Gender Essay Practise

How is gender portrayed in the extract of Hustle through:

Camera work

Mise-en-scene

Sound

& Editing?

Theory

Link to Question (gender)

In the extract of Hustle the theories of Mulvey (1975), Mackillon (2002) and Gauntlett (2002) are both supported and disrupted through the media language present in the clip. I will now explore this in more detail with reference to how; camera work, mise-en-scene, sound and editing contribute to constructions of gender representation.

The opening shot is a low angle medium close up of a middle aged male wearing an expensive suit. The camera angle gives him masculine status as it makes him powerful which could fit Gauntlett’s 2002 theory however, the way he is standing is not a masculine pose which means his character also fits Mackillon’s theory as he is looking more feminine. In the background there is a younger female character shown coming up the stairs to the clothing shop, the positioning seems to support traditional gender roles as she appears lower down, and therefore less important, than the lead male character. The opening scene is accompanied by non-diegetic music that changes when the women comes into shot, it is quite feminine and it contributes to sexualising the female character in a way that fits Mulvey’s 1975 theory. Furthermore, it contributes to de-masculinising the male character to a point where he almost appears camp, which also fits with the dress shop setting and his job. The shots are linked together with a sound bridge and continuity editing is used to not distract the viewer.

As the scene continues the shot progresses to a high-angle close-up of the male lead and a secondary female character, this shot also poses as a medium shot for the younger female character, which has been posed in a sexualised manner. The high-angle serves to embolden the male leads dominance over the situation, which supports Gauntlett’s 2002 theory, and simultaneously make the secondary female character seem more timid. The secondary female character disrupts Mulvey’s 1975 theory as she is shown as a much more modest character, in appearance, by wearing a long, red raincoat which juxtaposes from the other two characters rich appearances. This scene also has the non-diegetic music from before yet it slows in pace to accommodate for the secondary female character as she breaks Mulvey’s theory which was somewhat supported by the music and so to show that break, the music changes. Diegetic dialogue is also present in the scene which serves to advance the story but also shows to support Gauntlett’s theory as the male lead continues to be dominant in the scene by speaking in very short sentences that make the secondary female character appear inferior in status.