The Hustle - Analysis of Gender...

I am going to analyse the following in this 4 minute clip of The Hustle to show the representations of Gender. Here is the link to the clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1QbJNsdmeo&feature=player_embedded
I am going to analyse the:

• Camera- shots, movement, angle and position
• Editing
• Mise-en-scene
• Sound

Gender is the socially constructed roles and relations between men and women. The representation of gender portrayed in this clip falls into stereotypes, putting men in the more dominant roles and materializing females proving Mulvey's theory of the male gaze. The opening shot of this sequence is an establishing shot so the audience know where the scenery is and what the situation is about. There is an unusual twist in the gender representation where the store assistant appears to be quite self-keeping which connotes feminine gender traits within the character as his dialogue is very gentle and soft and he is helping out women rather than men. He also seems to have more time with the blonde woman who is higher classed compared to the woman with scruffy grey hair who is dressed quite casually in the red coat which connotes that he is selfish for money rather than the equal opportunities of his customers.

The two women in the store relate to Levi-Strauss’s theory of Binary opposition/opposites as the women are opposites by wealth and status as the higher classed woman is dressed smartly in a grey suit, all in black and looks elegant which connotes she is rich and has high status. This differs from the other older woman who is dressed more casually and is wearing more knitted clothes opposed to the silk which connotes that she is more lower class and not as rich as the blonde woman and shopping in there is more of a luxury to her because she was gobsmacked by the price of the black dress and the assistant makes her feel low due to his selfishness for money. The blonde woman may see the store as a casual everyday shop because she is very posh and formal because when she tried the black elegant dress, she did not hesitate in accepting the dress for the price.

The blonde woman in black conveys typical female traits as she appears to be a blonde bimbo and is portrayed as a kept woman who cares for no-one but herself. Later in the scene, after she tries on the dress she says she's late for her hairdresser appointment, and also says "My husband will kill me." This connotes that her husband has authority over her which instantly shows that he is the stronger and dominant gender. When the woman loses the ring, this shot has followed her with a hand-held camera to create a very frantic and panicked effect so the audience can feel and see the action from her point of view.

When the man with blonde hair, the one who was going to buy something for his girlfriend walks in, a low angle shot is used where the camera uses a tilt movement to show a full view of his body which connotes that he's more superior than the woman who lost the ring because she just sort of sneaks in behind the other woman suspiciously whereas the man just walked in generally although it also shows that he is a more prevailing figure than the shop assistant because he looks down to him. In this particular scene where the two men are talking there's a lot of shot reverse shot camera movements and over the shoulder shots, this has been done to demonstrate the audience the scene from both their points of views and it connotes that because they are both from the male gender; they are both at similar levels. They also use a close up of the ring, which represents that it's a significant part of the narrative and showing a close-up to the main object in the scene.

Transitions are used at the start of the scene as editing to where the two men are sitting at the bar which is wipes show parallel narratives which are happening at the same time. The use of wipes helps the audience identify that they're both happening at the same time but also when it shows the men in the bar the non-diegetic music stops which connotes that the men are taken more seriously than women. The men are using their intelligence to get their prize whereas the women are using their sexuality and body to get the prize which is seduction also when the woman looks at herself in the store mirror, an over the shoulder shot is used to show the audience what she is seeing from her point of view.

The scenery of the clothing store is white with lots of mirrors and all the clothes are organised neatly and pristine which shows it is a posh and expensive store. The mirrors show that the people who shop there care about their appearance and their image. The majority of the clothing in the store is black which connotes sexiness, elegance and class. This has been contrasted to the men in the bar where the two men are talking because even though they both appear to be in posh places, they have been portrayed in different ways and the location of the bar seems to be portrayed as posh in a more traditional way as opposed to the more modern setting of the shop which has more dark wood and royal green colour which makes it appear as a warm, homely and private place which connotes that the men are more greater.

The two men in the bar appear to be drinking whiskey in the middle of the day which is very old-fashioned yet expensive and appear to be dressed smart, very clean cut which portrays that they are motivated about getting the job done. Diegetic sound is in this scene which mainly focuses on them talking and their voices seem very hoarse. This shows that they are the dominant gender and all the non diegetic sound stops exactly when they start talking represents that they are essential but it also shows that they are quite enigmatic and look as if they are plotting something. The lighting in this scene is focused mainly on the older man to show that he's a significant character.

Throughout the whole scene, there are a lot of two shots which have been used to show the relationships between the different characters and to show that a conversation is between only two people. Close ups and diegetic sound have been used when the woman enters the store and then again when the man enters the store. This has been done to really attract the audience into what they are saying and it emphasises and shows the hustling that they are doing. Throughout this clip, the majority of the characters are male which connotes men are stereotypically more stronger and powerful in gender and intellect and they have been put in the "Hustle group" because of their intelligence because they can hustle better than women whereas women have been used for seduction such as their body and good looks which relates to Mulvey's theory of the male gaze.