Key words

Gender: This is the state of being a male or female typically used as a social term not biological

Stereotype: A widely held but fixed image or idea of a particular person or thing. For example the stereotype of all British people loving tea.

Archetype: A universal type or model of character this is found in many different texts e.g. hero, temptress, loyal friend, wise old lady etc.

Mediation: Is a process media companies go through to alter information that is within them. AN example of mediation is alteration of an album released by a popular band through the studio process and editing by producer’s the end result has been edited at the end result has been edited and does not like the band playing their instrument without editing.

Hegemonic Names: This describes the domination of a culturally diverse society by one social class who manipulate the culture of the society.

Gender in TV Drama

Gender in TV Drama

Stereotype for women:

TV dramas are always thought to be a female-viewer-attracted industry, especially for soap operas, but some as other types of television programs, TV drama represent and reinforce the majority’s ideology western culture. The role of a female character is to make the male character appear more important to the series.

Also, it is interesting how the female characters professional achievement correlate with her physical appearance. This is stereotype is used in TV Dramas to express that the highly intelligent women are represented as inferior whereas the more sexualised and typical blonde, character are considered to have more of important role in the drama. Another example could be advertising. Betty is a full time housewife is shown as an elegant blonde, with nice figure and Peggy is an ambitious secretary who later becomes a copywriter, it is much less attractive for the audience that is watching the drama.

Female character have professional lives and usually have to be ignored and more often they are portrayed as house views who take care of children and family chores every day, but it is not ambitious at all in building a career. Even if the women do work, they are often shown on a TV in traditional feminine jobs such as being a teacher, secretaries and nurses which is kind of a professions which is all required to be patience and many more things. For example, Samantha from EastEnders left her husband to pursue a career in modelling but it was unsuccessful.

Stereotype for men:

Stereotype for men is that they are shown to appear as a strong and powerful, mentally and physically. The males appear to be the elements that face of TV drama as they are seen as an important role due to their abilities.  For example an example of a strong male character is the Doctor from Doctor Who, his character is presented as strong due to his vast knowledge of his planets, strategies and monsters to face up against. Although he can’t resist travelling with a female companion, this makes his character seem more important as he has an inferior with him which makes him superior.

Headmaster Michael Meets the Barrys: Waterloo Road Throwback Thursdays and how gender is presented

Headmaster Michael Meets the Barrys: Waterloo Road Throwback Thursdays

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVPxHfm8D5Y

In this scene I will be talking about how gender has been presented in the clip.

There is a range of camera angles, as there is close ups, long shots and a range of another angles being presented through the scene. Also by having mid shots it shows the audience the protagonist faces and the way they are reacting towards school. By including a range of shots it gives the scene a different affect. There is a range of movement in the camera, they have used the 180 rule which shows that they are following the rules because the camera only turns in a 180 way. When the mum was speaking it changes the camera angle, as they are showing her face and the way that they are being presented throughout the scene. They have also included a pan and a zoom which presents they have used a range of angles and shots in the scene.

The sound that has been included is sound, by being in a school is very quiet at the moment but it is because everyone is lesson and it shows that there is not a lot of sound happening in the scene, but there is a lot of dialogue as the parent is talking to the director of the school about their kids joining the school. Also there is diegetic sound in some areas of the scene which gives an affect towards it because it makes the scene intense and grabs the audience attention into wanting to discover more with what is happening in the scene.

Furthermore, they have also included a range of cutting and transitions for example when they are sat in the in the office waiting to be spoken to, it cuts from one scene to another as one minute there is a teacher leaving the room and another person editing which represents that they have used a range of cutting and effects so that it makes the scene fit together and make it look like it has all been filmed together and give the audience something to look forward to as they wouldn’t know what is going to happen next in the scene. They have included an eye-line match which goes from one character’s face to it looking at what the character is looking at in the scene. In the background when the parent and head-teacher are speaking there is a phone ringing in the background which presents that there could be other things happening throughout the scene whilst they are in lesson

The scene has included a range of props so that it makes it look like a real school and by including a range of props it makes the scene more realistic and it gives the audience the idea that they are in a school. The lighting that has been including gives the scene a different affect because when they are sat in the office it gives a different affect and it makes the parent (mum) in control with what is happening because the mum and the children have a different lighting reflecting on them, which could represent that there mum is controlling them, and that they must do what there mum says. Each character has their own appearance which makes the scene more appealing to the audience as it represents as you don’t know what will happen throughout the time they are in school because there is of appearances in the scene. There make-up, hair and costume is different for each person that goes to the school just the clothes they have to wear must be the same as they are entering a school and they should wear the school uniform to show what school they go to.

The way gender has been presented in this scene is that there is a range of ages being presented in the scene which shows that there isn’t an exact type of gender. But by having an older head teacher it presents that he has done this job before and they know that they will have more experience about this and shows that they have more control towards this, nevertheless by also using a man as a head teacher it shows that they have a lot more control as men are presented as being strong and bring in control of everything, also by having younger people it could present to the audience that they don’t have much of an understanding with what is going on but is getting better more of an experience at working at the school but by using a female it could also present they don’t have much control and power of the school and they are better at doing other stuff round the school. Furthermore by including a range of ages it makes the scene more realistic because when you are in school there is a range of ages in the school and it also gives a different affect.