Friday, 21 March 2014

Representation of gender


Mise-en-scene
The man at the beginning of the scene is wearing a dirt stained shirt, in comparison to the woman's pristine image. This follows the stereotype that women care much more about their image then men do.
The fact that the woman in the beginning of this clip is the one operating the heavy machinery- the digger- whilst the man is simply wondering around and looking for things on his feet challenges the stereotype of women being more useless than men when it comes to hard labour and machines. This representation of women is evident throughout the clip- they always look and act to be more level headed and in control.
One scene near the end is set in a barn. This surrounding contrasts with the look that the woman presents- she wears fine clothes, as is stereotypical of a woman. However, the fact that despite her appearance she is placing herself in such a circumstance presents women as fearless, and willing to get dirty in order to get the work done.
This clip is primarily set in a forest, and an archaeologist work space. This challenges the stereotype of women not getting involved with the hard labour part of the work load. They tend to be more associated with paper and office work, while men are thought to go out and do the hard work. This idea shows women to be just as capable as men when it comes to working.

Camera work 
During the scenes wherein the man is being attacked by the saber tooth tiger, a lot of whip pan shots are used. These shots put us in the perspective of someone who is actually there- following the action with desperation. They show the man to be fearful and constantly on alert of the danger surrounding him. It represents that men are alert to their circumstances when they are put in danger.
A steadicam is used throughout the shots, meaning that the viewer can keep track of the character's movements without losing good visual elements that you would lose using a handheld. It gives a sense of level-headedness in an otherwise action packed scene. The fact that the steadicam almost represents the woman's perspective of the events follows the stereotype that women are much more level-headed, and think their plans through, unlike the man who is represented through the whip-pans.
In the barn, a high angle shot is used when the woman is lying on the floor with the man above her. This presents the stereotype that men are more dominant than women, and hold power over them. It also complies to the stereotype that in society, women are much more vulnerable than men.









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