1.) Analyse the ways in which representations of gender are constructed in the extract through the usual 4 micro-elements.
At the beginning of the extract, Alex Drake is wearing a suit with her hair tied up for practicality and professionalism. This is a turn around from the usual representations of gender as it is usually the man who is shown to be going to work and wearing suits etc. Alex Drake then begins to drive at a high speed in order to arrive at the crime scene which again isn't the normal representation we expect to see of a woman. As the times change and she wakes up in the 1980's, she appears to be dressed as tat of a prostitute with a tight, short, leather dress which Gene Hunt comments on by saying 'If that skirt was hitched any higher, I'd be able to see what you had for breakfast'. This implies that she is dressed provocatively and in a way that makes men look at her as she is revealing her body. The colour red of her dress and the bright red lipstick symbolise a seductive image. This is a completely different representation of women compared to the opening scene as they are now being presented as flirtatious, going out of their way to make themselves get male attention and the men are presented a respectable by Gene Hunt's comment to her about it and appearing not to be interested enough to stare at her. As the man in the grey suit chases after Alex Drake, they end up in what looks like some sort of closed off area which would normally be where a prostitute would have picked up men in those days. In this scene the man is being confrontational, preventing her from moving away. He treats her like someone with no importance, like she is nothing which would not have happened in the modern day when she was a respected police officer.
The sound used during this scene was a soundtrack as the car entered what looked like a car park to symbolise the importance of the police officers arrival as they are all men and they are in control. There were sounds from the exhaust of the car as it drove speedily around the corners before stopping which also exaggerated their power as their entrance was so significant that Alex and the man in the grey suit stopped and stared. The soundtrack and the car present the men as being very masculine. Men from the 1980's appear to have the same respect that Alex Drake had in the modern day.
Alex's shoes make a diegetic sound as she walks or rather is pushed against the wall by the man. This really points out that women are easily pushed around by men as they are in control. As Gene Hunt delivers his lines, he appears to be very macho with his head held high and every word he uses presents him with the utmost authority. Alex Drake's speech when she is telling the man in the grey suit what the officers want shows her intelligence which would not be the normal representation of women who are put int hat position. There were no special effects in this scene whatsoever.
At the beginning of the extract, Alex Drake is wearing a suit with her hair tied up for practicality and professionalism. This is a turn around from the usual representations of gender as it is usually the man who is shown to be going to work and wearing suits etc. Alex Drake then begins to drive at a high speed in order to arrive at the crime scene which again isn't the normal representation we expect to see of a woman. As the times change and she wakes up in the 1980's, she appears to be dressed as tat of a prostitute with a tight, short, leather dress which Gene Hunt comments on by saying 'If that skirt was hitched any higher, I'd be able to see what you had for breakfast'. This implies that she is dressed provocatively and in a way that makes men look at her as she is revealing her body. The colour red of her dress and the bright red lipstick symbolise a seductive image. This is a completely different representation of women compared to the opening scene as they are now being presented as flirtatious, going out of their way to make themselves get male attention and the men are presented a respectable by Gene Hunt's comment to her about it and appearing not to be interested enough to stare at her. As the man in the grey suit chases after Alex Drake, they end up in what looks like some sort of closed off area which would normally be where a prostitute would have picked up men in those days. In this scene the man is being confrontational, preventing her from moving away. He treats her like someone with no importance, like she is nothing which would not have happened in the modern day when she was a respected police officer.
The sound used during this scene was a soundtrack as the car entered what looked like a car park to symbolise the importance of the police officers arrival as they are all men and they are in control. There were sounds from the exhaust of the car as it drove speedily around the corners before stopping which also exaggerated their power as their entrance was so significant that Alex and the man in the grey suit stopped and stared. The soundtrack and the car present the men as being very masculine. Men from the 1980's appear to have the same respect that Alex Drake had in the modern day.
Alex's shoes make a diegetic sound as she walks or rather is pushed against the wall by the man. This really points out that women are easily pushed around by men as they are in control. As Gene Hunt delivers his lines, he appears to be very macho with his head held high and every word he uses presents him with the utmost authority. Alex Drake's speech when she is telling the man in the grey suit what the officers want shows her intelligence which would not be the normal representation of women who are put int hat position. There were no special effects in this scene whatsoever.
When Alex Drake is looking in the puddle, there is a reflective shot which is there to show her emotions which presents women as being emotional and not afraid to show their feelings. The editing of this extract showed a low angle using the 180 degree rule to emphasise the hierarchy and power men have compared to women. The major reveal of the police officers has a close up on Alex's face when she discovers who they are. This shows her intelligence as a woman which is another representation of gender here seeing as the man in the grey suit needed Alex to explain what the police officers wanted to make him give himself in. This scene uses many different angles to show the degrading view on women dressed as a prostitute with a long shot as well as the knowledge and professionalism of a woman with a low angle.
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