Monday, 20 February 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo7VoFlqexQ

how is gener represented within this clip taken from Holby City?

The shot opens with a overhead tilted angle shot, which enters the scene as you are looking in on the situation as a CCTV camera. This is an establishing shot that and it shows as soon as the you see the surroundings that the situation that is about to occur will be bad as the camera is tilted and also that you are looking at the situation from an angle that is not normal almost as you are spying in the events. Also there is a sign in the corner of the opening shot of a sign saying 'way out' this states what he wants in his relationship with her before anything is said. Whent he argument occurs there is many over the shouklder shots and they also use just a reaction shot with not the view of the person talking to focus on the effects of the words that he is saying to her. Also when the two men are having an argument there is a low angled shot to show dominance but the camera is tilted as it shows that he is out of character, trying to be bigger than he really is to stand up and try and show off in front of the girl he loves. whilst it shows her view of the situation behind the window. they also use another behind the window shot when at the end of the scene he is confessing his love to her. but they show this behind the window to show the situation has a sense of privacy and like you are listening in to something that you shouldnt be. Also when the two men are talking and interacting the camera shows older the shoulder shots unfocusing them and focusing on what they are talking about which int his case was a patient, this also shows the hustle and bustle of the hospital making it have a busy feel and showing the reality of a hospital. It also shows tilting shots as they look each other up and down.
The first male representation is presented in a commanding and confident way. he over powers the woman giving her orders not just talking to her.  the camera tilts up to him like he is dominant and is controlling the situation. there is also a lot of zoomed in facial shots to show the emotion of the tense situation. He starts and finishes the conversation in a strong manor. He is the strongest character in the whole scene as even when the man tries to stand up to him he shuts him down and even dodges his punch and gives him orders after he has been had a go at and does not get affected by the speech he has just heard, he belittles the man as he leaves the situation. He also makes the woman cry as you see an arial shot of her crying on the stairs, this shows a crumbling emotional wreck. Meanwhile he is still walking around not caring about the two people he has just hurt. The other woman is shown in bed vunerable, there is nothing she can do to solve her situation and she has someone stand up for her as she is to shy and weak to do so herself. So in this case the women are shown as the weaker specimen than the men as th are controlled by the men. The man also stands up to her as he states to her what she should feel and shows her that she is in love with the wrong person and how she should be in love with him. This shows that she was to afraid to be alone and needs someone to protect her from the outside world. Also at the end the most dominant male apologises to the vunerable woman as he feels that he has hurt her feeling and he knows that she is insecure from her surgery int he first place and for it to go wrong and for him to apologise it shows that he has emotions and is not a cold man. There is also homoerotic behaviour between the two men talking about their sports and they relate rugby to pullign down mens shorts and discussing which one of their sports were the most feminine. But they were almost competing on their masculinanity and how many bones they had broke, having subtle flirting although one had a girlfriend, who cuts straight past them in the next scene to show the sneakyness of the situation.
The mise-en-scene includes the characters costumes which were mainly doctor scrubs and patient gowns which shows iconography but the consultants wear no uniform which shows that they have dominance and power in the hospital. Also there is no backing music which shows more reality of the situation as you can hear more footsteps etc. which is like a real hospital. There is also the stereotypical hospital with the long corridors and the patients rooms and the reception desks. The rooms are well lit with natural light through huge wndows and gives a more clean feel to the environment.
All these points show that in this scene that males are shown as higher and more powerful than woman and hows women are vunerable and weak. As there was no anomolies in the situation and the males showed dominance throughout the scene.

Friday, 3 February 2012


x-ray machine in the back ground
scrubs
patient bed in the background
patient boards
private hospital rooms
clean
glass windows in room so doctors can see patients
also blind for patients privacy
medical equipment
patient attached to a drip

Thursday, 26 January 2012

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of ethnicity using the following:
- camera shots, angles, movement and composition
- editing
- sound
- mise-en-scene

        The scene opens with an ariel shot of a barren, deserted room, which looks cold and untouched. The only light that enters the room is natural light covered by a thin blind, so the room appears dark and dreary, the blind is there to show that no one can see in to the building as if they are doing something wrong, that no one can see, this makes the audience on edge as they don’t know what is going to happen. Shadows is all you can see in the grand room, which shows that the villains have wealth which is not a stereotypical trait. The non-diegetic sound also adds to the tension of the scene and creates an eeriness to the scene. The villain is shown as superior to the MI5 agents as they are sitting down on chairs tied up. Whereas he is shouting down to them in a harsh tone. He is Iraqi but is shaven and in a suit which is not stereotypical, as due to people such as Sudaam Husain represented Iraqis in a manner of thick bearded men who want to create trouble and are dressed in thawbs. He has a toned, slender figure which is also not stereotypical for this race within the media. The villains sidekick is a broad man of the Iraqi race, he is hired as his body shape would scare others. As he is much larger than the average man, so would win in a fight if placed in the situation. All you can see of him is a small area around his eyes. The rest is covered in black clothing and he is holding a huge gun, this also creates tension as the accessory is deadly. He also holds a gun up to the MI5’s throat and his boss says he can kill anyone. Which shows he is emotionless and they do not care who they kill on their path to victory, which is the villain trait in them. This shows that the villains (Propps theory) have captured the English and are bullying them. The MI5 agents stay calm and try to retaliate to scare the Iraqi's but they do not succeed. But still show no emotion to not seem fazed by their capture. The woman has a masculine haircut to show strength and is also dressed in a suit. so she does not get stereotypically be degraded as she is a woman. She has British skin and does most of the talking throughout the scene, rather than her partner. The mise en scene such as rope is used to tie her down which shows she is a strong, independent woman. The close ups of her face also show her stern exterior with her strong jaw line which puts the character as a threat. Her hard exterior is extended with her outfit of a masculine suit, to emphasis this fact. Her partner is a black male also dressed in a suit, who seems reserved. This may seem as they are degrading the black race as she is superior to him, she is making the decisions and actions they are taking. He is just following in her footsteps. But on the other hand the British government have hired a man of another race, which shows he is a well-educated man. Throughout the whole scene the camera is always shaky to reinforce the tension and eerie atmosphere, they also use quick movement between each transition to create tension and suspense in the scene. When the photo is slammed on the desk the non diegetic music placed with it is loud and unexpected, before this the music is almost silent to emphasis this change. The cuts of the scene are edited together so that the scene flows. They challenge the ethnicity representation as they normally always show the English or American’s as they strongest characters of the scene. But in this case they are the weak characters being taken and tortured. The lady of the MI5 was forced to read a script, she is looked down upon and even though she is the victim in the scene, she composes herself to not seem as she is the weak character. This challenges Alvaro's theory as the villain is shown as the more wealthy character whereas stereotypically they are the poor characters. But it sticks to the theory as he is of the Iraqi race. The sidekick is represented as the British public see a typical Iraqi man. He is dressed in black, suspicious and has weaponry on his person. This reinforces that the Iraqi man in the suit may be the leader of the villains and has the stereotypical Iraqi men working for him. But this may also challenge the British view of Iraq's to show that they don’t all look like they have been represented the media. It may be trying to show the good side to the Iraqi side of things as all they here in Britian is the British side of things. The script is also challenging as it does seem as the Iraq's have suffered greatly with the attacks they have been receiving, they are all being punished for what a few members of their society have done. So it gets the audience thinking about the actions they are taking and be aware of the people suffering in other countries. In the scene they end to use a lot of zoomed shots and close up shots to show the emotion in the characters faces to express what they are thinking about the situation. this is also emphasised by non diegetic sound to add suspense and emotion to the scene.