In the clip from Doctor Who, the characters conform to their gender stereotypes, but then the characters reverse roles towards the end, so the weak characters become the stronger ones and the strong become weak, which in some cases means that they stop conforming to the stereotype for their gender.
At the beginning of the clip, Martha behaviour shows that she is conforming to the stereotype that men have dominance and power over women.
When Martha enters the scene, she is in the background, out of focus, while the main focus is on The Master, which gives the impression that she is less important than The Master, her male counterpart.
Martha's clothing is dark and appears to be a military outfit. It is masculine and does not expose her body. Her hair is tied back for practicality. Martha's appearance is not stereotypical of a woman, with the exception of the makeup she is wearing, but even that is unglamourous.
The music playing during the beginning of the scene is dramatic and the bass line is in beat with Martha's steps as she approaches The Master, which connotes that she is walking to her doom and that The Master holds the power to decide her fate.
When Martha looks at her family, the music changes to a higher pitch, to signify that she is happy to see them, then returns to the original pitch when she looks back to The Master, insinuating that she is not happy to see him, possibly because he has power over her so she is afraid.
There are many close ups of Martha, showing how scared she feels and how vulnerable she is.
A medium shot of Martha is used to show her body language; her arms are by her side and her face displays a worried expression- she does not look confident. This shot also allows us to see the two (male) security guards either side of her, holding guns which shows that Martha could be harmed by them if she were to rebel.
A point of view shot shows us Martha looking at her family's scared and worried faces, which denotes that they are concerned for her. This makes us sympathise with Martha as a weaker character in the situation.
Another medium shot and separate a low angle shot of Martha shows her looking up to The Master as he is above her, both in position and hierarchy.
The camera tilts down, following Martha's movement as she kneels down when The Master tells her to. This shows her becoming less and less powerful as she is physically even lower and she is obeying The Master.
A long shot of the whole scene depicts everything that is happening in the room. The Master is giving a speech and Martha is about to be executed. The close ups of Martha begin to reveal that she no longer looks as scared as before, despite what is happening.
We see a close up of Martha as she begins to smile, then we hear her chuckle to herself. This is an indication that something is not right as she is no longer reacting to the situation appropriately. This is supported by the mid shot of her family reacting to her with surprised faces, curious as to why she is not in fear of the man who is pointing a weapon at her.
Notable non-diegetic sound at this point is the change in music, with a lower pitch being introduced, creating the effect of mystery which foreshadows a change in the situation so the audience will want to know what happens next. Then the music picks up in pace and sounds less serious as Martha gradually becomes more powerful and speaks for the first time in the scene.
Martha explains what she had done to get where she is, which is shown through a series of jump cuts to flashbacks. A non-diegetic sound effect is added to show transition from current-time to flashback. In the flashbacks the colour pallet of the images has been altered to make it seem more 'dream-like' and the dialogue is made to sound like it is echoing. In these flashbacks we see that Martha is not conforming to female stereotypes as she is showing how independent she is, how brave she is, and that she is capable of things that could have caused her great physical strain, which is not stereotypical of a woman.
As Martha stands up, the camera follows her, showing her rise against The Master. The music builds up the atmosphere, generating suspense, and the increasing volume and dramatic choir-singing creates the feeling that there is going to be a revelation. The more Martha explains, the more we see through a series of fast-paced cuts between close ups that The Master is now looking increasingly worried while Martha looks to be becoming increasingly confident. This role reversal highlights how Martha had the upper-hand in the situation all along and that she is the dominant character, which contrasts with the idea that men are stronger than or have dominance over women.
The Master starts off as the most dominant character in the scene- the first shot is a close up of him with other characters out of focus in the background who seem less important. A matched cut is used to show him turning to see Martha, so the viewer's eye is absorbed into the atmosphere of the scene.
He is the first person to speak in the clip, and when he does so, he uses prosodic features to assert his dominance over the other characters who are enemies, security guards and people dressed in suits who work for him, and Martha's family who are maids/workers. The volume of his voice is louder than it needs to be for everyone to hear him and his tone of voice makes him sound cocky. He uses interrogatives, declaratives, and exclamations to sound confident.
The background music volume goes down when he speaks, which implies that what he has to say is important, as he is a character that must be listened to.
When The Master talks to Martha, he is patronising, which shows a lack of respect for Martha.
The Master conforms to the male stereotype in that he has dominance over women. He appears to be a typical male; dressed in a black and white suit, short hair and stubble.
We see a long shot of The Master and his partner, Lucy, standing on the platform, which places them above Martha and her family. High angle shots are used to show The Master looking down on Martha because she is below him in rank and in the physical sense.
Close ups of The Master's face are used to indicate that he is self-assured and has total control over the situation. He makes Martha kneel and she does so, proving that he has power over her. We hear him ask another male if the fleet is 'ready to launch', then a jump cut to a long shot CGI of the fleet is shown to indicate how large The Master's army is, and how much power he must have. This editing is repeated with his 'children', and holds the same effect, enforcing the idea that he has a large army, therefore he is unstoppable.
The cutting rhythm is progressively shortened and a graphic match is used to show The Master and Martha facial expressions using close ups as they switch roles and The Master loses his power while Martha regains hers. The ticking noises and close ups of the clock and the use of music to intensify the atmosphere creates a sense of urgency and time running out, which the viewers originally thought was for Martha but then it became clear that time had ran out for The Master as he became a weaker character.
Lucy serves no significant purpose in this scene. She stands to the side of The Master, wearing in a long red dress with a plummeting neckline, revealing her body, her blonde hair curled and her makeup prominent. Her only dialogue is the word 'Doctor' that she says when she betrays The Master, suggesting she is not particularly fond of him. It can only be assumed that she is there for 'The Male Gaze' as her physical appearance is the only thing that makes people take notice of her. She may serve as a 'trophy wife' style character. The red colour of her dress connotes romance, passion, and possibly blood as there would have been a lot of bloodshed if The Master's plan had succeeded. It may serve as foreshadowing. Lucy fits the female stereotype as she is feminine, does not show that she is stronger than any males, and she is dressed in a 'romantic' 'women's' colour.
The Doctor is not a stereotypical male at the beginning of the clip; he is weak and not dominant or masculine. A medium shot is used to show The Doctor in a small cage. He is not very big and he is extremely wrinkled. We see this shot of him for an extended period of time to invoke sympathy from the viewers.
The use of lighting and CGI shows The Doctor as he is restored to his true appearance. The light emitted by The Doctor makes The Master seem dark in comparison, giving an example of Claude Levi-Strauss' 'binary opposition', in this case it is light vs dark/ good vs evil. The Doctor breaks free from his cage and in an over the shoulder shot, we see as he rises into the air, making him higher than The Master, which implies that he now has control over The Master.
We see close ups of The Master's face, showing scared and helpless expressions. He tries to shoot The Doctor with his laser screwdriver but fails as The Doctor is now invincible.
A wind machine blows the characters and some papers around the room, showing the amount of power The Doctor now has. He is now a stereotypical male again- in hierarchy and appearance.
Despite being the true hero in the story, Martha's hard work is forgotten as the focus returns to the main (male) character once more as he approaches The Master.
The Master then backs away and becomes extremely emotional (a stereotype of a woman), before lowering himself onto the floor as The Doctor approaches in all his glowing glory. The Master shouts 'no' repeatedly and we see a high angle shot, looking down on him from The Doctor's point of view.
The character whom was the strongest at the beginning of the clip is now the weakest, and all of the weaker characters have had their original ranks returned to them. The Doctor and Martha have now returned to their stereotypes.
When Martha enters the scene, she is in the background, out of focus, while the main focus is on The Master, which gives the impression that she is less important than The Master, her male counterpart.
Martha's clothing is dark and appears to be a military outfit. It is masculine and does not expose her body. Her hair is tied back for practicality. Martha's appearance is not stereotypical of a woman, with the exception of the makeup she is wearing, but even that is unglamourous.
The music playing during the beginning of the scene is dramatic and the bass line is in beat with Martha's steps as she approaches The Master, which connotes that she is walking to her doom and that The Master holds the power to decide her fate.
When Martha looks at her family, the music changes to a higher pitch, to signify that she is happy to see them, then returns to the original pitch when she looks back to The Master, insinuating that she is not happy to see him, possibly because he has power over her so she is afraid.
There are many close ups of Martha, showing how scared she feels and how vulnerable she is.
A medium shot of Martha is used to show her body language; her arms are by her side and her face displays a worried expression- she does not look confident. This shot also allows us to see the two (male) security guards either side of her, holding guns which shows that Martha could be harmed by them if she were to rebel.
A point of view shot shows us Martha looking at her family's scared and worried faces, which denotes that they are concerned for her. This makes us sympathise with Martha as a weaker character in the situation.
Another medium shot and separate a low angle shot of Martha shows her looking up to The Master as he is above her, both in position and hierarchy.
The camera tilts down, following Martha's movement as she kneels down when The Master tells her to. This shows her becoming less and less powerful as she is physically even lower and she is obeying The Master.
A long shot of the whole scene depicts everything that is happening in the room. The Master is giving a speech and Martha is about to be executed. The close ups of Martha begin to reveal that she no longer looks as scared as before, despite what is happening.
We see a close up of Martha as she begins to smile, then we hear her chuckle to herself. This is an indication that something is not right as she is no longer reacting to the situation appropriately. This is supported by the mid shot of her family reacting to her with surprised faces, curious as to why she is not in fear of the man who is pointing a weapon at her.
Notable non-diegetic sound at this point is the change in music, with a lower pitch being introduced, creating the effect of mystery which foreshadows a change in the situation so the audience will want to know what happens next. Then the music picks up in pace and sounds less serious as Martha gradually becomes more powerful and speaks for the first time in the scene.
Martha explains what she had done to get where she is, which is shown through a series of jump cuts to flashbacks. A non-diegetic sound effect is added to show transition from current-time to flashback. In the flashbacks the colour pallet of the images has been altered to make it seem more 'dream-like' and the dialogue is made to sound like it is echoing. In these flashbacks we see that Martha is not conforming to female stereotypes as she is showing how independent she is, how brave she is, and that she is capable of things that could have caused her great physical strain, which is not stereotypical of a woman.
As Martha stands up, the camera follows her, showing her rise against The Master. The music builds up the atmosphere, generating suspense, and the increasing volume and dramatic choir-singing creates the feeling that there is going to be a revelation. The more Martha explains, the more we see through a series of fast-paced cuts between close ups that The Master is now looking increasingly worried while Martha looks to be becoming increasingly confident. This role reversal highlights how Martha had the upper-hand in the situation all along and that she is the dominant character, which contrasts with the idea that men are stronger than or have dominance over women.
The Master starts off as the most dominant character in the scene- the first shot is a close up of him with other characters out of focus in the background who seem less important. A matched cut is used to show him turning to see Martha, so the viewer's eye is absorbed into the atmosphere of the scene.
He is the first person to speak in the clip, and when he does so, he uses prosodic features to assert his dominance over the other characters who are enemies, security guards and people dressed in suits who work for him, and Martha's family who are maids/workers. The volume of his voice is louder than it needs to be for everyone to hear him and his tone of voice makes him sound cocky. He uses interrogatives, declaratives, and exclamations to sound confident.
The background music volume goes down when he speaks, which implies that what he has to say is important, as he is a character that must be listened to.
When The Master talks to Martha, he is patronising, which shows a lack of respect for Martha.
The Master conforms to the male stereotype in that he has dominance over women. He appears to be a typical male; dressed in a black and white suit, short hair and stubble.
We see a long shot of The Master and his partner, Lucy, standing on the platform, which places them above Martha and her family. High angle shots are used to show The Master looking down on Martha because she is below him in rank and in the physical sense.
Close ups of The Master's face are used to indicate that he is self-assured and has total control over the situation. He makes Martha kneel and she does so, proving that he has power over her. We hear him ask another male if the fleet is 'ready to launch', then a jump cut to a long shot CGI of the fleet is shown to indicate how large The Master's army is, and how much power he must have. This editing is repeated with his 'children', and holds the same effect, enforcing the idea that he has a large army, therefore he is unstoppable.
The cutting rhythm is progressively shortened and a graphic match is used to show The Master and Martha facial expressions using close ups as they switch roles and The Master loses his power while Martha regains hers. The ticking noises and close ups of the clock and the use of music to intensify the atmosphere creates a sense of urgency and time running out, which the viewers originally thought was for Martha but then it became clear that time had ran out for The Master as he became a weaker character.
Lucy serves no significant purpose in this scene. She stands to the side of The Master, wearing in a long red dress with a plummeting neckline, revealing her body, her blonde hair curled and her makeup prominent. Her only dialogue is the word 'Doctor' that she says when she betrays The Master, suggesting she is not particularly fond of him. It can only be assumed that she is there for 'The Male Gaze' as her physical appearance is the only thing that makes people take notice of her. She may serve as a 'trophy wife' style character. The red colour of her dress connotes romance, passion, and possibly blood as there would have been a lot of bloodshed if The Master's plan had succeeded. It may serve as foreshadowing. Lucy fits the female stereotype as she is feminine, does not show that she is stronger than any males, and she is dressed in a 'romantic' 'women's' colour.
The Doctor is not a stereotypical male at the beginning of the clip; he is weak and not dominant or masculine. A medium shot is used to show The Doctor in a small cage. He is not very big and he is extremely wrinkled. We see this shot of him for an extended period of time to invoke sympathy from the viewers.
The use of lighting and CGI shows The Doctor as he is restored to his true appearance. The light emitted by The Doctor makes The Master seem dark in comparison, giving an example of Claude Levi-Strauss' 'binary opposition', in this case it is light vs dark/ good vs evil. The Doctor breaks free from his cage and in an over the shoulder shot, we see as he rises into the air, making him higher than The Master, which implies that he now has control over The Master.
We see close ups of The Master's face, showing scared and helpless expressions. He tries to shoot The Doctor with his laser screwdriver but fails as The Doctor is now invincible.
A wind machine blows the characters and some papers around the room, showing the amount of power The Doctor now has. He is now a stereotypical male again- in hierarchy and appearance.
Despite being the true hero in the story, Martha's hard work is forgotten as the focus returns to the main (male) character once more as he approaches The Master.
The Master then backs away and becomes extremely emotional (a stereotype of a woman), before lowering himself onto the floor as The Doctor approaches in all his glowing glory. The Master shouts 'no' repeatedly and we see a high angle shot, looking down on him from The Doctor's point of view.
The character whom was the strongest at the beginning of the clip is now the weakest, and all of the weaker characters have had their original ranks returned to them. The Doctor and Martha have now returned to their stereotypes.
Sophie-
ReplyDeleteWWW- wow! I really enjoyed reading this comprehensive analysis
- great coverage of all 4 micro -elements
EBI- you could add in a narrative theory e.g. binary oppositions
B++