Fingersmith, 2005, BBC Drama Sexuality

One way in which editing was used within this extract was through a dissolve. An example of this is when Maud is getting her hand licked by her male admirer, and there is a close up of her facial expression of disgust. It then dissolves to the other girl undressing and showing her back. The use of the dissolve suggests that the two scenes are linked and that they represent Maud's thoughts at this point. This makes the audience realise that Maud fantasises about the other girl, which implies that lesbian relationships are about fantasies and desires of lust.

In contrast to this, when the man is in the shot the diegetic sound changes from classical piano and violin to now discordant and tense. Additionally, the use of the body language which he portrays is violent and physical. For example, when he pushes her against the tree and holds her. This suggests that heterosexual relationships are all about dominance and violence, whereas lesbian relationships are more peaceful and caring between one another. This is reinforced through the use of the dialogue, "Wake her, she'll burn" suggesting that they care about each other.

The use of the lighting inside where the two girls are alone together is always dark and candlelit, whereas when they are outside it is naturally lit and the lighting is bright. This implies that lesbian relationships at this time were forbidden and have to be a secret.  Furthermore, the positioning of the frame when the man comes between the two girls and he is standing higher in the frame, this reinforces that heterosexuality is all about being dominant and demanding and is the norm of society at this time.

The use of the slow tracking shot when Maud and the other lady are in the setting of the bedroom and the use of the gesture when Maud is contemplating whether to touch the other lady or not. This suggests that lesbian relationships are not all about physicality but also reinforces the forbidden love and also the unrequited love which is suggested in this extract. The prop of the glove which she is wearing also implies that lesbian relationships are repressed and hidden away from society as they were not acceptable during this time period of the Victorian Era.

The hyperbolic and enhanced sound of the heavy breathing and the rustle of the silk dress suggests intimacy between lesbians but also that lesbians share a emotional relationship. The costume and props portray the idea that lesbianism is also about appreciating the art and literature of the world and applying it to their relationship. For example, when Maud is painting the woman she is appreciating every part of her. The eye-line match from Maud to the other lady's breasts represents that lesbianism love is also about the physicality of others and the intimacy between them.

How has the film industry (Disney, or Film4 productions, or, another) used digital technology to appeal to an increasingly fragmented audience?

A fragmented audience is the break up of a audience. This has been happening in the most recent years and we have found that fragmented audiences are more diverse due to the increased in media platforms, and the availability  to more diverse content and more choice. This is a major problem for media institutions because there is more competitions between cinemas, advertisement, and traditional media in general. Nowadays, modern advertisers have to get a audience to come to them. This is done by engaging the audience through the techniques of Web2.0 to engage an audience used to interactivity. This allows the audience to virally market the products of media institutions.


One media institution which has used digital technology to attract fragmented audience is Disney. One way in which they did this is:

The force was strong in the digital and mobile space, where the content plan ran at a different speed. It was much faster, much more conversational and fluid. With starwars.com as the hub and social platforms —yes, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, but also a super cool Tumblr blog and even a well-managed presence on Google+—as the spokes, there were new pieces to the story revealed multiple times a day. We shouldn't forget that brands have to earn their way into users' social feeds. Star Wars earned its way into those feeds and the right to stay by publishing and sharing great content. A new app was launched, games arrived, all feeding elements of the overall story Disney was telling.

They even used events like Comic-Con and Star Wars Celebration to further feed the frenzy. Disney streamed live on YouTube, revealing cast members and characters, teasing future films, and essentially bringing fans into the experience as if they were family. They launched toys before the movie release and before the critical holiday shopping season, making that an event in and of itself by labeling it  "Force Friday," and bringing key partners like Amazon, Target and Toys "R" Us into the mix, then mistakenly (perhaps?) revealing minor plot details on some of the toy packaging.

The brand partnerships were big and bold and really pinned their only hopes for holiday marketing campaigns on Star Wars. Covergirl, Duracell, General Mills, HP, Subway and Verizon launched major efforts and timed those launches in a way that engaged consumers and fans with products and ads that provided as much unique new content as some of the official work coming directly from Disney.

Force Friday hashtag on Twitter 

Mock Exam Feedback

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Sexuality Questions

Upload the posters for the 1933 King Kong film and the 1951 film The Day the Earth Stood Still and comment on the representations of sexuality depicted in them.

 

 

 

 

 

Both posters represent sexuality in many ways. There is a clear protagonist who is saving the woman who is the 'damsel in distress' this suggests the representation that women are reliant on men and incapable of surviving on their own and protecting themselves. The low angle shot helps portray the representation of women is that they are weak and submissive as they are being held by the male figures, and are below them, aswell, as being obviously significantly smaller.  The flailing of her limbs implies that she is being melodramatic and emotional, a typical representation of females. In addition, she is being sexualised by the large amounts of skin on show from her provocative costume.Additionally, the men in both posters are represented as strong and powerful, and resilient. The evil aggressor, the ape or robot, is in some way posing a sexualised threat to the half naked but pure virginal woman who is seen as needing to be rescued from the masculine threat seeking to violate her. 

 

 

 

2. What reason is given in the article for the Sci-Fi genre including more challenging representations of female sexuality?

 During the early era of sci-fi women were rarely sexualised in film, however, the new  alien characters brought a new opportunity for presenting women in a different way that may not have been appreciated or accepted in characters of other genres. Extra-terrestrial beings were not as relatable as human characters and therefore it was perceived as acceptable to view them in ways that would seem distasteful and offensive had it been a human. Due to their unnatural characteristics they were often portrayed in a very sexual manner, many being associated with the protagonist through his love life. This new breed of characters proved fascinating for the audience and they would not have seen an issue in the over-sexualising of their costume and behaviour.

 

3. What are the two main ways that women have traditionally been depicted in terms of female sexuality?

 They were given the representation of openly offering a much more provocative representation of sexuality. They were provocatively dressed, with heavy eye make up and a seductive voice. The female characters followed mainly a narrative which included them attempting to seduce the hero of the story.

 

4. How have recent writers and directors changed representations of sexuality in television dramas?

 Recent writers and directors have changed the representation of sexuality in television dramas by not following the conventional heterosexual relationship. Instead they have changed the sexuality of the main protagonists and have represented them as homosexual.

 

5. What has television producer and screenwriter Russell T.Davies done to challenge depictions of sexuality in mainstream television drama?

He wrote a TV drama which was a ground-breaking but controversial about a group of young gay friends in Manchester.

 

 

6. Why is Captain Jack’s sexuality in Dr Who kept oblique?

Captain Jack's sexuality in Dr Who is kept oblique so that the audience can work out from some of his one-liners what sexuality he is. Also because Doctor Who is considered family viewing, and references to any kind of sexual behaviour, heterosexual or otherwise have to be kept oblique.

 

 

7. What technical aspect (camera, sound, mise-en-scene or editing) does the article suggest gives most hints to the viewer about Jack’s sexual orientation?

The article suggests that the audience should pay attention to the framing of Jack. He is occasionally framed in a medium longshot or medium close up in order to emphasise his physical attributes. Additionally, sound might also have a part to play in telling us how a character feels about another character, so incidental and other music might also play a part in the representation of sexuality.

 

 

8. Which technical aspect of the representation of Jack (camera, sound, mise-en-scene, editing) challenges traditional stereotypes of gay men?

 In contrast, the author argues that the costume element of mise-en-scene is a counter stereotype of his sexual orientation as it is very masculine. For example he regularly wears military attire and has the phisique of a hyper masculine character, another counter stereotype.

9. Why might some audience members be offended by Jenny and Vastra’s relationship in Doctor Who?

As mentioned before, some people would be offended that the only lesbian couple has one character as an alien since it implies that humans are incapable or shouldn’t be involved in homosexual relations with each other. The fact that it is only possible through the use of an extra-terrestrial being rather than a human could be seen as an insult to the homosexual community. Alternatively it is a plot point using central characters and the entire programme revolves around the lives of non-human’s it appears to be an acceptable compromise.

 

 

10. Find a still image from an episode Dr Who and annotate the mise-en-scene characteristics that give clues to the character’s sexuality – eg. setting, costume, body language, props, facial expression, positioning in the frame.