Merlin

What representations of gender are constructed by the extract through the use of: Mise en scene, editing, use of camera and sound?

After the opening shot, you can immediately see that the main character of the programme is a male. This shows that most of the focus will be on him. There is another shot very soon after of Merlin and the kings son. The kings son is wearing a suit of armour which give the impression to the reader that he is high in society and well respected. Shortly after this, you then see the king for the first time. The first image of him is him sitting on a throne wearing a crown, so as a viewer you gain full awareness of his power and authority. This is reinforced by the fact that his chair is on a step, which makes him higher than the people around him. As well as this, when he's heard speaking, his voice is very empowering. Lastly, with Merlin, there is editing used on his eyes that make them go a glowing colour. This represents something magical which is then followed by the idea of power, because if he has a magical ability he is certified omnipotence over the other villagers.

During the trailer for Merlin, the first woman you see is only showed for a very quick space of time, but she is portrayed as a very feminine female. She has very long black 'locks' which was very common during that period of time. She's also seen wearing a long purple gown. Purple is a very feminine colour which is very stereotypical. Also, the fact that the gown she wearing is long and not revealing could be down to the men in power deciding that women should be covered up. The next woman you see is a very old witch. It was a very common idea in the 1100's that there were many witches around, and most of these would be old women- so a very old stereotype was used. It also shows they had quite a low opinion of women by saying that they were such vile creatures, like witches.