This short
clip is about how gender is represented in a fictional scenario about a Sabre-toothed
Tiger. Within the clip there are elements of it tackling gender stereotypes yet
also conforming to the general views in society.
As a man is
setting up a trap to catching the tiger, there are strings playing in the background
that build up to be more percussive, creating a tense mood and making the audience
aware that the intensity and likelihood of something happen is rising due to
the non-diegetic music. Then the scene shows a woman with short blonde hair and
quite masculine clothing, operating a bright yellow digger. This is a key
moment in the clip because it is strongly defying the hegemonic norm that a
woman should have long hair and wear dresses, like we stereotypically see and
would expect. In addition to this, it highlights that in the dangerous situation;
she is taking control and protecting the male whilst she battles off the tiger.
It plays on the damsel in distress idea but reversing it so the woman is the
one who is saving the man. The camera movement is quite sudden and fast-paced to
emphasise and create an action scene, of the digger and tiger, yet again the
female is the one in a high intensity situation, for a change.
Then man
bravely draws the tigers attention to him, complying to the ‘brave man’
stereotype, as well as the music heightening and getting faster to make it more
tens and dramatic and seem more dangerous. When the man is going down the
zip-wire the camera is set so we have point of view shots and feel like we are experiencing
what he is experiencing, as the camera makes it look like we are seeing what he
is seeing and the danger element that come with this. Further addressing the
idea that the man is quite heroic and bold. Moreover, the wide camera positions
add to how we perceive the situation, as it makes him look tough due to the
risky situation. However, the clip then refers back to the idea that woman do
not have to conform to the hegemonic norm, as the same woman saves the man
using a gun which is also seen as a masculine weapon.
Then we are
re-introduced to the quite metrosexual man setting down the trap. He is wearing
a pink top, waistcoat and scarf, which are seen as quite feminine clothes, especially
as it is pink which is stereotypically seen as a woman’s colour. Again this further
battles the idea that men have to dress a certain way, this allows people to
not be defined by their gender. In this shot the camera pans at three men and
the same woman, creating equality as they walk together, in unison as if they
are all of the same nature. In addition, there are a series of close ups
between all of the characters talking, implying that they have come together as
an equal unit, and whether you are male or female is not important because they
are all balanced. Within this same scene, the camera waits and stays filming
the man in the suit, suggesting that he is saying information of importance. This
also runs with the view that men of importance wear suits and look smart.
The clip
then cross-cuts to a man and a woman inside a barn, the woman, of whom, is dressed
elegantly and smart as those she is of a high power, whilst the man is in
comfortable, yet dirty work clothes. The camera has slight male gaze, as the
woman is showing some cleavage, this could be due to the ‘camera always being
male’ or just her general appearance. Additionally, the shot reverse shot’s,
show the woman’s authority and power in the situation. Despite her apparent power,
it is then turned as the man has the gun, and is seen as the threatening
person. Furthermore, the bird’s eye view camera angle implies that she is
smaller and weaker, and that the man has power over her. This conforms to the
dominant view of men in society and that they are superior to women. Also, the
slow motion effect entails that she is the victim in the situation and that the
audience show sympathise with her, as well as addressing the same male
dominating issue. Then the woman moans it was her ‘best coat’ this is quite a
stereotypical thing for a woman to say, to re-iterate that woman care a lot
about fashion and close which is a common view that stretches across society. Then
again the metrosexual man, the boyish woman, and the everyday male, show up
together to create a unit and suggest equality and balances between them.
To conclude,
the clip does lightly attack the idea that women and men are not equal in society,
by genre and role reversing them using camera, editing, mise en scene and
sound. It portrays them as being proportionate
to each other, whilst also making the women seem masculine and the men
feminine. However, it also conforms to everyday views that the woman is being
overpowered by a man, and that males are heroic and brave.
