The first editing feature I noticed was the rapid cutting on action during the shootout sequence. We see the editing cutting to coincide with different people popping out of hiding to take shot at Angel and when Angel shoots at the hanging pot plant to take out the old lady is with massive gun. The reason why they use this fast paced style of editing is to give the audience the sense of chaos and mayhem being caused in this typically quite little village. It creates this sense of chaos and confusion as we don’t know where the next attack on Angel will appear from so it keeps us on edge wondering if he will survive. It also makes the slower moments more significant such as when Angel throws a gun to Butterman and asks him if he still feels like he is missing out. This is an important moment (highlighted by the binary opposite of the change in editing pace) as this is when Butterman chooses sides and decides to work with his buddy Angel.

Use of terms

Use of specific examples

Analysis

High level analysis

One of the first stereotypes seen is of the teenagers wearing hoodies. This is seen as a very typical thing for teenagers to do and some may feel as though there is a threat, that these teenagers are thugs and out to cause trouble. However interestingly they follow the orders of Nic by spray painting over the CCTV cameras and going into the shop to take out the lady shooting at Nic. This challenges the dominant ideology that teenagers are rule breakers and unhelpful. 

However in the extract we see women fighting against our hero. Stereotypically women are represented as blond, fit, useless and needing to be rescued as they are characterised as ‘damsels in distress’. The women in this extract are old, ugly and plain. They are not sexualised in any way. They fight against Nic, the hero which women normally never do. Stereotypes are broken to make the film stand out and also stereotypes like this could also been seen as offensive these days.

The town is represented as being a typical English country town through a variety of methods. There is bunting throughout the high sheet, the town features classical old stone buildings and there is a village market set up in the middle of the square. The use of this stereotypical representation of country life is then challenged by the gun fight that breaks out between Nic Angel and the villagers who live there. By first setting up a stereotypical location the audience expects a very different scene to occur and are therefore more shocked with the fighting breaks out as it challenges our beliefs about representations.

Nic is shown as a very stereotypical archetype hero. He is powerful and skilful which we can see when he is fighting the villagers. His shots hit their target (eg the pot plant and beer barrels) and even though he is shot he is strong enough to carry on and eventually win. Having stereotypes helps to establish different characters and makes the narrative easy to follow. It also gives people a role model to look up to. He fits in with the stereotype that the hero will win and the hero is normally male due to the view that women are the weaker sex and this will appeal to the male audience.

16 marks 

Practice

Explain two ways in which the characters and/or events in the extract fit the action adventure/superhero

genre.  [10]

Explain how each of the following is used to create effects in the extract you watched (20)

• Soundtrack 
• Camerawork 
• Editing 
• Mise-en-scene 

Discuss the ways in which people are represented in the film Dark Knight. Make reference to stereotypes and representation theories in your answer. (20)