Sherlock essay

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of gender.

In this clip of Sherlock there is many different ways gender is shown.

The camera help gives us some clues about how the director wanted to show gender in this clip. It opens using a hand held camera. I believe this is done to show that they is a lack of power in this shot from either gender. I believe this is done as the hand held camera was used for showing both the women and men in the scene. I think this shows in this shot that neither men or women have any power over each other and that they are equal. However, the camera tends to pan towards the man at the front. This makes him seem as if he has more power or knowledge compared to everyone in the room. I believe this because he is given the most screen time which gives him a powerful look. I believe this shows gender as it is a traditional scene that a man is more knowledgeable. When we first meet Sherlock the camera is giving us an eye line shot however it is still looking up at Sherlock. It is also a one shot. This makes him look powerful and knowledgeable look because as a audience we have to focus on him. I believe this shows gender as males being more powerful because a man is doing work without help. This enforces the stereotype that a man is the main worker and a woman may help but can’t do the work without a man’s help. Later in this scene Sherlock is working on the body however the women in the scene the camera pans up to see her behind glass watching Sherlock doing the work. I believe this is done to show that when have to do the work and women can just watch. This shows that men seem to be the stronger and more powerful gender in scene.

Sound also helps show the audience how gender is being poetryied.  It starts with in the opening shot the non diagetic music was very tense and over powered the women in the scene. I believe this is down to make the women look weak as the even the music had more of a prense in the shot than her and she was the only character. I believe this is done to show that women are weak and powerless. This is a complety opposite in the next shot where the women whispers “that’s the daily mail” she tells this to the man as he makes a mess of answering a question. I believe this is done to show that as a gender women don’t have as loud as voice however they can have important information to help men. The represtation of gender in this is that women are powerful however seem to hid behind a male figure. I believe this is done to play to the audience’s stereotype that a man has more power in a scene however needs a woman to help him. Later in the clip the non diagetic music that plays when Sherlock is hitting the dead man shows medieval. I believe this is done also to make fun of how in this clip Sherlock is acting almost medieval where a man is always trying to become an alpha male.  I believe this shows gender as a man always fighting for power from each other. He when later speaks to the women and the first thing he say is “you weren’t wearing make-up earlier”. This makes the women almost look shallow as she has to put on make up to talk to a man. I believe this was said as the first thing because it makes Sherlock seem as he is looking at her physically before he hears her speak. I believe this is done to play the audiences stereotype that men see women as objects before they see the person behind the looks.

Editing also helps show the audience about gender. This starts when the straight cuts are used in the beginning of the questioning shot. I think this is done to show that there is no one in power as it is done quickly to show no one can keep the power of the room. However, it does cut to mostly males which could show that even with no true power in the scene the men are still more in control than the women. The editors also use wipe transitions being the police officer and the male reporters. This could be because as the wipe happens that is the loss of power from one person to enough. However, the editors only use the wipe transitions between two men which could show a power struggle between men. This could be related to the stereotype that a man wants to be an alpha male. Also the editors use a superimposition when the text from Sherlock comes through saying wrong. This is shown from both males and females phones. I believe this is done to show that no gender in this scene has more power as they is someone else with more power and knowledge. The scene while using the hand held camera it goes in and out of black fades as it goes behind people. I think this is done to show that there are gaps in the man’s knowledge which to the audience can take away from his power in the scene. This could show gender as that men are slowly losing power over women as there is information that they don’t know.

Mise en scene also adds to how gender is shown in this clip. In the questioning scene both the man and women are on the stage answering questions. This makes them look equal in the scene as the man and women look equal power in the scene. This is a positive representation of gender as it shows them as equal with no one having more power than each other as they are both placed high up. However, this is slightly lost through the use of the props as the women only has 1 microphone where as the man has 2 microphones. This makes it seem as the man is heard more and the women is less powerful and important. This is because the make has twice the coverage on what he is saying compared to the women. However, when we first see Watson we see his walking stick first. This breaks the stereotype that men are powerful as we see his injury before we see him as a person. This is a counter stereotype for the audience as it defines Watson by his disability and not his gender.  Finally, when we see Sherlock it is him and a woman in the lab both at work. This shows this as equal to each other as there are both working in a hard work environment. This shows the audience about gender as that women are starting to work in the same jobs as men and are equalling out the power.