Question 2

HOW DOES MY FILM

REPRESENTGENDER???

MALESA traditional male possesses characteristics such as strength, authority and power. I believe my opening mostly portrays a traditional representation of men.Firstly, my male character dominates most of the air time in my film, whilst also dominating the spoken narrative. He also constantly refers to the female in the opening through 3rd person pronouns such as "her" and "she“, that are deemed impersonal and generic. Secondly, although not named in the opening of my film, my detective character is called "Detective Bishop". Using formal address terms such as "Detective" already initiates a degree of authority and power, however "Bishop" is a chess piece, and has connotations of logic and maths, which ultimately signifies male attributes. He is dressed in smart/work clothes that consist of a suit, tie and hat, further outlining his authority and representing a traditional male. All of the shots of Bishop are of him on his own, and I made sure to include shots of him playing chess, this outlines his independence and competitiveness, a traditional expectation of male behaviour.

His clothing is somewhat traditional, further highlighting his positional authority in society

Chess is highly competitive and requires a high amount of logic, thus reflecting traditional male attributes.

Challenges?However, I also believe my detective presents a modern representation of men.This is apparent in the close up of a tear that rolls down his face. This is significant as it portrays emotion and feelings, something that connotes a traditional female. Through this shot, the audience can identify with his emotions and perhaps feel sympathy, again, this is deemed as a ‘female’ trait. Furthermore, a shot at the beginning also reveals him pulling out a loveletter/momentum from his pocket. Again, this portrays a modern representation of men as it suggests he has ‘feelings/soft spot’ for this girl. This is of stark contrast to the powerful and dominant image that men are expected to traditionally portray.

This over the shoulder shot reveals a love letter he’s kept from his love – suggesting feelings and portraying a modern male

This close up allows the audience to identify with his emotions, thus reflecting a modern man

FEMALESA ‘traditional woman’ is seen not as herself, but a ‘complementary addition’ to assist the male. She is the homemaker, there to bring up her children and cook for her ‘hardworking husband’. She is taught marriage is the most important, and finding a male to depend on is everything. Femme fatales are big conventions in noir, they are a modern representation of women. They refuse to play the ‘devoted mother’ and instead enjoy carelessly toying with the hearts of those around them. My film conveys this more modern representation as pictures of her reveal her striking red lips, connoting power and passion. Though passion connotes a traditional female, the meaning is completely changed when put alongside the word “power” as it brings around a sense of raw lust/sexuality. Moreover, the low angle heels shot portrays her as confident, powerful, and independent. Overall, a modern representation of women but a ‘traditional’ femme fatale.

This low angle reveals heels walking down some stairs. Diegetic amplified ‘heel’ sounds are also heard, reinforcing the power and confidence displayed in this shot. This represents women as powerful and fearless – a modern view.

Despite the previous slide, this image also presents a modern image of women. The striking red lips is what the audience first sees. This has connotations of threat, power and raw sexual passion, all connoting a dangerous love – and a woman who isn’t ‘conforming traditionally’.

Traditional conventionsMy lead female also depicts aspects of a traditional woman. For example, she is first seen via a close up. This forces the audience to look at her face, suggesting that this shot is solely based on looks, thus representing women as objects of beauty and nothing else.She is also pictured dead in the bath, representing her as weak, powerless and vulnerable. This presents the audience with a traditional view of the female gender. Moreover, it objectifies her as it is clear from the pictures she has been propped up into the bath by the detective, further outlining women’s (in her case, this means physically) dependence on men.She also wears heavy eye make-up, outlining that the traditional woman has to conform and wear make-up in order to look pretty. Additionally highlighting the previous point that women are very solely based on looks. The absence of the female in my opening is also very notable. Although fairly conventional for noir (as femme fatales usually ‘femme fatale’ further on in the film), it also presents a traditional representation of females as it suggests they are just ‘fillers’ who blend into the background and aren’t really that important.

This extreme close up amplifies her looks as the audience are forced to objectify her and judge her on her beauty. Representing women as traditional.

Women are still portrayed as beauty objects even when they are dead. He has propped her up to look and appear this way, thus provoking a traditional view on women as dependent and weak.