Gender representation in 'wire in the blood' clip

How is gender represented in a clip from ‘wire in the blood’?

Gender is represented in a variety of ways through the use of the four textual analysis.

Firstly, is the use of over the shoulder shots which allow the audience to see how what the character is seeing and a response from their point of view. The female character looks desperate and in need of help so asks the man ‘please?’ this makes the female look inferior to the man as she is pleading for his help, she is not demanding but asking. There is an establishing shot at the start of the clip from both the female and male character: in the male characters establishing shot nobody is behind him, the scene is calm whereas the females establishing shot shows police in yellow high visibility uniforms which instantly makes the audience think of danger or police and along with the females desperate tone of voice it shows that her life is very hectic whereas the male character is not bothered by anything and is ‘free.’ The panning shot in the house also backs up the point that she has a hectic life and is rushing around, doing various jobs at one time, she is shown to have lots more responsibilities than the man but he doesn’t seem bothered to assist her which could show the male gaze- that he believes it is normal for the woman to have to balance lots of different tasks and daily pressures. when the female character asks for help with looking after her young child his facial expression looks almost fearful, this shows a stereotype of how the man is generally not used to looking after children as it is usually the woman who is seen to stay at home cooking and cleaning while the male figure works and earns money. There is also a mid-shot of him viewing some pictures, he seems relaxed holding a cup of tea and in the background everything looks calm and normal. There is a low camera shot when one of the male characters enters an old house, he is shown to be very aggressive in this shot and the low camera angle makes him look like he has more power as you are seeing him as being very tall and strong. throughout the clip the male character is seen to be above the female character, this is purposely created to give the effect that he has more dominance or power over her, he is seen in the background to look over situations including the first scene as well as when he is alone with the young boy, only this is more on a caring meaning rather than having more power. the way that he is shown through height difference is stereotypical of how men are represented through media.

The lighting is only used to represent gender in one main way, when the male and female characters are outside or when the male is alone it looks dark where the camera editing has been used to create a black and white effect with very little color. The females house however had a warm glow to it, the overall atmosphere of the house was homely and feminine giving the idea to the audience that the woman is more caring and responsible as the house for her child looks comfortable and safe- it could also give the idea of a very common female stereotype that she stays at home cleaning like females are often seen to do in TV dramas and films. Throughout the scene of the old black and white house where aggression is used the lighting is extremely dark with very little color and it gives off a strong vibe of danger and with the empty beer cans and broken walls and furniture it gives the impression that males are irresponsible for their surroundings, lazy and apathetic.

Sound is used to create an atmosphere to a variety of different scenes. You can hear the footsteps of the main characters in the opening scene, she is obviously wearing heels which is a typical item for a woman to be wearing in media, its stereotypically shown and can make her look more dominating or as if she is trying to attract the attention of men. this adds to the mise-en-scene along with a variety of other ways that costume adds to the representation of many of the characters: The ‘thug-like’ men in later scenes are shown to be wearing casual clothing that looks tattered, whereas the female character looks smartly dressed and formal this shows how women generally take more pride in their appearance and again backs up the idea that men are shown to be stereotypically lazier. however the woman is also made to look as if she wants to appear as more masculine, she wears earrings and has feminine hair and makeup however the thick leather jacket, high neck top and dark colours could represent how she wants to appear to have more power and not be dominated by men.  one of the men in the scene in the large, manor style house is also wearing black leather gloves which suggests that this is not the first time he has assaulted someone so is cautious about leaving behind DNA whilst he carries out crimes and that he has something to hide. We also know that he has been part of this criminal activity as a jumpcut scene is shown showing a man that has been gagged cowering- this scene is edited in a red filtered lighting and is a close up which leaves a lot to the imagination of the audience as to how this character got into this position and what's happened to him, although the red lighting has obvious connotations of blood suggesting that he was killed or beaten by his abusers.There is a mysterious tune which is played when the main male character is studying papers and what appear to be crime scene photographs, it has a beat that is similar to that of a heart beat and shows that he is in deep concentration and has no other distractions that the woman may have because of her hectic lifestyle.