How is gender represented through Mise-en-scene? (In the shown Primeval clip).

How is gender represented through Mise-en-scene? (In the shown Primeval clip).            15/09/15

There are many ways in which gender is represented in the Primeval clip we were shown. For example, gender was shown through the use of props, lighting, appearance, costume, expression and setting – (PLACES).

The use of props in this clip we very unstereotypical. For example, during the scene, where Cutter is being attacked by the sabretooth tiger, the girl in the scene, Abbie, is driving a JCB digger. This is quite a stereotypically manly and labouring action – therefore this is a strong statement to the audience: Abbie is seen as an equal in this scene – she does just as much manual labour as the men do. (Cutter is lifting sticks at the beginning of this scene, and also jumping into and searching in muddy holes that have been dug in the ground). Abbie also saves Cutter, when she is in the digger, by distracting the aggressive sabretooth tiger, here she is the heroine – she saves the man; this contrasts with traditional fairy-tale scenarios here the girl is the damsel in distress who needs saving. However, Cutter does then run off into the woods shouting to tempt the sabretooth tiger away from Abbe – he then uses his belt as a zip wire harness – this was a spur-of-the-moment and resourceful decision. This reminds us of a macho hero, such as Indiana Jones. His dramatic saviour and zip-wire scene is then almost for nothing when the tiger catches up with him – luckily, Abbie shoots at the tiger and frightens it off. This scene shows Abbie with a large gun – she doesn’t seem afraid but determined. She saves Cutter for a second time – however, he scene cuts straight back to Cutter after her heroism to see if he is okay – Abbie gets no glory; saving people and surviving as a team is seen as part of her job – however, it makes the audience think…what is a man had saved a woman, would they have had a moment of glory and praise or was it filmed like this to give them equal screening time?

Another example of props that has been used to express a particular gender is when Connor picks up a spade/shovel in the barn to protect her from the Farmer, who has a shotgun. This suggest perhaps Connor is not allowed a gun – or that he doesn’t need a gun  - however, Abbie, and Steven have guns, here Connor is a bit of an outsider. Connor is a modern man – good with technology and wearing controversial clothes and colours, e.g. pink – which over the last few decades has been seen as a girl-oriented colour.

A way in which lighting presents gender is when Jenny needs saving in the barn – the barn is dark and outside is light: so when Steven, Abbie and Connor come  to her rescue they are at the barn door – this shows them surrounded by light as they are her saviours. The majority of saviours are men –however, Abbie is also one of her saviours and in this scene we see the contrast in the two main women of the show.

The first women we see is fairly appears fairly traditional – she is dressed appropriately for her job – she wears outdoor trousers, shoes and a gilet – however her top is a bright red and this colour is often associated with females as it can portray passion, seduction, sex, or danger. She does, however act very stereotypically womanly. She is emotional, angry, upset and dramatic – she storms off. The focus is then on Steven, who is confused about the situation – this suggest that he is emotionally numbed and doesn’t understand what she’s going through; this can be seen as stereotypical of a man’s emotional spectrum. This stereotype of a man is reinforced when Cutter is dismissive of the woman’s dramatics and tells Steven to ‘let her go’. Abbie is quite in this scene – this could be significant because she is a strong, punky, modern woman and perhaps she also doesn’t quite understand what is wrong with the other woman.

Abbie wears appropriate clothing for her job – she is out in the field a lot, and works with animals, so she wears baggy, cropped, khaki/camouflaged cargo trousers, a leather biker-style jacket, walking boots, and dark eye-liner and eye-shadow. Her hair is also cropped. She is not traditionally girly. Abbie’s costume and Jenny’s costume are a visual indication of their differences in personalities and jobs. By this I mean that Jenny obviously is said to having a desk job as she was not dressed correctly for doing business in a dirty barn. Abbie on the other hand dresses for the outdoors – and wears things that she is not afraid to get messy, and that also allows for quick get-away/easy-movement. Jenny has neat and glossy hair, a low-cut black dress - (black dresses are often associated as being sexual), she also wears a long, expensive-looking, cream, ‘favourite’ coat of hers – this contrasts with her black dress making her stand out, additionally she also wears high-heels.  She is made to look very feminine and seductive. Her make-up reinforces this – her eyes are wide and shimmery, and her eyelashes are made to look long – this is completely different when compared to Abbie’s make-up. Abbie as a, to of eye make-up on but she doesn’t make her eyelashes as prominent, she just uses a lot of eyeliner to define her eyes – this could also be to show her focus. Moreover, jenny wears a lot of oink, shiny lipstick – this brings the focus to her lips, which is seductive –whereas Abbie’s focus is on her eyes, which is more casual and normal because when you converse with someone you tend to  look them in the eyes. Jenny’s character is quite objectified in this scene, whereas Abbie is powerful. Jenny’s character’s costume also evokes thought that she is of a higher statuses than the rest of the team, e.g. Abbie Cutter, Steven and Connor, because she is in formal, expensive clothing.

The use of expression in this clip is good – it represents gender well. For example, when Steven is confused about why the woman he was talking is stroppy the camera has a close-up on his face and we see his bewildered expression  -we also see that he doesn’t really care that much. This unfeeling expression contrasts with Abbie’s determined, focused and fairly calm facial expressions both when she distracts the sabretooth tiger from attacking Cutter, and when she shoots at the tiger to stop it again from, injuring or killing, Cutter. Furthermore, another expression than portrays the female gender in a certain way, is Jenny’s expression when she is sprawled across the hay/straw on the barn floor – fearing the large, dirty farmer-figure who is pointing a shot-gun at her. Here she is the typical ‘damsel in distress’. The framer is also a stereotypical farmer-figure.

At one point in the clip Cutter is almost emotionless, just mildly shocked, when digging through the mud to find out more about the dead body – this is a very grim and macho thing to do. This scene contrast with the short scene of Connor, another man, who is helping to set a trap for the sabretooth – he put a piece of meat over a hole in the ground that is covered in leaves and twigs – he does this with caution and worriment – he doesn’t want to get this wrong. This careful approach is very different to Cutter’s muddy, grubby, hands-on approach which views Cutter as a stereotypical man, and Connor as a more feminine and gentle man.

The setting of the clip is also significant because the woods reflect the wild and natural nature of the aggressive sabretooth tiger – the woods also creates and atmosphere of mystery and suspense. This is increased when Cutter heroically runs of into the vegetation to distract the creature’s attention. Here we as an audience fear a bit for Cutter. The zip-wire in the middle of the woods does however state that the woods is part of a family-friendly adventure place, and so adds to the danger of the escaped sabretooth tiger.

In comparison, the setting of the barn reinforces Jenny’s unsuitability for a ‘field’ job as she both doesn’t dress appropriately and she doesn’t deal with the situation appropriately – she is smug to begin with, this is ironic when the power in the scene shifts and her governmental threats become useless against a physical prop – a shot-gun. A third setting, which we only see for a short amount of time, is an open, grassy plain. Here Abbie, Oliver, Steven and Connor are seen walking in a line – as equals – in slow motion. This emphasises their importance. The suit that Oliver is wearing also suggests that he has a higher-paid job and is above them in their line of work. It also suggests that he has a desk job. However, the others’ casual/outdoor wear shows that they are ‘field operatives’. Connor however is wearing a waistcoat, a pick shirt, a pink scarf, and a trilby – this shows that he is more feminine that the other men but does not mean that he is a homosexual.

Overall, there are lots of ways in which gender is presented, using Mise-en-scene, in the Primeval clip that we watched. From my personal experience I know that this can also be seen throughout the whole of the Primeval series. I also think that it is good that the primeval crew have included a strong, punky, modernised female character such as Abbie. I think that since Abbie and Connor are both; clever, outdoorsy, kind, determined, and modern people – that they would-make/make, a great couple.