Primeval - Notes on gender representation

In this clip taken from the ITV drama Primeval, gender stereotypes are challenged, this is conveyed through use of camera, editing, sound and mise en scene. One of the most significant pieces of prop is the JCB digger in which you see the female character Abby use in order to save her male companion, this already gives us evidence that the typical stereotype of the male domineer and the female damsel are being challenged. Stereotypically it would have been the male which would have been saving Abby from the Sabre Tooth, however this is the opposite. Abby is wearing no (if anything subtle) makeup and very casual working clothes, this goes against the popular stereotype for women which is that they wear a lot of makeup and generally take a lot of care with their appearance, so she is seen as a exception to her stereotype and if anything a "tom boy" character as she carries some more typically male traits.

However, the female stereotype is not completely outlawed as there is a female characters who is seen to be wearing quite overt makeup and formal/neat attire. This conforms to the stereotype. This is the same with a majority of the male characters, despite the exception of the one male character which does not follow his stereotype (as he plays the character in distress), the rest however do. For example toward the end of the clip the male characters save the damsel in distress, which is typical of their "heroic" or "dominant" stereotype. The majority of the male characters are also given guns which reinforce their position of power, a canted angle puts the audience at the other end of the barrel to establish the hierarchy of power (with the male at the controlling end of the gun).

Nick Cutter (the male in distress) is mainly show to be in a area of inferiority which subsequently emasculates and this is show through the angles in which the camera has been placed. For example when the camera is placed at a low angle which is tilted up to reveal the Sabre Tooth it shows the high position of power in which the animal has at that moment. This once again plays opposite to the male "dominant" stereotype as he is always in a vulnerable position. The editing in this scene is moved into a faster pace, this helps build up a gripping scene which supports Nicks vulnerability. The heavy drum beats and speedily played violin also add to the tension, as it is used to represent the pounding heart beat of the potential victim (Nick) and the swift movement of the Sabre Tooth catching up with him.

The traditional farmer/landowner stereotype is successfully conveyed through the mise en scene as typically a farmer would be of male sexuality (as is the farmer in this clip). He has a gun as his prop and is dressed in khaki, old worn farming clothes which we only really see on a male character. The gun here is very significant in fulfilling his male stereotype as this completes the powerful male alter-ego, it also gives the scene diegetic sound as the farmer shoots his rifle multiple times to enforce his power and masculinity. The editing brings about a slow motion sequence as the "heroes" arrive to aid the damsel in distress when in the landowners barn, this is effective in showing the exchange in power, which shows the younger men to be the alpha male.