How is gender represented in this extract of Primeval?

Gender is represented in this extract of Primeval through the use of mise-en-scene, camera angles, editing and sound. Primeval is a sci-fi TV drama and typically in Sci-fi males are seen as the dominate more active, involved in solving the problem whereas the female characters are often providing information or being saved.

True to this, the extract begins with Abbi sat in the tractor with Nick doing the manual work, he is wearing ordinary everyday clothes, t-shirt and combats which are muddy which suggests he is more involved in the work than Abbi is who is wearing more fashionable clothes which are clean. However, she challenges the typical stereotype of a weaker character when she gets more involved and saves Nick by distracting the creature when it attacks. Nick takes on Vladimir Propp's role of the typical male hero when he draws the creature away from Abbi. He is more active when dealing with the situation by running and climbing whereas Abbi is more stationary. This suggests that the female character is more prepared to tackle the situation head on whereas the male character wants to more physical in his approach. Abbi challenges the stereotype of the damsel-in-distress role when she comes to Nick's rescue by shooting at the creature. The group is mainly and is dominated by male characters, who decide what action is going to be taken. The group decide to save Jenny who seems to have take action into her own hands, this suggests she is challenging the stereotype by taking the heroic role however this is reversed by the fact she has to be rescued. Jenny's character looks out of place on the farm as she is smartly dressed, obvious make-up and hair done up. This contrasts from the male farmer who is in working gear which is more practical to the setting which suggests the female character cares more about her appearance. She seems aware of her looks and she tries to use it to control the farmer who ultimately ignores her argument so she ends up having to be saved by the others.

The close-up of the severed hand uses Barthes' code of enigma to make the audience wonder what it's doing there, it also builds up the plot and adds intrege. This extract uses a lot of low and high angle shots to show the control and power of the male and female characters. When Nick is in the trench and is being attacked by the tiger, low angle shots are used to make Nick look vulnerable and high angle to make the creature intimidating to Nick and the audience. Fast pace panning is used for the shots of Abbi in the digger and the tiger to add to the excitement and movement in the scene. It also gives the audience a sense of confusion as they can't see clear what is happening. These shots are cut between shots of Nick in the trench which makes him seem out of the action and shows that he is concerned for Abbi's safety. When Nick climbs the ladder there is a jump cut to him taking his belt off and tying the belt to the zip wire to speed up the action and give the audience a feeling of urgency. A tilt shot is used to show Nick on the zip wire and the tiger on the ground to suggest to the audience the danger he is in and how close he is to the creature. There is quick cutting between shots of Abbi running with the gun and Nick with the tiger which builds up the tension for the audience who want her to get to his rescue on time.

A slow motion edit is used when Abbi shoots the tiger which is quite effective after the fast pace cutting as it shows the action is over and gives the audience time to recover from the excitement, it also gives them the opportunity to see Nick's emotion. It then cuts to the panning shots of the group which cut several times to show the different characters talking, this makes the audience feel more involved in the conversation than if the camera where stationary.

The diegetic and non-diegetic sound also helps builds up the tension and sense of action which is key to the sci-fi conventions. It is also used to get the audience to build up emotion towards the characters. At the beginning of the clip the non-diegetic music is ominious and imposing which builds suspence and suggests to the audience that something dangerous is about to happen to the characters. The music then gets quieter and the diegetic sound of the JCB is heard this makes the action seem more real and the audience more involved. There is a dramatic beat when Nick spots the hand in the mud which suggest to the audience that this is significant. When Abbi turns off the digger the growl and crunching of twigs implies that the creature is close and the characters are in danger. The camera then uses quick panning shots off the trees to add to the tension and fear of the characters and audience. When the tiger appears the sound increases with the noise of the JCB, the growling and the non-diegetic music all adding to the tension and action of the scene. When Nick runs away the music becomes more louder and quicker to show the urgency of his situation. When the tiger is shot the music slows and becomes almost a fuzzy ringing sound which coinsides with the slow motion edit. During the conversation the music is still in the background loud and slightly ominous but increases when they decide to take action and save Jenny.

The music is used as a sound bridge from the scene of the group and the scene with Jenny in the barn, the music becomes softer and less intimidating which suggests the situation isn't dangerous yet as they are just having a conversation. It also suggest that Jenny is unaware of the danger she is in which represents the idea that the female character is a bit reckless and haven't thought it through. At the beginning she seems to be in control of the situation however when the farmer picks up the shotgun and she falls over she becomes very vulnerable. Low angle shots are used to make the audience feel sympathetic towards Jenny and make her seem small and helpless. The diegetic sound of the gun shot and the dogs barking add to the feeling of helplessness of Jenny's situation. The dogs barking make the farmer seem more imposing and threatening and suggest to the audience that even if Jenny tried to run he would only set the dogs on her. Slow motion edit of Jenny on the floor is used to suspend the time between her lying there alone seeming helpless to the shot where Steven, Abbi and Connor arrive. When she falls the audiene can see she is wearing a black dress and tights which seems like an inapproprate thing to wear in a farm whereas all the other characters seem more approprately dressed. This represents that this female character is not used to this country setting, she seems more like a business woman than the type who would get involved in the action. The female character is shown as being more caring and sensitive to other's feelings as Abbi is the one to ask if Jenny is ok. Whereas Steven and Connor are more interesting in dealing with the farmer, again the male character is shown being more active and the one to deal with the situation.

In this extract, male and female stereotypes are used and challenged. The male characters are generally represented as the ones who get activly involved in the action and are the dominant figures as they outnumber the female characters. However, in some cases the typical stereotype of the damsel-in-distress is challenged with Abbi being the main one who gets rid of the tiger. Also Jenny tries to take action by going to deal with the farmer herself however this backfires and leaves her having to be rescued which backs up the idea that the female character is weaker and has less control. Also the male stereotype is challenged when Nick has to be saved by Abbi however the typical stereotype is used as he is represented as the active if reckless hero of the story.