How are different genders represented in this clip using
camera, editing, sound and mise en scene?
In the clip from ‘Cutting It’, both males and females are
represented and some stereotypes are challenged but some are also conformed to.
Camera is used in order to portray both the male and female
character in a certain way. When the woman is talking to the doctor in the
doctor’s office, a high angle shot is used. This makes the woman seem smaller
and more vulnerable. The audience are looking down at her like she is weak and
powerless. This conforms to the common stereotype that women are unable to look
after themselves and lack strength. The director may have done this to make the
audience feel empathy for the character.
High and low angle shots are also used later on in the clip;
when the woman is hit by the car and the man is towering over her. The camera
looks up to the man but down to the woman. This clearly states to the audience
who has the power. The man is higher up and therefore is more powerful than the
woman and this is the same in male and female stereotypes. Men are often seen
as being more strong and powerful. However, this shot could have been used to
show how men care for women and protect them rather than being more powerful in
a negative way and dominating them. This would therefore be representing men in
a more positive way to the audience but women would still be seen negatively
because they are still unable to look after themselves and need a man’s help.
When the man is sitting at the table outside the coffee
shop, a close-up of his ring is shown. Focusing on the ring is focusing on the
joining of two people- in this case a woman and a man. To some people this
could be showing the two genders as equal however, traditionally a man is seen
as being in control when in a marriage. This could also be used to challenge a
common negative stereotype of men which is that they do not value marriage and
often cheat on their wives. By showing a close-up of him touching the ring on
his finger, it could be showing the audience how much he values his
relationship and therefore be challenging stereotypes.
A point of view shot is also used in the clip when the woman
is hit by the car and the man rushes over to her. This shot is in the point of
view of the man and the audience is once again looking down at the woman who is
now lying on the ground. This shot shows the man as being more powerful than
the woman but also allows the audience to empathise more with the man because
we are able to see this tragic situation from his perspective, as if we were
him. This allows the audience to feel more connected to the male character at
this moment which is unusual in terms of stereotypes as it is often the women
that people connect to more as they are often seen and portrayed as being much
more emotional and therefore easier to connect with on an emotional level.
The editing in this clip also allows genders to be
represented in a certain way. The order of narrative shows that the woman has
more power at the start of the clip and this decreases dramatically as the clip
goes on until she has minimal power at the end. I believe that she never has no
power, even as she is unconscious at the end, because the male character is
emotionally effected by her and therefore she must have some power over him to
have this effect. The man in the clip increases in power as the narrative
progresses. This power shift in the narrative could have been used by the
editor to show how a man’s power is constantly increasing but also shows how a
woman’s can be so easily taken from her.
A reverse shot is used when the man and woman are talking to
each other as they get out of the taxi-cab. The use of the reverse shot here
allows both of the characters to be at the same level as each other. This is
representing the genders as being equal. This is a positive thing for woman as
stereotypically they are not equal to men and do not have as much power. This
counter-type therefore represents women as being everything and anything that a
man is.
When the woman is hit by the car at the end of the clip, the
editor gives the man more screen time. Allowing the man to have more of the
audience’s attention at this point shows them who the most important character
in the scene is. Even after the woman has been knocked down and should have all
of the attention, the editor uses this as another opportunity to allow the
audience to connect with the male character. We had previously seen him playing
with the ring on his finger and now we are seeing what could potentially be the
end of his marriage. This allows the audience to develop their relationship
with the character and build up the empathy they have for him. This is
representing males in a positive way as it is challenging the stereotype that
they are not ‘in touch with their emotions’.
Throughout the clip, various aspects of sound are used to
represent the genders. Near the start of the clip, when they are in the taxi,
the man makes a ‘shh’ sound at the woman in an attempt to get her to stop
talking. This conforms to the stereotype that men can be dominating towards
woman and often see themselves as more powerful and able to control them.
However, in this case the woman does not stop talking and the dialogue continues.
This shows a countertype of woman as she clearly has power as she just
continues to talk and ignores the fact that she has tried to silence her. This
challenges male and female stereotypes that men are in control of women.
When the woman is sitting in the doctor’s office sad music
begins to play that runs parallel with the narrative in the clip at the
time. This music could be representing
the feeling of the female character at the time. If this is true, the music
could be representing the woman as an emotional person which is conforming to
the stereotype that women are emotional and hormonal.
When the car accident occurs there is a loud diegetic
smashing sound that has been greatly exaggerated, possibly through foley. This
smashing sound could be signifying the woman being broken by the accident as
well at the vases on the side of the road. The sound emphasises the effect of
the accident that occurred. It represents women as being weak as it is a sound
of something breaking that is very fragile, suggesting that women are also
fragile as she was also knocked down and ‘broken’ by the vehicle.
Finally, mise en scene is also used as a way to represent
men and women. When the couple are sitting in the car, the lighting is used to
provide a little bit of obstruction to the view of the woman’s face. This
provides a barrier between the woman and the audience as they are unable to see
her face clearly- as if she has a veil over her face. This provides an
emotional distance between them. This could be suggesting that woman can
sometimes be closed off emotionally and this is a countertype as they are
usually described as being over emotional. This could also be foreshadowing
later events as it looks like a white haze that surrounds angels and so could
be suggesting her death. Or it could be
representing women as being angelic.
When the woman is run over, there are many smashed vases on
the floor and destroyed flowers. Flowers are often associated with women and
seeing them destroyed on the pavement could be a way of showing how the woman
has been destroyed and how easy it is to bring a woman down. This is conforming
to the negative stereotype that women are weak and vulnerable- like the flowers
and vases are easily broken.
In the clip the woman’s costume consists of very light
colours and the man’s, dark. This represents how men and women are seen by the
audience. The woman could be wearing light colours to show her innocence and
suggest that she has a light personality. Whereas the man is wearing dark, bold
colours that signify power and make him seem much more in control than the
woman does. This conforms to the negative stereotypes towards women and the
positive ones towards men.
Before, and immediately after, the woman has been run over,
large traffic vehicles are seen driving down the road between the two
characters. This is emphasising the divide between men and women. The physical distance
between the characters could be symbolising the distances between men and women
in reality.
