Essay- Gender Representation in Different TV Dramas

Compare the Way Two TV Dramas Construct Representation of Gender using Camera Shots, Angles, Movement, Composition and Mise-en-Scene   
                              
                               Different TV dramas show the roles and representations of women in different ways. The roles of men are also shown differently. A good example of this is the representations of the different genders in a soap drama, such as Eastenders, and sci-fi drama, such as Doctor Who.
                              In the Eastenders clip, we see a young woman, Alice, dressed in young, fashionable clothing with her hair and make up done. The scene is set outside a local pub at a nighttime hour, which we know from the natural darkness, and street lights all around her. In her hand is a prop, a mobile phone. After there has been a close up of the prop, the picture changes to a young man, wearing a hoodie sitting on bike. This represents the young youth stereotype which is commonly associated with crime, and with the figure being a man shows that men are more associated with crime then women . Also in the background we see common character, Ray, who is minding his own business, dressed in plain colours. As Alice starts to walk away from the pub, there is a close up of her handbag, and then a re-focus to the young figure in the background. Using this pull focus gives the audience an idea of a link between the two and starts to build the feeling of suspense. Before this point, the camera was still, but as Alice began to walk, the camera walked with her, making the audience feel they are in the scene as they travel with her. Then from behind Alice, in the same shot, we can see the person on the bike move towards her and again this adds to the suspense. As he rides past her, he takes her bag and she falls to the floor. The camera falls to the floor with her and then, from the same angle as Alice, the person can be seen riding away, which again makes the audience side with Alice. He may of decied to mug Alice because, seeing the way she was dressed, may have given him the idea of her being an 'easy target' as such. As the camera shows him riding away, we see Ray chase after him, again from the same angle, which may imply that the mugger and Ray are at equal power, representing the classic good v evil battle and again, they are both men and women are not traditionally seen in 'battles'. After failing to catch him, Ray returns to console Alice, who has tears running down her face. This shows her as being vulnerable and gives Ray, the hero and man figure of the scene, the most power at this moment. So Eastenders, throughout the scene, presents the old fashion view of the man being cable, and also men always committing crimes and lastly having the women as the damsel in distress character.
                                  The Doctor Who clips gives the opposite representation of gender equality compared to the previous Eastenders clip. The scene shows the doctor, Amy and her boyfriend, Rory, sitting in a park on top of a boulder socialising and reading books and newspapers. The park is in a city, proven by the fact that there are urban buildings behind the trees of the park, and the sound of police sirens are frequently heard. This could be linked into the usual thrilling scenes found in the Doctor Who series, and also links into the crime theme introduced by the Eastenders clip. The fact that they're surrounded by nature could represent the relaxed feel to the scene, and the fact it is surrounded by crime and noise touches on the themes associated with the Sci-Fi series. The camera shot is a wide shot, showing the three characters and the setting clearly. The doctor and Amy are sitting higher up compared to Rory, and this could show equality between the genders. For example if Rory was sitting with the doctor, it would come across that they are seen as more important compared to Amy, which would be seen as sexist. It is daytime in the park, made clear by the sound of birds, and the fact there is complete natural lighting around them, again linking into the the relaxed and natural theme. Amy and Rory are relatively younger than the doctor and the audience can see this by styling methods. For example, Amy and Rory are wearing jeans and jumpers, seen as casual clothing worn when people are relaxing, whilst the doctor is wearing a suit, which is associated with work and represents the character's seriousness, importance and maturity. As the scene progresses, we see friendly banter between the three characters. There is a joke made about Amy, which she took slight offence to, and when questioned about the truth of the joke, Rory denies it, to which Amy ordered him to kiss her. Rory may of denied the joke either to spare hurting Amy's feelings, or to make sure he doesn't get shouted at, as he may find her outgoing personality intimidating. So in this clip, even though they are not the main character, Amy dominates the power of this scene, a contrast to the Eastenders clip. 
                                       In conclusion, some TV dramas represent gender equality differently. For example, in Eastenders, women, such as Alice, are shown as vulnerable and incapable at standing up and looking after themselves and rely on men to do that for them. Whereas in Doctor Who, men and women are seen as more equal and if anything, showing women standing up for themselves and trying to get their own way. This is shown through techniques such as mise-en-scene, camera shots and angles deiced on by the directors, stylists, and editors. Doctor Who shows more modern views on equality, however Eastenders, based on everyday life, show that the old fashion views on gender equality still exist.