"The Perfect Essay"- Primeval

Throughout the extract representations of gender are illustrated through various elements such as editing, camera and sound. A mix of dominance and equality is produced through the extract however overall it is conveyed that women are physically subordinate compared to physically strong and stereotypically hegemonic male.

Representations of gender have been clearly illustrated through editing. For example a mix of pivot/ panorama shots  as well as fast tracking shots have been incorporated when the girl is trying to save and protect the male character. The editing switches from invisible editing to many jump cuts, showing the increase in activity. Thus, the fast pace shots have been used, making both male and female characters appear in the action and support their heroic characters. This illustrates the fast movements and action of the cut however it may also signify a chaotic environment where women struggle to take maintain power. Another example of a tracking shot is portrayed when the male character is travelling down the rope. This editing however demonstrates to the audience the thought and power the character has from making a quick rational decision which is a stereotype of male behaviour.

The next element which produces representations of gender is sound. In one cut once the female had saved the male from the life threatening situation from the dialogue such as, "Come on" with a high intensity, provoking the animal, connotes bravery and a strong masculinity. this dialogue may have been said as an attempt to regain status as he's just been saved by a girl. Strong music  is used throughout, making all characters appear heroic and strong. Abbie is represented as having a sensitive side illustrated through dialogue. Abbie asks Jenny " Are you okay?" The use of diegetic sound creates Jenny stereotypical character, she says after nearly being killed, "My best coat!", seemingly caring more about the coat than being killed. Also creates a representation of women such as obsession of appearance and vanity. The diegetic sound of the dogs barking emphasise the bad situation of the women conveying the women's vulnerability further. This is also emphasised by the harsh sound effects which build and sustain tension creating a climax.

The next factor which displays representations is through mise en scene. Expressions play a key role, for example when the blonde male is approached by the sabre toothed tiger his expression conveys fear leading to a sympathetic response from the audience however this contrasts greatly to the calm and collective expression of the girl, which suggests a swap in the roles involving dominance. The women is dressed in a leather coat which is done up, emphasising her power, whereas the man is dressed in a scruffy t-shirt and jeans, showing him to be inferior to her. This is further backed up due to her being the one driving the vehicle an activity stereotypically believed for men. The props such as the heavy machinery emit connotations such as manual masculine feelings. However the female is in charge of the stereotypical male vehicle. Even though the women within the extract portray dominance through props, the male characters continually illustrate dominance. For example, the males usage of the guns.

A final way in which representations of gender have been displayed is through camera work. For example the low angle looking down on the male in the whole illustrates vulnerability and helpless position. however a different low angle in conveying the tiger illustrates dominance of man and a hierarchy with the animal being lower. There are two main close ups, one was when the man saw the large animal, and the other was when the  lady was knocked to the floor. Both of these showed the expressions on their face which was both scared and they were frightful. This represents gender because it shows that you do have to a female to be scared, even men are.

"The Big Bang Theory" - Gender representations & Stereotypes:

The Big Bang Theory is America’s highest rated comedy. It is regularly E4’s most watched show and can definitely be said to divide opinion.The programme bases itself entirely on stereotypes in a huge number of ways and given its subject matter, a lot of these are drawn from those typically found in the Sci-Fi/fantasy genre.

A world in which historically the men are the heroes and the woman are skimpily-clothed and more than slightly helpless. Leonard, Sheldon, Raj and Howard submerge themselves in comic books and films as a method of escapism from a society which labels them ‘uncool’
Stereotypically the women of the show are constantly sexualised, a major issue in sci-fi and fantasy.Particularly in the earlier seasons, Penny seems to be portrayed as the archetypal “helpless blonde bimbo” needing to be saved from her pedestrian life by our oh-so-intelligent lead characters. For quite a while she has virtually no character besides being attractive and not very academic when compared to the hoards of scientists that populate the show. Penny is the clearest example of the programme objectifying women, though in no way is the practise limited to her.
Stereotypically women who are scientists are portrayed as being ugly and wear glasses and are not blond and are socially maladjusted and don't care about their appearance.
Another stereotype follows, which is seen both in older sci-fi/fantasy and the households of the 1950s: the idea of women as automatic home-makers or at least stay at home girlfriends. It is Howard who becomes an astronaut and Bernadette who stays at home and frets.
All the women on the show have careers, and in general very successful ones, but they are shown as performing the expressive role in the relationship despite this. The expectations for all genders are socially constructed, and one specific expectation for males is to be the main breadwinner in a romantic relationship. Bernadette and Howard are in a relationship, and in contradiction to the previously mentioned gender stereotypes, Howard married into money because Bernadette earns much more and controls their spending.

Intelligence is gendered masculine, and in popular thinking intelligent people often are male. Television representations of intelligence reinforce this gendering, and they reduce these intelligent characters to traits such as possessing multiple degrees,  pursuing scientific interests, announcing their intellect, overusing logic, avoiding empathy, and overall acting socially awkward.
Penny’s character is an example of enlightened sexism because one may believe she represents independence and confidence as a woman by living on her own and befriending the “geeks” next door, Furthermore, Leonard’s character encompasses gender scripts by constantly trying to be “manly” and wanting to show off his beautiful blonde girlfriend. He strives to attain the image of the dominant male which is the normative ideal image of a man in our society.The Big Bang Theory uses humour to both reinforce and challenge gender stereotypes. The relationship between Leonard and Penny often juxtaposes typical gender scripts, however their characters exemplify the gender binary. These stereotypes are challenged because, stereotypically the "geek" wouldn't have the blonde attractive women as his girlfriend.