman as a typical female character who needs his support.

The women's departure is followed by a short montage of both characters that seem to be within the space of about an hour as it is clear that there is no difference in how the characters look and what they wear, there is also no difference between how bright it is outside. During the montage we the women in a room with a consultant through a high angle crane shot shows the distance between them and implies them there they have no sort of personal relationship. The crane shot is then cut to a mid shot of the females response to what she is being told, Her expression is unreadable and ambiguous however she looks emotional as her face is wet with tears which is very stereotypically feminine.The montage also contains an extreme close up shot of the man playing with his wedding ring which suggests that he is thinking about his wife, this is then cut to a close up shot of his expression as he looks down at the ring, and we can see that he is smiling which implies that he loves his with and is happy to be with her. The vocally led montage music then fades away as the male character looks up and there is a cut to show what he is looking at (the woman). Eventually we see the female characters reaction shot after she sees that her husband has seen her, her expression changes from teary and emotional to happy which shows  her husbands effect on her.

When the women gets hit by a car, the audience is not shown her actually being hit but we are led to believe that she is from the a-synchronised sound of the bus breaks whilst we only see her husbands reaction, all the diagetic sound then stops as we see a point of view shot from the husbands perspective whilst he shakily approaches his wife. The use of of this shot emphasises how the husband is feeling which is hectic, scared and worried, this is further highlighted by the fast paced heartbeat sound in the background.  

Wednesday 14 January 2015

Ashes to Ashes gender representationd

Ashes To Ashes
At the beginning of this extract the camera tilts slowly to reveal the confused female character, this creates mystery which makes the audience more surprised when a typical male antagonist is revealed from behind the woman. The close up shot is then cut to a long shot which allows he audience to see how isolated the two characters are which creates a tense atmosphere.

The two characters then look up to see the arrival of a bright red car which suggests danger to the audience, a male character is revealed exiting the car, but only his feet are shown, however the audience are already aware of the characters importance simply by the characters snakeskin shoes. He is also later presented from a low angle long shot through the female characters legs which highlights his dominance which is typical of a male character. The audience also find out that the male protagonist has arrived to take down the male antagonist and essentially save the female, which is another stereotypical  male role and also contributes to making the female character seem weak.

The next shot shows two more male characters exiting the vehicle and a two shot is established which presents them as less important than the first male that exited the car, these male character are also there to protect the female character, this makes her seem vulnerable and weak which is a stereotypical view of women.

At the end of this scene the female character faints to make her appear weak, her weakness is also enhanced by the fact that a low angle shot is established which makes the male protagonist seem dominant over her.

Thursday 11 December 2014

Social classes

Disability Representation

From the beginning, the disabled person is presented negatively, even before he is introduced to the audience, This is evident from the phrase; "Last summer I decide to kill my brother." This tells the audience immediately that the main characters brother has done something wrong or is generally a pain in the neck. We then see him sleeping which is immediately followed by a cut of a bomb going off which suggests that he is very troublesome. The audience is also aware that he has a disability (down syndrome).

In the next scene we see a close up shot of the disabled boy (Ben) examining his food which makes him appear foolish, the voice over also describes him as a; "Potatoes with eyes." This suggests to the audience that he is a useless burden. This is enhanced by the fact that his brother states that he finished his favourite cereal. We then see him through the eyes of David which is a burden. Ben is also presented as gullible which is shown from that fact that he believes the obvious lye that David told him about how pigs are killed. The audience is then lead to believe that David is helpless which is shown by the fact that he couldn't even go to the toilet on his own without; "making a mess." The way that David looks at Ben as a reaction shot to seeing him eating shows that David is discussed by his brother.

All the shots of David on his own seem to be close ups which could suggest that he is seen as waste of space. Ben is also presented as not having a mind of his own which is shown from the long shot of both David and Ben walking to the bus stop, David is leading whilst  Ben is trailing behind slowly which makes him appear lost and hopeless without David. Ben is again seen as a burden from the fact that Davids friends don't expect David to be able to go out because he might be; "Babysitting." Meanwhile, Ben is in the background looking lost which leads the audience to believe that he is dependent on David to Know what to do, he also isn't with anybody which makes him appear like a loner. When David leaves Ben, we immediately feel sorry for Ben because of the immediate slow music that plays, the look on Ben's face also appears hurt, he also appears out of place on the bus on his own which also makes us feel sorry for him, However the audience is also made to feel sorry for David because of the voice over which suggests that he normally has to constantly look after Ben and that this was the first time they had been separated.

Sexuality

In this extract the main women seems to be sexually attracted to her female counterpart which is evident from the opening when there is use of a mid two shot showing the both of the women,  however the main women is slightly behind looking at the second woman which shows her admiration for her female counterpart. The voice over also of the main women also shows how much she cares for her.
In the second scene we see both of the women lying in bed but the main character seems to want to touch her female counterpart in a sexual way, this enhanced by the use of slow non diegetic music, this also create sinister and mysterious atmosphere.

In the third scene the main character is talking to a male counterpart but she becomes distracted by the second women and all the background noise seems to stop and turn into slow music. Quick cuts are used to show that the main character is admiring the other female character, the male counterpart is also ignored which shows that the sexual tension only between the two female characters. After this we see the camera cuts to the red paint on the paint brush which may represent the danger of the main characters love for her counterpart.

 The next cut shows that the man has realised what is going and mid shot of his face shows his realisation of the situation. This is followed by him violently grabbing the main character and pulling her away. We then find out that it is because the two of them are suppose to appear as though they are in love with each other. After the two characters argue, there is a mid side shot of them both and the male appears to try t kiss her which is shown by the fact that his face slowly moves closer to her, however the main character moves away which suggests that she is not comfortable in the situation, this also show that she is not sexually attracted to him.

Thursday 4 December 2014

Shameless, Class and Status

From the beginning of the extract the characters class is clearly presented as "working class" this is done through the use of the micro elements, which is; where they live, (which is a block of dirty looking flats) the cloths they where, (which is basic clothing) and the condition of there flat, which is messy with no nice furniture. The main character also doesn't seem to take much pride in his appearance.

The characters live in a big family which seems to lack structure which is shown by the fact the father has no control of his children as they are able to lay pranks on him.
  This high angle shot of the father lying down with his children looking down at him shows the fathers lack of authority, this shot is also followed a low angle point of view shot of the children which shows that they have control of the situation. This is a stereotypical view of a working class family as it suggest that working class families cannot control their children.

the characters regional identity is Mancunion  therefore accents reflect that and enhances stereotypes about cities outside of the capital.

The community that the characters live in seem to be close-knit as the father is able to invite "Fiona" who is not a member of there family to help out with the children, also, at the end of the extract the community are all able to gather around what looks like a bonfire together, however we later we find out it is not actually a bonfire and is in.fact a car that they have set alight. This reinforces the stereotypical idea that working class people are criminals.

The families structure is very a-typical as it is not the generic nuclear family because of the fact there is mother.