| Representation - Serenity |
Page 5 of 8 Describing RepresentationsWhen you are describing a representation, it is essential that you use appropriate terminology to describe how the representation is constructed. Below are some descriptions of the film Serenity which attempt to explain how one of the female characters has been constructed. The response that describes the representation best is the one that uses terminology accurately to describe the representation in detail, explaining how it has been constructed. Very LowJoss Whedon has created an awesome movie full of action and excitement and very strong characters. River is a fighter and she is very strong and there are many scenes when she shows she is an awesome fighter. Zoe is also an excellent fighter with many fighting qualities and is strong. There is a bar fight and River kicks butt!! LowIn one scene, River punches Jayne in the stomach with a tray. She hits him in the head and he falls over. He is strong but she is stronger. Therefore, this is a tuff woman character. MediumJoss Whedon is known for creating strong female characters. The bar fight demonstrates this. It is very tightly edited and there are lots of loud diegetic punch sounds. River kicks a number of people in the head, each sound is emphasised. HighRiver is represented as a strong female character. The fight begins with an extreme close-up of River's face. In the next shot, which is wider, her movements are slow and the editing is used to convey her strength. She kicks one of the patrons. Her acting along with the diegetic sound of her kick contributes to this representation of a physically strong female character. Very HighIn the bar fight in Serenity, Joss Whedon has carefully constructed the scene to represent River as a physically powerful female character. He uses a range of codes to achieve this effect, including diegetic sound, dialogue, editing, camera movement, lighting and shot selection. Examining this scene closely reveals how the character has been constructed. The fight begins with an extreme close-up of River's face. Whedon cuts to a wider shot. Although this is not in slow motion, her movements are slow and the rhythm of the editing is used to convey the savagery of her physical abilities. She paces slowly across the frame before kicking one of the patrons. Her acting combined with the emphasized diegetic foley sound of her kick contributes to this representation of an extremely physically powerful female character. Assessment Task: Representations of Women in SerenityWord Length: 750-1000 wordsDue Date: Friday 21 March, 2008 Essay Structure1. Who is Joss Whedon and how does he represent the female characters in his films and television programs. Your discussion of this point should refer specifically to the Equality Now speech and article ‘The ladies’ man’ from The Age, using quotations when appropriate.2. Briefly describe the storyline of the film. 3. Describe the character Zoe and how she is represented throughout the film. Your description of how this representation is constructed should refer to specific scenes, make use of appropriate quotations and refer very specifically to appropriate filmic codes (such as shot size, camera angle, music, dialogue, etc). 4. Describe the character River and how she is represented throughout the film. Your description of how this representation is constructed should refer to specific scenes, make use of appropriate quotations and refer very specifically to appropriate filmic codes (such as shot size, camera angle, music, dialogue, etc). 5. Give an overall summary of how the female characters in this film are represented. Assessment CriteriaCriterion 1: Describe representations in media texts.
|
