Practise exam question - Fingersmith

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of SEXUALITY using the following: camera, shots, angle, movement and composition, mise-en-scene, editing and sound.

In this essay i will analysing an extract from Fingersmith, identifying how sexuality has been represented in it. I will be demonstrating if and how the extract uses archetypes, generic types and stereotypes. Also i will be applying the Levi-Strauss' concept of the binary oppositions. I will be doing this with reference to camera, shots, angles, movement and composition, mise-en-scene, editing, and finally sound.

Firstly sounds is used in the clip as it helps to represent sexuality. We start of by hearing a non-diagetic sound, in this case it was a voice over. The sound was made to sound like it was coming from the women named Maude. The montage theory was also used during this scene as it allowed the audience to make the connection between the non-diagetic sound, and who it was coming from. The sound has helped to represent sexuality, as the words spoken was about feelings Maude had towards the same sexed worker, and how she struggled to tell her. This relates to others in the world who also struggle to come out and tell people that they like the same sexes.

In the same scene Maude's voice over had words such as 'she looks so beautiful' this showed the desire she had for the other women, but showed the fact that she was too frightened to admit it and tell her.

The next sound noticed in the clip was another non-diagetic sound, however this time it was background music. The music played when Maude gave a dress to the worker, letting the worker try it on. The music was light hearted and created a positive environment, this is a great example of a parallel sound. The sound helped to represent sexuality as it helped us as the audience to see the feelings Maude had towards the other girl, in a way it set a emotion of sadness as Maude was frightened of losing the girl.

As the film progresses we move to the outside scene, at this point contrapuntal sound is used as the setting is very positive but the non-diagetic music is very sinister. This music catches the audiences eyes, as the mood of the scene suddenly changes. The music complement the action produced in the scene as the man sexually attacks Maude. This can be related back to sexuality as it shows the audience the powers of both male and females. As a stereotype we know that men have more power over women, this scene therefore helps to show this as we see the man be in control of Maude's feelings towards the other female.

The diagetic sound produced by the dialogue of the man also helps to show that he is in charge and lives up to the stereotype of male dominating all women. Additionally another way it could represent sexuality is that the man is trying to stop Maude from telling another women that she has feelings for her, this could be related to the fact that stigma is attached to being a lesbian.

At the same outdoor scene we hear another diagetic sound, of the birds singing, whilst Maude is painting the women she feels she is in love with. However once the man appears, the birds stop singing. This technique may have been used to show that the man is only there to try and stop the sexuality between both Maude and the other girl.

Mise-en-scene also plays a big part in representing sexuality. Firstly the costume of both women were  related back to victorian times, as they both wore big dresses. We see that the girl is given a purple dress, this has many connotations attached to it. Purple can be related to sad feelings, but on the other hand it can also mean romance. This is exactly what is portrayed in the scene as Maude is in love with the other women, but has not told her due to what ever the reason may be, resulting in sad feelings.

As we move to the next scene we see the man, he is dressed in a black suit. This also has connotations attached to it, for instance aggression and powerful can be linked to black. This is exactly what is shown in the scene as the man is aggressive towards Maude and looks to be like he is in charge as he controls Maude from expressing her feelings for the other lady.

The costumes therefore represents sexuality as it distinguishes the difference between both males and females, and shows how men are more powerful and so in control.

The facial expressions used in the scenes also help to represent sexuality. At the start we see Maude's facial expression as she seems a little sad. This tells us that the situation between her and the women she desires is very confusing, and that she is sad. This may be due to the fact that she is struggling to come out and tell the women that she has feelings for her.

As Maude is then painting the other women we see that she is giving sexually desirable longing looks, this tells us that Maude has sexual feelings for women. 

We then move onto the scene when the man licks Maude's hands passionately, this represents sexuality and shows forcefullness which therefore represents masculinity. We also see Maude's facial expression at this stage, which shows that she it not enjoying it and makes the audience see that she's deeply in love with the other women and so does it to protect her.

The fire in the scene also represents the burning love Maude has for the other lady.

Camera shots are also used to help create a scene which represents sexuality. Firstly there was a close-up of the womens chest, this can be related back to the sexual relationship between both women. There was also a long shot of the whole scenery whilst Maude was painting the women, this showed the audience the romantic side of the story. However a high angled shot was then used on Maude as she was painting, this made her look vulnerable, as if she was in the wrong due to who she had sexual feelings for.

The way the clip was edited also helped to show sexuality in the scenes. Firstly there was a dissolve that was used to show time going by, this also emphasised her obsession and sentialality for the other women. The theory of Montage as stated earlier also helped for the audience to realise the connection between both Maude and the worker.  The shot through the mirror is also affective as it makes the audience a little confused as to of who is talking, this can be related to sexuality and how there is confusion between the relationship of both the ladies. Finally there is a dissolve put in where is goes from the image of a man to to the image of a half naked women. This shows the contrast of being straight to being a lesbian which is affective in terms of sexuality and how different sexes are portrayed differently in society.

In conclusion Fingersmith is a great extract to represent sexuality as it encounters many stereotypes that we see in society of people who may be different, as in they may like same sexes etc.

Practice exam question

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of ethnicity using the following:
camera
shots
angle
movement and composition
Mise-en-scene
editing
sound

In this essay i will be analysing the extract from Hotel Babylon and identify how ethnicity is represented. I will be demonstrating if, and how, the extract uses stereotypes and applies Levi-Strauss' concept of binary oppositions and hegemony. 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.

Firstly the scene used several camera shots that represented ethnicity. The scene started off with a low angle shot on the black worker, this showed that he wasn't as important as the white lady, who was the manager of the hotel. It made the black man seem as if he was the there to just abide by the rules of the whites. As the scene carried on we saw a close up shot of the asian worker, we can see that she was alarmed after finding out that the police had arrived. This represents ethnicity as a lot of ethnic minorities may feel intimidated by the police, and may feel that they do not belong in such environments. When the workers were then all shoved into a room, there was a low angle produced. This showed us as the audience that they were vulnerable, as that there lives were at risk. This therefore represented ethnicity as many ethnic minorities struggle to survive due to many factors, including financial, emotional barriers etc. The final shot was a PAN shot where the manager, a white lady had clicked her fingers and the camera had turned to the worker Gino. This scene had mainly represented ethnicity as it showed us that many ethnic minorities abide by higher authority. As a stereotype the people in charge are usually white, this tells us that people like Gino may abide white people due to the fact that they think they have to.

The sounds produced in the clip had also affected the way in which ethnicity was represented. Firstly a different language was spoken by all the asian and black workers. This represented ethnicity, as it showed us that the ethnic minorities were different. Not only that but they are more independent as they were prepared and ready for when the police did arrive. After one of the workers were taken away, his locker was cleaned. Sad music was then played, this helped to give a good impact of what had just happened and represented ethnicity, as this happens often in society and leaves a big impact on many peoples lives. At the end of the clip we finish off seeing the workers eating and hear the sounds of knifes and forks clashing. This could be related back to the sounds of slavery and so represents ethnicity, as many blacks went through tough times of slavery. The scenes also relate back to slavery, as the different ethnic minorities working at the hotel were pushed around and made to work in kitchens etc.

Mise-en-scene also played a major role in representing ethnicity. For example the clothes worn by the workers looked similar to the clothes that people would wear in prison. This represented ethnicity as it made the different ethnic minority groups look like they were working or even forced to work, just to make a living. The white men who had entered the hotel, also wore suits this showed the audience the difference between the different races. With the whites as more working-class and the blacks/asians as low working-class.

Editing also represented ethnicity, there was a match to action at the point where the worker had asked for jam. This not only showed that the whites had underestimated the black man, as he showed his intelligence, but it also showed that things maybe changing now. Society may finally be accepting the fact that there is a wider range of ethnicity now, and that not white men/women should have higher authority to run things.

Practice exam questions

In this essay i will be analysing the extract from Doctor Who and identifying how gender is represented. I will be demonstrating if, and how, the extract 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.

At the start of the scene we get a great shot of the lady in her position feeling vulnerable. The shot represents gender as we see that the man villain is in charge and so this creates a sense that male domination has occurred same way as it would in our society.

This clip is also a great example of binary opposition as we see the man standing as the villain, and the innocent girl as the hero. This means that the binary opposition here is is men vs women.

The sounds used in the clip is also effective as it helps to build up the tension, by using parallel sounds. There are both diegetic and non-diabetic sounds used in this clip. First diegetic sound produced was being by the man as he welcomed the girl. However after all the music played, the girl started laughing. This was also a diegetic sound, however this then caused the confusion, as the man did not know what was going on and therefore may have feel intimidated as was the girl when she first entered.

EastEnders

In this soap ethnicity and sexuality are both represented due to the masood family. Firstly ethnicity is encountered as they eat different types of food, giving people an insight about a different type of culture. Sexuality is also represented as there are a few people in the soap who struggle with sexuality problems. Not long ago Ben Mitchell was acting as a boy who was struggeling to tell his father about his sexuality, this gave the audience an insight as to of what people go through, if struggeling with sexuality problems.

Waterloo Road

In this Drama, Age is hugely represented, as we see different aged pupils entering and leaving the school. The drama shows the audience how students of different ages are treated differently compared to other. for example the students who are older and in collage are given the roles of head boy and head girl. this informs us that the older you are the more the chance is of getting a higher status, and being given more opportunities.

Top Boy

Top boy represented regional identity, this was done as the scenes were set in North London. The images produced by the Drama is very stereotypical as it represented most boys as being involved in gangs. It also made the region look very deprived, as it pointed out the more rural area's of the city. The men involved in gangs were portrayed as very patronising, which left a negative thought on the region as a whole.

Hustle

In the eposode of hustle that i had seen, i realised that gender, status and class was represented. Firstly we saw a middle-classed women enter the shop, we can tell she is midde classed due to her speech and the way she dressed. The words spoken by the second women who entered used very simple vocabulary, and so we as the audience would belive that she was from the working class. This is a great example of class as we get to see two people from different classes and can compare them both. Gender was represented in the hustle due to the way they were dressed, the man wearing a suit, whereas the lady was wearing a dress. Status was also encountered on this eposode of hustle as we saw that the man who owned the shop had treated the working-class lady with lower respect compared to the middle-class.