EASTENDERS DISABILITY REPRESENTATION (DONNA)

EASTENDERS DISABILITY REPRESENTATION (DONNA)

Donna has a physical disability resulting in her having to use a wheelchair occasionally to get from A to B. During the scene when Fat boy comes to take her on a date, through a high angle shot, we see that she is getting ready and see that she is dressed up looking very feminine. She wears a short, red, lacy dress that shows off a lot of skin including her chest and cleavage, arms and her lower legs this shows femininity, the colour red can also show lots of different emotions, for example, it could suggest love, anger, fierceness or danger. Donna goes away from the stereotype of non-sexual because she is wearing quite sexualised clothes. She also got ready by herself which shows independence because she didn't need any assistance, showing that the character is rebelling against the stereotype of being a burden. The character of Donna shows that she is a counter type because she is seen to subvert stereotypes of disabled people and show her independence and how she is different to other people.
During the scene, Donna falls over and Fat boy comes to help her. At this point they are both at he same level (fats was kneeling down and Donna had fallen) and the camera shows an equal mid shot. This shows that their is no dominant person and they are both the same. Soon after, Fats stands up and leaves Donna on the floor, which then changes the camera to a shot reverse shot due to their different levels. When the camera moves from person to person, the camera, when facing Fats, is at a low angle showing him to be higher up than Donna, and showing his dominance and power against her. When the camera points at Donna, it is from a high angle presenting her to be weak and powerless similar to a stereotype of disabled people.
An example of sound during the scene is the diegetic music in the background. The radio is playing an upbeat, lively song whilst Donna gets ready for their date. The music makes the scene seem more realistic and it also attempts to cut out the awkwardness between them both when there is silence. When the characters are talking, Donna shouts at Fats to leave and he does so. Although the camera is pointing down at her, she regains her power by ordering the male character to leave. Due to her disability, it is often thought that disabled people have no power because they are restricted, but Donna goes against this making her character a counter type.

LUTHER GENDER REPRESENTATION

LUTHER- GENDER REPRESENTATION

Camera Work: The start of the short clip of Luther begins with an over-the-shoulder shot, this suggests that he is looking down on the woman, which give the impression that the male gender is more powerful than the female gender. This also gives us the impression that he is the more dominant character. As they enter the woman’s apartment, the man is looked at from an over-the-shoulder shot from behind the woman. However, the eye level is even which could tell us that she sees herself as of equal authority and dominance to him. Near the end of the clip, we are shown a close up of the woman, this shows emotion to tell the audience how she feels without actually saying it.

Editing: During the over-the-shoulder shot looking at the male character, the area of the woman that was still visible was blurred out. This could suggest to us that he is the main focus at this point in time and could also convey his dominance. During the close up shot of the woman near the end, everything in the background is blurred out. This shows us that she is the main focus and that in that moment, she is more dominant. As I was suggesting before, the extreme close up can show emotion to the audience.

Mise En Scene: The woman’s makeup is quite prominent and sharp and almost sexual. The deep, dark red of the lipstick could represent a level of dominance or power that the character has. This level of dominance is also accentuated through her dark suit and sharp facial expression. The close proximity between the two characters when they are in her apartment could portray a level of intimacy being initiated by the female character towards the male character. The colours of the male characters suit are lighter than the woman’s, This could show that he has a higher level of dominance than she does.

Sound: Sound is used throughout TV drama and films to create tension, suggest what is happening or simply just as conversation. There is diegetic sound and non diegetic sound. Diegetic sound is sound that can be heard naturally and by the characters, for example conversation or the sound of traffic. Non dietetic sound is sound that is edited into the piece that the characters won't be able to hear, this could be music to create tension or narration.
Sound is used effectively throughout the clip. As the female announces her cat is now ashes and shows off the vase, there is a sudden noise, a sound of dread perhaps. This wouldn't have been heard by the characters but heard by the audience to create a sense of shock.
As the scene moves on the female begins to describe a black hole. As the explanation continues eerie music begins to play in the background as if to suggest the black hole is significant, even if that is unknown to the male character. This will create a sense of mystery to the audience about what relevance it may have.