Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of gender using the following: camera shots/angles, movement and composition, editing, sound and mise en scene.
In this extract the Masters authority is shown at the start of the scene by the camera angles looking up at him. This displays his importance and how he is in charge throughout the scene. He also dominates the room and the camera as he gets lots of screen time and as he is in conversation with Martha there are lots of quick cuts editing the shot reverse shot through out their conversation. As the scene goes on you notice he starts off standing at the top of the stairs menacingly looking down on all hims hostages, but as the clip comes to a close he is at the bottom step, totally defeated by the doctor and Martha. This symbolizes how the authority changes from the Master, to Martha to the Doctor. This displays how he has been outwitted by a woman, as males are usually the dominant gender so Martha is a heroin. The camera captures the menacing looks of the master by using close up shots of his face and mid shots of him pacing the landing where the lady in the red dress is standing. The camera uses reaction shots of the master as Martha walks in of him displaying a very intimidating cruel face. He is sneery towards Martha as she is under his power. This also leads on to how he treats the place like he owns it as he struts and wanders the landing with a booming voice and total control.
He is in his element and this is shown by his shirt untucked and collar undone, he seems relaxed and his mind is only on killing Martha and destroying the world. As the Master starts controlling the technology and pressing buttons the shots become faster paced to represent the danger and adrenaline of the moment. There is also non digetic music constantly playing in the background which seems to turn uneasy when he speaks to suggest danger and that he is going to do something bad. As Martha laughs at the master the music gets slightly higher to suggest that the mood is going to lift and Martha is has a plan, giving the audience hope. At one point Martha throws the Master something and he has to bend down to catch it as he is at the top of the stairs. This shows he has to make the effort to catch it, suggesting that his authority is going to be challenged. It could also be a symbol for whats to come as you see the Master is going to get outwitted by Martha and the Doctor.
Martha plays an important role within the clip as she is the Doctors messenger, like Jesus’ disciples. She is central in the first shot as she is between two security men with guns making her look even more vulnerable as she walks in the room with them pacing behind her. She darts her eyes around to show how she’s aware of her surroundings. The camera looks down on her whilst she’s in conversation with the Master to symbolise how she’s under his power at that moment in time. You can tell Martha is the focus as she is in a lot of the shots. The camera also uses lots of reaction shots of her when she’s in conversation with the Master to capture her feeling of being under his power. She is made to kneel down for the Master as this is where you as an audience think she is weak as she obeys him. Martha is wearing masculine clothes which are functional for her duty. This displays her determination to what the Doctor told her to do and how she has stuck to her instructions. She seems a prisoner, yet she doesn’t seem scared of upset. She is calm and confident and displays this by going along with the Masters orders but when she starts talking she has already devised a plan and has faith that she and the Doctor will get out of this situation. She displays bravery as she speaks to the Master and also shows hints of dominance as she always has something to say back at him. This suggests that the power is shifting from the Master to Martha as she is challenging his authority. She is a loyal character and has faith in the Doctor. As she tells the stories of how she got her message to all four corners of the earth the camera moves in on her to focus all the audiences attention on listening to what she has to stay. As she tells her story there is diegetic sound of her breathing through the cold, this emphasized sound strengthens the fact that she went against the odds to do what the Doctor had told her to. The camera cuts from scene to scene when showing Martha’s flashbacks which signpost past events. Shot reverse shot and the 180 degree rule is used when Martha and the Master are talking. As she is in conversation with the Master the camera cuts to different hostages in the room, presumably on Martha’s side as though they are all in a trance watching how she handles the situation and challenges the Master.
The Doctor is first portrayed in this scene as a weakling with his head hung low. He is trapped in a bird cage in the form of a wrinkled, frail creature. This symbolizes his weakness and helplessness. As you watch the clip for the first time you have no idea that the creature in the cage is the Doctor as its such a contrast to the end where he is rising up in a blue light, just like the resurrection of Jesus. This contrast symbolizes the importance of the Doctor and how powerful he actually is. The lights also signifies the power he has and how he has been reborn and is not in full authority over the Master. The camera angles on the Doctor seem to look up at him when hes being resurrected, suggesting his power, this is when the camera angles start to look down on the Master, signifying how the power has shifted. The Doctors voice projects at the end of the clip as he is rising upwards with the light around him, symbolizing his holiness, and how he is a leader.
There is a lady who stands out when the camera is on the balcony scene at the start of the clip. This woman is dressed in a tight red dress, all the other people on the balcony are wearing white therefore the audiences attention is automatically drawn to her. She plays no speaking or important role within the clip but poses as a piece of arm candy for the Master, as the red dress is suggestive and displays seduction. She is represented as an object, but you can tell she doesn’t care for the Master because when he is being over powered by the Doctor she plays no part in trying to save him. She is also blonde, and being stereotypical this could suggest she is quite thick therefore she doesn’t object to being treated like a trophy. She takes center screen in the wide shots of the balcony at the start, again suggesting she is just there to make the Master look ‘desirable’ and make the room look ‘nice’ because there’s a pretty woman standing in it.
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