Exam Question 1 - gender

Margaret 

• The PM is seen as the traditional women due to having to listen to the man, seen as more powerful within this seen (head and shoulder shots being zoomed in; slowly (taking everything in as you should see from her traditional stereotype, focusing) Male gaze?? she could slightly be linked to this - leading to change? stereotypically found in dramas) 
• Head and shoulder shot the PM is making direct address with the audience - portraying intimidation, the odd silence from her represents this. 
• Traditional man (the man who is speaking) has power/voice - dominant and in control of himself - dressed in suits - the spotlight is focusing on him. 
• The laughter from all the men 
• Dramatic suspense music when Margaret is walking, in front of everyone - men, showing the change in stereotype which challenges the traditional one so promoting binary opposition - change in stereotype, 'lesbian' women now has power. Could be argued that this power from the women could be seen as 'sexy'. The camera angle is still low, fighting with the stereotype. How rigid she looks - in a form of a robot (performance) - walks from the shadows into the light.
• The cut-away to the bag could represent an iconography for the 'traditional' women where she is not paying much attention to the men however this challenges the traditional stereotype.
• Camera is hand-held - unsteady, fast paced - could relate to the 'gay' man - jittery. 
• The shot of her shoes promotes her elevated, higher up than everyone else - Male gaze normally focuses on these features 
• The quick pace in the cuts from each man in this scene - seen as gossip, change in stereotype 'gay' man.
• Offers escapism, entertainment and can be argued education. 

In Margaret there are various different stereotypes used to represent the different genders used in the clip.

Camera is a key element in proposing these stereotypes due to the different shots, angles and movement types it has to offer in order to create the visual representation of these stereotypes for the audience. At the beginning, when the man MP is relaying his resignation, the camera shots him in a 'head and shoulder shot' near enough throughout. This is to then capture the pure emotion from the man but also, his selfishness for neglecting the rest of the governing party. From this, you can relate this character into the 'traditional' man stereotype due to the dominance he has over the rest of the people within this scene and the camera shot generates his personality of not being intimidated by the large crowd and the spotlight that is focusing on him - another feature for this stereotype. However, the Prime Minister in this scene is promoted parallel to the other character by also falling into the 'traditional' stereotype but for a woman. She withholds a close-up shot for the majority of her scene, with the camera slightly zooming in - steadily, this connotes the stereotype perfectly due to listening to the man and taking everything he says in without interruption. Consequently, demonstrating that currently the man has more power over her. On the other hand, when the close-ups are taking place the Prime Minister is in fact making direct address with the audience with a stern look upon her face - promoting aggravation. A cut-away to her hands also suggests this emotion due to the clench of her fists when the MP is speaking. Meaning, the 'traditional' women element of her character could also be run alongside the 'lesbian' woman stereotype due to the fiery side that looks like it is about to combust. After this scene, the PM bursts out of the House of Commons storming to an office - the camera angle looks down on her challenging her power within the scene but also comes with a 'tracking shot' which allows a fast-paced movement to happen. At this moment, there is another cut-away shot to her shoes which are in fact high-heels allowing her to be elevated (a sign of power) this could then be a weak link to the Laura Mulvey Male Gaze theory due to heels having the connotation of being 'sexy' but through her dominant role within this clip only allows it to be a weakened suggestion. Another use of camera to promote gender is the final scene of the clip, the hand-held camera allows the fast-paced frantic surrounding to be enforced. The other MPs (all men) are having array of quick cut shots to each other when they speak - this promotes a 'bitchy' tone for the scene therefore allowing a change within their stereotype going from the 'traditional' man to now showing elements of the 'gay' man. This change in stereotype could allow the audience to seek both entertainment but also, escapism from reality from the Uses and Gratification theory released by Katz and Blumler in 1959.