Emma Hewitt-Walton

Doctor Who Analysis

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs representations of gender.

Representations are common in the media in forms such as newspapers and television. A
representation is the portrayal of somebody or something in a particular way and in this
5 minute of Doctor Who gender is represented through the characters, these can be
stereotypes or countertypes.
Firstly, at the beginning of the clip from Doctor Who there is an establishing shot so that
the audience can see all of the characters at once. In this shot the Master and Lucy are
both standing on a platform higher than the other characters. This suggests that they
have all of the power as they are looking down on the other characters such as the
Doctor and Martha. Furthermore, the non-diegetic sound of the western style music
implies that there is going to be a stand off between the characters. Also at the
beginning of this clip there are a few eye line match shots as this shows us the scene
from the point of view of the character and implies that everybody that is on the same
level as Martha has the same status as her no matter their gender.
In addition, Martha seems a countertype of a female because of her costume as it she is
wearing all black and trousers which is not a costume of a stereotypical female.
Furthermore, her hair is tied back which also reinforces her being a countertype.
However, the high camera angles show the audience that she is inferior to the Master,
also the Master always has low angle shots of him which conveys his power across to the
audience, this is a stereotype as men are stereotypically superior to women. Also the
Master is dressed on a suit and tie and Lucy in a red dress which also suggests that they
are important and of higher class to the other characters lower down on the floor as they
are dressed in maids costumes and dirty clothes. Moreover, the red dress that Lucy
wears shows that she is a stereotypical female as red can suggest lust and this
objectifies her as a women and deems her inferior.
In addition, Captain Jack is wearing black and is guarded which shows him as being
stereotypically dominant male and being potentially dangerous however he is also shown
to be inferior as he is on the lower level in the scene and he shows his intelligence when
he says archangel network which is a countertype. Also Marthas family are dressed in
servants uniforms which represents the traditional stereotypical female roles.
Furthermore, at the beginning the Doctor is shown as being old and frail although when
the power shift happens he is shown as being the stereotypical powerful man as he is
surrounded by light which shows him as being superior. Moreover, the power shift is
marked by the musics pace increasing and becoming louder.
The cross-cutting shots between the Master and Martha also show the power shift as they
become faster and the camera angles change from being high angle shots to mid shots
for Martha and the Doctor as they are becoming more powerful. Another stereotypical
gender role shown is the guards as they are all male and it is a stereotypical males job.