Luther Clip

Gender is represented in this clip by editing, camera work, sound and mise en scene. Binary opposition and stereotypes are shown in this clip.

At the very start of the clip when Alice first turns to the camera she is accompanied by dramatic music which and non-diegetic and asynchronous sound. This represents her gender as more powerful in this situation as she has the suspense of the music and the power it gives her. When Luther is shown he no music accompanying him which shows how in this situation he is being represented as weaker.

The clip starts using the camera work of shallow focus on both the male Luther and the female, Alice. This shot allows the audience to focus on the emotions and thoughts shown by the characters, here the characters are presented as equal as they both get the same amount of camera time. It represents the binary opposition to be equal and less stereotypical, as Luther dose not have more power like males are normally stereotypically represented to have.

There is also an establishing shot within the first 9 seconds which set the scene for the audience and shows more of the posture of the characters, this is mise en scene. Here you can see that Luther is very relaxed and leaning back into the railings, he is comfortable in the urban city surroundings. As the binary opposition shows here Luther has the power as Alice is a lot more tense and not as at ease in this setting, this is a stereotypical representation of gender as the women is not seen to be as control in the man especially in a city setting. The mise en scene also represents gender stereotypically as Alice is wearing make up and her hair is flawless. This a typical representation of women to have to look perfect and polished.

The mise en scene still represents a stereotypical women as they move into the apartment as the flat is neat and tidy like how women are expected to keep their homes. Luther is still very relaxed in this setting, his hands in his pockets whereas Alice still looks less at ease as she picks up objects and fiddles with them. This show the binary opposite of Luther being more powerful than her and is a stereotypical representation of men and women.

While in the flat there is a pan shot that follows Alice but also shows Luther watching her. Here the binary opposition is more equal as while the camera shows Luther is it following Alice which shows she has more control and power. While in the apartment Alice talks about the black hole, as she is doing she is accompanied by eerie music which adds tension but also give her power. This sound is non diegetic and asynchronous which heightens the power it gives Alice as its not meant to be there. Luther is only shown at this point as a reflection in the photo in an over the shoulder shot from Alice. This shows how Alice has more power and it is being shown from viewpoint and how Luther is just shown in the reflection. Here the binary opposition is representing the female as stronger than the male which is not a typical representation.

There is diegetic and synchronous sound in this clip which is off them both talking. Luther's voice is louder, clearer and more assertive which is a typical representation of males being more dominant. Here the binary opposition is that Alice is being shown as weaker as she is quieter and more softly spoken. Through out the clip Luther is still being shown by the mise en scene as more relaxed, he takes off his jackets, put it's on a chair and leans against the chair. He is being shown as being comfortable and feeling at home which is a binary opposition to Alice who still appears to remain uptight and less comfortable throughout.

The eerie tense music builds throughout them being in the apartment and there are more over the shoulder shots from Alice's point of view. This shows Alice's power as see are seeing her perspective and not Luthers, it reminds us she is there and how its all under her control. This is not a typical representation of females. The tension is also built by the shot reverse shots used as this also shows the power battle between the two. This represents gender in a way that is different to how it is normally represented as males often have the power and control straight away without having to work for it as shown here.

The music hits a climax when Alice touches Luther and gets right under his skin. This music climax also shows Alice's power it shows the hold she has over Luther. Luther has a few more shallow focus shots in this scene and as Alice has some too this shows the binary opposition of the male being presented as weaker. We get to see his emotions a lot more which suggests he is weaker as he is showing more emotion. This really is not a stereotypical representation of the gender as makes are rarely represented as weaker.