Media essay

In this essay I will be analysing the extract from Doctor Who extract and identifying how elements of representations is represented, in this essay I will be doing gender ,  I will be demonstrating if, and how, the elements uses archetypes, generic types and stereotypes and applying Levi-Strauss concept of binary oppositions. Finally, I will determine if the extract conforms to or challenges hegemony. I will be doing this with reference to camera, sound, editing and mise-en-scene.

First, I will discuss how the camera movement has shown elements of the representation of gender and how camera movement shows this. At the beginning of the extract when the young lady is kneeling down looking at the man in the suit, this reforms to the representation of gender because woman are seen as lower class then men and they are better than us, the extract has supported the stereotype with the use of camera movement and angles because when she is looking up at him he is seen as superior, strong, they call him “master”, to say he is in charge and they use a low angle shot looking down at the young lady to show she is scared, vulnerable, weak and by having this stereotype id conforms with Levi-Strauss theory however just as the archetype is about to kill the young lady she starts to laugh this then challenges Levi-Strauss binary opposition theory and she starts to lift her head up as if to say she is going to challenge the stereotype of woman and starts asking questions and standing up challenging this theory. Furthermore in the extract they have used a close up of the doctors lips to show that he is staying something important to her this reinforces the representation of gender as normally men are more dominate and tell woman what to and this agrees with the stereotype as she does what she is told, they have also uses a shot reverse shot, zoom reverse zoom when the doctor is having a conversation with the woman this also reinforces the stereotype as this normally happens in the world lastly at the end of the scene the doctor starts to change back and starts flying upwards and the master starts walking back down the stairs in fair and shock and both the doctor and the man’s other woman in red are more dominant then him and this shows all his power has gone and they are more powerful but more the doctor is powerful and this is  reforming the hegemony and the stereotype of gender lastly they have used an establishing shot when she walks in of the whole room.

Secondly, I will talk about editing in the extract and how it represents gender. When the doctor starts changing back into his old self this is called an ellipsis because it is a passage of time. Showing how he is getting stronger and more power fall which reinforces the stereotype of gender because the male population dominates and our more powerful, also in the extract they have used normal straight cut to cut the scenes together , when the master and the woman our talking she begins to stand up as he sits down this is showing an eye line match, which reinforces gender because it shows that woman can be as powerful as men and this shows in the eye line match when they are both looking at each other, and lastly they have used flash back when she is telling her story and when she is walking in the cold they have used slow motion and this reinforcing the stereotype of gender because it shows that whatever the weather woman will fight for what they believe in whereas men want to do things quickly and this represents the straight fast cuts in the extract.

Furthermore I will talk about the mise-en-scene in the doctor who extract, in the extract the mise-en-scene has reinforced the gender stereotype because the lady in the red dress, is portrayed as flirtatious, blonde, and her red dress represents sexy flirtatious colour and this is how she is seen and the master doesn’t really care about her and things of her as an object and a bit on the side and this is why she is in the back ground of the extract and hardly speaks as she has not important and this reinforces the gender stereotype as woman as people thing that this is all they are used for and cant to anything else however the woman in the army outfit is shown in a totally different light she is seen as a man because of the way she is dressed and her hair is up in a bun she doesn’t look like the lady in reds dress and this challenges the gender stereotype that woman are meant to just be objects for men and she goes out and flights for the doctor and her cause , the lady’s friend are all dresses in servants clothes and they are dark and maids showing that because they our mixed race and these type of people use to be slaves and this is why the gender stereotype had made these people where. What they wear and the master is wearing a smart suit showing he is in charge and looks smart, superior and better off unlike the other people in the extract like the doctor who was wearing old dirty clothes and don’t look very superior compared to the master.

Lastly I will talk about the sound in the doctor who extract, in the extract the sound starts of softly and gradually get loudly  and louder building up to the scene where she is about to get killed , also they have used diegetic sound and non-diegetic sound in the extract  the diegetic sound is the ticking clock when it starts counting down and the non-diegetic sound is when  the music is playing in the back ground , also in the extract there is dialogue he said child then he is not in charge anymore and is the child  because he said it not fair and this reinforces the gender stereotype because it shows that both men and woman act childish sometimes and the fast and slow music represent power and fast actions which our made, also the diegetic sound of the ticking clock adds suspense and tension for the girl and her family because she is about to be killed and so is the planet. At the end of the extract, they play non-diegetic opera music, which represents the change and challenges of hegemony and binary opposition and it is a triumph for the doctor and his companion.

In conclusion after analysing the extract from a doctor who I have identified how elements of representation is represented and I have demonstrated if and how the extract uses archetypes , generic types and stereotypes and applying Levi-Strauss concept of binary oppositions. Finally I have determined if the extract conforms to our challenges hegemony and this does both in the extract and I have shown this by referring to camera, editing, mise-en-scene and sound and how this reinforces the stereotypes of gender and the doctor who extract has shown how both theory’s challenge and reinforce this interpretations and I believe the extract does both.