Sherlock Textual Analysis 3

Season 2 Episode 1

At the beginning of the scene, it cuts from Sherlock and John in a car to Irene looking at photos of them. As soon as this happens the score abruptly changes to something more elegant and sinister. This suggests that Irene is an antagonist, which places her at equal standing to Sherlock. As Sherlock and John prepare to meet her, we see them getting ready in a dark, shabby house. Comical, upbeat music is playing. However, when the camera cuts to Irene and Kate's preparations, the music changes to something more more elegant, and we see that Irene's house is large and luxurious. This gives her power, as it shows that she is more wealthy and therefore has more resources. During their preparations, the camera cuts continuously between Sherlock and Irene to show their similarities. This shows that Irene is equal to Sherlock, which juxtaposes typical stereotypes where the male protagonist is more powerful and resourceful than the female antagonist. When the camera is on Sherlock and John, it is handheld, whereas with Irene it is steady. This gives Irene more power, as it signifies that she is confident and in control. Also, Sherlock and John's preparations are quite aggressive, whereas Irene's are not. This conforms to common ideals regarding masculinity and femininity; however, here the 'feminine' approach is presented as being more desirable and powerful. This is also shown in Irene's preparations; there is a long cut on her when she opens her closet, and she is directly at the centre. This makes her more powerful. When Sherlock is at Irene's door, there are close-ups on him, as if the viewer is looking at him through the security camera. As Sherlock tries to convince Kate to let him in, the camera cuts to a mid-shot of Kate, which allows the viewer to see her confident pose and her laughing at Sherlock. This shows that she and Irene are in power here, and that they know what Sherlock is doing, which is not typical of the antagonists of Sherlock- especially not female ones. This suggests that Irene is intelligent, making her powerful. That the viewer is viewing Sherlock from Kate's point of view also shows that she and Irene are the ones in power here. When Irene walks naked into the room where Sherlock is, the music changes from comical to sinister, and there is a reaction shot of Sherlock. These show that Irene is making him uncomfortable and confused, giving her power. As they are talking, there is a low angle on Irene so she is above both the viewer and Sherlock, which signifies that she has the most power. When she sits down, special effects are used to show that Sherlock cannot deduce anything from her. Not only does this show that she has power over him, but also conforms to the trope of female characters weaponising their sexuality, or the 'femme fatale'. The misogynistic standards of society have led to the sexuality of women being condemned, so over the years in the media there have been female characters using their sexuality as a weapon to achieve their goals. As this gives Irene power, it also presents female sexuality as being powerful, whether for good or for bad.

Overall, although the scene conforms to the 'femme fatale' stereotype, it does present the female characters as being more powerful than the male protagonists, which subverts typical gender stereotypes and tropes. 

Orange Is The New Black Textual Analysis

Season 2 Episode 4

When the camera first cuts to Brooke, it is a long shot and there is selective focus on her. This, coupled with the ambient sound, shows Brooke to be excluded from the others. This subverts typical stereotypes, as Brooke is heterosexual; normally, it is the homosexual characters that are shown to be loners or outcasts from society. This could derive from the setting, as the characters are in prison, meaning that typical societal roles may be reversed or completely eradicated. As Piper calls Brooke over to the table, the camera cuts to a selective focus shot of Boo among other inmates. Boo is framed by the other women, which makes her look predatory. This conforms to the stereotype of lesbians being manipulative, and presents her in a negative light. Boo's appearance is also typically 'butch', and her voice is lower. This conforms to the stereotype of lesbians being masculine, which is the way they are normally presented when the show doesn't want to sexualise the character. As Piper talks to Brooke, the camera continuously cuts between her and Boo, showing that they are both involved in the conversation (although Boo is on a different table). As Piper is bisexual, this connection between the two shows that they are both involved in the manipulation of Brooke, which presents them in a negative light. It also presents the two as working together, which subverts typical media tropes; commonly, characters of a different sexual orientation to heterosexual are presented as loners, and as being the only non-heterosexual in their friendship group. This again could account to the prison setting, as with there being many women grouped together there are going to be many women of different sexualities. Later, we learn that Piper was trying to convince Brooke to engage in intercourse with Boo. This conforms to the stereotype of homosexual characters only being interested in sex and not long-lasting relationships.

Overall, in the scene the homosexual character is being presented as manipulative, predatory, and sexually-motivated, which are typical tropes used in the media to present homosexual characters in a negative light. However, it also shows heterosexual characters to be out of the ordinary, which goes against common media portrayals.

Hotel Babylon Textual Analysis

Season 1 Episode 1

A white male walks into the hotel and dramatic music starts immediately. This raises the tension and suggests that he is the source of that tension, making the audience fearful of him. He is dressed smartly, is at the forefront of most shots, and the camera continuously cuts to his reaction shots. This shows that he has the most power, which is a common trope in the media when representing white people (especially white males). The camera is also steady when on him. However, when it is on the immigrant workers, the camera is handheld. Not only does this raise the tension, but also makes the audience feel more involved in the plight of the workers. The use of steady cam on the immigration officer also gives him power, as it connotes that he is calm and in control, whereas the workers are panicking and terrified. The parallel editing is a juxtaposition in this scene. When the camera is on the officer, the shots are wide and the lighting is artificial to add verisimilitude to the luxury hotel. However, when we are with the workers in the storage cupboard, the lighting is dark and the shots are close-ups that are close and tight within the frame. This gives the workers a sense of community, which is a trope that is commonly used in the media when representing characters of different cultures and/or races other than white/Western. This also makes the audience feel more involved, as if they are part of their community, which is again achieved through the lack of sound. This makes the audience fell sympathetic towards the workers, which subverts the stereotype of race; in the media, immigrants are typically represented in a negative light. When one of the workers suffers a hypoglycemic attack, one of the other workers assists her and reveals he used to be a doctor. This subverts the stereotype of immigrants being uneducated/stupid.

Overall, although the scene challenges stereotypes associated with immigrants be generating sympathy for them, it still represents the white male as having power over them.

Doc Martin Textual Analysis

Season 1 Episode 1

The two regions represented in the Doc Martin extract are the southern and northern regions of England, which juxtapose each other. At the beginning of the scene, the camera is at a low angle on the northern workers, with the southern doctor standing over them. This implies that the doctor has power over the workers. He may have power because he is employing them, but also because he is an educated, middle-class southerner. In the dialogue that follows it is established that the northerners are uneducated and easily distracted, which is played to a comical effect. This conforms to the stereotype of northerners being working-class and uneducated. For the majority of the scene, there are long takes and selective focus on the doctor, connoting that he has the most power, or that he feels he does. The scene is set in a rural village near the ocean, which conforms to the stereotype of northerners leaving only in rural areas. It also suggests that there is a strong sense of community; another stereotype of northerners. Overall, the scene conforms to many stereotypes of southerners and northerners, and establishes the southerner as the superior character on account of his education and upbringing.

Oliver Twist Textual Analysis

Season 1 Epsiode 1

In the dining hall scene, we see Mr. Bumble walk through rows of chidren. The colours are bleak ad the lighting creates a shadow of bars. This connotes that the children are trapped in dire circumstances. Mr. Bumble himself, however, is wearing vivid, rich clothing, and is strutting with his head held high. As the camera cuts between a bird's-eye view of him to eye-level shots of the children, we see the children wearing dark, dirty clothing, and looking down. These contrasting shots and cuts show that Mr. Bumble is of a higher class and that he has power over the lower class children. This is a common trope of the media, as the working class are typically shown to have less power than the upper class. The camera continuously cuts between the children eating their gruel, with the only sound being the clash of spoons against bowls. This sound suggests that the children are starving, which is another common representation of the lower class. However, later we see upper class men enjoying a large feast, which juxtaposes the conditions of the children. This shows that the men are rich and also cruel, as they are not using their wealth to feed the children. This representation conforms to the stereotype that the upper class exploit lower classes.

Coming Down The Mountain Textual Analysis

Season 1 Epsiode 1

The first shot is a bird's-eye view shot of a bedroom. We see that on the side of the abled brother, the walls are white and the bed is tidy. On the other side, where the disbaled brother sleeps, the place is bright orange and messy. This suggests that the disabled brother is child-like, unlike the abled brother, which could mean that the abled brother has to take care of the other one. Next, there is an establishing shot of the house, and a sound bridge as the camera cuts to the kitchen scene. In the kitchen David has a conflict with his parents because Ben has eaten all the weetabix. There is a lot of focus on Ben here, as the camea continuously cuts between him and the other characters. This shows that in the house Ben is the centre of attention. We see the mother place an affectionate kiss on Ben's forehead, and the camera cuts to a reaction shot of David. This shows that Ben receives more affection than David, which David may resent. The father also instructs David to take Ben to the toilet, rather than the father doing it himself. This shows that most of the responsibility is put on David's shoulders rather than the parents, which places a lot of restrictions on David's life. Next there is a montage of David and Ben's daily life together  with a voiceover from David explaining his feelings about this. The use of the voiceover suggests that David does not have anyone to talk to about his feelings, and that he normally represses or compartilises these emotions because everyone is normally concerned with Ben. At the school, David and a friend have a conversation together. Ben is in the background, yet out of focus. This shows that although at home Ben is the centre of attention, once David goes to school he tries to normalise his life by not paying him a lot of attention. However, Ben's presence in the background shows that he will always be there, and that David will always have to take care of him.

Overall, the clip represents disabled people as being child-like and having to be taken care of by abled people. Abled people are either shown to be treating the disabled person like a child (the mother), or resenting them for impacting their life so much (David).

Game of Thrones Textual Analysis

Season 4 Episode 7

The room is dark and secluded, so all attention is directed towards Sansa. The lighitng is also low-key, to imply that something sinister is going to happen, which is also implied through the use of the rising music. However, this music stops when Sansa begins her story. Throughout her story Sansa cries and has to stop to take breaths. This si cnforming to the stereotype of young girls being delicate and emotional, a stereotype which is also prevalent in the sexist world of Game of Thrones. However, the long take at the end shows Sansa stop crying to look at Petyr Baelish, implying she was lying. This shows how Sansa was using this stereotype to manipulate the interrogators, which gives her power over them. In the world of Game of Thrones, females have little power, so they use their own negative tsereotypes to gane some sort of power. This is what Sansa does here. By manipulating her interrogators, Sansa is shown to be clever, which subverts the stereotype of young girls being silly/stupid. The long takes on Sansa and selective focus on her give her power and shows she is the most important character, which juxtaposes the misogynistic setting. However, Petyr Baelish is always out of focus in the background, and the camera continously cuts between him and Sansa. This signifies that he ahs some sort of power over her, which conforms to the sexist stereotypes of men being more powerful than omen.

Media Conglomerates

Skins Textual Analysis

Season 1 Episode 1

The first shot is a bird’s-eye view shot. This gives the male character power. Though there are church bells ringing, the character only wakes up for his alarm, which could show his disregard of traditional/old-fashioned values, which is a stereotype of teenagers. The camera then zooms out so the audience sees the character’s bed sheet, which has naked bodies on it. This plays into the stereotype that teenage boys are obsessed with sex. As there is a montage of the character exercising, rap music plays, which is a genre that is popular among young people. This signifies again that the character is more interested in young and modern culture than traditional one. The exercising also shows that he is concerned about his health and image, another stereotype of young people. When he is spying on his neighbor getting dressed, there is a full body shot of both characters, which implies that they have the same amount of power. It is also suggested that the woman knows the boy is watching, which not only reinforces the sex-obsessed stereotype, but also the stereotype that young boys are interested in older women and vice-versa. The camera then cuts to another female character walking along the street.  Her make-up is ruined and her skirt is short, suggesting that she has been out at night partying. This conforms to another stereotype of teenagers: that adolescents are rebellious and are only interested in drinking alcohol and partying. When she looks up at the male character, there is a point-of-view shot from his side and the camera is at a high-angle, so we are looking down on her. This connotes that the male character has power over her. The camera continuously cuts between them, implying that they have a close relationship and that they support each other. This is evident next when the male character plays loud music to distract their father and allow the female character to get in unnoticed. The loud music and short takes increase the tension and the pace. When the father comes into the male character’s room to chastise his son, the son maintains power throughout the scene, which subverts the authoritative stereotype of older people. His clothing also diminishes the father’s power; he is only wearing his underwear, making the scene more humourous. The loud music also diminishes his power, as it is difficult to hear him. 

Mad Men Textual Analysis

Season 2 Episode 1

The opening shot is of a woman’s back. The camera then moves up so the audience can see she is getting ready, which is reflective of the gender roles society inflicts on women: they must look attractive and presentable. There is a Motown song playing, which reflects the time period and increases the pace. The shot then dissolves to other characters getting ready in front of the mirror. Though the first woman is wearing red and ensuring her dress is tight, the next woman is wearing a grey loose dress, which could show that she isn’t as sexually active or doesn’t wish to be as the first woman. This is stereotypical of females, as they are normally presented as being sexually subservient (and if they aren’t then this is portrayed as being a negative aspect). After the second woman the shot dissolves into a man and a woman getting ready. The woman is helping the male get ready, which is a stereotypical portrayal of gender; women are focused more on appearance than men, which is why the male needs help. The music playing is from the 60s, a period where traditional gender roles were fully enforced, which is possibly why these stereotypes are being played. The next scene is of a man in a doctor’s office. The nurse is female and the doctor is male, which is stereotypical as the female has a less important position. The attention of the viewer is also directed mainly to the man being checked, showing he is an important character and that he has power in this scene. In the dialogue that follows, the audience learns that the man does not pay much attention to his health. His replies are also short and brief, and when the doctor asks about his feelings he tried to brush the question off. This conforms to the stereotype of men being unemotional and neglecting of their feelings and health.  

Sherlock Textual Analysis 2

Season 1 Episode 1










There was a montage of war flashbacks that faded into this character. This shows that they have PTSD and were in the army. The lighting is low-key and creates shadows in the shape of bars. This connotes that the character feels trapped somehow, possibly by their current life.

The camera dollies out gradually so the viewer sees the room. The room is plain and beige. This, coupled with the low-key lighting, shows that John is methodical and lives a mundane lifestyle. The music is sombre, which creates a dark mood.

This is a wide shot that shows that the two characters are separate from one another. The therapist is sitting upright, indicating her professionality, and is slightly forward, as if she wishes to reach out. John, on the other hand, is slouched away, showing he is not enjoying their session. The ambient sound creates versimilitude and sets up the digesis. 

This high-angle close-up makes it seem as if the audience is viewing this from a position of power. The non-diagetic music creates tension for the viewer, as they are unsure as to what is going to happen. The character is looking past the camera, like they are looking at someone, which suggests that someone out of the shot is inluencing them. This creates mystery. There is also a previosu focus on the pills, indicating that they are important in this scene.

The camera fades to this scene to show that time has passed. Sinister music and low-key lighting create atmophere. There is selective focus on the character, particularly their hands, indicating that what they are doing is important to the narrative. 

American Horror Story Textual Analysis 2

Season 1 Episode 2

This is a close-up at eye-level. The camera is steady. The lighting is low-key to reflect the situation and increase the tension.

The camera switches to this close-up at a bird’s-eye view. This gives the viewer more power over the character, signifying how powerless the character feels.

This is a mid-shot at eye-level. However, the male character is looking down at the viewer and the female character, signifying that he has the most power in this scene. This makes him intimidating. The camera continuously switches between the male character and the female character to reflect their conflict.

Though this wide shot is at eye-level, the character’s head is pointed low and she is looking up. This signifies that she is intimidated by the male character and is powerless towards him. Her clothing and furniture are the colour white; this connotes her innocence.

This is a mid-shot at a low angle. It directs the audience’s attention towards his face and makes them more intimidated by him. The colours in this shot are darker than the previous one, which signifies the dangerous nature of the character.

This close-up of the woman’s face is used to increase the audience’s sympathy for her.

In this scene, the male character holds the majority of the power over the female character. The female is presented as the victim, and the audience is made to feel sympathy for her. The audience are made to feel intimidated and horrified by the male character. This is a typical trope used by horror and crime genres, as women have traditionally been considered the weaker gender by society and, in turn, the media.