Frozen Powerpoint

sexuality representation (queer as folk clip)

First of all from the clip we see the main character (who we later find out is homosexual) walking through a school corridor, he is not highlighted or made to particularly stand out between other characters walking in and around the shot. This shows how his general appearance does not segregate him from the other pupils at the school representing how at first many people cannot even tell when a person is gay, giving the idea to the audience that aesthetically gay people are no different.

The camera moves forward in a point of view shot towards another male character. The movement is slow representing that the homosexual boy is shy and hesitant when talking to others, he instantly feels judged because of his sexuality; this could link to how he has been treated in the past giving the representation that many gay people are made to feel unwanted or even bullied because of their choices and who they are.

The homosexual man is shown to be shyly smirking as he talks about having ‘a boyfriend’- he is trying to make the other character jealous and this is obviously working as his reaction is very aggressive as he storms away from the situation after a speed up in the editing of the shots between them increases in speed representing the increase in tension and conflict between the boys. His smile is instantly taken away but he still seems to be somewhat happy that his efforts to cause jealousy actually worked. This links to representation of sexuality as it shows how sometimes sexuality is used to create jealousy and overall conflict between people because of common misconceptions associated with the topic as a whole; not just in this situation but in general, everyday life as many people view homosexuality as unnatural or wrong.

A new scene is shown and a heterosexual woman is openly talking about her sexual life with a group of people at a social event. She talks in detail without hesitation and nobody else in the room or conversation react to what she is saying representing how as a heterosexual she doesn’t feel judged or abnormal because is it associated as being the ‘norm’ sexuality. She is also shown amongst many other people in the shot which represents, again, how she is seen as part of the crowd and isn’t shown to stand out or being an object or curiosity like a homosexual person could be.

A very camp gay character that is also sat at the table with the female is portrayed to have a strong accent that is very feminine in the tone and style in which he speaks. He is holding a cigarette delicately, pursing his lips when he blows out the smoke and is wearing an eye-catching animal print shirt. These are all points that add to the typical stereotype of a camp homosexual man as he acts, speaks and dresses very feminine. Many of the shots of this character are of him alone or only with a few others, this represents the opposite of my last point as instead of being shown to be ‘normal’ he is segregated from others in the scene and made to look different or abnormal from other heterosexual people.

Another male character that is sat at the table epitomizes the typical butch heterosexual character that is often represented in TV dramas. His clothing is formal, masculine and typically worn by men, he is also shown to be slouching and acting like a typical man through butch actions and having a deep voice.

The two gay characters are walking down a street pavement, the gay man although seeming to be very confident in his posture and loud speaking is shown to be lower than the other man, this shows how because of his obvious sexuality it makes him regarded lower than people that may seem more heterosexual than others. It could also show how although trying to put on a front of being confident and out there, he is actually shy and maybe even secretly anxious about how people perceive and judge him.

A shot is shown of the family, including the two gay males, sat together at a table with the little girls back to the audience. This could be because homosexuality and even sexuality in general is not perceived to be a topic that is appropriate for children to be discussing with parents at a very young age. The little girls face is not shown to the audience showing how she is segregated from the topic of sexuality as a whole, homosexuality is seen as a taboo topic that can be seen as unnatural, many traditional parents don’t want their children to be subject of homosexuality in case of influences, as if gay people are something to be scared of.

The feminine acting man speaks with a high tone in his voice; he speaks very quickly and seems to have a lot of energy and motivation for subjects he’s talking about. He is talking with lots of enthusiasm about acting in theatres and pantomime plays which is commonly a hobby associated with gay men as it’s seen as very energetic and feminine. He also wears tight costume adding to how the mise-en-scene makes him look like a show-off and trying to get attention from other men, this is also a common misconception and stereotype of gay men especially- the need for constant attention.

There are many stereotypes and uncivilised ideas that are associated with adding humour to those who are gay through props and even common saying that certain characters say. This next scene shows the camp man eating a sausage from a fork; this is represented as being humorous to the audience as the sausage simply associates with the male phallic symbol. Audiences can react to this in different ways as they can see it as light hearted humour or actually not very tasteful stereotypes. This represents to sexuality because it gives an impression of the gay man as being desperate or even animalistic because of the manner in which he eats the food type.

There is a mid-shot in the kitchen which shows the mother of one of the homosexual boys talking to her son with her back facing him. This may at first seem harmless to an audience as she is busy washing up and carrying out daily tasks however if you look into it more deeply it has a very strong meaning representing her as someone who turns her back on her son because of her sons sexuality. This is a very strong stereotype and representation that is associated with gay men; that their families often disown them or feel that they have failed as parents because their children are deemed unnatural because they are homosexual.