2. MALES
A traditional male possesses characteristics such as
strength, authority and power. I believe my opening
mostly portrays a traditional representation of men.
Firstly, my male character dominates most of the air
time in my film, whilst also dominating the spoken
narrative. He also constantly refers to the female in
the opening through 3rd person pronouns such as
"her" and "she“, that are deemed impersonal and
generic.
Secondly, although not named in the opening of my
film, my detective character is called "Detective
Bishop". Using formal address terms such as
"Detective" already initiates a degree of authority
and power, however "Bishop" is a chess piece, and
has connotations of logic and maths, which
ultimately signifies male attributes.
He is dressed in smart/work clothes that consist of a
suit, tie and hat, further outlining his authority and
representing a traditional male. All of the shots of
Bishop are of him on his own, and I made sure to
include shots of him playing chess, this outlines his
independence and competitiveness, a traditional
expectation of male behaviour.
His clothing is somewhat traditional, further
highlighting his positional authority in society
Chess is highly competitive and requires a high
amount of logic, thus reflecting traditional male
attributes.
3. Challenges?
However, I also believe my detective
presents a modern representation of men.
This is apparent in the close up of a tear
that rolls down his face. This is significant
as it portrays emotion and feelings,
something that connotes a traditional
female. Through this shot, the audience
can identify with his emotions and
perhaps feel sympathy, again, this is
deemed as a ‘female’ trait.
Furthermore, a shot at the beginning also
reveals him pulling out a
loveletter/momentum from his pocket.
Again, this portrays a modern
representation of men as it suggests he
has ‘feelings/soft spot’ for this girl. This is
of stark contrast to the powerful and
dominant image that men are expected to
traditionally portray.
This over the shoulder shot reveals a love letter he’s kept
from his love – suggesting feelings and portraying a modern
male
This close up allows the audience to identify with his
emotions, thus reflecting a modern man
4. FEMALES
A ‘traditional woman’ is seen not as herself, but a
‘complementary addition’ to assist the male. She
is the homemaker, there to bring up her children
and cook for her ‘hardworking husband’. She is
taught marriage is the most important, and
finding a male to depend on is everything.
Femme fatales are big conventions in noir, they
are a modern representation of women. They
refuse to play the ‘devoted mother’ and instead
enjoy carelessly toying with the hearts of those
around them.
My film conveys this more modern representation
as pictures of her reveal her striking red lips,
connoting power and passion. Though passion
connotes a traditional female, the meaning is
completely changed when put alongside the word
“power” as it brings around a sense of raw
lust/sexuality.
Moreover, the low angle heels shot portrays her
as confident, powerful, and independent. Overall,
a modern representation of women but a
‘traditional’ femme fatale. This low angle reveals heels walking down some stairs. Diegetic
amplified ‘heel’ sounds are also heard, reinforcing the power and
confidence displayed in this shot. This represents women as
powerful and fearless – a modern view.
Despite the previous slide, this image also presents a
modern image of women. The striking red lips is what
the audience first sees. This has connotations of threat,
power and raw sexual passion, all connoting a
dangerous love – and a woman who isn’t ‘conforming
traditionally’.
5. Traditional conventions
My lead female also depicts aspects of a traditional woman.
For example, she is first seen via a close up. This forces the
audience to look at her face, suggesting that this shot is
solely based on looks, thus representing women as objects
of beauty and nothing else.
She is also pictured dead in the bath, representing her as
weak, powerless and vulnerable. This presents the audience
with a traditional view of the female gender. Moreover, it
objectifies her as it is clear from the pictures she has been
propped up into the bath by the detective, further outlining
women’s (in her case, this means physically) dependence
on men.
She also wears heavy eye make-up, outlining that the
traditional woman has to conform and wear make-up in
order to look pretty. Additionally highlighting the previous
point that women are very solely based on looks.
The absence of the female in my opening is also very
notable. Although fairly conventional for noir (as femme
fatales usually ‘femme fatale’ further on in the film), it
also presents a traditional representation of females as it
suggests they are just ‘fillers’ who blend into the
background and aren’t really that important.
This extreme close up amplifies her looks
as the audience are forced to objectify her
and judge her on her beauty. Representing
women as traditional.
Women are still portrayed as beauty objects
even when they are dead. He has propped her
up to look and appear this way, thus provoking
a traditional view on women as dependent
and weak.
