How is gender represented in the clip from Primeval?

Emily Kennedy

Cinematography

The female character here is being represented as vulnerable, this is suggested through the use of a high angle shot which makes the female appear smaller. This representation is true to the stereotypical view that women are weak and defenceless. As the audience, we are supposed to feel sympathetic toward this character as well as concerned for her safety.

Cinematography

Both genders are represented as powerful/ important in this scene, this is signified to the audience through the use of a reverse tracking shot. This shot shows all of the characters walking purposefully to a meeting point. This is stereotypical of the strong male view, but deviates from the stereotypical image of women being helpless and unimportant. At this point, the audience would feel impressed and excited of what’s to come.

Cinematography

The male character in this instance is represented as significant. This significance is shown through the use of an over-the-shoulder shot which highlights the male character as the point of interest. This is typical of the view that males are key characters. As the audience, we are supposed to be intrigued as to what this character is saying as he is the main point of interest so his dialogue must also be crucial.

Cinematography

The female character is represented as less significant than her male counterparts. This is shown to the audience through the use of a side-angle shot, when she speaks, which shows that her facial expressions and reactions are less important than that of the males. This is compared to the frontal angles of the male characters, when speaking, which show their expressions and reactions. This is typical of the generic view that women are minor characters. The audience are supposed to feel that what this character is saying isn’t as significant as the male’s dialogue.

Cinematography

In this scene the male character is portrayed as being vulnerable and frightened, this is signified to the audience through the use of a high angle shot. This deviates from the stereotypical view of males being courageous and brave. The audience would feel tense at this moment, wanting no harm to come to this character.

Sound

At this point the male character is represented as frightened and endangered. This is shown through the use of the non-diegetic mood music, where the drum beat mirrors a fast heartbeat which connotes energy exertion and fear. This is not stereotypical of the view that males are cool and collected when in danger. The audience would feel anticipation for the wellbeing of this character as well as fear.

Sound

The female character is being represented as powerful. This is shown through the diegetic sound of the gun shot which connotes power and aggression. This strays away from the view that females are often damsels in distress and need saving themselves. The audience would identify with the power shown here by the female character and be relieved that she has killed the threat.

Sound

The male character is portrayed as strong and aggressive in this scene. This strength is mirrored with the sound of dogs barking which also connotes anger and aggression. The representation is stereotypical of the view that men are the dominant gender. The audience are supposed to feel angry and frightened with this man, and the digs barking would be disorientating reflecting the feelings of the frightened female character.

editing

In this scene the male character is being represented with a sense of urgency. This is portrayed through the use of flash cuts, which show how fast the action is happening and subsequently how urgent the situation is. This is typical of the view of males being the centre of the action and having a sense of urgency when in a dangerous scenario. The audience would feel tense and apprehensive for the success of the male character.

editing

Within this scene the female character is represented as logical and quick thinking. This is shown through the use of short cuts which mirrors the reactive thoughts of the female character. This deviates from the typical view that women are useless and vulnerable in dangerous situations. The audience are supposed to feel impressed and relived that the female character eliminated the threat of the Sabre-tooth.

Mise-en-scene

The male characters in this scene are represented as dominant as they are the first characters we see. This is typical of the view that male characters are more important than their female counterparts. As the audience we are supposed to be expectant of these characters as they shows that they're powerful, we are also meant to admire their authority.

Mise-en-scene

In this scene the female character is sexualised, this is shown through the use of costume (with the low-cut top) and make-up (dark eyes and red lips). This representation is stereotypical of the view that women should be stylish and beautiful at all times. However, the audience may identify with this as being powerful and rout for this female character’s success and independence. Other members of the audience may just look at her for their enjoyment because she's attractive.

Mise-en-scene

This male character is portrayed as aggressive, this is shown through the use of the gun prop which connotes violence and death. This representation is typical of the view that males are the dominant, aggressive gender. As the audience, we are supposed to feel angry at his sudden outburst and scared for the female character’s wellbeing.

Mise-en-scene

In this scene the female character is represented as being out-of-place. This is shown through the use of body language as the middle male character is acknowledging her out of the rest of the characters. This is stereotypical of the view that females don’t do manual labour, and don’t belong in a “man’s world”. We are suppose to feel as if the female character is odd for being part of this team, and perhaps impressed that she is.