Sexuality

Theorist Andy Medhurst (1998) disrupts representation claims, like those made by Dyer (“How we are seen determines in part how we are treated; how we treat others on how we see them; such seeing comes from representation” Dyer, 1993), because in the real world you cannot ‘see’ sexuality. Unless someone tells you they are homosexual you have no way of knowing.

However, in the media stereotypes are used to explore ideological positions about sexuality. “Films and television comedies are full of images of gay men as effeminate screaming queens…It chooses that aspect of gay male behaviour (selection), inflates it into the defining male characteristic of male homosexuality (magnification), then establishes it as the most easily recognizable image (reduction).”

Medhurst also argued that this is done to make heterosexual viewers feel safe in the belief that their way of living is the only 'natural' one. So stereotyping for the straight viewer makes them feel safe and superior. In addition, the embedded social norm of straight sexuality is reinforced.

“This is why stereotypes of sexuality strive so vigorously to create two, polarized sexualities, hetro and straight, and to insist with such obsessive reductiveness that people who belong to those poles are easily identifiable – hence the recurring presence across media texts of the screaming queen and his female equivalent the butch dyke.”

Examples of gay characters in TV shows:

In 'The 100' one of the main characters, Clarke Griffin/Eliza Taylor has relationships with male characters, and later comes out as bisexual, after having an on-screen relationship with a woman. 

In 'Grace and Frankie' the show is about 2 elderly women who have to come to the terms with the fact that their husbands, who have been best friends for years, are actually in a relationship. 

Captain Holt, from Brooklyn Nine Nine

In 'Brooklyn Nine Nine', Captain Holt disrupts Medhursts theory, as the character is a gay African American who can't be categorised as a 'screaming queen' as he doesn't play up to the gay stereotype.

Sexuality practice essay question

How is sexuality presented in Christian and Syeds kiss scene in Eastenders through:

Camera work

Mise-en-scene

Sound 

& Editing?

In the opening shot, a low angle is used to make the male character look powerful and dominant. This disrupts Medhursts theory, because he isn't playing up to the typical gay stereotype of being a 'screaming queen'. He is also dressed very professionally and isn't wearing flamboyant clothing, which supports Medhursts theory, as you are unable to 'see' his sexuality. As the other male character enters the room, continuity editing is used to ensure that the shots run smoothly. An over the shoulder shot and a one-two shot is used to show the audience what the male characters are looking at. The younger male character loosely supports Medhursts theory because he looks more feminine. However, he is not presented as a 'screaming queen', and his clothes present him as a religious man who supports his heritage. The only sound presented on screen is diegetic dialogue and ambient sounds from the setting they are in. Continuity editing is used throughout the clip to show that the storyline is still ongoing, and to show the audience that all of the shots used in the scene are related to each other. 

The diegetic dialogue used - "There's more to me than being some pumped up queen" shows the audience that this male character is familiar with the stereotypes associated with his sexuality and he doesn't want to be seen as one of those stereotypes. This shows support for Medhurst's theory as homosexuals are being discriminated against because 'they are not like us'. Low angle shots are used whenever Christian is on screen to show that he continues to remain confident and holds control over Syed. Syed is presented as less confident and powerful because whenever he is shown on screen it is from an high angle over the shoulder shot, where the audience looks down on him because of how the camera is positioned. In the final shot where the two male characters kiss, this reinforces Medhursts theory about sexuality being invisible, because when you look at the two characters as separate individuals you are unable to know their sexuality because they aren't playing up to the typical gay stereotype of being a  'screaming queen'.

Gender practice essay question

How is gender portrayed in the extract of Hustle through:

Camera work

Mise-en-scene

Sound

& Editing?

In the extract of Hustle the theories of Mulvey (1975), Mackillon (2002) and Gauntlett (2002) are both supported and disrupted through the media language present in the clip. I will now explore this in more detail with reference to how; camera work, mise-en-scene, sound and editing contributes to constructions of gender representation.

The opening shot is a low angle medium close up of a middle-aged male wearing an expensive suit. The camera angle gives him masculine status as it makes him powerful which could fit Gauntlet’s 2002 theory however, the way he is standing is not a masculine pose which means his character also fits Mackillon’s theory as he is looking more feminine. In the background there is a younger female character shown coming up the stairs to the clothing shop, the positioning seems to support traditional gender roles as she appears lower down, and therefore less important, than the lead male character. The opening scene is accompanied by non-diegetic music that changes when the women comes into shot, it is quite feminine and it contributes to sexualising the female character in a way that fits Mulvey’s 1975 theory. Furthermore, it contributes to de-masculinising the male character to a point where he almost appears camp, which also fits with the dress shop setting and his job. The shots are linked together with a sound bridge and continuity editing is used to not distract the viewer.

The next shot is a high angle over the shoulder shot where the man is informing a customer on the price of a dress she is wanting to purchase. The camera angle makes the man look dominant in this situation, because he is towering over the woman. Also, when he asks “A little too rich for madam?” he is presented as quite patronising. The middle-aged woman disrupts Laura Mulveys theory as she is not being sexualised. Her age suggests that she is a housewife who typically stays at home looking after her kids. When she says “I’ll come back later’ this suggests that she is not rich enough to afford the dress, unlike the younger woman. The sound bridge from the previous scene becomes quieter, and the main sound on screen is the diegetic dialogue. Because the sexualised music is more subtle when the middle-aged woman is on screen, this suggests that the young woman is the only woman being sexualised. This supports Laura Mulveys theory of women being used as ‘erotic objects of desire’.

Once the middle-aged woman leaves the shop, the man focuses his attention on the young woman browsing through the dresses. First noticing her engagement ring gives suggestions about the mans sexuality. The way he jogs over to her eagerly shows that he is significantly more interested in what she has to offer than when he was talking to the middle aged woman. An eye line match shot is used when the young woman is glancing up at the man. This changes to a high angle over the shoulder shot where the man is looking down at the woman, which connotes power and dominance. This shows support for Mulveys theory.

In the next shot, a tilt shot is being used to show off the woman's figure when she tries on a dress. This shows support for Mulveys theory. The theory is also evidenced by the woman exclaiming “Oh yes!” repeatedly, as this can be seen as a sexualised action. The man is still seen as the dominant one as he is taller than the female, so he is able to look down on her. However, this disrupts Mackillions theory, as the man is not the person being sexualised in this situation. He also is not presenting himself as image conscious, as his body language connotes confidence and professionalism. His eyes appear to glance down to look at her bum, which gives further suggestions about his sexuality. Continuity editing is used all throughout to show the audience that the shots run smoothly after each other to show that the story is progressing.

Gender

Laura Mulvey, 1975

"As erotic objects of desire for the characters within the story, and as erotic objects of desire for the spectator"

David Gauntlett, 2002

"Images of the conventionally rugged, super-independent, extra-strong macho man still circulate in popular culture"

Mackillon, 2002

"Males are now used in a similar way as women, in so far as they are being presented as sex objects and are seen to be more image conscious and sensitive"

How is gender presented?

Women:

• Weak
• Powerless
• Over-sexualised
• Belongs in the kitchen 
• Skinny
• Victim
• Often reliant on someone else - usually a man 

Men:

• Heroic
• Attractive
• Strong
• Dumb
• Violent
• Brave
• Powerful
• Muscles

One example of a sexist magazine would be 'GQ', as they present their male celebrities as formal and sophisticated, as evidenced by the smart suit worn by Ryan Gosling, whereas female celebrities are usually posing seductively, with very little clothes on. This is done because it will appeal to many male members of 'GQ's target audience. Ryan Gosling is seen as a 'heartthrob' by many females, and by including a medium close up shot of him looking at the camera uses direct address to make the audience feel more personally involved with him, thus making them want to buy the magazine. 

Sound

Diegetic sound is 'realistic sound' where the source is visible on screen or where the source is implied to be present in the action even if the sound source is out of shot (e.g. a door slamming in another room or sirens in the distance) common examples of diegetic sound include: 

- Dialogue (characters voices)

- Sounds made by objects
- music coming from instruments shown on screen

- ambient sound (background noise that would be present)

Non-diegetic sound is sound where the source is not present in the action nor looks like it is meant to be; common examples include:

- Mood music

- Dramatic sound effects that do not match the sound anything on screen would make.

- Narrators commentary.

Sound Terminology

Non-diegetic

Title music: theme tunes (connote genre/represent TV drama).

Score/incidental music: orchestral music used to connote tone/atmosphere.

Sound motifs: sounds associated with certain character (often a villain like the shark in Jaws) that connote something good/bad is about to happen.

Sound effects: used to connote atmosphere.

Voice over: often used to give the viewer an insight into the thoughts of a character (creating a bond between the audience and character), set the scene or progress the narrative.  

Diegetic

Synchronous sound: sounds that match what you see on screen.

Sound effects: realistic sounds that match the action on screen creating realism and/or connoting atmosphere e.g. gun shots, door opening/closing.

Dialogue: characters speaking (dialogue progresses the narrative and reveals the character's personality/views to the viewer). 

Ambient sound: natural background noise you would hear if the scene on screen were real - this is vital when creating realism. 

Editing

Continuity editing: A style of editing that requires the director to try to make the film reality as much like the audiences reality as possible - everything flows in a consistent, smooth manner

• Parallel editing: The technique of alternating 2 or more scenes that often happen simultaneously but in different locations

• Cross cutting: Where 2 scenes, usually in different places or locations, are intercut to establish continuity. It is often used to dramatically build tension and suspense in chase scenes, or to compare two different scenes

• Eye line match: Based on the premise that an audience will want to see what the character on screen is seeing

• Match cut: Technical term for when a director cuts from one scene to a totally different one, but has objects in the two scenes “matched,” so that they occupy the same place in the shot’s frame

• Graphic match: Creates a cut between 2 shots that juxtapose their graphically similar images

• Shot/reverse shot: Where one character is shown looking at another character (often off screen) and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character

• Slow motion: The action of showing film or playing back video more slowly than it was made/recorded

• Fast motion: Action that appears to move faster than normal on screen

• Fade to black: Decreasing the light level to complete darkness

• CGI: 3D computer graphics used for creating scenes and special effects in films and television

• Sound bridge: When the scene begins with the carry-over sound from the previous scene before the new sound begins

• Fade to white: A film punctuation in which the picture brightens until it is completely white

• Long take: When a long sequence of film is made without stopping the camera

• Iris in/iris out: A technique frequently used in silent film in which a black circle closes to end a scene

• Jump cut: An  abrupt transition from one scene to another. Creates an effect of discontinuity or acceleration