Waterloo Road


In this specific clip, gender is represented in a lot of ways. It shows females as quiet, mature and willing to work whereas it shows boys as noisy, non-disciplined and disobedient. 

Within the clip there are lots of shot reverse shots and over the shoulder shots The over the shoulder shots incinuate that the watcher is in the same surroundings as the characters and is part of the conversation. There are clear graphic matches (more smooth shot) to portray the calmness in the classroom and the distinction between being inside of the girls' classrom and looking inside the boys' classroom through the blinds is suppose to be make the watcher, again, feel like they are in the girls' classroom and are part of the matureness.

The first scene shows the boys' classroom with the boys throwing food and being portrayed as genuinely immature. The classroom has ambient sounds of noise and fast paced music to show the immaturity and speed of boys. The teacher is wearing a feminine, flowery style apron to portray her femininity and she says during the scene that the food 'is all measured out' to signify that they are incapable of measuring the food needed in home ec. An over the shoulder shot and head shot is used when the teacher tells off the boy student for not doing his work showing the authority she has over him.

When the headteacher comes to drop off George Sampson to the female teacher's classroom, it portrays a sort of male dominance on how the man is in charge of all the women who are lower in the heirachy to him. The conversation is shown in three shot and mid shots. The man then walks away from the female teacher's sly comments about the silly system they are using to symbolise him almost washing the hands of the matter.

In the female classroom, there is a slow dolly movement from a high angle to introduce to us the classroom and the slow-pacedness and traditional values of girls. The girls are sitting in ordered rows to signify their maturity and dominance in the classroom. The females use good, expanded language to answer the teacher's questions showing the sort of betterness of the girls. The teacher is female, and rewards the girls with 'well-dones' and willing comments when they get things right. The teacher is focused on them being right showing the enthusiam for the girls to learn. Whilst closing the door, you can hear the non-diegetic sound being closed on to show a close to the immaturity and loudness of boys.

In a way, there is a contrast in gender by the classes which they are shown in. The boys are seen in a food tech class which is predominantly and traditionally a female subject and the girls are seen in, what seems to be, an english class, debating, which would probably be seen more as a masculine subject. 

To conclude, I think gender is portrayed a lot throughout this extract and is shown in a variety of ways through camera shots, editing, sound and mis en scene.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/ybz7s/