Media Mock

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs representations of gender and sexuality using following: mise-en-scene, camera angles/movement/position, editing and sound

The sequence begins with an establishing shot of the drama Mistresses, protagonist Jessica. She walks up into the frame and glances around the room. Her performance paired with the objects within the frame work together to deliver meaning to its audience. The audience realizes she has stayed at someone’s house for the night and is trying to sneak out. We realize she doesn’t recognize her surroundings; the audience is led to believe that this is the morning after the night before for Jessica. We are then presented with a point of view shot of a photograph of three women. This quick glance and a cut back to the protagonist’s expression show the audience that perhaps Jessica has got herself into a situation she should not be in. The woman on the left in the photograph has been represented as the stereotypical lesbian. Her hair is short, her clothes are plain and she does not conform to the ideologies of what the media call ‘beautiful’. This anchors the audience’s impression of the situation our protagonist may be in. the woman then walks into the frame, our protagonist suddenly realizes what she has done. The music playing throughout is fast-paced and has a quirky tone to it. As Jessica rushes to leave, the sound and her performance bring a slightly humorous side to the situation. The two of them discuss the events of the night before within a series of mid-shots. The shots are tight emphasizing how small the apartment is. The mise-en-scene challenged the hegemonic values of a home. We sense something is wrong, as Jessica walks towards the door, the camera cuts to the other female character sitting comfortably within the frame. As she offers to meet Jessica again another time, we see an empty wine bottle next to her. This anchors Jessica’s actions and suggests whatever happened did not mean anything to her.

The scene cuts to the protagonist and a friend. The mise-en-scene conforms to the expectations of a work place. We see the protagonist eating a sandwich whilst talking; this suggests that she is on a lunch break. There is no music featured at all during this sequence, just dialogue. It is brief and confirms the explanation and meaning of last nights events for both Jessica and the audience.

Coming to terms with what she has done, Jessica searches ‘lesbian act’ on a search engine. The audience is presented with a close-up of the computer screen showing how she is doing this privately at work. The music we hear during this emphasizes her curiosity. Again, it is face-faced, but this time round it has a more suggestive tone to it. She is interrupted by the arrival of a male character referred to as ‘traffic-light man’. The shot we see of him is a crotch shot from the protagonist’s point of view. The fact that we see his bottom half before his face reflects on Jessica as a character. This shows the audience that she is sexually driven and curious about the body. The editing here allows the audience to see things through Jessica’s eyes. This shows us how she is confused and trying to forget what happened last night.

The scene then cuts to the protagonist and her friends. The mise-en-scene conforms to the hegemonic values of a home and the audience realizes she is at a friend’s house. The editing is slightly faster here. The four friends interrogate Jessica about her sex life. A series of tight mid-shots cut together fast emphasize how confused and claustrophobic she feels, forcing her to rush off.

Next we see Jessica walking towards the bed where ‘traffic-light man’ is laying. Again, another morning after the night before situation. The camera pans closer towards the two, allowing the audience to engage with the characters. He begins to show affection towards her, and she seems to be nonchalant about it. As she bluntly tells him he has a taxi waiting on him, she walks out of the frame. The shows her strength as a character, and how she has full control over the situation.

The audience then sees Jessica looking online for a second time. The shot the time round is more open. We see a mid-shot of the computer screen, but this time with a more romantic view towards the sexuality. The music is more ambient and features romantic connotations and works alongside imagery of women in relationships. As she is looking at marriage imagery this suggest how she could be coming to terms with the fact she could be a lesbian or bisexual. The search is then interrupted by an e-mail from a colleague. The mid-shots show Jessica smiling, and quirkily looking up at Simon. This expression represents and anchors her curiosity towards both sexes.