Dr Who – exemplar essay The extract is of the sci-fi genre, portraying males as being dominant and females as being inferior, perpetuating the idea of conservative gender ideology. The main woman, Martha, does what the main man says, but appears confident at the same time. The villain is ‘all powerful’ and maintains a tough, dominating persona. Much of the scenery points towards the sci-fi genre, such as the rockets and also the technology e.g. the sonic screwdriver. This is a made up set in a studio, as the real room would not exist, however by showing the globe as a whole, the audience are made to think that it is within the real world. Clearly, we see the distinction between male and female characters. The villain is wearing a suit, connoting a business-like attitude to the way he is trying to take over. However, it is scruffy, with buttons undone, maybe showing stress, or a laid back attitude to what he is doing. Captain Jack also shows perpetuation of the male stereotype as he is muddy, showing that he may have been fighting to survive. The female behind the villain appears fairly glamorous, wearing a posh red dress. This could connote danger, anger or possibly even love or lust. However, Martha, the main female is wearing dark clothing and casual make-up, showing a more masculine side to her character, which is also backed up by the fact that she is strong, determined and ultimately outsmarts the villain. At the end of the scene, the doctor is lit up brightly, connoting an angel almost, as he has come to the rescue. At the beginning, the villain is shot from a low angle, making him appear to be the one in power, perpetuating the stereotype. The woman, Martha, is shown at a high angle, making her seem vulnerable and weak under his power. However when the doctor comes back to full health, this is reversed; as the power difference has changed, making the villain seem to be the weak one due to a stronger male presence. The low angle of the doctor shows that he is saving the day, and that suddenly the ‘goodies’ will prevail. Close-ups of the main characters in the conversation show emotion, especially on the face of Martha, showing she is upset and confident at the same time. The timer is shown in an over the shoulder shot, as well as a zoomed in extreme close-up, to make the audience conscious of the time, in order to create suspense. An establishing shot of the whole world is shown to make the audience feel they are in immediate danger, as it is the same world in which they live in. Parallel editing is used to create simultaneous action, so as not to confuse the audience, and to make it more realistic. A sense of realism is also created by the advanced CGI, especially on the doctor, making the whole experience very real. Association is created between this scene and other episodes by the flashbacks which show continuity, these are faded in and out to emphasise the fact that they are flashbacks, as well as by using a very soft, almost blurred focus and dim lighting at the post production stage.
To create pace, shot – reverse – shots are used in the conversation between Martha and the villain, showing exactly who they are focussed on. Also, there is fast cutting between all of the people showing they are all scared and in wonder and also to hide the main action for as long as possible to create suspense. Non-diegetic, orchestral music is used in the clip, showing the grandness and importance of the scene. It is in a minor key at the beginning to create suspense and drama; however at the end it becomes major as we know that the Doctor will save the day. Traditional instruments are used (mainly strings) as well as a male choir to maybe create a sense of a ritual, as Martha is going to be killed. However, synthesisers are also used to emphasise the sci-fi genre. Percussion is also used to create pace/speed, so the scene does not appear too slow, but also to create suspense. The music dies down so that we can hear the dialogue, as at this point this is the most important part of the scene. The villain emphasises words such as ‘200,000’, ‘my children’ and ‘master of all’ in an attempt to maintain control and show that he is in power over the situation. However the music builds to a crescendo when Martha begins to speak reason and show defiance and heroism, showing that she and the Doctor will save the day. In post-production, sounds have been enhanced such as the synchronous clicking of timer to create suspense. Also, voices have been altered, such as in the flashback, where the voices are dim so extra dialogue can be heard. Overall, the male stereotype is very much perpetuated, however the female stereotype is challenged, showing they can be strong and ultimately save the day.
Marks: 50/50 AO1: 30/30 (demonstrate knowledge of media concepts and terminology) AO2: 20/20 (apply knowledge, using examples)