Exemplar essay, TV Drama, January 2012
Extract: Representation:
Fingersmith Sexuality
The extract shown was a progressive representation of sexuality and the producers of ‘Fingersmith’ used camera shots, editing sound and mise-en-scène to show this. At the beginning of the extract we hear a narration describing the beauty of another woman in a female voice, this non-diegetic narration implies that the speaker, who stayed quiet throughout the scenes doesn’t want her secret thoughts heard. We know that the speaker is in the scene as the other woman speaks and is trying on the dress, whereas the female behind her stays quiet and holds it up for her and says “she looked so beautiful”! The camera shot of the two in the mirror is a mid-shot of the reflection in the mirror. The use of the mirror may mean that the reflection seen is the main protagonists (the narrator’s) desire to be together. The fact the mirror is dusty and dirty could mean that this ideal is flawed. The narrator is stood behind the desired woman but they are both in focus, showing that the other woman is the centre of attention, to get the audience identifying with the narrator (girl stood behind). The mise-en-scène of this first scene straight away shows that this is set a long time ago, which is why the extract is progressive as it presents the concept of sexuality in a stereotypically conservative time. The editing used next is the dissolve, which is used four times and we learn that this indicates the passing of time. We see the protagonist in a dark room with closed curtains, which suggests she is trying to hide something and is secretive, the camera pans and goes dollies round her as she rifles through books staying at a mid-shot but at eye view, reinforcing our identification and relationship with the character. The second dissolve takes us to a dark scene in bed with the protagonist and the other woman, and straightaway the connotations are sexual and forbidden, however a sense of virginity and innocence is felt as the bed clothes and costumes of the women are white, associated with purity. In this scene the protagonist, looks as though she’s going to touch her and a feeling of intensity is built up by the high pitched strong sound as her hand wonders over the other women’s chest. This is in contrast to the more light hearted music used in the scenes prior to this. The camera tracks Maude’s hand as it hovers over the other woman’s body to her thigh, and Maude becomes out of focus apart from her hand which suggests the importance of touch. The second dissolve takes us to a contrasting scene that is outside and bright. This use of lighting and colour change implies that she has to ignore her desires and get ‘normal’ for that era, almost like the light is a literal sense of ‘bearing all’. This is also reinforced by the fact another character is present, a male. In contrast to the women he is dressed in dark colours, which implies he is the villain in some sense, and we later find out it’s true.
Maude is painting the other woman who is sat against a boat sleeping. We then see the use of eyeline match as the camera cuts between a close up of Maude concentrating and then a mid-shot of the other woman sleeping. When the male aggressively whispers to Maude we hear a diegetic, asynchronous sound of a bell, which indicates time passing. This is confirmed by the male, whose head is slightly above Maude’s showing he has more power. The sense of time passing makes us feel like the scene’s nature of Maude’s desires are made harder for her by the feeling of time running out. The next part shows us that Maude starts to feel overly desirable towards the other as there is a continuous shot reverse shot used with eye line match, as the camera flicks from a close up of Maude making us feel the intimacy, to a shot of the other woman, with sounds of heavy breathing that are diegetic and non-diegetic plucking on a stringed instrument implying intensity. With each shot of Maude that comes before an eye line match of the other girl, the camera zooms in her breasts, then Maude, then her hands/crotch area, and among this there is a cut of a reaction shot of the male pointing at Maude to show his realisation to what we already know, which was her desire for the other woman. This feeling of intense desire grows as the use of red paint, the colour red connotes lust, and love, which drips from her paint brush in slow motion, the jump cuts show a disjointed nature, which implies her feeling of lack of self-control which leads to the ?????? realisation. There is a long shot pan of him dragging her to a tree which shows progression in the narrative. As he removes her gloves which have been on the whole time which could connote a barrier, forbidden from touch, a deep synth sound gets louder, when before we could only hear heavy breathing which was a connotation of sex. This asynchronous music suggests dread and danger, displayed in her reluctance. The next dissolve goes from Maude with her eyes shut to a mid-shot of the other woman’s naked back, unchanging. This use of editing suggests to us that Maude is thinking about the other woman. In the mise-en-scène we see a fire which connotes heat, passion and danger. We also see a clock, which reminds us of the time limit left, and the intensity of her desire because of it. When the scene finishes Maude is laid facing away from the other woman despite her desire for her, and has the covers held to her mouth, which may mean she is about to try and tell the woman, but doesn’t want to face her and say it.
17/20 knowledge and understanding 17/20 apply knowledge to show how meaning is created 8/10 terminology, how well it’s written 42/50 A grade Length: 4 pages of handwriting, written in 45 minutes