Exam Questions

1. Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of gender using the following:

· Camera shots, angles, movement and composition

· Editing

· Sound

· Mise en scene

In the extract the characters are represented very well. The man is show to be soft, sweet & tender but at the same time extremely brave for following the petrifying looking pig. He sees to be in love with the female in extract so it generally does show what kind of character he is.

The lady is represented as a powerful female who has authority over her entertainment group (dancers) and she clearly has a soft side for the man in the video as well, which could possibly be her lover. The female is clearly a very important person with in that dance group because she is wearing white coloured clothing with sparkling diamonds around it. Her partners wear red which obviously shows that they are just sidekicks or there on the side and this shows her authority and how important her presence is. She’s also very much in love with the man in this extract. The man is wearing smart, yet casual clothing which is probably ordinary dress code in them days (1960s). His clothes seem a bit loose which would show me that he has had a rough day at work and is looking to have a break right now.

As the man was moving into the dark room with the scary pig, tracking shot was used to follow him so it adds to the suspense, and not knowing what could possibly come out of the dark. Low angle camera angle was used when he entered the room with the pig moving reckless around him. He didn’t know exactly where the pig was because the room was dark so a panorama shot came into place to make it more intense and to baffle the people watching. Once he realised there was a large toy in the room and it was making noises, he then relaxed and thought that was making all the noise and then the close up camera shot was put into place. The pig came running at him in full speed and you could see the pig clearly with the medium close up shot being used.

The language used in this extract seems to be very formal and well spoken. The accent and language is key to knowing what time they are in, because you can tell if you watch the extract they are most certainly in the 1960s because of the dialect used. They both speak fluent English and have no use of slang or dialect which would also back up my point that this is an olden day based extract. The diegetic sound in the scene adds to the suspense in the extract and builds up the scene even more; it makes it more thrilling and exciting.