How is sexuality portrayed in Torchwood?

There are many stereotypes of homosexuals in today’s society, in the fight scene in Torchwood, Series 2, we see some of these stereotypes confirmed and some are reversed.

Homosexual people are often represented through the media as overly feminine and concerned with their appearance. In this scene, close ups are used to show the character Captain John pouting and to show how groomed the two men are. With a closer look at the characters we see that they have feminine ways and care about their appearance, with perfect teeth and slick hair. There is also a close up of the drinks, being spirits and shots rather than beer, which most men are expected to drink. These reinforce the stereotype of homosexuals being feminine.

After the fight, the camera pans around the characters, keeping to the 180 degree rule, and cutting from one face to the other. This movement shows the characters closeness after the fight, which was used as a metaphor for sex, showing their passion and enjoyment through violence. The intimacy and passion shown by this movement, presents their relationship as a homosexual relationship, representing gay people as being openly intimate with one another. This passion is also presented by the colour in the scene being mostly red, the colour of passion, and a fire on the plasma screen behind them when they kiss.

The dialogue in this scene contains each character making jokes about their appearance, ‘you’re losing your hair’, ‘you’ve put on weight’, their banter and flirting shows their flirty nature with one another but also shows a bitchy tone, representing gay people as flirty and fun, although very bitchy in confrontations. In the cab, we see the other characters talking about Captain Jack as more fun and mysterious, which supports this idea.

Some of these stereotypes in this scene however, are reversed. The violence in the scene breaks the feminine stereotype as it shows them as more manly and tough. The heavy drinking and fighting also shows this. The violence is accompanied by the non-diegetic soundtrack of Blur-Song2, presenting the chaos but also enjoyment of the fight. The sounds of the fight are emphasised to involve the audience and make the fight more intense. The fight is also shown as fast paced, by the exclusion of certain shots during the hitting and getting up again. This shows that it is an intense fight but also aggressive, as very masculine men would fight, again reversing the feminine stereotype of gay people.

The mise en scene has a western feel, with the ‘Bar Reunion’ and the action of walking in from either side, through the swing doors. As Western settings are associated with cowboys and fighting, this again reverses the stereotype, representing homosexuals as manly, and able to fight. The costume also subverts these ideas, Captain Jack is wearing a long military style jacket, the camera pans up this outfit to emphasise the lack of fashion and style, and the fighting, violent image.

Overall, this scene represents homosexuals as quite versatile, whereas they are sometimes represented as feminine and girly, Torchwood reverses some of these ideas, showing them as violent and fighting.

G321: Research into Thriller Films- Mock Exam

‘The Client’ is a 1994 thriller-mystery film on the book written by John Grisham. It was produced by Alcor Films and Warner Bros in the USA, most scenes are shot in Memphis and this is shown through the use of dialogue, street signs and the tribute to Elvis Presley. The film is a UK 15 certificate although shows no extreme violence, instead it shows character’s reactions to the violence and the effect it has on them, this could be because the story involves two young boys so may also have a younger audience. The story follows a young ‘Mark Sway’ as he witnesses a suicide after being told informed of the location of a US Senator’s body, shot by a mafia hit-man. As the FBI and lawyers come after him, he hires himself female lawyer ‘Reggie Love’, the film focuses on this relationship and the threats that Mark receives.

Joel Schumacher uses a hospital lift in one particular scene. This conforms to the convention of claustrophobic spaces. There are a variety of close ups showing a hand come round the corner, a knife pressed to the boy’s back and the killer’s face as he threatens the boy. The lighting is cleverly used; it is non-ambient red lighting from the emergency light in the lift. This represents danger and predetermines something fatal could happen. The building-up, high pitched music keeps the audience on edge and creates a sense of fear. The killer wears a surgeon’s mask on his face and a bandana on his head, hiding his identity and creating a suspicious, threatening image. In another scene, Mark and Reggie are searching a deserted boathouse, where the body is hidden. Schumacher creates a desolate setting, using shadows, silence and the only ambient light coming from the moon. It is an unglamorous, broken boathouse by a river and woods, showing little escape. Warning signs are hung around by the residents saying ‘Danger’ and ‘You will be shot’, these reinforce the danger that the characters are in. Diegetic sound is used as the characters creep around, stepping on creaky floorboards and heavily breathing. This adds to the tension and fear of being caught. Three of the mafia men arrive, kept in darkness and only seen by their silhouettes and shadows; this keeps their identity hidden and shows their suspicious, menacing images. The camera in this sequence is mostly tracking the characters, showing events from their point of view, making it seem realistic and involving the audience. There are close ups of the victims faces, showing their fear and vulnerability. A tilt shot shows the mafia men digging up the body from a high angle, presenting their actions as wrong and mixed up. It shows them as the ‘bad guys’. Mark is filmed from a low angle shot when climbing into the boathouse; this is predetermining him as the hero, when the situation is finally overcome.

The film is told from Mark Sway, the child’s point of view, showing his perspective of lawyers and police. Flashbacks are shown of the children seeing the man committing suicide and the evidence left at the scene, this reminds the audience what happened and reinforces whatever action is being taken. It is also in view of the child’s brother, suffering from post traumatic stress, who is remembering the images he has seen.

Schumacher uses a scene from ‘Coma’, a medical thriller from 1978, in which the killer chasing Mark is locked in a refrigerator in the hospital. This reference shows that Schumacher wants the scenes set in the hospital to reflect those of a hospital thriller, reinforcing the genre of these particular scenes whilst paying tribute to the director of ‘Coma’, Michael Crichton.

Although Memphis is shown in a friendly, West American way, where people join together to help one another out, it is seen also as a dingy, poor place with people living in trailer parks or on the street. It pays tribute to Elvis Presley, showing his character more than once, in full Elvis costume, complaining about his guitar being ruined. Memphis is contrasted with upper class neighbourhoods in New Orleans, where the body is found. The hospital is promoted, as it is clean and friendly and the staff are shown to help Mark and his family.
‘The Client’ uses the traditional ideology of the child lead, in danger, pulling through and becoming the hero with the help of the sympathetic female cohort. He is then safe, going into the witness protection programme with his family and his brother’s improving health. This would please the audience after they have developed a sense of sympathy for the boy and his troubles.

There are many stereotypes in the film, the lawyers and attorneys are presented as liars, through the way they question Mark and Mark’s view of his mother’s divorce lawyers. ‘Reverend’ Roy Foltrigg, the DA, is seen as slick and manipulative, flirting with Reggie Love to get around her and her client. However, he is also seen as fierce, only using Mark’s knowledge to further his own political ambitions. Reggie is shown as being motivated by her past of a broken marriage, drug and alcohol addictions. Her and Mark, helping his mother, after having an abusive, alcoholic father, both have sad background stories, to engage the audience and encourage sympathy for the characters. Dianne Sway, Mark’s mother, is a single mother, who works in a sweat shop; is always losing her job; living in a trailer park with two (less than ordinary) sons and had her children at a very young age. This is a very stereotypical view of single mothers and may offend some who can cope well. Her social situation and struggle is used again to evoke sympathy from the audience and show her vulnerability. Mark Sway is presented as a street wise kid, leading his younger brother astray. His costume reinforces his tough image, with a gold hoop earring, ripped vest tops and oversized ‘Led Zepelin’ t-shirts. This represents boys as the tougher gender, although Mark acts older than most boys his age. In one scene in the prisons, two cells are shown full of entirely black women, in their orange overalls, all yelling at Mark. This illustrates the racism in America and at that time, although the guards were also black, showing the segregation between blacks and whites and how black people were negatively represented because they were associated with crime. The ‘bad guys’ in this film are also very cliché, wearing black leather and modelling ugly, barbed wire tattoos and greasy hair, the response is one of disgust and dislike.

Females aged 18-29 are shown to have found this film most appealing. This is due to the rare, strong female role of Reggie Love, the lawyer. It goes against the stereotypical male lawyer role, and through this, provides a second mother figure for Mark. Females can relate to this, and using such an intelligent female role, will encourage them to watch it. It is rare with thriller films such as Along Came a Spider and Fight Club, for females to rate it higher, as men enjoy the action and violence, whereas women tend to prefer the relationships and sympathy. This film focuses strongly on the relationships between Mark and Reggie, and the Sway family, which brought in a larger female audience. Most reviews of the film are positive, although concerned with the number of stereotypes and clichés. Many watched it for the cast and the fact that it is a John Grisham story. The target audience therefore, would be John Grisham fans, or people who enjoy thrillers about law and justice. They may also enjoy ‘The Firm’ and ‘The Pelican Brief’, both law based adaptations of the Grisham books.

Kitchen Sink Realism

Kitchen sink realism was an English cultural movement which developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in theatre, art, novels, film and television plays. It used a style of social realism which often depicted the domestic situations of working class Britons living in council flats and spending their off-hours in grimy pubs to explore social issues and political controversies.

The films, plays, and novels using this style are often set in poorer industrial areas in the North of England, and use the rough-hewn speaking accents and expressions used in those regions. The 1947 film It Always Rains on Sunday and the John Osborne play Look Back in Anger are examples of the genre. Look Back in Anger, for example, is set in a cramped one-room flat in the Midlands. The conventions of the genre have continued into the 2000s, with TV shows such as Coronation Street and Shameless.

Warp Films

Warp Films is an independent film production company that was set up in 1999 with funding from NESTA. (National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts). It is based in Sheffield and works alongside Warp Records.

They aim to create new and unique feature length and short films to please a wide audience. They also hope to developing existing talent, as well as discovering new exciting filmmakers. At present Warp Films have released : My Wrongs 8245-8249&117 and Shane Meadow's This is England and Dead Man's Shoes.

This is England is a 2006 drama film centered on young skinheads, and is set in England in July 1983. Primarily a semi-autobiographical coming-of age story, the movie has been perceived as criticising rracism and the National Front (NF).

Hollyoaks Analysis: Max's Death

Analysis of Max’s Death, Hollyoaks

The scene of Max’s death in TV soap ‘Hollyoaks’ uses a variety of composition, sound, camera angles, movement, lighting and other micro aspects to represent issues of death and gender in a way that the audience can relate with.

The scene begins with non-diegetic music playing in the background, incorporating the sound of a heart monitor. The music starts with a slower pace, but slowly builds and heightens in pitch. This indicates something fatal is about to happen, adding tension. The sound of the heart monitor links the drama to that of Casualty or hospital dramas, where it is common for characters to die. There is also the diegetic sound of the car being revved which shows that whatever fatal accident is about to occur, it will involve a car and most likely be a car crash. The first action is Tom running across the road to pick up his parachute action figure, this cuts to Max and OB behind the railings, then Nile in his car looking down, as if feeling guilty, and there is a view of Max from his window, out of focus. These shots link the three characters of Max, Tom and Nile, confirming that the events to follow will involve them. The shot of Max and OB through the railings, suggests they are trapped and cannot help Tom, if he is in trouble. The shallow focus shot of Max in view of Nile’s car window, illustrates that Nile’s thoughts are out of focus, and he is confused. All three characters are dressed in dark suits, and Nile in black clothing, black symbolises death and perhaps danger.

This is followed by a fast paced montage of varying shots, Tom picking up his toy; Max running out; Tom throwing his action figure up, from Max’s viewpoint; an unsteady close up of Max shouting Tom’s name as he runs towards him; an aerial shot of Nile’s car speeding around the corner; Tom looking behind him to see Max and finally Nile’s car crashing into Max’s body as he pushes Tom away. The pace of the shots indicates the confusion and chaos that is taking place, as is common with any fatal car accident. The close up of Max running towards the camera shows his urgency and panic, contrasted with the innocence of Tom alone in the road, looking small and vulnerable, implying that he is the victim. The action of the crash, on camera, is brutal and shocking to the audience, as they watch his body crumple; this evokes an emotional response from the audience, giving them a glimpse of reality, as they feel as though they’re actually there, watching it.

The crash is followed by OB’s reaction, as he shouts Max’s name, almost in slow motion and runs over. Tom’s action figure floats down and lands on the curb of the road hitting its head. This cuts to Max lying on the road, with the camera zooming in through the grass, to a close up of his face. The music has suddenly changed to gentle, slower piano piece. The action figure falling represents Max, a hero, hit by a car and lying on the curb. The music indicates that things are slowing down, Max’s life or breathing perhaps, it shows that his life will end. The camera pans and spins out on Nile getting out of his car. It again reinforces the disorientation and confusion of the character, now seen as a villain in the audiences’ eye. OB rushing to Max’s side, shows he is taking control of the situation, shouting “Call an ambulance, now!” and “don’t worry it’s gonna be okay”. This represents males as the dominant figure in situations like this, OB are Max are seen as best friends, dressed in the same suit, with OB trying to comfort Max and Tom at the same time. OB also uses humour, saying “oh listen, don’t be gay” as Max tells him “I love you mate”. This reinforces the idea of typical males, joking around to hold themselves together in dramatic situations. Tom plays the innocent young boy, simply crying, to pull the audience’s heart strings and saying “you’ve got to wake up”. This demonstrates Tom’s youth but also ability not to become hysterical and shows he understands the circumstances. The composition of the shot shows their relationship, the rule of thirds with OB, Max in OB’s arms and Tom over Max.

Steph comes running over, in her wedding dress shouting “no, no he’s not” and bursting into tears. This reinforces the female stereotype, simple being emotional and crying after OB has tried to control things as well as comforting Tom. This contrasts the genders, showing their different reactions in a position when someone’s just died. The dialogue is then muted, and it is only the music playing, a lullaby sound, illustrating the idea of death, being sleep and going to heaven. The camera spins out, on the three men and Steph, with her wedding dress placed around them, in a circle, showing her femininity and seeing her as an angel figure. It could suggest that she is the caregiver now, for Tom as it is like she is encompassing him and her dead husband. The camera zooms out, pans up and fades out to a white light. This has religious connotations, it symbolises that Max is going to heaven, reinforcing the religious representation of death and afterlife. Death is portrayed as fatal, although ends in a better place.

At the end of the scene, there is a short clip of what is supposed to look like handheld recording, a video for their wedding memories. It has Max’s last words on it, showing the finality of his death and part in the show. Dom asks Max, “What is love” and Max answers “The best thing in the world”. It shows Max as a perfect, madly in love male figure, illustrating the happiness that was, and the sadness that now is, with his death. It gives the audience a personal feel, as though they were involved too.

Changeling

Changeling
I noticed that the recently released film Changeling, contains some thriller elements. It is set in 1920's America, a time in which gender was still an issue and women didn't have much of a say. The women in question goes against the typical representation of women in that time, as she is a single mother and divorce then was much rarer than it is now. She decides to go against the norm by releasing women from the horrific conditions of a psychological institution and taking a stand against the corrupt police system.
The setting of some scenes are in unglamarous, dark, deserted farmland and housing estates, and although they aren't strictly urban, they do contain thriller elements. They use chiaroscuro lighting, claustrophobic spaces (e.g. chicken coop) and many close ups.
The crime at the core of the narration is firstly kidnapping, but later discovered, the kidnapping, molesting and murder of several young boys. It is a shocking concept, as it is based on real events.
The main character, the single mother has quite a dark, mysterious exterior, her red lipstick is something that stands out against her sometimes dull and pale appearance. She could be seen as the femme fatale on appearance alone, as seen in the picture, however she is actually the victim, a single mother targeted for her son.

Preliminary Task: Continuity Filming

For out preliminary task, we were asked to film a piece that consisted of three techniques:
Match on Action shots
Shot Reverse Shot and
The 180 Degree Rule.

Here is the video we produced:




Match on Action:
This is where the action begins in one shot, and is continued in the next, showing the movement from different points of view. For example, Shot 1: a girl walking toward a door. Shot2: the girl coming through the other side of the door.

Shot Reverse Shot:
This is a technique used where it shows one characters face and immediately after shows their view, who or what they are looking at. This can be very effective within the drama genre.




180 Degree Rule:
The 180 degree rule is what must be followed when filming two people on screen. when the people are being filmed from one direction, they must always be filmed from that same direction between them on that side of the line,unless it is shown that the line is being crossed.





For our short film, we decided to film quite a dramatic piece between a mother and her apparent daughter, where the daughter finds out she is adopted and that the other character is her mother.

I was to play the mother, Lauren the daughter and Matt would do the filming. We wanted to film in a cafe, however there are limited cafe's that allow filming or camera's. So instead we filmed in the school canteen, to keep things easy and simple.
Here is the script we made:

Characters:



Emily- Lauren’s mother



Lauren- Daughter of Emily, adopted by someone else, Emily’s her real mother.



Emily: Hello

Lauren: Hey

Emily: [nervous] I got you a drink…

Lauren: Oh thanks, what did you want to talk to me about?

Emily: [nervous, faltering] Well, this isn’t easy for me…

Lauren: I don’t have long, I’m meeting mum in about 20minutes.

Emily: [exasperated, slightly shaky] That's the thing, she’s not your mother... I am!



[Cut]

Although we managed to include each of the previous features, I don't think we did so, very well. We only used one match on action sequence, of Lauren coming through the door, and then used it slightly when she sat down at the table. We kept to the 180 degree rule throughout the film, however didn't cross the line and just kept the camera on one side. We use a few shot reaction shots, to show the conversation progress and the reactions to the information that is given. We inserted a few transitions during editing as many of our cuts were very sharp and needed to be made much smoother. I think our film could have been slightly longer, with more match on action and shot reaction shot, perhaps we could have had Lauren leaving the room as well.