The Hustle (TV drama gender) clip analysis.

The Hustle TV Drama (Gender)

Mis-En-Scene

In this clip, each of the main attributes of Mis-En-Scene, (costumes, lighting, acting, props, setting) are related to gender.  Costumes worn in the clip are dresses, which are a feminine stereotype and are worn by a woman who is presented as a sex object. Most of the men wear suits, indicating they are posh or high class, showing that men are powerful in the clip. The lighting in the clip is bright in the clothes shop but is darker in the bar scene with the two men drinking. This could imply because the clothes shop is a feminine place, the place is brighter to make it look more innocent whilst the bar is darker to make it look more masculine. The acting is relevant to gender with each character having a specific type of gender stereotype. The dress shop assistant is a post masculine man with feminine hand movements and characteristics. The woman is very feminine and a sexual object.  The man in the leather jacket is a traditional masculine man who smokes cigarettes which can be considered a phallic object. The man in the suit is also a traditional masculine man who threatens the dress shop assistant. The props used are specific to gender, one of the props, a engagement ring, is used to make the woman panic. The prop is used to make the woman look helpless and make the post masculine man more powerful. Another prop is the wig the woman wears to make her more feminine rather than her normal black hair, which could be considered masculine.

Cinematography

The cinematography in this clip relates to gender because the camerawork has been used to create power for different gender stereotypes. The panning shots over the women when she is trying on her new dress are an example of the male gaze and depict her as a sex object. The low angles and reverse shots when the woman and dress shop assistant are talking show power because the assistant is taller than the woman. Another example of power is the medium shots with the assistant and the cockney man. As the man is leaning down looking for the ring, we can see the cockney man overlooking him, showing the traditional masculine mans power over the post masculine man. Another example of gender is the helplessness of the traditional woman figure. The camera signifies this as the camera gets shakier as the woman starts to panic.

Sound

Gender signified by gender is done in different ways; there are different accents which link to different gender stereotypes. The assistant and woman both talk in a feminine way whilst the cockney man and the man with the suits talk in masculine accents and voices. There is non diagetic music which plays; it is very tense which could be considered masculine. The music also links to the power in the scene. It stops abruptly when the assistant tells the woman to calm down. There is also a contrast in how the other characters speak. The post masculine man talks posh and eloquently whilst the cockney man talks in slang to intimidate the man.

Editing

The editing is important to the scene because the scene changes settings lots, very quickly. The cuts are very quick and instead of cutting immediately to the new setting, it pans from the side of the screen with an effect.  This can be considered an masculine cut, since it is not slow and might take some viewers by surprise. Another interesting edit is that the camera zooms in and the actor will look at the camera, breaking the fourth wall. Editing is also used to add pace to the scene, like when the woman is panicking pretending to look for her ring, the camera shakes and the camera shots change quicker. However, when the scene is at the bar, the shot changes are not as fast.

I have put this on the blog because it shows examples of gender representation.