Representation of characters (1)
- 1. Representation of Characters By Rebecca Osborne
- 2. Analysis of The Cabin in the Woods Sound: There is various screams throughout the trailer all of which come from the two women which are shown within the teaser trailer, this represents them as weak and the most venerable of the group as their screams are the only ones which are heard. Dialogue is used at the beginning which is spoken by the ‘jock’ of the group asking if anyone is ready he is taking the role of the dominant one here. He is seen as the protagonist here as he is seen as the group leader wanting to protect throughout and therefore the audience sympathises with him slightly. Sound is used throughout to create drama and tension, the use of non-diegetic sound is began half way through and is slightly upbeat and adds to the chaos that is happening, apart from that sound is not particularly used to represent characters. Although, there is silences when the blonde bimbo is screaming and this could show her lack of vulnerability. Editing: sound bridging of male voice as the camera shows the house, this editing of the sound can show the male dominance of the location in which they are in. Short clips and fast paced editing are used when the girl is screaming and she is being captured showing her lack of dominance in the scene and rapidness in which she may be killed. All editing is fast cut as all of the characters are venerable throughout and therefore need to be represented in this way. The title are used to represent the genre of the film and cut up the scenes of the characters enforcing the horror genre.
- 3. Mise en scene: Placement of characters is seen where the ‘jock’ character wraps his arm around the ‘bimbo’ character as if to protect her representing the idea that females need to be looked after by a male. This is then followed by the placement of characters where three males are seen to be standing in front of a female. Male that is near the beginning is seen as having a dirty face and is older which can possibly show him being wiser, which is justified through his dialogue advising them to not go there and therefore more valued but across the group he is seen as the most dominant. The ginger girl looking in the mirror can show that she is all about her appearance and this is stereotypical of the female gender. ‘Blonde bimbo’ character is wearing short shorts and a low cut top, this is representing her as only being shown on screen for the male gaze which follows Maulvey’s theory. Dark lighting throughout this doesn’t really represent characters in a certain way, all are made to be venerable and there is no clear difference in lighting. Character placement of the ‘blonde bimbo’ dancing erotically again making her sexualised and being used to satisfy the male gaze.
- 4. Camerawork: Close up of the ‘bimbo’ screaming which shows her as being the most venerable of the group as her farcical expression is clearly seen by the audience. Mid shot of the older male at the beginning again showing his dominance in this scene. The POV shot which is conducted shows that the male character here is slightly still or more in control as he is controlling the camera and therefore is represented as being slightly more dominant over the other characters. Low angle shot of the male walking, again this shows his dominance as he is made to look bigger. Close up of the ginger girl screaming at the end leaves the audience with the idea that females are the weakest and the most venerable out of the males.
- 5. Analysis of Oculus Sound: Voice over throughout the teaser trailer of a young girls voice, this can possibly show her as venerable as she could seemingly be on the one that is possessed. Dramatic music follows the scenes shown of close ups of the characters faces, although there is no diegetic sound heard and this could show that all characters are a lot stronger than perceived, especially the ginger girl who is made out to be protagonist by certain shots I have mentioned presenting her as an anti-stereotype. Editing: Cut to black of from the two young boy and girl which is showing the front of their face, this is continuous editing that shows the same people and therefore allows the audience to see that each character is rather young so possibly more venerable. Fast paced editing to show the vulnerability of the characters, which is contrasted with the long shots of the mirror, this can show that the mirror is the one with the power and more dominating.
- 6. Camerawork: Camerawork: Two shot of a boy and a girl staring into the mirror the camera is placed behind the two characters possibly showing that the mirror (as seen in the first scene alone) is more important than the characters. Low angle of the two young people which emphasises their vulnerability. A wide shot of the room is used to represent the girl as venerable and at a risk, she is also standing in the far left of the frame so that there is a lot of empty space in front of her making her seem alone and helpless. Close up of the girls face to show her expression that allows the audience to see that the young girl is scared. Wide shot used to show a male character standing against the mirror, this could either show he has power over the mirror as he’s in front of it, or the mirror has power over him, he is also placed in the right hand frame with a lot of empty space in front of him possibly representing that he is more at risk which is an anti-stereotype. Close up of the young boy’s face that looks scared for the girl, shows his age makes him more venerable. Extreme close up of the young girls eye as she looks through a crack in the door, this shows her not wanting to reveal the rest of her body as this makes her seem more venerable so therefore by only showing her eye makes her feel safer, to an audience although this can show her as venerable and hiding. High angle with dark lighting shows the ‘demon’ that is after them her eyes are the clearest thing and also the spookiest this demon is seen as the antagonist.
- 7. Mise en Scene: Lighting is very dark when showing the two young people representing the idea that these characters are going to be involved in the horror to come. The ginger girl character is seen stepping in front of the younger boy, this could be an anti-stereotype in the fact that a girl is protecting the boy and this is normally the other way round. Or it could represent that age makes someone more brave and this is why the girl is protecting the younger boy. Ginger girl get’s dragged out of frame, this represents her of being at risk and the audience are left clueless as to who is dragging her.
- 8. Analysis of Annabelle Sound: Non-diegetic sound goes against the genre of horror at the start as it is rather upbeat as it shows an establishing shot of the house and a baby's room with a mother. This music seems to represents the family as normal and leading a happy life. Male dialogue cuts through music possibly representing him as dominant. Dialogue from male ‘Stay here’ shows he is dominating and taking control of the situation. Whispering from the woman which cuts into the silence, shows her dominance in this scene. Editing: Montage of fast paced shots of mostly the male protagonist and the antagonist of the killers, this shows their dominance in this scene over the woman. Slow cuts at the beginning showing that everything is at peace and characters are acting normal and living normal lives.
- 9. Camerawork: Low angle shot of the woman walking into the room showing her dominance at this time, possibly anti- stereotypical, but also to show her legs and that she is wearing a night gown possibly for the pleasure of the male gaze which relates to Malveys theory. Close up of the woman face with a focus pull of a baby’s mobile, this shows a stereotypical representation of the woman as she is seen to be a child bearer and this is natural for a woman. Camera shows a scene happening in the other house of a woman being killed, the woman then sits up and the scene behind disappears, this shows that she in out of control and she is venerable. It also means that the audience know more than she does and this makes her seem less dominant. Wide shot of the woman showing a man behind her, this again shows her being more venerable and in the unknown. Zoom up and close up onto doll showing that the doll is the main thing affecting the horror that is going.
- 10. Mise en Scene: Dark lighting while the couple sleeps shows their vulnerability at this time and the fact they are in the unknown. Woman see to be putting dressing gown on to cover herself up this possibly proves Maluvey’s male gaze theory that women are more venerable when more of themselves are revealed. Dark lighting from the antagonist woman as she is standing in shadow making her more dominating and concealed.
- 11. Conclusion Overall all three films follow similar conventional stereotypes that audiences can recognise. Sound is represented in all three films in similar ways, for example in The Cabin in the Woods sound is used t represent the dominance of male characters and the submissive and timid role that the blonde character plays all conventional of their stereotypes. The woman especially follows Malvey’s theory of the Male Gaze, as seen within the images I have supplied the character is represented as a blonde bimbo and is provided for the late gaze, through her small clothing which shows a lot of flesh to her provocative dancing all of which is highlighted in low camera angles to make her more notable and take up more of the screen. This is also seen within Annabelle where the short night dress is seen and the low camera angle shows off the legs of the woman making her more attractive to the male gaze. This also relates to Baurdrillard’s Hyperreality theory, where the audiences are able to recognise these stereotypes because they have shown within various media and therefore allows us to recognise them in all characters. The Cabin in the Woods is a film based on stereotypes and therefore make it very clear of the various stereotypes shown. Stereotypes are also enhanced through the film Oculus where the ginger girl stands in front of the boy as she older and therefore audiences can recognise through media portraying this idea that adults are the protectors over children. This therefore leads to the theory of Dyer, who says that stereotypes legitimise inequality. Even though the girl stands in front of the younger boy in the Oculus trailer, even though she is older she is still a girl and therefore is the one that needs protecting which is seen in both Annabelle when the male character tells his wife to stay here so he can protect her and in The Cabin in the Woods when the women are ones screaming and the males are the one fighting.