George Silke

Representation of Gender in Primeval

Gender is represented in the extract from Primeval using mise en scene,
camerawork, editing and sound. Both masculinity and femininity are
represented in various different ways throughout the extract.
Mise en scene is used by the director to show various different
representations of gender. Abby, the more masculine female character in
the show, is wearing a dark leather jacket with jeans. These are items of
clothing that are usually associated with the male image. This is done to
present her as a counter-stereotype character. She also fights the sabretooth tiger with the digger, which further reinforces her as a strong female
character. Jenny, the more feminine female character in the show, is
represented using common female stereotypes. She is wearing a white
coat and is wearing a lot of make-up. She is also represented as a damsel
in distress when she is attacked by the man with the dogs and the
shotgun. This is a very common stereotype of female characters that is
used a lot in TV dramas. Conner is one of the male characters in the show.
He is shown to be more cowardly and weak than the other male
characters in the show. These character traits are a counter stereotype for
males in TV dramas. Male characters in TV dramas are usually
represented as strong and masculine. The clothing items that make up his
costume arent usually associated with male characters either. He wears a
red scarf with a pink shirt. These colours are more feminine and wouldnt
be usually seen being worn on a male character in a TV drama. When the
team go to the barn to rescue Jenny, all the characters are armed with
guns apart from Conner. He is holding a spade instead of being armed
with a gun like the others. This is done to represent him as a more
comedic character. He is the comic relief of the team in the show and it is
particularly evident in this part of the extract. Cutter, the leader of the
team, is represented as a stereotypically strong masculine character. His
clothes are dirty, which further reinforces his masculinity. His is also
represented as brave and resourceful, which is evident when he uses his
belt on a zip wire to escape from the tiger that is chasing him.
Sound is also used in the extract to show representations of gender. The
section of the extract where it is utilised the most is where the farmer is
threatening Jenny with the shotgun. Intense music is played as the attack
takes place and the diegetic sound in the scene like the dogs barking is
slowed down. This is done to further reinforce the distress that she is
feeling. This suggests that she is being represented as the stereotypical
female damsel in distress in this section of the extract. The intense
music that plays exaggerates the danger and distress that she is in even
further.
Editing is mainly used to show representations of gender in the section of
the extract where the farmer is threating Jenny. Slow motion is used to
make the scene more dramatic and intense. It is also used to further

George Silke

reinforce Jenny as being a damsel in distress by showing how distressed

she is feeling.
Camerawork is used in various different ways during the extract do show
representations of gender. When Cutter is in the hole digging for the body
and the tiger starts trying to attack him, a high angle shot is used on
Cutter. This is done to show that he is weak and helpless in the current
situation, which is another counter stereotype of male characters in TV
dramas. The same technique is used again in the same way when Jenny is
being attacked by the farmer. It was also used to show that she is helpless
in her current situation. Throughout the extract, most of the male
characters are positioned in the centre of the frame. This further
reinforces the common stereotype of male characters being strong and
authoritive figures.