How representations of gender are created using cinematography, editing, sound and mise-en-scene for Holby City
There are many different representations of gender in this Holby City extract which are all shown in many different ways. This essay will explore these stereotypes through the use of certain examples in the extract.
In the very first scene, we see a doctor in scrubs called Michael acting very aggressively to the woman who called his name. He attempts to end their relationship in the hallway of the hospital. While he does this, his voice is loud and definite which shows he plays the more dominant role in this scene. However, when the woman he is talking to threatens to tell their boss about his mistake in an operation, his voice alters from being an aggressive tone to being very concerned and distressed about the consequences if she actually told them. In the next scene, the dominant male doctor from the previous scene meets his colleague in the corridor. When this happens, he doesn’t seem to be as confident as the last time we saw him, but instead he appears quieter and slightly nervous. The colleague seems to have superiority over Michael and he has a raised voice and demands Michael to do a task.
In a later scene, Michael is clearly in a rush, and because of this, his voice is quite sarcastic. This sarcasm is noticed by Hal and he therefore becomes very angry. His voice is raised and is shouting at Michael about how he has ruined Amelia's implants. Amelia’s father continues to stick up for her as though because she is a girl, she cannot stand up for herself as well as he could do it for her. In the following scene, when the men are talking about their broken bones whilst playing sports, they refer to each others sports as 'girl's games'. This displays their gender bias; the fact that they believe they are the more dominant sex and that ‘girls’ sports don’t mean as much and aren’t as competitive for example. When Michael comes to apologises to Amelia, the scene shows that he isn't as strong and dominant as the audience thinks he is as he then gives into what other people have been telling him to do.
As for the women in the extract, the representations differ. In the first scene, the woman is initially shown to be the weaker sex as she is being dumped by Michael. However, she changes this stereotype when she reveals that she knows about the mishap in the operation. By saying this, she gains authority over the situation to let it be steered her own way. However, this is short-lived as he replies saying that he doesn’t care.
During the next scene, we see a woman who is screaming down a phone trying to call her dad as though she were a young child. This action shows that she is very weak as it implies that she relies on a man. Amelia’s self-confidence is increased when she is told by Hal that he loves her. After this happens, Amelia goes from thinking she was a ‘nobody’ to respecting herself the way she is, and agrees for Michael to put her back to the way she was before the operation went wrong.
The sound in the extract is entirely diegetic, due to the natural sounds such as people walking around the corridors, and patient’s beds being pushed. We can also hear the phones in the reception ringing and background talking, along with machine beeps. Throughout the scene, the transitions are quick to fasten the pace of the scene which successfully creates tension and suspense when the characters argue. A shot-reaction-shot is used when Michael tells the woman in the first scene that their relationship is over. As this happens, it is clear by the reaction shot of his face that he is serious and angry. The last reaction shot is where the woman looks worried and upset that he has broken up with her and therefore feeling vulnerable.
Continuity editing is used when the men playing sports are talking whilst looking at the x-rays of their broken bones. Many different styles of editing is used throughout the scene to build enigma and general mystery to give clues to the audience about what might happens later in the episode. For example, when the woman is screaming down the phone, the audience don’t know the result of this storyline. There are many different techniques in the cinematography used in the extract. An aerial shot is used when we see Michael and the woman walk away from each other in the corridor. This shot transfers into a medium shot where we see the two characters waist-up so we know where to focus our attention; on their conversation. The extract includes close-up shots of both characters when certain things are said which shows their facial expressions which subsequently allowed the audience to understand how they are feeling. An over-the-shoulder shot is used when Michael walks away from the conversation so the audience can see the true feelings of the person who is being left through their expression. Finally, when Michael and Hal argue about the operation that went wrong, the camera is at a low-angle which shows that both of the men are equally dominant characters.
The mise-en-scene that is evident in the extract is very iconic making it obvious that the set is a hospital. These icons include props such as scrubs, lots of rooms and all the machines that are walked past during the extract. The lighting in the scene of argument is low-key lighting which connotates sadness, but when they finish arguing, the lights become brighter meaning something good is about to happen. This is evident because later in the extract, Michael apologises and everything is settled. All the doctors are in scrubs apart from the two characters who are looking at their x-rays, whereas the patients are clearly patients due to the stereotypical night gowns. Everything in the extracts looks like it was in a hospital otherwise the drama would not be the way that it should be.
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