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.