Tuesday, 30 September 2014

Representation of Gender



Camera-work
Immediately in the scene a close up shot of the man is used with the background slightly blurred, this focusses the audiences attention to the man expressing his importance. Also you can tell from this angle that the man is higher up which then refers to the fact that the man has more power as the women is below him.


 Throughout the scene there are many over the shoulder shots from the woman's perspective looking up at the male which emphasises his superiority and authority. For a long time period in the scene the camera mainly focusses on the man, emphasising his power further.


A tilt occurs following the woman as she descends to her knees to show that she is suppressive. Also there are many reaction shots acquired to the women from an angle above her, showing that she is being suppressive and belittled by the man.



 Some establishment and master shots are also included as well to illustrate the differences in class; people of a higher class were placed up on the stair and the people of a lower class were below them.




 A close up shot of the women laughing initiates the pivotal moment in the scene were a shift in power is noticeable and from here on she begins to start reacting and standing up to the man.



 A camera angle which displays many people listening to the girl now demonstrates the power she holds. Also camera movement is also used where the camera follows the woman up from kneeling to standing, implying that the tables are turning and she seems more powerful. 



 The camera movement when focussing on the man becomes more erratic showing how he is getting aggressive and knows  he's losing power. A close up in the man's woman accomplice showing her saying doctor also emphasises how women are weak and easily influenced. Camera angles begin to come from below the women showing her gained power. Camera tilt is used again from the doctors perspective moving upwards looking at the man, showing even within men there are men with higher authority and power over others. 

The scene ends with several shots from a camera angle now looking down at the man which shows his loss of power and is now inferior.


Sound
The scene begins with a western orientated soundtrack which implies that the two main characters which the camera focusses on are about to have a battle. The soundtrack fades out and then enhances the sound of the man's voice which shows his dominance. The volume of the man's voice then begins to increase which demonstrates his status and power. The sound of a ticking time clock then adds suspense to the scene and grips the viewers attention. Initially there is no response coming from the woman as she is silent which demonstrates her inferiority. Meanwhile the soundtrack has changed from a western style to a more tense feel. A sound of a sword inter-twines with the statement ' bow your head ' associated with the women which shows how man deal with such situations by violence. The sound of the women laughing pin points the pivotal moment in the scene, as this is her first response it initiates an upward spiral of he power increasing. Her voice also begins to get louder and starts to show her dominance. Mysterious sound effects are used to illustrate a flashback in time. Then the man begins to raise his voice as he starts to get aggressive as he knows he is losing his power. The soundtrack then merges into another which then seems victorious, emphasising the woman is winning.


Editing
In the duration that the man was dominant  a short animated clip was introduced including countless rockets and Sci-Fi weapons to convince the viewers of the man's power and could lead them to believe that he is far to dominant.


A particular section of the scene where the editing appears is when the female elabourates on the past and how she endured specific conditions. To initiate the flashback the screen dissolves into white and the next clip has a filter on it to make it look different, allowing the audience to recognise that these are previous events.



Also in the flashback sequence the effect of slow motion is used to emphasise the pain in which the woman was in. This also reiterates how women are weak and not strong enough to compete.


Miss-en-scene
The miss-en-scene in the scene also tells us a lot about the representation of gender. Firstly the costumes are used to show the different classes between gender and show authority to those in uniform. The men are either dressed in a suit or military uniform which shows power whereas the women are dressed as maids which contributes to the stereotypes in which male and females are given. Also the man's accomplice is dressed in a vibrant red dress to show how she is an accessory, further emphasising the stereotype given to women relating to that they are considered as possessions. 



Also in the scene weaponry is convenient as it shows power and also they are usually associated with male which further employs their dominant stereotype. It also symbolises how men deal with situations such as this as it usually results in violence and aggressive. The man's screwdriver represents his power and when he possesses it he has power but when not in possession he is weak.

Tuesday, 23 September 2014

Total Greek Yoghurt Advert - Textual Analysis



Textual Analysis:

The Total Greek Yoghurt advert contains several aspects which illustrate its regional identity. At the start of the advert, the initial shot is a medium shot of a young boy walking through a gate and in the distance a mountainous landscape is visible. This could also be considered as a establishment shot. The landscape demonstrates that this advert is set in a foreign country as the setting has desert like features. The lighting also suggests that the advert is set many years ago. The fact that the when the boy turns round and the shot changes to a close up of a cow, it could be considered that this is his pet. Therefore making the audience position the advert in a foreign environment. 




This next shot reveals the boy running back towards his house which looks very old with shutter windows; adding the feel of the location. The next few shots include a conversation between him and his mother, their dialogue is evidently not English but its actually Greek. This ensures the audience that the advert is set in Greece. Another way in which the regional identity is displayed is through the appearance and costume of the boy. He seems to be wearing a seemingly old and tattered shirt with a white vest, shorts and worn out shoes, this shows how the area is quite poor due to the state of his clothes. 



 
The next shot uses a lower camera angle to give the viewer the feel that she is in a window above him and also gives a sense of authority to the mother as she is placed above him both in the hierarchy and in the advert and this is very effective. Once again the shutter windows are visible which add to the setting to portray that the video was set many years ago.




The use of props if very effective due to the inclusion of icon objects associated with a typical Greek village. The man riding the horse along side the fields provides the audience with further insight to the location and introduces feels of loneliness or isolation. The bell also relates to the regional identity as it is iconic and associated with places with intermediate technology. Emphasising that the advert is set many years ago. The man ringing the bell in the advert is also very old which implies the old time scale. The other shots are very effective in illustrating the setting of the advert and demonstrates the time period in which the advert is set through the style of the buildings. Throughout the whole advert there is a soundtrack which is seemingly Greek, this authentic choice of music adds to the regional identity and also allows the reader to understand the setting.
                                       








In the final moments of the advert we are taken between time periods back to the present. This is apparent due to the phone ringing as phones weren't being used in this period. This action then relates to the text on the screen and the voiceover in the background illustrating 'Unchanged since 1926'. The viewers are now given a specific time period to refer to the advert with. The words 'Unchanged since 1926' suggests that despite the generations continuing, the product is forever the same and consistent.