Analyse the representation of gender in this clip:
This clip 'Cutting It', represents gender in many different ways, through the use of sound, editing, mise en scene and camera work.
Whilst analysing the mise en scene used in this clip we can gather that the man is presented negatively compared to the woman. This representation of gender is first displayed in the taxi through the clothes the characters are wearing, the man is wearing a dark suit whereas the woman is wearing a bright coat, this subtly suggests the woman is more innocent than the man.
As well as this, whilst the couple are outside talking to one another, the light shines on the woman's face, as opposed to the man whose face is dark and in the shade, representing the man in a negative light again. As well as this, after the woman is hit by the bus and is on the ground, we can see that she is lying next to some white flowers, this supports the representation of the woman being innocent as the flowers are also knocked over next to her.
However, this is contrasted by the fact that the woman is hit by the bus and presented as weak. As well as this the ambulance drives past the couple in the taxi and is also parked at the back of the frame, this is a clear subtle message and hint at foreshadowing her 'death' later on, also suggesting the woman is weak and ignorant.
Editing is used to represent the genders in different ways in this clip too. At the beginning of the clip, the couple are seen together in the taxi, with the woman leaning on the man in a loving way, to show that they are together. This is shown again at the end of the clip, after the woman has been hit by the bus and is on the pavement with the man laying next to her, leaning on her this time. This was done on purpose to show that the man and woman are equal and the relationship requires both of them to invest and love one another. As well as this, after the woman is hit by the bus, time is slowed down during editing and we see the mans reaction followed by a cut to a shot of the woman on the ground, and then back to the man's face. There are total of 7 cuts between the woman on the ground and the man's reaction before there is movement, this was done on purpose to capture the emotion in the scene and on the mans face, highlighting that this relationship means a lot to him and that it may have all been taken away. This also represents the man as more powerful and important in this scene as it is his face we see and not the woman's, as we are just shown her body instead.
The use of sound plays a part in the representation of gender as at the end of the clip, the woman shouts across the road but is barely heard over the sound of traffic, so she has to cross the road in order to be heard, this is when she is hit by the bus and the which overpowers her and is symbolised by the sounds of crashing and beeps, which are negative sounds. This diminishes the woman as she is silenced by these sounds and is portrayed as lesser than the man who is still alright and is the perspective that we view this from (which is evident through his heart beating). As well as this heart beating and slow breathing is that of the mans, not the woman's, making us focus on him and see him as the main character and most important character in this clip, representing him as more powerful than the woman.
Through analysing the camera work in this clip, we learn a lot about the representation of gender. We are first shown the couple sitting together in the taxi with them both in the frame and centralised, this tells us that they are both equal to one another. This theme of equality is also shown in the last shot when the two characters are lying together, both in the centre of the frame.
