Representation of Gender: Primeval

Representation of Gender: Primeval

In this extract, gender is represented through the characters being masculine and feminine. The two female characters show femininity and also a couple of less 'manly' males, who appear to be weak, vulnerable and scared - having to be saved. There is masculinity shown through some of the male characters and also one of the females (less feminine), who are presented as being as heroic and independent, ready to save the damsel in distress.

At the beginning of the extract, we are presented with a male character and a female character, who appear to have had some sort of argument. The male is portrayed as being the one in the wrong, however, he is staying calm and not making a big deal about the situation. Whereas the woman is conveyed as being emotional and sensitive and the argument results in her storming away. These are common stereotypes of men and women, showing that men are more relaxed and laid-back than women are and that women are often over-dramatic in situations like this. The editing in this clip is quite continuous but rather quick. This is to show the tension between these two people and the heat in their argument building up fast. There is also tense dramatic diegetic sound in this scene again, to indicate the tension between these two people and add to the drama. A hand held camera is used in this part too, making it feel as though we are there with these characters and can see and hear everything as though we were. The same camera uses a tracking shot too following the action, so when the two people move we move with them so that we can still understand the story.

In the next scene, the character of Abby seems to be a countertype. This is due to the mise en scene and the way she is dressed. She has shorter hair and wears a leather jacket giving her a quite masuline look about her. She also goes on to save the day later on in this scene and helps the damsel in distress, who is actually a male in this case. A high angled shot of the male character in the bottom half of the frame is used to help show this countertype to masculinity with the angle that shows the males weakness, which is unlike the stereotype of the male characters. Sound and editing is really fast and intense at this point, to add to the dramatic situation. Clashing sounds make the audience feel on edge and builds up to reach a climax where Abby shoots the tiger. This a representation of gender as again, Abby is being a countertype.

In another section of the extract we are show a man and a woman in a barn. The man appears to be a farmer and obviously doesn’t care much about this appearance. Whereas the woman looks very put together and is wearing a lot of make up and has a lot of cleavage showing to make her appear more feminine. In this scene there is the dialogue of the two people, with the woman being presented as manipulative and evil. She is trying to get her own way by black mailing the farmer. The editing at this point is very continuous but starts to build up and gets faster and faster until the point where the man lashes out on the vulnerable woman with a gun and a slow-motion clip of her falling is used. We are then only shown shots looking down of the woman and up to the man showing the man having more authority and the woman being weak and vulnerable.