Representation of Gender

Gender is stereotypically split between masculine men and feminine women. Their are certain feminine stereotypes such as liking pink, flowers and cooking and being weak and family orientated generally associated with women. There are also masculine stereotypes such as being macho, good at fixing things and football generally associated with men. This is not the reality as you get both feminine men and women and masculine men and women who like all sorts of different things.

My initial thoughts of the clip are that there are many different types of men throughout the video. The only woman in the clip appears to look for help from the man and when she is rude to him her facial expression suggests she regrets it. The little boy is shown to look up to the first man as his face shows enjoyment and happiness as he arrives.

Firstly the camera is help very unsteady and films through a fence and passes to other irrelevant people until it reaches the two talking characters who are the main focus in the clip. I think the reason for this filming is because they are police detectives and the onlookers are interested because of a case and could possibly be reporters which is why they have used this type of unsteady, shaky camera as it would be similar to that used by a reporter.  In the next few shot the man is slightly further back placing him higher than her in the shot which is showing the status between these people which is confirmed when a close up of the woman's facial expression shows her regret for talking to him rudely earlier and she's looking for help and reassurance. This is portraying women to be needy and weak and men to be reassuring, higher in status and manipulative as he walks away knowing she will ask for his help. As the camera pans outwards establishing the location it also shows the distance between the characters as previous to this shot is a shot of the woman's face looking almost disgusted that she had to ask for his help.
In the next scene the camera remains unsteady during a serious of close up shots, mediums shots and medium close ups of the police man and the evidence he is analysing. Not only is this showing the signs of stress on his face but it also emphasises the unorganised, hectic manner that the man is working in while he clues together parts of the crime. It could be said that this is showing men to be unorganised. He is also portrayed to be intelligent as he knows what different things mean that other people wouldn't and he can tell different things just by looking at pictures. This man is also giving counteracting a comment made by a women over the young girl sleeping around. Trust and expected pureness in young girls is often a trait shown by middle aged men and fathers as they try and protect them and there innocence. The step mother is therefore being shown as nasty, lying and deceitful as she is said to have spread these allegations about her step daughter.
In the next scene the camera tracks all of the woman from the first scenes movements even as she bends down to pick something up. This emphasises how the woman is busy and her life is quite hectic also. Close ups showing only part of what is happening could represent her lack of time and her not being able to fit everything in her life. As the man walks in the camera shows a shot of the man and boy waving at each other and establishes there relationship. In the relationship the boy seems to idealise the man as he seems a lot more cheerful and happy with the man.
In the next scene there is an establishing shot showing what is clearly a very old, deserted house at night time. This would instantly make the audience on edge as nothing good ever happens at these settings especially not at night time. The expensive looking car pulling up contrasts with the old house and sort of foreshadows the characters met in the next scene. The camera is filmed from a very low angle at this point showing the height and power that these new characters from the car have on the new characters in the house. A flash back or to present (but at another location) shows what the men in the clip are referring to. This scene portrays two different types of men. Firstly is portrays the 'alpha male' Who just charges in, causes destruction and chaos and makes demands. This is showing men to be hard, strong, manipulative and very destructive and uncaring. The other me in the clip are shown to be weak, homeless, and naïve.
The last scene just shows the relationship between the boy and the first man as they both look to be enjoying themselves. It also appears that the little boy trusts the man as they have conversations you wouldn't really expect from what appears to be a woman's work colleague and her son.

The Mise-en-scene also shows gender due to setting and clothing. The both characters are wearing dark clothes which contradicts the usual gender stereotypes of men wearing blue and women wearing pink. This then suggests gender equality between the characters which does not actually fit with what is happening on screen. Neither of the characters are in a police uniform suggesting that they are of a higher role in their jobs once again suggesting no gender being better than the other.
The mans house appears to be very hectic covered in all of the evidence from the case showing these traits to be the traits of men but then the woman's house is also shown to be quite untidy. The difference between this is that the woman's house is untied because she has a son where as the man appears to live alone meaning his mess and untidiness is self inflicted. The old house shows that the man who are squatting there are very poor, homeless and possibly unclean if you go by the state of the house. They are also wearing quite lightly coloured clothing which could possible question there masculinity as the men who burst into the house clearly have more power over them and are wearing far darker superior clothing. Finally the thug like men arrive in a very posh, expensive looking car, and liking cars is a very well know stereotype of men. The contrast of the house and car creates an enigma code for the audience as they would wonder why this posh car is pulling up at this clearly derelict house.

The editing in the clip firstly represents gender with the eye line match. Between the two main characters the eye line match is the two characters almost being inline with each other. With the man and the little boy the little boy is below the man so the little boys eye line is looking up at the man which is often used when a son looks at his father. With the men in the house the men who are squatting there are all sitting down where as the men who burst in are standing up, this means the seated men's eye line looks up at the men showing the relationship between the characters. The editing also shows a very dull affect on the camera showing the negative tone that the program has.

My overall thoughts on the clip are that women are shown to be needy, weak and looking for reassurance and help. They are also shown to have priorities such as children which appear to have a big affect on the woman life. Men are portrayed in three different ways. Firstly strong, violent, uncaring and aggressive. Secondly clever, intelligent  and fatherly and lastly they are shown with the typical womanly stereotypes of being weak, helpless and needy.

How is age represented in the clip

Definition of age

"the length of time that a person has lived or a thing has existed"

Initial thoughts
My initial thoughts of the clip are that a young man with no previous experience in prison is finding it difficult to decide who he can trust. The people who he appears not to be able to trust are middle age and the man who it appears can be trusted seems a lot older. This is representing those of the youngest age to be inexperienced and naive. The oldest man seems to be calm, more down to earth and trustworthy compared to the middle aged men who come across as violent liars. It also suggests that maybe the older man has been there the most time and has mellowed out during his time their. The oldest man also has been assigned a job as the 'listener' showing his kinder, calmer qualities.

Camera shots

Firstly I will discuss how camera shots, angles, movement and composition help to represent age in the clip.   The first shot is very shaky and un steady, this could be to emphasise the nervousness of the young man (main character) in this place he is clearly not comfortable in.
There is close ups of the mans face showing his facial expression showing the fear and uneasiness in his eyes and the young facial features. The camera then changes to show a view of the prison through the CCTV emphasising the location. The camera then shows the man walk up to the prison officer. This shows him to be nervous and anxious such as a child would be on their first day of school. He is walking up to the person with authority looking for reassurance. The camera then tracks him close up to the side of his face showing his action as he rubs his face. The camera then shows an extreme close up of the middle of his face, where you can see the fear in his face again.
The shot then changes to a medium shot showing the height as the other prisoner approaches him. This man is taller and looks older than him so the height shows the authority between the characters due to age and experience. A third man then comes into the shot and this man looks even older, this mans actions then mean the second man leaves showing how the older the characters are the more authority they seem to have. As the eldest man is in the youngest mans face telling him what to do the camera continues a slow zoom into the characters emphasising how the old man is in his face.
A extreme close up then shows the action of the men as the bump there fits together as a sign of respect. This makes the youngest man believe he can trust this man showing that he is gullible and naïve. The shots then changes between showing the new character, who we assume is the oldest in the clip due to the stereotypes of old age and the young man as they have a conversation.
The camera shows a long shot of the prison wall showing the barbed wire and spikes on the top showing the audience the situation that the man has got him self into. Next the camera is above the youngest prisoner just as he wakes up. This shot is the sort of angle that would be used with a mother looking down at a baby in a crib so this is showing his innocence. The camera then shows the two police men as they walk to the car, this shows the younger man looking for acceptance and reassurance from the older man.

Sound

Next I will discuss how different types of sound can be used in order to represent age in the clip. For the beginning of the clip a loud hum of people talking and slamming doors showing the location. Quite fast rhythmic non diegetic music is being played over the clip creating tension that is being reflected in the young prisoners situation. When the second prisoner blows in the young ones face the sound synchronous sound can be heard quite loudly emphasising the action. The third prisoner has a deeper voice and the oldest prisoner has the deepest voice, showing the maturity that comes with age.

Mise-en-scene

Next I will look at how the use of mise-en-scene is used to represent age. Firstly the setting is clearly made to look like a prison. This is shown in the long corridors pale undecorated walls, open space and prison gate doors. This setting can represent the main mans age as the clip shows his reaction and difficulty in the setting. It also emphasis his naivety and inexperience as he is in a prison. The lighting is quite dim and dull representing the location of the clip.

The youngest man has longish black hair and a very young looking face, This fits with the stereotypes of a young man. The older the prisoners get they have less hair and more wrinkles showing there age, this also fits with the level of authority each character has.

Editing

Lastly I will discuss how editing can be used to represent age. The clip shows eyeline matches between the characters. With the two characters the youngest character speaks to first the young character has to look up to the men showing the level of authority between the characters. When the character is speaking to the oldest man there eyeline is level, this shows how this man is more likely to be trusted and has no authority over the young man.


Over all the clip shows that the older you get the more authority you obtain. The middle aged men cannot be trusted. When the characters reach the oldest mans aged they have mellowed more, they still have authority shown in the fact this man actually has an allocated job in the prison. When the characters reach this mans age their priorities change from being violent and aggressive to caring and listening to people and generally helping. The young man is shown to be very naïve, easily lead and completely out of his depth with his situation. He also searches for acceptance and reassurance wherever he can find it as he seems to believe anything he is told in order to get on with people and get on with his time there.

How is the representaion of regional identity shown in this clip

In this blog I will discuss how the video constructs the representations through the use of camera shots/angles/movement/composition, editing, sound and mise-en-scene.

My initial thoughts of the clip are that this clip is set in olden times, possibly Victorian times. I think the man and the woman are a man and woman and the woman is unhappy with the man because he has given up on his job. These people are obviously English and the younger girl has just moved from a country setting to a more urban one. Her accent and treatment indicate that she is different to the local people and isn't used to the behaviour.

Firstly I will discuss the representation of regional identity through the use of camera shots/angles/movement/composition. The first shot is a close up of the older woman's face showing the look of disgust and facial expression on her face. The use of shot reverse shot for the conversation between the man and woman shows the very obvious negative facial expressions of the characters.
So far the camera is representing the regional identity of people in the area to be negative and bad. During the shot reverse shot the angle of the camera changes. When the woman looks up at the man from below his eye line and when the man is looking at the woman the camera comes at an angle above her. This is showing that in this area and time men were higher than women although this is challenged because the women seems to be able to stand up to the man and be quite blunt.
Further on in the clip the camera angle from the mans side changes so instead of being from his head looking down you can see his arm and shoulder so the camera is inline with her head preventing the portrayal of him being above her. There is a tilt shot when the camera goes down showing and establishing the location of the clip.
The camera does a tracking shot from the point of view of the girl as she walks down the street. This shows features of the street and what people are doing.
It then swaps so that it shows the woman in the shot so that the audience know that we were looking through her eyes. The shot then changes to in front of her showing a medium close up of her face showing her expression as she walks through the street.
 As the girl walks and pauses the camera carries on moving constantly, this represents the busy movement of the streets. When the girl walks down the street the camera is at the bottom of the stairs and completes a small slow pan.
This possibly shows the characters confusion in the new area. When the walkers come down the stairs the camera does a close up on their feet showing them to be rough, uncaring and careless. 
The very unsteady shaky camera also helps this representation. It also shows the girl character to not be used to this and perhaps presents her region to be calmer and more concerned with the welfare of people as this behaviour clearly shocks her.

Next I will discuss the use of editing in order to represent regional identity in the clip. First of all the clip uses strait cuts between all this is presenting this era and the people in the area to be quite simplistic plain people.

Next I will discuss how mise-en-scène is used in order to represent regional identity.
The setting appears to be in Victorian times in the north. This is shown in the vast amount factory workers, black sooty streets and accents. The area seems to be a small old town setting because of the small cramped streets.

The décor shows the wealth of the main characters in the clip. The house is nicely decorated and is filled with furnished with expensive looking items such as pictures in frames, flowers and candelabras. This shows the main characters to be quite well off which seems to be a contrast to other characters who seem to be working for a living. 

The lighting in the clip is quite dull and dingy suggesting this area to be quite dull and boring. The dark lighting is suggesting that this is a dull time for the main characters and possibly that they don't like the area.

Body language and blocking shows representation of regional identity in the clip. The first women in the clip has a very stiff and negative posture which along with what she is saying shows her to be unhappy and anxious. She stands a fare bit away from the man she is conversing with suggesting some unease between the pair. The mans stature seems even more stiff and uptight suggesting whatever is troubling the women is also troubling the man. At one point the younger girl walks right across the screen blocking the couple out of sight, this suggests that she is of more importance at this time and then the scene moves onto follow her down the street.

Props included in the scene include the basket carried by the person in the street and the pole used to stir whatever is being stirred. Both these props are emphasising the hard work these people are doing. This represents the hard working people naïve to the area.

The costume and make up clearly shows that the clip is set in the past. The clothing worn is long puffy dresses and bonnets which suggests Victorian times when it was frowned upon for women to wear trousers or show too much flesh. The clothing worn by the main characters seems a lot more luxurious than the clothing worn by the workers. The main women's clothing is coloured, quite new and bright looking. The workers who walk past her are all in very dark clothing that doesn't look very clean and possibly quite old suggesting that the local people of the area don't have much money and this is a poor area. The man is wearing a smart expensive looking suit and tie showing wealth and class. This also shows the poverty and poorness of the local people as the local men are wearing dirty informal clothing and are made to look unclean. The characters represented to not be local are all wearing collars making them look smart but the local people are not wearing collars.

Finally I will discuss how sound is also used to represent regional identity 

Overall the clip seems to be set in the north in Victorian England. The local people are portrayed to be rude, unwelcoming and abrupt but also hardworking and poor. The actions in the clip show the area to be a  poor, small town filled with factory workers. This is contrasts with the main characters in the clip who seem to be wealthier and seem to earn a living with their intellect rather than manual labour suggesting there home town to be higher class.
 

Analysis of Breakfast at Tiffany's opening scene

Mise-en-scene

Setting

The setting of the film is the first thing that is established. The film is set in an urban setting where there are high end shops and skyscrapers. The yellow taxi suggests to the audience that the city is in America as this is a place where yellow taxi's are common. The long very wide streets also suggests this being set in America and being an expensive high end area. The lack of cars on the road and lack of people around suggest that this is either early evening or morning as this is the sort of setting you would normally expect to be busy. The fact that we see the sign above the door saying tiffany's and the woman eating breakfast fits to the title and possibly foreshadows what might happen in the film.

Decor

The shop windows are full of quite luxurious, expensive items such as jewellery and chandeliers which are expected of a high end area. The shops are very large and there doesn't appear to be any small  shops or chain shops. There is a sort of marble looking material up one side of the window which also shows that this is probably a reasonably expensive shop. The streets are very clean and there doesn't appear to be any rubbish around which makes it unlikely that this location is anywhere low class as stereotypically high class people are less likely to litter the streets. 

Lighting

The lighting is quite dark and dull and the street lights are lit suggesting that this is set early evening or early morning. As the clip goes further on you can see what likes sun rise in the distance confirming it to be morning. Near the end of the clip the light is a lot brighter suggesting that morning has just begun.

Body language/movement

The character moves with a sort of grace but also a slight unease in the dress she is wearing suggesting that she maybe doesn't always dress in this way. When the lady first gets out of the car she looks quite tense and this is specifically shown in her back, this also suggests that the character is not at ease and not used to this area. The way that she is walking along and drinking/eating at the same time suggests she is not from around there as this isn't really something you would expect to see of a really upper class person.The fact that she looks quite in detail and ore at the items in the shop window suggests that these types of things are new to her and are not easily accessible as they may be to other people. When the lady gets back to the place where we assume she lives she is walking with more of a jolly walk showing that she is more at home and comfortable in this area. At the beginning of the clip the taxi blocks the main character and all that can be seen is small sections of her through the taxi. The taxi then drives away giving a sort of unveiling to the audience of who's story they will follow throughout the film. This also exaggerates the outfit and appearance the woman is wearing.

Props

The lady is holding a little handbag and a shawl which add class to her outfit. Contrastingly she is also carrying a bag with her pastry and drink which lower the tone of her outfit as this isn't really the most classy way to eat. The cars look expensive and stereotypically upper class suggesting this trait for the characters. The costumes could create an enigma code as they leave the audience wondering the class and status of the woman and why she is in the area.

Costume and make up

The lady in the clip is wearing a very elegant long dress with diamonds on the back showing wealth, sophistication and class. She is also wearing sunglasses and carrying a shawl and a small handbag which is all making her look very formal and smart. She is dressed in clothes that suggest the film is not set in the current times and is perhaps set around the 60's. The man is in a suit and also looks very smart also suggesting high class and quality. 

Editing

The film first fades in from black to show the logo for the institutional logo for paramount pictures, it then fades back out to black and the film opening starts. When the picture fades in the street on which the film is most likely set is shown. The camera follows the car as it reaches it and then stops as the taxi does to let the woman out. Once the woman is out of the taxi there is a strait cut to a low angle shot showing what the lady is looking at and also establishing the location of the shot. The camera then continues to follow her as she walks to the window. There is then another strait cut to the woman's side so we can see what she is looking at as well as her. There is then a strait shot to the window, implying what she is going to look at next. There is then a strait cut to the other side of the window where the lady is looking in. There is then a strait cut to a long shot showing her walking down the street. Then is then a fade in of the next location and the woman can be seen walking down the street implying that she has just walked to there. The shot then cuts to behind the door where the woman is hurrying to find her keys. All of the editing gives the audience a sense of continuity and realism as the cuts allow the audience to see the words through the characters eyes and from her level. The end of the opening when it cuts to the man shouting for her and she avoids him creates an enigma code as it leaves the audience wondering what has or will happen between them and why he is waiting outside for her.

Sound

The first sound you hear in the in the clip is the music that always goes with the paramount pictures logo. This logo then directly leads on to the music for the movie opening. The non diegetic mood music being played is moon river creating a calm and tranquil mood for the film. Very quietly you can hear the taxi engine and the door shutting which creates realism for the audience as these sounds are synchronous and diegetic. The music is played throughout the film opening and is positive classy music which sets the mood of the film before there is even any dialogue. The only other sound of importance in the film opening is the man shouting "hey!" to the women which is showing that this is the end of the film opening and the beginning of the actual film.

Camera work

Shots

The film starts with a long shot establishing the location of the scene, the camera remains still until the taxi reaches it when it then pans to follow the taxi until it comes to a stop. The camera then remains on the taxi while the lady gets out. When the camera is still on the taxi this is a medium close up and this is showing the action of the women leaving the taxi. The camera remains still as the taxi drives away leaving a long shot showing the back of the women. The camera then cuts to a medium close up of the ladies back showing the detail of her dress and hair. The camera then remains still again as she walks towards the window. The next shot is a medium shot from the side of the women's side showing her looking into the window and the action of her eating her breakfast. The camera then zooms out a bit and follows the woman as she walks down the street. The next shot is a medium shot of the window and remains there as the woman walks into the shot so that her reflection can be seen. The shot then remains about the same distance but changes to the other side of the window showing her looking in. The shot then pans until it reaches the end of the street and then it suggests that the woman walks of into the distance. The next shots establish the new location which also indicates the start of the actual film.

Angles

The first camera angle of interest is when the shot is a low angle, this allows the audience to view the location from below her view as well as also giving a status to the audience of being below the character possibly suggesting class and status as a theme in the film. The next angle when it shows the woman looking in the window but also shows her shows what she is looking at and her. The camera shows the window so that you can see the ladies reflection but not her actual body so this camera angle is showing the audience the woman and what she is looking at. The camera is at eye line in this point so it feels as if we are looking directly through her eyes. The next angle is just of her face through the window of the shop allowing the audience to see the character in more detail. All of the camera angles used create a sense of the location as we see from her view. They also show the audience more physical details giving the audience a wider physical view of her.

Titles

The movie opening includes the title of the two main characters and then the name of the film. After this the names of cast such as the various directors, supporting actors and camera people. The typeface is simple but has a slight interesting shape to it. It is a goldy yellowy colour which goes with the class and wealth as gold is a very expensive metal used to make expensive jewellery.

Thoughts on the music for movie opening

If I was to have this music at the opening of my film I would have an old fashioned war type scene going on where a lot of people are being killed. It would probably be a sort of gladiators (or those types of people) type film where the camera is above the action but zooms in at points where someone is being killed. I would play the film in slow motion and have the music in the background. Generally the music has quite a negative effect on my imagination and it made me picture things like death, slaughter and blood. The sound in the scene would not be heard at this point over the music but when it zoomed in there could be little bits of sound played to emphasise someones death and pain.



If I used this piece of music my film opening I would have a funeral scene. When the music was playing I could picture people being sad and crying but with a little joy as well. There would be family members carrying the coffin into the church and crying. It would be someone quite young or of significances funeral as I don't think of this music as the type of music for a grand parents death. I picture someone of great importance such as a war hero, leader or something like that. I would also show the people lowering the coffin into the ground as the family stand around upset and throwing dirt onto the coffin. I think that this music also creates some positives in my head as it does get quite empowering so the scene would also show a sort of celebration of the persons life as well as people being upset. It would be a popular persons funeral and you would be able to tell this though the amount of people who are attending.

Representation of gender in the clip

In this blog I will discuss how the video constructs the representations of gender using camera shots/angles/movement/composition, editing, sound, mise en scène.
General stereotypes of gender are that men are masculine and women are feminine although this is not true as everyone is different and cannot be categorized in this way.

My initial thoughts of the clip are that this is a couple who have been through many different situations before finally getting together. It sounds as if the woman has possibly cheated on the man a few times suggesting that women are maybe a bit unfaithful. It then sounds like the man has cheated on the woman suggesting the same about men but also if he has cheated to get back at the woman it portrays men to be slightly childish. The women is also portrayed to be independent as she doesn't want the man to go with her to the doctors appointment. This also shows him to be caring and protective as he wanted to go.

Firstly I will discuss the representation of gender through the use of camera shots/angles/movement/composition. The first shot is of the male and the female and the female is using the man to rest her head. This is representing the male to be a form of comfort to the woman and showing the woman to need comfort and protection. The next shot is of the mans face showing his reaction to what the women is saying. This shot shows him to be concerned or disappointed in the woman making her seem a reason for disappointment. Next it shows the look on the women's face in which she has a quite innocent , harmless face. The camera goes between the man and the woman's reactions as they sort of score points when talking about other men and women showing both genders to be of a competitive nature. The camera then shows a close up of the woman's hand as she puts it on the mans hand. This is showing the woman to be caring, tender and affectionate. As the camera is on the woman she seems to maintain a neutral face as she is talking about if she were to die, the man has a more emotional face with a worried, dreaded look on his face showing the representation of the genders in the clip. There is a pan shot showing the ambulance which fits with the conversation and tells the audience what the woman is thinking about. This shows although she appears calm and in control on the surface in her head this is not the case.
When the camera shows a medium long shot when the couple get out of the taxi the woman knows where the couple were going and she appears to pay the taxi fare showing her to have authority and to play a sort of motherly role over the male. There is a back and forward over the shoulder show between the couple as they converse. In this shot the male is slightly taller than the women possibly representing authority and power over the women.
As the camera shows the women crossing the road there is a fear in the mans face as she walks away, this seems at first to be because of the appointment but it could also be foreshadowing what happens later in the clip. This shows the mans protective nature over the women.
As the man sits in the café the camera does a long shot and he is then between two women, this represents the fact that men need women. The fact that the doctor/consultant is a man shows men to be of more intelligence than women as there is no mention of the woman's job or career. Power is also shown for the man as the news of the women's life is in his hands, giving him ultimate power over the woman. The camera shows both characters emotions with close ups. When the pan shot shows the women leaving the hospital the man stops doing what he is doing showing how this women has power over the man and the woman is the mans life.
When the camera shows the man running to the woman when she has been hit shows how he is very caring, concerned and protective. Finally even when the woman has been hit she still has a smile on her face. This shows women to be very strong and positive in even the worst of situations. When the woman is laying on the path she still remains to be in a position of class and grace despite the situation.

Next I will discuss the use of editing in order to represent gender. Firstly there is the sound effects added to emphasize different things in the clip, such as the kissing, the bus braking and glass smashing. The clip is also edited so that when the man runs across the road to the woman's side it is in slow motion adding emphasis to this action.

Sound is also used to represent gender in the clip. The synchronous and diegetic sound of the mans voice is quite deep and stereotypically masculine. The woman's voice is higher and more husky possibly portraying slight innocence. The sound of her voice can often be heard but the camera is on the mans face, this is done intentionally to show he affect her words have on his emotions. The synchronous sound of the car engine can be heard in order to emphasis the location of the couple. The sound of the kiss seems to be emphasized for effect showing the relationship of the man and woman. There is A - synchronous and non diegetic sound when background music is played. The music is quite slow and has a women singing. At this point the sound of the doctor and woman's conversation is not heard under the music for effect. Finally the screeching of the bus as it breaks emphasizes what has just happened in the clip as well as the breaking glass.

Finally I will discuss how mise en scène is used in order to represent gender in the clip. The man is wearing dark farely smart clothing showing males to care about there appearance. He looks well groomed and appropriately dressed. The woman is wearing a light beige colour trench style coat, smartly styled hair and appearance also seems to be a priority to her. She is also wearing heels which stereotypically make her seem classy and sexy.
The hospital/clinic that the woman is attending looks quite posh and I would doubt that it is NHS, this suggests that the woman has money and her health is of big importance to her, so much that she would pay for private health care. The man fiddles with the engagement ring showing the importance of the woman to the man, presenting the woman to be of high importance.

Overall in this clip I think that the clip represents men to be protective and caring towards women. The man also doesn't seem to worry about hiding his feelings as his facial expression seems to show strong emotion a lot of the time which is different to the usual stereotype of men wanting to appear macho and tough. Women are shown to be caring and tentative towards men but also seem to betray them sometimes. Both the male and female characters have cheated on each other suggesting masculine and feminine to be unfaithful and point scorers. 

Prezzi - Regional identity stereotypes

Prezzi - Gender stereotypes

Prezzi - stereotypes

Class and Status Stereotypes

The definition of class is people having the same social, economic or educational status.
The definition of status is relative, social or professional position, standing.

The different classes are upper class, middle class and working class.
The different status's are high status and low status.

Stereotypes of upper class include:

• High paid
• Snobby
• Posh
• Play polo
• Watch opera and ballet
• Have private education
• More than one big house
• House in a foreign country
• Dress very smart
• Have expensive possessions such as jewellery  

Stereotypes of middle class include:

• Small successful businesses
• Medium sized houses
• Careful with money
• Traditional family 
• Church goers
• Well dressed 

Stereotypes of working class include:

• Low income
• Blue collar workers
• undereducated 
• Hard working
• Exploited 
• Manuel labourers 
• Lazy
• Small houses possibly council flats
• Strong family bonds

Stereotypes of High status include:

• Stereotypically in high paid jobs
• They think they are above people
• They boss people around
• Have a superior attitude
• Think they know best
• Live in big houses

• They follow the instruction of a person of higher status
• Earn less money
• Live in smaller houses than high status people
• Not as much is expected of them
• Less intelligent that high status people

Audience Theory

The media is made up of producers and consumers, also known as transmitters and receivers  Producers create the media and the consumers read the media. Media texts include Television programs, video's and posters etc. 

The simple communication theory

Stuart Hall suggested the encode and decode theory.

The producer/transmitter comes up with a message they want to show in there media. 

They then have to encode it, this might be in English. 

Then they have to say it out loud.

The receiver then hears the message for example they will hear the words of the message.

Finally the receiver has to decode the message.

The problem that this theory has is that the message can be decoded in different ways, for example the receiver may speak a different language to what the message is coded in or the receiver may interpret the message in the wrong way. 

The effects of the media

The first theory of the effect of the media is the Hypodermic needle. This theory suggests that the media brainwashes the consumers. This means that the media says something and the consumer is injected with the message and believe it to be true and correct. This theory dates from the 1920's. 

The second theory is Step flow. This is that the consumer follows the view of an opinion leader, they do not make their own opinion they only select which opinion leader to follow. Opinion leaders are people such as critics. This theory is thought to be a more sophisticated theory than the hypodermic needle theory.

The third theory is Uses and gratifications. This theory gives the consumer more respect, it says that the consumer makes their own opinion and only uses the media for pleasure. They make choices and selections on what to watch and what to believe. This was a republished and expanded version by Blulmer and Katz in 1974 suggesting that the audience use media for

Diversion - to escape or get emotional release from daily pressure. 

Personal relationship - Media creates a virtual companion and social discussion point with others.

Surveillance  - The consumer uses the media to find out what is going on in the world (voyeurism) 

The original theory was suggested by Lasswell in 1948, this was that the audience used the media for 

• Surveillance 
• correlation
• entertainment 
• cultural transmission 

A censor decides what age rating a film is.
A gate keeper chooses what makes the news.

The mode of address is how the media addresses the consumer, whether it is formally or informally. The media can construct a particular mode of address in order to aim the media text at a specific audience. For example the news is very formal and the presenter looks directly at the camera, the producer will have done this so that the audience feel that they can trust that what she is telling them is the truth.
 Oppositional reading is when the consumer deliberately decides to misread the intended message of the media. Rejection or subversion of the preferred reading.

Negotiated reading is when the consumer understands the meaning but it doesn't relate to them so it is of no interest to them to decode it.

Aberrant readings is when someone misreads or misunderstands the message the producers are trying to portray.  

Roland Barthes's theory: 
Denotation in media means that the producer puts in a sign that is supposed to make the consumer think something for example empty wine bottles on a table with a character acting drunk. Connotation is when the consumer takes this denotation and assumes that the character has drunk it all although they have not actually seen them do so.

Semiology is the study of signs and symbols.

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representations of age

Age can be shown in many ways. Typical stereotypes of old age are grey hair, wrinkles and hard hearing. Age is how old you are dependant on when you were born, how long you have been alive and in existence.

My initial thoughts of this clip are that this is three generations of one family sitting down at a table having dinner. I think Patrick is the Grandad or uncle type figure based on his age and characteristics, Denise is his niece or relation, the man is her husband or boyfriend and the two young girls are their children. In the clip the younger generation are represented to be looking for knowledge from the oldest person although the youngest girls is shown to know more than the man and the woman who are the middle generation. This suggests that education has improved since the middle generation but the old man seems to have strong knowledge about a certain time in his life that everyone finds interesting. Age is represented to effect the knowledge of each generation showing the oldest to have knowledge from personal experience, the youngest to have knowledge from education and the middle generation are just being taught by the other generations.

Representation of age can also be looked at through camera shots, angles, composition and movement, Mise-en-scene, sound and editing.

Firstly I will discuss how camera shots, angles, composition and movement are used to represent age in this clip. The first shot is of the old man, Patrick. The camera pans round all of the characters but Patrick seems to remain the centre of the shot through out. This could be to show how he is the centre of conversation and his age is the reason for this due to his knowledge. The camera also shows the whole table a lot, this is probably to show the three generations of people sitting at the table emphasising the age of each. Patrick takes up most of the camera time also suggesting high importance and interest which is all to do with his age and his knowledge of the past. There are a lot of close ups of Patrick's face, not only showing the facial expressions but also showing the wrinkles, grey hair and moustache. The camera shows reaction shots of the characters and they are laughing a lot, this is showing how Patrick is funny and this could be suggesting that with age comes humour. There is a close up of the mother, Denise's hand on the elder daughter hand suggesting that the middle generation are caring and supportive

Next I will discuss how Mise-en-scene is used in order to represent age. The clothing worn by each generation is a clear representation of age. The youngest girl is wearing glasses and appears to be wearing braces, although these generally are stereotypes for girls of this age I think her choice of clothing and glasses are quite unlike the choice other people of this age would make. The clothing of this character could be to show how in this family the youngest girl is also of highest intelligence out of those in the room, this fits well with her knowledge within the clip.
The second youngest girl, her sister, seems to be more interested in fashion and her appearance but this is implying that she is of less intelligence that her younger sister. This suggests that as you get older you care less about intelligence and more about appearance. This daughter is also wearing hoop earrings suggesting that she may have quite high self confidence and attitude. Denise, the mother is also wearing hoop earrings possible suggesting that she is trying to appear younger than she is which is a typical feature of an older woman. She is also wearing quite dark dingy clothing suggesting that although she will wear the earrings she doesn't quite have the same confidence as her daughter who is wearing a very bright blue jumper.
Similarly the middle aged man who I have understood to be Denise's partner is also wearing a plain dark coloured jumper, this shows how he also has possibly lost the confidence to wear anything that shows any character. Black and other dark colours can be interpreted to be quite dull, miserable colours, suggesting that this time in life is of no importance and you are seen as very dull and boring. This also goes with the fact that the two middle aged characters seem to have the least knowledge. Patrick seems to have bright colours on again backing up his knowledgeable and funny personality. The waist coat is a typical elderly man stereotype.
The scene appears to be set in a building with quite old fashioned décor suggesting that this is probably Patrick's house. The shelves all seem to be covered in ornaments etc suggesting Patrick to be quite old as these are probably supposed to be something he has collected over time and the collecting of things is a stereotype of people of the older generation. Patrick is drinking rum which is not a drink typically drunk by young people due to its acquired taste. He also has greying hair and a moustache suggesting that he is old.

Next I will discuss how sound, in the clip is used to represent age.
First of all I will discuss the effects sound in this clip. This includes the voices of each character. Patrick's accent shows his age as he clearly has a different past to the others as they all have standard London accents. In the background music can be heard but not pop or modern music showing Patrick's age.

Lastly I will look at how editing in the clip is used to represent age. First of all there are strait cuts to one shot to another, this creates a feeling of continuity in the conversations between characters. This also makes the scene seem as if it has been filmed in order although this is probably not the case.

Overall the clip shows people of elderly age to have high amounts of knowledge of past events. They show them to also bring comedy to the conversation and seem to portray them as interesting people to be around. This clip portray's middle aged people to be at quite a boring time in their life by dressing them in dull clothing. The also make them seem as if they are trying to hold on to their youth by wearing aspects of the clothes of the younger generation. Finally they portray the youngest generation to be one of two things, interested in knowledge and education or interested in clothing, appearance and fashion. They are also shown to be quite intelligence as they do seem to have more intelligence than the middle generation.