Moving Image

Gender

Gender is the basic category in which we use to sort human beings. It includes essential elements such as our identity and other peoples identities. The aspects we assume people have from gender comes from the question 'what does it mean to be a boy or a girl?'

Many objects are also stereotypically perceived to be either masculine or feminine due to what awareness we have that constitutes 'appropriate' charactistics for each gender.

Women

-the representation of women are the same as 30 years ago despite the fact that feminism has been around since then.

-they seem to include beauty, size, sexuality, emotional dealings and relationships

-they are often represented as being part of context (family, friends, colleagues) and being part of a team. They tend to be passive rather than active.

-in tv the main women contradict the societal expectations and are seen as dangerous and deviant.

 

Men

-representations of men include strength, power, sexual attractiveness, physique and independence

-they tend to be portrayed as not having to rely on others (lone hero)

Age

We often quickly judge people based on their age. Different ages have different representations and stereotypes.

Common representations of age:

Rebellions teen

Senile old woman/man

Cradle robbing woman

Male in mid life crisis

Middle age woman clinging to her youth

Silly old man

Ethnicity

There are many representations based on race and ethnicity in the media. Stereotyping race is often seen as more offensive than other representations. They are often based on social myth, passed down generations. Most work on race and the media has concentrated on the representation of black men and women because of the strong African-American counter culture which provides alternative role models and demands that they are represented.

They can often be portrayed as

-gangster

-impoverished

-criminal

-victim

-hero

 

Asian representations can consist of

-intelligent

-martial artist

-obsessed with electronics

-quirky or weak

-lack emotion

-women can be seen as ditzy in some cases

Representation of sexuality

The main sexual orientations are heterosexuality and homosexuality.

Representations of heterosexual women:

-loving,respectable

-promiscuous

-frigid

-pure

-gold digger, pregnant teen, cougar

Representations of heterosexual men:

-Respectable

-promiscuous

-ladies man

-heart throb

-nervous when talking to women

Representations of homosexual women:

-monogamous

-Promiscuous

-embarrassed

Representations of homosexual men:

-promiscuous

-monogamous

-overbearing

-embarrassed

Class and status

This establishes who is powerful and fortunate and who is less fortunate and inferior. This includes lower class, lower middle class, working class, upper middle class, upper class, rich.

Physical ability/disability

This includes those who are physically disabled (paralysed, deaf, blind, amputees), those who are limited in what they can do (morbidly obsese, cancer, aids etc) and those who are in good shape (athletes, superheroes, average people)

Forms of gaze

Extra-diegetic: gaze, where the person depicted in the text looks at the spectator such as an aside, or an acknowledgment of the 'fouth wall'
The cameras gaze: which is the gaze of the camera and is often equated to the director's gaze.Intra-intra-diagetic gaze - such as Bart & Lisa watching Itchy & Scratchy on the simpsons.

Disability clip

 

Disability clip

This scene from a BBC programme was created to represent disability. The first thing we hear is the non-diegetic voice saying 'last summer I decided to kill my brother', this automatically conveys to us that there is a narrator who is predominantly the main character in the programme which is emphasised as he is telling the story from his point of view, this also demonstrates the use of 'voice over' which is used during this clip. The gloomy heavy music combined with the darkness we see on Gary's side of the room compared to his brother's lighter side emphasises the negativity surrounding David's personality, this is represented through the lighting of David's surroundings, the dark and gloomy side to his bedroom would suggest that his is a dark and cold person. The high angle establishing shot highlights the difference in the characters as David looks extremely on edge whereas his brother looks relaxed and comfortable. We hear him talking about his plans in involving killing his brother-that is disabled which is very shocking to the audience. He is displayed to be his brothers carer and obviously isn't happy about that situation in which he is in. The darkness around David accentuates that he is perhaps a dangerous character that needs to be looked out for whereas his brother is presented as the complete opposite and someone who is completely innocent and wouldn't hurt a fly which is a complete drastic difference of personality. This is continued to be conveyed in the Gorilla scenes in the clip where David seems to be the more dominant character who could take control of a situation and could perhaps be violent and aggressive, the close ups of his brother makes the audience sympathise him as he cannot help who he is and David doesn't seem to understand that, close up shots demonstrate a person’s emotions as it does in this close up where we feel sorry for the boy.

The setting then changes to a family breakfast where the dietetic sound indicates that David is extremely frustrated at his brother for eating all the Weetabix, the close up used on his brothers face makes the audience exaggerate his personality because he is displayed as sweet and innocent boy and isn’t trying to cause any harm to anyone - he just simply implies that he his hungry. When the mother leaves to go to work, she kisses David's brother on the head and doesn't say anything to David the mid shot on David displays that he is annoyed at the situation however want to act like he isn't bothered as comes across like that’s how he feels is the best way to act, once again making the audience sympathise to David as he is portrayed as being neglected by his family and represented to be less important to his brother's disability. However, the thought that David gets emotionally jealous from his brother getting attention also makes you feel sorry for him as his brother doesn’t show him any love just pure anger towards him.

The establishing shot of the bus stop and cars illustrate the background in each of the brother's lives, as Gary's non dietetic voice narrates the story of how he feels of that his brother always needs looking after and that he gets special treatment to keep him happy. This makes the audience sympathise David because it further emphasises how his parents put his brother before him because of his disability, most people would agree that people with disabilities are given extra treatment and care but don’t actually think about the way in which the other members of his surroundings would feel about it. We gain a wider understanding that David has a lot of anger and jealousy towards his brother due to lack of love and attention he gets. This could also make the audience empathise his brother because he cannot help his disability - and they may feel that David should be more understanding of his brothers needs of being a person with a disability and stop being selfish feeling sorry for himself all the time and stop pushing his brother away as it’s not his fault that he was born that way.

We are then shown a series of scenes as David non dietetically reminisces about experiences that he has had to go through for the benefit of his brother – such as riding a bike, climbing a tree, eating ice cream etc which highlights the youth of his brother and the childish activates he has to complete with his brother due to his disability. David is then seen picking up a toy gun, pointing and aiming it at his brother and the synchronous sound of the non-dietetic ‘bang' contributes to the earlier comment of David intending to kill his brother which is actually very shocking and upsetting as you question why anyone would want to kill their brother. Many of the camera angles on David are low angle shots to demonstrate that he is superior to his brother and is typically the more powerful person in the relationship - whereas the camera angles on his brother are high angle or close up - to emphasise his inferiority to his brother and to demonstrate his youth.

In the last scene of the clip, a close up and long shot is used to highlight the location of the school, the theme is used yet again to depict the atmosphere they’re in. We can see David taking the mick out of a fellow student in class of who is answering a question, we begin to believe this could be caused by the stress from caring for his brother and reflects how he cannot physically and emotionally take anymore and feels like his only option is to take it out on those around him at school as he feels like he can’t do it anywhere else – the build-up of caring for someone for so long is too much for David and this reflects the representation of disability to be very over whelming. David’s friend references ‘babysitting’ which connotes how the disabled brother is seen as a child by many people due to being unable to do the thing other children can do caused by his down syndrome. David gives his brother money to bribe him into not telling his parents that he had left him alone demonstrating his guilt and by using ‘chocolate’ as another way to lead his brother away from spilling the truth as it’s something he knows his brother will enjoy. Children laugh at the disabled child on the bus when he is on his own, and take the mick out of him whilst the clip ends with Gary narrating the scene again and discussing how he is unable to care for his brother anymore.

Notes on disability clip –

What you should do -

Excellent analysis

Consistency – have an argument
Convincing discussion
Link to other aspects of the clip
Combine different aspects
Talk about their difference ability’s
Base analysis around sound
List the technical aspects