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.
Wednesday, 25 March 2015
Monday, 23 March 2015
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.
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).
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).
Monday, 16 March 2015
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.
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.
Wednesday, 11 March 2015
Monday, 9 March 2015
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.
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)