Film Industry Introduction

02 g322 section b film industry introduction 2013 from Alleyn's School Media Studies Department

Mock exam re-write - hotel babylon (ethnicity)

In the clip 'hotel Babylon', the representational issue of ethnicity is displayed in many ways through the 4 main micro features which build up a scene or an entire clip. Camera shots, movements and angles, Mise-en-scene, sound and editing.
The clip begins with a focus shot supported with a close up of a man who is dressed in a blue formal suit with a shirt and tie, immediately signifying that he has some kind of authority and power, moving on there is a jump cut of two policemen telling the man that they are here so 'no one can escape', once again signifying that the policemen are in a higher authority. The lighting of where the two policemen are is bright, showing that it's daytime and something must've been happening during the daytime. The Mise en scene of that certain scene was that the outfit of the policemen was an actual policemen suit, making it look real and believable. The location of this particular scene looks like to be somewhere in a basement of the hotel. With the dialogue, synchronous sound is supported and played in the background which immediately set tension to the audience.  There is a clear binary opposite of class and race.
The audience is introduced a completely different scene, a jump cut and continuous editing is used in order to set the scene. A mid shot followed by a zoom in of a women working in the reception area. The location is recognised with the Mise-en-scene. The props and the smartly dressed employers like Ben makes audience have a display of this location being a hotel lobby/reception. The women in the white suit by the reception desk, is wearing make-up and has very well groomed hair portrays to the audience that she must be important. The bright lighting is setting the scene to make the location look natural.
A man enters the scene in a casual suit; alongside there are two other people behind also in a smart suit and tie. This emphasises their power and their profession and role.  The long shot is used following a track, this camera movement highlights that they may be important, also they are positioned in an important way. Behind John Boyack there are two officers standing on either side. This illustrates to the audience that John Boyack has more power than then and is highlighted as the leader. The over the shoulder shot reverse shot signifies the conversation they both are having. The dialogue 'good morning sir' signifies that the woman is in her role and profession even though she knows what is going to happen. The 180 degrees rule is applied in this scene to establish the continuity of the scene.
In the next scene, the women in a white suit send Ben down to warn Jackie that the immigration officers have arrived. The non-diegetic sound is at a fast tempo instantly creating some sort of tension in which then the audience can identify that something serious is about to happen. It’s a pre-warning for the audience, making the scene more dramatic and convincing. The high angle of Jackie in the immigration office connotes that she is in less authority as she is been placed at the back, however she is wearing a suit with make-up showing that she has the same equal importance as any other higher status employee, for instance; the woman at the reception desk.
In the next scene, we are introduced to the illegal immigrant workers who are suddenly disturbed by Jackie who talks to them in another language, warning them to hide. This portrays that she cares for them. She is represented as a leader with high authority. Hand held camera and an eyeline match shot is used, emphasising the situation more and making the audience feel like they are part of this issue. The mise-en-scene in this scene is that the location is the kitchen; the audience can recognise the location by the props and the outfits which are featured in the scene. Examples of props that have been featured are knifes, vegetables, and pans. The audience can easily recognise that there are chefs due to the outfit worn. The hand held shot of everyone running proves the realism of the situation, making the audience part of it. A long shot is supported when the immigrants are running towards the closet/store room. The depth of field shot of the collapsible door displays that the workers look like they are in prison or represented as animals that are trapped. Jackie is an Asian who thinks quickly matching the stereotypical role of Asian people being smart. The door closing with a close up of a half broken sign ‘Staff only’ on the door proves that the workers belong to the hotel. Jackie then counts all the workers in the store room and straight cuts is used to highlight all the immigrants worried and panicked faces, making the audience have sympathy towards them.
A pan and a mid-shot convey the tension in that room of the entire group of immigrants. The diegetic sound of the immigrants sighing signifies that there is trouble.
When Jackie realises that there is someone missing, the dialogue ‘Ibriham’ depicts the tense and gives an effect of suspense. The name ‘Ibriham’ portrays a religious name of the guy being caught which links to him being innocent.
The high angle of the woman fainting conveys that she is weak. Other workers who are black, Asian and European help her. Black/African cleaner steps forward helping the lady, this process that all ethnicities are coming together, also beating the stereotypical role of Africans/black people as they are always viewed to the world as gangsters and criminals. The lighting of this scene is dark, elaborating the negativity and tension of the immigrant checks and hoping no one gets caught. The dialogue ‘I wasn’t always a cleaner’ strongly beats the stereotypical role of Africans proving that not all ethnicities do same things.
However in this problematic clip, there are stereotypical roles of different ethnicities and their roles. Black people are cleaners, Europeans are maids and chefs, and alongside Asian being chefs.
Parallel Editing is used to show the idea of the tensions and suspense. When Ibriham is captured, beforehand a long shot is used to portray what he is doing. When he tries to run, he trips over which connotes to the audience that he is weak and trapped. The low angle of the white men conveys that they are in a strong authority, dominance and power which math the stereotypical of a white person being in lead and powerful, and making the rest of the ethnicities not as powerful as them. A pan movement going down shows a Henry Hoover unattended, proving that the black guy is captured.
Jackie comes out to save Ibriham. The shot reverse shot supported with an over shoulder shot depicts the conversation in which Jackie is weak in. As a powerful Asian/Chinese, the stereotypical role of an Asian would be smart however weak in authority which is being is represented by Jackie in this clip. The dolly zoom gives the audience a clear indication of the characters facial expression, the audience can see that Jackie’s facial expression is worried and helpless, which makes the audience have sympathy towards her helplessness as she couldn’t save Ibriham. Another depth in field shot in a long shot between Jackie and the women in the white suit exaggerates the seriousness. The use of dialogue ‘we got him’ from the immigrant office expresses that he is in lead and in power compared to the rest of the people who are majority a different ethnicity. The formal dialogue ‘sorry’ once again signifies that the woman is calming the tension in the lobby.
The close up of Jackie taking Ibriham’s belongings out of his locker proves that she is helpless. When Jackie closes the locker, the audience can get a view of a number, proving that Ibriham and the rest of the immigrants have no identity but just being a number. With all ethnicities coming together and helping conveys that it’s all stereotypical and that there is equality amongst the workers. The sad melodious sound in the background makes the clip sadder so the audience can feel sympathetic towards all workers, especially toward Ibriham. Ibriham’s fellow workers who are the same ethnicity are beside Jackie, signifies that they were the only ones who are worried.
The panning in the canteen, begins with 4 Asian men who are talking to each other very loudly while eating, continuing from going to the left, the camera moves showing a group of Europeans talking and arguing at the same time with the lady should ‘niet’ shows she is Russian and throwing the food in anger proves that this ethnicity is complaining. Last of all, the camera pans to the African/Black workers who are calm and praying before they eat, which is completely opposite to their ethnicity stereotype. This whole scene signifies that all ethnicities are still categorised and separate depicting that there is still no equality.
The black women and man are praying shows they are religious and positive. The man stops the lady into starting her food which shows another representational issue of gender. The man has more authority and power to stop the women and that the female is weak and being instructed.

Film Distribution

Dr Who Essay

Dr Who – Representation of Gender

In this Dr Who clip, the audience are presented with the ideas of binary opposites. The two different genders that are featured in the clip have got 2 different sides. The man being the villain and the women being the slave and obeying the master’s command. Throughout the clip, the audience see the characters and how they represented with the topic of Gender.

In the opening of the clip, the audience are introduced to a male character. The character is dressed up wearing a classic, sophisticated and smart Black and white suit and tie. He is well shaven, with a clean hair cut that tells us that he likes everything to be in order and is a neat freak. This character appears to be a strong successful male who is very powerful and knows this. He is also standing on a higher platform from everyone else to show that he is powerful and the other characters are literally below him. The platform which he also stands on makes the audience think that he is the greatest and the most powerful currently. He appears to be more powerful and dominant. It’s a stereotypical thing to see a man in suit as it can easily show that he is at a higher class as well as being dominant. Normally, the antagonist would wear an outfit or dark colours to portray him ‘evil’. However in this case the audience see the villain in a black suit, showing he is classier and wants to show more of this wealth and power which is linked into that.

The audience are then introduced to Martha, a strong female character who currently looks weak due her captivation. She is surrounded by two big bodyguards who are dressed in black and armed with weapons suggesting the mise en scene used of the props sets a realistic tone to the clip. The guards are men, proving that weaponry can only be used only by men and that women are not capable to use dangerous weaponry. This is a stereotype of both men and women.

Martha walks through the door with the villain beginning to walk down the steps waving his hands at her as if she was a dog and calling her to him. This shows us that his character is quite cocky and does not show her any respect because they are binary characters. While Martha is walking, There is a crescendo in the music to parallel the suspension, action and build in protagonists power. While she Is walking she makes eye contact with the 2 housemaids who are also captured and then to a man who is being held by the antagonists men is covered in dirt and looks rough, suggesting less power and wealth. He is wearing blue which connotes that he is loyal and intelligent.

The music begins when the woman is entering but stops when the man begins to talk, suggesting the man has more power.

Throughout this clip, continuous editing is used to display all the important key parts of the scene. He goes not greet her or make an attempt of phatic talk but goes straight into ordering her about, because she is under his authority Martha obeys his command, which then shows that the male is in command as this is very stereotypical. Martha ‘kneels’ down and obeys the commands of the villain.

The high angle shot is used to show that Martha is controlled by the villain and she is helpless and weak. However the gradual close up of Martha proves that with her dialogue, she is gaining power, especially towards the end when she is trying to make each second go by. She talks faster proving she has got more power and confidence.

Shot reverse shot is used to portray the conversation between Martha and the villain. The zoom in of the shot reverse shot proves the seriousness of the conversation.

A Low angle shot used to portray the villain as the strongest character in the scene. The way the villain is already on the platform proves that he wants to be the greatest man and to prove this point of his powerfulness, a low angle shot is used. Males are generally shown to be more focused and dominant.

The male character has got many close up’s of him portraying that the facial expression within him is stereotypical. It allows the character to take up one whole frame alone to show that he is more important.

The camera also appears to be looking up at him in a superior structure like form to highlight that Martha has no power what so ever.

The male character also speaks as if he is full of himself or really sure that his plan is going to work, to make this even more obvious they have shown that he is in command over the majority of the characters on the set, as no one tells him what to do or interrupts him at all proving the representation of gender, with the stereotype of male being in charge and bossing people around whereas the women are more quiet and are expected to obey the rules.

There is a mid-shot used of him where he is looking at his watch, in this shot we can establish that he is married because he is wearing a wedding ring, and also looking at his watch which explains his richness and how wealthy this man appears compared to Martha who has nothing at all.

As the clip builds up with Martha’s conversation with the male character, proves that she slowly gains power and courage to speak up to save the Dr. this is represented with the use of high angle shots to show that even though she is talking, she is still less superior than the male character. The Dr was saved by Martha, a female character suggesting that females are strong and can be reliable to save whether they are strong or not.

Martha is wearing just a long black coat, which is the only piece of clothing we can see, her hair is nearly done up in a bun exposing her face for us to see that she is more vulnerable and an easy target. She is wearing casual clothes which look ‘tomboy’ compared to the woman in blonde who was wearing a red dress and standing behind the male character helplessly.

The women in red must be his companion – she is at the back, behind the male character – man is stronger and the women are less powerful – she is standing there. She is wearing a red dress – connotes the power she has alongside the man. Red can also be associated with femininity as it’s the well-known colour to make female more attractive. Cliché of women in the red dress. She is known as a sexual object – owned/possession of the villain.

The male character is associated stereotypically with technology and gadgets which is the mise en scene of this clip. The certain shot portrays the mise en scene very strongly. In the background, the props are used to set out where the this situation is held. As this show is Dr Who – a sci-fi drama. There is meant to be technology related items and concept.

There are sound effects that create the diegesis. The Foley sounds create verisimilitude for the genre. The non-diegetic sounds such as the lights and Tardis sounds are not real. The ticking of the countdown in diegetic following the sound of the computer bleeping. The space ships are obviously non-diegetic but for the diegesis they are supposed to be diegetic.

Now Martha is turn to be in power, because she is a female she is more underestimated and people would not think she is clever enough to come up with a master plan and ultimately go behind the masters back and beat him at his own game.

Martha now appears to be a strong leader rather than a female obey commands. She breaks what we see to be her under control and actually stands up to the man proving that she is right and he is wrong.

While Martha is talking, jump cuts are used to portray Flashbacks are used with a gradient and black and white filter to prove that the events were the past and she is narrating it to the audience to understand the situation more. Cross Cuts and Jump cuts contribute to emphasise the moment Martha is narrating supported by the flashbacks.

A High angle shot is used to show the weakness of the Dr, who is in this form. He is in a cage and trapped which proves he is imprisoned. He is made to look more ‘old’ as it signifies that old people are weak and helpless and cannot do anything by themselves and this is why the Dr needed help from Martha.

When the Dr is back into power, A wide shot is used to emphasise on the situation,. In this case we see that the Dr is back and is more powerful than ever. The villain is stepping back, showing the relationship between them both. Furthermore, the camera shot portrays the mise-en-scene of the ‘lab’ – computer, machinery and sci fi related items/props. The music gets grander as the doctor is reborn. The music gets louder and almost blocks out his shouting of ‘it’s not fair’

Cuts between the people saying ‘Dr’. This is building up the excitement of the Dr returning.

In this clip we have seen how the representation of gender has changed halfway through and what we first expected has now changed to what we expect now.

Martha represented the female side and showed up to the stereotypical vies, of women who don’t get listened to, believed in and obeying orders from men, which gave into the male gauze, however she then turned that around to order around the man and told him what he didn't know and actually spoke up for herself towards the end.

Dr Who – Representation of Gender

In this Dr Who clip, the audience are presented with the ideas of binary opposites. The two different genders that are featured in the clip have got 2 different sides. The man being the villain and the women being the slave and obeying the master’s command. Throughout the clip, the audience see the characters and how they represented with the topic of Gender.

In the opening of the clip, the audience are introduced to a male character. The character is dressed up wearing a classic, sophisticated and smart Black and white suit and tie. He is well shaven, with a clean hair cut that tells us that he likes everything to be in order and is a neat freak. This character appears to be a strong successful male who is very powerful and knows this. He is also standing on a higher platform from everyone else to show that he is powerful and the other characters are literally below him. The platform which he also stands on makes the audience think that he is the greatest and the most powerful currently. He appears to be more powerful and dominant. It’s a stereotypical thing to see a man in suit as it can easily show that he is at a higher class as well as being dominant. Normally, the antagonist would wear an outfit or dark colours to portray him ‘evil’. However in this case the audience see the villain in a black suit, showing he is classier and wants to show more of this wealth and power which is linked into that.

The audience are then introduced to Martha, a strong female character who currently looks weak due her captivation. She is surrounded by two big bodyguards who are dressed in black and armed with weapons suggesting the mise en scene used of the props sets a realistic tone to the clip. The guards are men, proving that weaponry can only be used only by men and that women are not capable to use dangerous weaponry. This is a stereotype of both men and women.

Martha walks through the door with the villain beginning to walk down the steps waving his hands at her as if she was a dog and calling her to him. This shows us that his character is quite cocky and does not show her any respect because they are binary characters. While Martha is walking, There is a crescendo in the music to parallel the suspension, action and build in protagonists power. While she Is walking she makes eye contact with the 2 housemaids who are also captured and then to a man who is being held by the antagonists men is covered in dirt and looks rough, suggesting less power and wealth. He is wearing blue which connotes that he is loyal and intelligent.

The music begins when the woman is entering but stops when the man begins to talk, suggesting the man has more power.

Throughout this clip, continuous editing is used to display all the important key parts of the scene. He goes not greet her or make an attempt of phatic talk but goes straight into ordering her about, because she is under his authority Martha obeys his command, which then shows that the male is in command as this is very stereotypical. Martha ‘kneels’ down and obeys the commands of the villain.

The high angle shot is used to show that Martha is controlled by the villain and she is helpless and weak. However the gradual close up of Martha proves that with her dialogue, she is gaining power, especially towards the end when she is trying to make each second go by. She talks faster proving she has got more power and confidence.

Shot reverse shot is used to portray the conversation between Martha and the villain. The zoom in of the shot reverse shot proves the seriousness of the conversation.

A Low angle shot used to portray the villain as the strongest character in the scene. The way the villain is already on the platform proves that he wants to be the greatest man and to prove this point of his powerfulness, a low angle shot is used. Males are generally shown to be more focused and dominant.

The male character has got many close up’s of him portraying that the facial expression within him is stereotypical. It allows the character to take up one whole frame alone to show that he is more important.

The camera also appears to be looking up at him in a superior structure like form to highlight that Martha has no power what so ever.

The male character also speaks as if he is full of himself or really sure that his plan is going to work, to make this even more obvious they have shown that he is in command over the majority of the characters on the set, as no one tells him what to do or interrupts him at all proving the representation of gender, with the stereotype of male being in charge and bossing people around whereas the women are more quiet and are expected to obey the rules.

There is a mid-shot used of him where he is looking at his watch, in this shot we can establish that he is married because he is wearing a wedding ring, and also looking at his watch which explains his richness and how wealthy this man appears compared to Martha who has nothing at all.

As the clip builds up with Martha’s conversation with the male character, proves that she slowly gains power and courage to speak up to save the Dr. this is represented with the use of high angle shots to show that even though she is talking, she is still less superior than the male character. The Dr was saved by Martha, a female character suggesting that females are strong and can be reliable to save whether they are strong or not.

Martha is wearing just a long black coat, which is the only piece of clothing we can see, her hair is nearly done up in a bun exposing her face for us to see that she is more vulnerable and an easy target. She is wearing casual clothes which look ‘tomboy’ compared to the woman in blonde who was wearing a red dress and standing behind the male character helplessly.

The women in red must be his companion – she is at the back, behind the male character – man is stronger and the women are less powerful – she is standing there. She is wearing a red dress – connotes the power she has alongside the man. Red can also be associated with femininity as it’s the well-known colour to make female more attractive. Cliché of women in the red dress. She is known as a sexual object – owned/possession of the villain.

The male character is associated stereotypically with technology and gadgets which is the mise en scene of this clip. The certain shot portrays the mise en scene very strongly. In the background, the props are used to set out where the this situation is held. As this show is Dr Who – a sci-fi drama. There is meant to be technology related items and concept.

There are sound effects that create the diegesis. The Foley sounds create verisimilitude for the genre. The non-diegetic sounds such as the lights and Tardis sounds are not real. The ticking of the countdown in diegetic following the sound of the computer bleeping. The space ships are obviously non-diegetic but for the diegesis they are supposed to be diegetic.

Now Martha is turn to be in power, because she is a female she is more underestimated and people would not think she is clever enough to come up with a master plan and ultimately go behind the masters back and beat him at his own game.

Martha now appears to be a strong leader rather than a female obey commands. She breaks what we see to be her under control and actually stands up to the man proving that she is right and he is wrong.

While Martha is talking, jump cuts are used to portray Flashbacks are used with a gradient and black and white filter to prove that the events were the past and she is narrating it to the audience to understand the situation more. Cross Cuts and Jump cuts contribute to emphasise the moment Martha is narrating supported by the flashbacks.

A High angle shot is used to show the weakness of the Dr, who is in this form. He is in a cage and trapped which proves he is imprisoned. He is made to look more ‘old’ as it signifies that old people are weak and helpless and cannot do anything by themselves and this is why the Dr needed help from Martha.

When the Dr is back into power, A wide shot is used to emphasis on the situation,. In this case we see that the Dr is back and is more powerful than ever. The villain is stepping back, showing the relationship between them both. Furthermore, the camera shot portrays the mise-en-scene of the ‘lab’ – computer, machinery and sci fi related items/props. The music gets grander as the doctor is reborn. The music gets louder and almost blocks out his shouting of ‘it’s not fair’

Cuts between the people saying ‘Dr’. This is building up the excitement of the Dr returning.

In this clip we have seen how the representation of gender has changed halfway through and what we first expected has now changed to what we expect now.

Martha represented the female side and showed up to the stereotypical vies, of women who don’t get listened to, believed in and obeying orders from men, which gave into the male gauze, however she then turned that around to order around the man and told him what he didn't know and actually spoke up for herself towards the end.