Discuss the ways in which the extract construct the representations of gender using camera shot,angle, movement and composition and also editing techniques, sound and mise en scene:
This clip is taken from the programme Luther and shows how he is having a tense conversation with a lady (Alice) and shows lots of stereotypes that are used by each gender and it also shows how each gender tries to gain power over one another. We can also see how items are placed and how each shot provides a different feeling for the audience so that they feel more attracted to watching the programme and so they do not get bored.
Mise en scene
The mise en scene in this clip plays a big role on who has the power. We see that Alice is wearing bright red lipstick which means that the red stands out on her face and in the scene as the background is fairly plain. The colour red represents Love and death which shows she could be dangerous and that she may lure him in by seducing him, This is called the semic code and this means the audience know about a object or item is meant to create suspicion or a general idea of the actor it is applying to so in this clip the audience will see that Alice's lipstick suggests that she is dangerous and the audience will now see this . There are several items in the back ground from1 second to 25 seconds that shows that they are in a busy city as there is roads in the background with traffic on and also tall buildings . We then move into Alice's house which has several items such as posters about black holes which shows she is scientific and also a globe of the world and a telescope looking into the sky and lots of books which all symbolises that she is intelligent.
Her house/apartment is very modern as she has lots of big windows that overlook the city which shows that she is very wealthy. Although some of her house is modern some of it is vintage such as the draws we see and her green chair. We can see that her room is very dull though as her wall paper is grey and the only bright thing in the room is her red chair.
The lighting complies with this back ground as that is also very dark and boring which could represent her as simplistic and boring. We can see by the clothes that she is wearing that she is very formal and that she could be a business women. She also stands with her hands behind her back which shows she could be a bossy lady which means she may own a company or is high up in a company. She is wearing very dull colours which shows she could have just been at work and that the work she may do requires the staff to look formal which could represent her as a posh lady.
The lighting complies with this back ground as that is also very dark and boring which could represent her as simplistic and boring. We can see by the clothes that she is wearing that she is very formal and that she could be a business women. She also stands with her hands behind her back which shows she could be a bossy lady which means she may own a company or is high up in a company. She is wearing very dull colours which shows she could have just been at work and that the work she may do requires the staff to look formal which could represent her as a posh lady.
Camera shots, angles and movements
The first shot we see in this extract is the establishing to show that they are in a busy city this shows the audience the most important part of her and so they can create a stereotype in there head about her as we see she has red lipstick which symbolises love, death and lust. This is enough to create a stereotype that she is dangerous.
The focus in the background is blurred which shows that Luther and Alice are the main subjects of this scene and that the director wants the audience to concentrate on them and so there are no distractions in the background. We then see an over the shoulder shot which is over Lucifer's shoulder which shows that Alice in encroaching in Lucifer's personal space which shows the audience that she is trying to gain power over him. We see a close up later on in the scene when they are in Alice's apartment and it has been put in place here as Alice is getting closer to Lucifer to try and kiss him and it makes the audience feel as if they are being drawn in with Lucifer. They also use a zoom movements here to draw the tension in Alice and Lucifer and to make the audience come into the shot so they feel like they are there.
We see a high angle shot when the camera looks into the bag to show to dogs ashes and the other contents within the bag. The reason the director has done this is because the audience now know what happened to her dog and what is in the bag its self. We see a mid shot of Alice when she is praying over the black hole image on the wall and this shows lots of representations of her such as what she is wearing and it shows the Mise en' scene in the background. This shows the audience some of her lifestyle as it shows what clothing she has on with could show the audience what job she has and how wealthy she is. We see a two shot in the middle of the clip when we see her trying to kiss him and this shows that she is drawing him in to like her instead of hate her so that she can get out of this case or this situation which is happening. We also see the two shot to show which character has power over the other. We see a wide angle shot near the end of the clip to signal the end of the conversation and to show the body language of each character which also gives the audience a sense of who is in power.
Editing
We see continuity early on when we see the dogs ashes in the bag as they all of a sudden go into this bag then we cut straight back out of it but we do not notice that we have changed back to the conversation as it is natural. The camera does this so it seems as if the person who is watching is looking into the bag and it is not the camera looking which makes it as realistic as possible and so it makes the audience feel engaged at all times.
The director uses jump cuts when they are editing to show what both characters are doing and what there body language is like it also used to speed up the scene and what is going on. We see lots of angle reverse angle shots so that they can swap the focus from each character or what is in the back ground so that they can change the mise en' scene. We see a transition early on when they change from being in the city to being in the apartment. This shows we have a fresh new scene.
Sound
We here background noise when they are in the city which is cars and traffic which shows what time of day it is as it is busy so it could be rush hour and it makes the audience feel as f they know that nothing dangerous or violent is going to happen as it is in pure daylight. We hear the wind in the background which could show that it is cold and which leads them into Alice's apartment which links the shots realistically.
We hear a gentle noise in the background which is there to create tension between the characters and to make the audience feel engaged within the scene so they do not get bored and as if they feel as if something is going to happen. We hear a heavier bass sound to signal that the tension has been broken and that Lucifer has gained power over Alice. It also leaves the scene on a cliff hanger and to show that the scene has a significance within the series.
The focus in the background is blurred which shows that Luther and Alice are the main subjects of this scene and that the director wants the audience to concentrate on them and so there are no distractions in the background. We then see an over the shoulder shot which is over Lucifer's shoulder which shows that Alice in encroaching in Lucifer's personal space which shows the audience that she is trying to gain power over him. We see a close up later on in the scene when they are in Alice's apartment and it has been put in place here as Alice is getting closer to Lucifer to try and kiss him and it makes the audience feel as if they are being drawn in with Lucifer. They also use a zoom movements here to draw the tension in Alice and Lucifer and to make the audience come into the shot so they feel like they are there.
We see a high angle shot when the camera looks into the bag to show to dogs ashes and the other contents within the bag. The reason the director has done this is because the audience now know what happened to her dog and what is in the bag its self. We see a mid shot of Alice when she is praying over the black hole image on the wall and this shows lots of representations of her such as what she is wearing and it shows the Mise en' scene in the background. This shows the audience some of her lifestyle as it shows what clothing she has on with could show the audience what job she has and how wealthy she is. We see a two shot in the middle of the clip when we see her trying to kiss him and this shows that she is drawing him in to like her instead of hate her so that she can get out of this case or this situation which is happening. We also see the two shot to show which character has power over the other. We see a wide angle shot near the end of the clip to signal the end of the conversation and to show the body language of each character which also gives the audience a sense of who is in power.
Editing
We see continuity early on when we see the dogs ashes in the bag as they all of a sudden go into this bag then we cut straight back out of it but we do not notice that we have changed back to the conversation as it is natural. The camera does this so it seems as if the person who is watching is looking into the bag and it is not the camera looking which makes it as realistic as possible and so it makes the audience feel engaged at all times.
The director uses jump cuts when they are editing to show what both characters are doing and what there body language is like it also used to speed up the scene and what is going on. We see lots of angle reverse angle shots so that they can swap the focus from each character or what is in the back ground so that they can change the mise en' scene. We see a transition early on when they change from being in the city to being in the apartment. This shows we have a fresh new scene.
Sound
We here background noise when they are in the city which is cars and traffic which shows what time of day it is as it is busy so it could be rush hour and it makes the audience feel as f they know that nothing dangerous or violent is going to happen as it is in pure daylight. We hear the wind in the background which could show that it is cold and which leads them into Alice's apartment which links the shots realistically.
We hear a gentle noise in the background which is there to create tension between the characters and to make the audience feel engaged within the scene so they do not get bored and as if they feel as if something is going to happen. We hear a heavier bass sound to signal that the tension has been broken and that Lucifer has gained power over Alice. It also leaves the scene on a cliff hanger and to show that the scene has a significance within the series.
WWW: a detailed a thoughtful response, with accurate terminology used, well done.
ReplyDeleteEBI: in your mise-en-scene section, you write about the connotations of certain colours. What narrative code is being used/read here? Add this into your work.
Additionally, at times, you select shots to analyse that are not relevant to the question (your analysis of the dog's ashes shot) - the representation of gender should always be your focus. Always ensure what you are selecting to write about helps to answer the question.