Exam Question

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs representations of gender using the following:
• Camera shots, angles, movement and composition
• Editing
• Sound
• Mise-en-scene

Camera work and mise en scene are used to a great extent in this extract to represent gender.
One of the preliminary shots shows the use of the set to empower the Master over Martha. This notion that the Master has the upper hand is enhanced by the low angle with an over the shoulder shot from Martha’s point of view and even more so when she is forced to kneel beneath him. Throughout the first half of the extract, low angle shots are always used for the Master and high angle shots for Martha to keep reinforcing the differentiations in power between the two.
These angles start to level out and turn into eye-line shots between the two characters when Martha explains the situation and the audience starts to realise she is the one with the power. The use of the ticking clock, added with more and more quick cuts, creates an intensifying pace within the extract and shows the Master becoming more anxious while Martha stays composed.
A very powerful point of view shot is used at the end of the extract to denounce the Master of all his previously shown power over his female counterpart with the Doctor looking almost vertically down while floating upon the Master who is scrambling backwards across the floor. This shows that males, especially the Doctor, are the most important characters in the narrative, not the females.

In juxtaposition to the male dominance shown in this sequence is the female character behind the Master. She is placed above the Master in the hierarchy of levels and is set apart from other characters through the red colour of her clothing. Red is often associated with sin, guilt, pain, passion, blood, and anger, some of which you are draw to feel she may produce upon Martha. She is later shown to be a protagonist by joining in with the chant of ‘Doctor’ which leads me to believe the colour resembled the Greek and Hebrew symbolism of love and sacrifice.
The male antagonist is portrayed as one with power and wealth from his costume compared to the army looking attire of Martha. This adds to the sense of emasculation of the Master’s authority as it creates a sense that he is the General and Martha the foot soldier.                                                                               The set uses a lot of artificial light to create a very futuristic atmosphere with the main sources of light scattered around the set. The brightness is used to indicate of the possible future events and when the Doctor transforms back into a human being he becomes a source of light himself with his mystical bubble surrounding him. The set also has a lot of futuristic props with a lot of buttons and gadgets, something that represents a very male orientated area.
There is very minimalistic amounts of editing with the larger majority of it being continuity editing. This enables the story to flow and change pace when necessary. Cross cutting is used when to link Martha’s flashbacks to the action at hand.
Sound does not play a major role in representing gender in this extract, with the majority of it being digetic sound effects to keep sound continuity and create more realism. Non-digetic sound is used to highlight important parts throughout the extract, notably when the Ark Angel Network is mentioned as the way to rescue the Doctor from his confinement.

In conclusion, I feel that the extract used a very conventional method of representing gender with the female disempowered by a male at first but then gains the upper hand. This was done in various ways with the pinnacle being the change in camera angles throughout the shot-reverse-shot’s between Martha and the Master.