Mock Exam : Doctor Who

In the sequence of Doctor who we are shown an example of Levi Strauss' binary opposites - the idea that within a piece of media there are two forces clashing throughout for example; good and evil. We are presented with two representations of gender : the man who is initially represented as evil, powerful and smug. Yet, the woman is presented as pure-hearted , powerless and defeated.

The director has chosen this mid shot while introducing Martha. In this shot we can that Martha in a tight black leather suit. This has been chosen because we can see that Martha is a woman who endures a lot of physical action. I think this shot is effective because we can see both her facial expressions - which show her looking quite defeated and introduced to what role she plays.

The antagonist in this scene is looking down at Martha while she enters the room. This is a reference to how powerful he is - and that he is all knowing. I think this is effective because because the levels are subliminal to who is powerful and allows the audience to visually see it.

During the scene we see Martha kneeling to the antagonist. Kneeling often has connotations of royalty. We could see that the antagonist sees himself as king-like , which also links to the idea of power. I think this scene is effective because it shows the stereotype of men being dominant and women being passive, and that this idea still works regardless of context.

The use of close ups have been chosen for a specific reason in this scene. The close ups have been used to emphasise the characters emotions. Interestingly both characters have a smirk on their face whenever they are at the height of power. So whenever a character has knowledge of something the other doesn't , they have a smirk on their face , hence the close up. I think this is effective because it's a simple way of showing a shift in power.

Both characters seen to be both wearing black. Black is a colour worn to funerals - with the connotations of death. Also only the antagonist wears black usually. My interpretation of this is that Martha thinks that she's defeated. I think this shot was essential to show the climax of tension.

Overall women are presented as compassionate , kind hearted , pure but also sneaky and cunning. While males are presented as dominant and cruel. I think these are inaccurate representations of men and women because they only show one side to both genders.