Disability in TV Drama

Disability Stereotypes

1. The first stereotype of people who are disabled are pitiable or pathetic. This is the most common stereotype of disability. This is when disabled people are shown to be faced with prejudice or difficulty so are given pity. It is used a lot on TV drama because it is the easiest stereotype to use. This is because it is easy to make people feel sorry for the people who are disabled because it is already naturally in us. It is the way people present people who are disabled when they do not fully understand.
2. Another stereotype is the object of curiosity or violence. This is when disabled people are presented as unusual. It is when disability is seen as something that should be observed and viewed as their difference is highlighted and presented in a way that people have to pay attention to it. It means that non-disabled people and disabled people are viewed as being different when they are not at all.
3. The next stereotype is called the 'super cripple'. This is when people who have a disability are in the position of admiration despite them having a disability. This is seen as patronising in some ways as people are admiring them more because they have a disability.
4. People with a disability are also sometimes used for humour purposes. This is because people may have pleasure in the misfortune of others. Disability has also been seen as a source of humour since the Ancient Greeks.
5. Another stereotype of disabled people are that they are sinister or evil. Scarring and disability are used as short cut for evil. This means that it is the easy option and people may already presume this anyway which is also because they do not understand. Scarring or disability are also often used to signify violence and anger.
6. One of the stereotypes that are presented of disabled people are that they are a burden. They are made to look as though people have to look after them and this makes their life hard. This is an extremely negative stereotype of disabled people as it will make them feel a lot worse than they may already do. This may be shown in a way that means that the family of the disabled person has to look after them and do a lot for them and it is having a negative affect on their life.

The Street- Representation of Scarring 

Camera Shots
Metal Fence- There is a close up on a metal fence at the beginning of this clip. This may be used to show how the characters disability has trapped him and how he feels like a prisoner in his own body. As it looks like we are on the outside of the fence and looking in this may be trying to show that he is alone and everybody is on the other side of the fence so therefore not trapped and not debilitated by his scarring.
Two Person Shot- There is a shot that shows two characters, the main character and the man in the van. This is where the camera is moving from behind one person to the other but keeping both of the characters in shot. This is so that we are able to see the conversation but also see the faces of the two characters. Here, we are able to see that the main characters has a little bit of scarring on his face but are unable to see the full extent of it. This may be trying to show that his scars do not matter to the person that he is talking to and he still sees him as the person he was before. 
Close Up- There is a close up of the main character where we see the scarring and how bad it is. This shot may be used to allow the audience to see this in detail before the rest of the drama happens. This may also be used to show that the character that he is going to talk to does care about his scars and he is going to treat him differently because of it. This is the shot that happens before the main character goes on to ask for his job back. This may be trying to show that the man does not want to give his job back, maybe because of what he looks like. This shows how people with scarring get treated a lot differently to other people which therefore leads the audience on to pity the main character.
Woman chasing man- There is a shot where the female character is chasing Nick, the main character, up the street to try and explain the real reason why she screamed. As the street is on the hill, he is shown to be higher than the woman. This shows that, in this moment of time, Nick is more powerful than the woman which is backed up by the fact that she is chasing him. This is because she screamed and feels terrible for doing so so was trying to explain why this happened. As Nick feels as though it is because of his scars, he walks away and doesn't want to hear, what he thinks are, the excuses. This shows the she feels different about him because if it was someone who did not have any scarring then she would have just said that they frightened her and that would have been the last of it. The camera is also very shaky as it is being hand held. This is trying to show how they may have had a good friendship before but now it is shaky and facing difficulty because they do not know how to react to each other now that Nick has bad facial scarring.
Strangers- When Nick is walking down the street, there as mid-shots of strangers looking at him and staring. These shots are to show how people feel the need to look at him and make him feel different to everybody else. This shows that he is being shown as a object of curiosity as people will probably be wondering how he got such bad facial scarring.
Hand Held Camera- When Nick is talking to the Sargent the camera is being hand held. This makes the shots shaky and a little chaotic. This may be trying to show the fact that other people would not agree with him and say that he is ugly or tell him other things that may hurt his feeling and make him feel worse like the Sargent does. The shakiness would therefore be trying to show the audience unease with what he is saying and the fact that this is not what we expected to be said.

Sound
'It will be less than you were on before'- This is a part of the speech where Nick is asking for his job back and this is the response from the other man. This shows how he is being treated differently to how he was before and how he is now seen as less able. He is seen to be not as deservent as the wage that he was on before because of his scars. This is obviously not true as he still has the same skill set and is exactly the same person as he was when he was given the job that he was. This represents how people with scarring or a disability are treated differently by people who may have been their friends before the accident, if it was caused by an accident and they were not born with it.
'Fuck off'- In response to the other character telling him that he would get less money if he was to work for him again, he says 'fuck off'. This is to show is anger in the situation and how he hates being treated differently to how he was before. He is obviously angry at the whole situation already so the fact that he is unable to get his old life back is making it even worse for him. This is representing the fact that people who are in the same situation as Nick find it hard already so people treating them any different will have an even bigger effect on them.
Woman screaming- The woman, who Nick is helping by picking up her shopping, screams when she looks up and see Nick. This may be trying to show how people find scarring scary and frightening. This is Nick being shown as an object of curiosity and the women does not see him as normal person and she is not used to people looking how he does. 
'If it was George Clooney I would have screamed'- When the woman is trying to explain the reason why she screamed and trying to make it seem as though it has nothing to do with his scarring, she says this. This is because George Clooney is seen as attractive and she obviously sees him in this way. By her saying that she would have screamed at someone that she finds attractive, she is trying to explain it is not because of what he looks like. However, by her basing why she screamed on looks, it is making the situation worse as she is drawing attention in on his facial scars and implying that she may have screamed because of his scars.
Music- After the woman has stopped chasing him, music starts which is then carried on to when he is walking down the street with the strangers looking at him. This is loud music where we mostly hear drums. From this kind of music, we naturally hear the music as angry which then leads us on to believe that this is to represent his mood. He is angry that the accident happened to him and he is angry that he doesn't look the way that he looked before. He is angry that he made one of his friends scream when she looked at him. This is to show that people with scarring or a disability probably do get angry and frustrated at the fact that they are not treated like everyone else is and they just want to be seen as though they are equal to people who haven't got scarring or haven't got a disability.
'I'm Ugly now, you'd say I was ugly, wouldn't you?'- This is what Nick says to the Sargent when he is in his office. This shows he now sees himself as ugly where as he didn't before. He knows that he looks different because of his scars and he sees this in a extremely negative way. Normally, if people where asked this question they would disagree with him and say that he is not ugly. This would be either because the person who they are asking completely disagrees or they agree but do not want to hurt there feelings. However, the Sargent agrees with him and says that he does now see him as ugly. This is shocking as people normally change their opinions of someone if they have been in a bad accident and would normally naturally pity them. However, the Sargent didn't like him before so doesn't like him now and he's not going to tell him that he doesn't see Nick as not ugly if in fact he does. This is showing how people naturally pity people who have scarring or a disability even if we do not know that we do.
'I make women scream now'- This shows how Nick's life has changed and how it is very different to how it was before. It shows how people find scarring scary and how they are naturally frightened of things like this. People do not mean to be, they probably did not scream to hurt the feelings of Nick, but people are not used to seeing scars. This shows how things like this are not shown in the media or in TV programmes as much as they should be to make sure people are aware of situations like this. If people in popular TV programmes ended up in situations which lead them to have bad facial scarring then this would mean that when people saw people with bad facial scarring in the street, they would not have to feel the need to stare or even be scared.
'Opposed to the dickhead you used to be'- This is what the Sargent says to Nick which proves to us that he does not like him. However, by the words 'used to be' it shows that he does think Nick has changed and he is not seen as the same person. This shows how people with scarring are not treated as the same person they were before or the Sargent would have still said that he was a dickhead and not just that he used to be one.

Editing
Cross Cutting- Whilst Nick is talking to the man in the van, there is cross cutting that is showing each of the characters as they talk. This is a technique used to enable the audience to see the characters as they talk. However, by the drama showing both of the characters around about an equal amount of time it is showing that they believe that both of these characters are equal and that Nick should not be seen as different just because he has facial scarring. By them showing his face as he talks, it is showing that what he has to say is important and the audience should be paying attention to this.
Facial Expressions- Whilst Nick and the other two men are having a conversation about a

job, there are sections where the camera cuts to one of the other characters t show their facial expressions as Nick is not looking at them. This is to show what they really think of the situation but they do not want Nick to know this because they do not want to be seen to be mean to him. This is showing their attitude towards scarring as they do not want to look mean and as though they are treating him any different because of his scars but they are. This shows that they may pity him because they do not want his feeling to be hurt but they also see him as a object of curiosity as they are now viewing him as different to what he looked like before and he is seen to be unusual to them.
Jump Cut- There are jump cuts used when Nick runs to help the woman pick up her shopping. This is so that they are able to show all of the characters reaction to the speech that the woman is saying to Nick. However, by it being quick this may be trying to show how this conversation is out of hand and it may be trying to show how quick is jumping to conclusions on why the woman screamed. It may also be trying to show how quickly the woman has to find a good explanation to why she screamed. This may show how people have to act differently to people with scars because if it was anyone else that she screamed at, she may not be as worried about trying to defend herself and find an explanation.


Mise-en-Scene

Lighting in office- The lighting in the office where Nick is with the Sargent is dark and there is not a lot of natural light coming in. This means that it is harder to see the scarring on Nicks face. This may be trying to show that the people in the room do not care about the scars and they do not see him as any different because of it. How Nick looks now to the Sargent doesn't matter and he is not going to treat him as though he likes him more now because of it. The natural light is only the light that is able to get through the blinds that the Sragent has up on all of windows. This means that when the camera is focusing on Nick, there are lines all over his face. This may be trying to reinforce the fact that he is trapped in his own body and how he feels like a prisoner because of the scarring on his face. However, the light is also having this effect on the people that are behind Nick because this light is also shining on them. This may be trying to show that they also feel as though they cannot say anything because they would not want to offend him so this would also mean that they are trapped and unable to talk.

Clothing- The clothes that Nick wears are the typical clothing that most a lot of people wear. This is probably what he wore before he had the accident that caused him to have the scars that he has. This shows that he has not changed his personality just because now he looks different than he did before. This shows that people with scarring or a disability should not be treated any differently to anybody else because that is just their body and not who they really are.

How Disability Links to the Other 6 Areas of Representation

Gender
Disability links to gender because the way the disabled person is being represented may differ depending if they are male of female. This may be because women who have a disability may be pitted  more than men with a disability. People may find it easier to portray men in a certain way and women in a certain way. This may be because of the fact that people automatically feel a certain way or because it may be easier to make them feel a certain way.

Sexuality
People who have a disability are shown to be any sexuality. This is because they are the same as people who haven't got a disability so are able to be attracted to anyone. However, disabled people are not normally shown to be sexually active and their sexuality is not normally shown. The sexuality that the disabled person has may change the way that they are represented in TV drama. For example, a straight man may be more likely to be the 'super cripple' rather than a gay man. This is mostly based on how sexuality is seen rather than people with a disability.

Ethnicity
People who have a disability are shown to be any ethnicity. This is because this is how it is in real life too so they have to have a true representation of the real world. I think how the disabled person is represented is not based on the ethnicity of that person so ethnicity does not really link to ethnicity.

Age
The age of the person with the disability may affect how the character is portrayed. For example, a child is likely to be pitted and not be seen as evil. An older person may be portrayed as a burden to their family. This is because it is easier to change how a person with a disability is portrayed depending on their age because of the stereotypes that are already surrounding that certain age range.

Class and Status
People with disabilities are normally any class as they can be as successful or unsuccessful as an able-bodied person as they wish. However, the class that the person is may change the way that they are represented. For example, a person with a higher class and status may be more likely to be portrayed as evil whereas a person with a low class and status may be more likely to be portrayed as a burden or pitied.

Regional Identity
People who are disabled live in all different parts of the country so will be shown to have any regional identity. The way that they are represented does not really change depending on their regional identity either. This means that these two areas of representation are not linked.

How Disability is Represented in The Secret Diary of a Call Girl

Camera Shots-

Pan Down- There is a pan down goes from the upper bodies of the other characters down to the man in the wheelchair. This is to put emphasis on the fact that he is in a wheelchair because we are made to look at only him and how he is lower down than the able-bodied people. However, the camera is kept level at his height which shows that he is equal to the other characters even though he is disabled.

Mid Shot- There is a mid shot that shows only the upper body of the man and is a shot that means that we are unable to see the wheelchair that he is in. This is so that we can forget that he is disabled and so that we do not view him in a sympathetic way. This is showing the fact that disabled people are the same as able-bodied people.

Two people/Mid Shot- There is a part in the clip that shows the dad carrying the disabled man to the bed. This is because he is unable to walk and was unable to get there on his wheelchair as the house was not suitable for it. This makes us feel pity towards the disabled character as he has to be carried which may be seen as this removing his dignity. The audience will automatically feel sorry for this character because he is unable to do tasks that most able-bodied people can do.

Close Up- There is a close up which shows the female character running her hand down the male characters arms. This is to show her actions and to make us focus in. She is being soft and gentle which may be a way to show that she is treating him differently to other people that she may have also done this with.

Close Up- There is another close up where it focuses in on the mans face. This is to show his facial expression as he is being touched by the women. His facial expression makes it look as though he is uncomfortable but is trying to enjoy it. This may suggest that he is not used to being touched by another women.

Two Person- There is a two person shot that shows the man and the women. This is where she is removing his top for him. By him being unable to remove his own top it is suggesting that he is not able to preform everyday tasks. This makes the audience pity this character as the majority of those people may be able to remove their own clothing and would feel bad if they were unable to.

Editing

Dad in the van- Whilst the dad is waiting in the van, we see a few different clips of him that have been put together to show his boredom. We see that at first he plays music, then he rolls his window down and up continuously, he then moves his chair back and forward and then he honks his horn. These are all little clips that have been put together one after the other. This is to show him boredom and to emphasis the length of time that he is having to wait for his son. This is showing that Blake's dad has to wait for him to help him out again and he does not know how much time he will take meaning that he is unable to leave. It also shows his worry as a father that something may happen to Blake that he may need assistance with. This shows how disabled people are treated differently because able-bodied peoples dad, would most likely not wait outside, especially if they would have to wait for a long time.

Sound

‘This is my dad’- The disabled man brings his dad along to the women’s house as he is unable to get there on his own. This is unusual as people do not normally take their dad to something like what Blake is doing. This shows that he has to have someone with him for him to be able to go at all. This shows how his life may be and how difficult it must be for him. This then automatically makes the audience feel pity towards him. This is because he is seen as less able and as though he is not able to do as much as able-bodied people.

‘Could you get that dad?’- The man has to ask his dad to get the paper out of his bag. This may be because he doesn’t want to get it out himself but we presume that it is because he is not able to. This further backs up the pity that we feel towards this character as he needs to get his dad to do things for him. His dad then has to carry Blake to the bed as it is up stairs and his wheelchair is unable to get up the stairs which further shows the difficulties that he is faced with.

Soft, slow music- This non-diegetic sound that is added to show the soft and slow actions that he she is preforming. This is as she is touching his arm. This may also try to be showing his happiness and content in being touched by a women as he is not used to this.

‘Can you feel that?’- The women has to ask Blake if he is able to feel where she is touching him. This shows that she is not aware of what he is still able to feel and shows peoples lack of knowledge towards disabled people. This would be strange for her as she would not be used to asking people if they were able to feel where she was touching. This may be used to try and show that people have a lack of knowledge in disability.

'Have you two talked about what Blake can do' - This is a question that the dad is asking the women, however it is a question that concerns both Blake and the women. By the dad asking only the women, this is making Blake seem as though he is a little child because his dad has to check. This shows that he does not think Blake would be able to say what he is able to do and not do because he may not believe that he is grown up enough to do so. This is showing that people who are disabled are treated differently and may be seen as though they are not the same as an able-bodied person.

Mise-en-Scene
Blake's clothing- His clothing is everyday clothing and what you would see a lot of men wearing. This consists of black jeans and a black top that contains the logo and name of a band that he is a fan of. This may be trying to show that he is just the same as everybody else and his disability does not make him any different. He does not have to wear any different clothing just because he is in a wheelchair and people may view him differently because of this.
The house colour- The main colour of the house is red. This includes the colour of the walls and most of the things inside of the house. This is signifying romance and love or even maybe danger. The reason could also be that she is trying to get her home masculine so that men that go there will settle in more and will feel more welcome. From these points this may be warning us that this is either a good thing and may end up in love or a bad thing and may not be good for Blake. However, we cannot tell from just this clip.

How is Disability Represented in The Inbetweeners

Why is the clip funny?

The clip is funny because Will is trying to impress a girl and trying to get her to join in by attempting to throw the Frisbee to her. However, he throws the Frisbee in the wrong direction and it hits a disabled girl. The girl that she is with then threatens Will in a different language, which the audience may find entertaining. Will then tries to retrieve his Frisbee from the disabled girls grasp, which makes it look as though he is trying to take her Frisbee. A group of boys then chase Will as they see what he is doing as wrong, which will also be seen as funny. Overall, the clip is funny because of Wills misfortune in trying to impress the group of girls and he in fact ends up being in deep trouble. We find the situation that Will has ended up in funny because he has achieved the exact opposite reaction than his intentions.

How is the disabled girl being represented?

The disabled girl is being represented in a way that makes her look helpless and that she is unable to stand up for herself. The other characters in the clip have to protect her and she is seen as weak. People are a lot more sympathetic towards disabled people which mean that the audience are more shocked at the Frisbee hitting the disabled girl than they would be if it had hit a person who is not in a wheelchair. The disabled girl is pitied and the audience are meant to feel sorry for her, especially in her misfortune in this scenario.

Are we meant to laugh at the disabled person?

I think that the audience are not meant to laugh at the disabled person but in fact the action of the Frisbee hitting the disabled person. The girl that is disabled is not meant to be funny because people know that it is wrong to laugh at people that are disabled. However, we laugh at Wills misfortune in trying to impress the group of girls. The disabled girls reaction is not funny as we automatically feel sorry for her as we can see that she is upset. 

Are they the ‘butt’ of the joke?

Overall, I would say that the disabled girl is the butt of the joke. This is because the clip may not have been viewed as funny if the girl was disabled. This is because they could have stood up for themselves but it is shown that this girl is not able to. The audience feels as though they are laughing at Will but I feel as though people may not have found it as funny if it was not a disabled girl that the Frisbee had hit. The whole situation is awkward as we can feel how Will must be feeling which is what we are laughing at. 

How do you think disabled people respond to this?

I do not think that disabled people will be happy with this clip as it is viewing them in a negative way. It is giving the impression that all disabled people would have to be defended by someone else and that they would not find it funny if a Frisbee hit them. It gives the impression that disabled people would not react in the same was as able-bodied people would and that they are different to people who are not disabled. 

Are we as a society cultivated to think we should pity the disabled?

Yes. As a society, we automatically feel as though we should pity the disabled. We feel as though we should feel sorry for these people and we view them as they are different to everybody else. This is not a conscience thing and we do not mean to do it. It is something that happens because this is how disabled people are shown to be.

How Gender Is Represented- Wire in The Blood Clip

Camera Shots

Tracking- The camera tracks the male and female characters at the staring of the clip. This shows the argument that they are having as they are leaving the house. By tracking the characters, they are emphasising what they are saying as well as allowing up to be able to see their faces and therefore their expressions. The tracking shot is suggesting that the male and female character is equal as they are booth at the same level. As the man is following the women, we feel as though the women has got more power because she is the one who is being chased. However, the man is shouting at the women and telling her that she is not doing her job properly which contradicts the position they are in and is suggesting that men have all of the power and that women as always wrong.

Over the shoulder- There are over the shoulder shots when the male and female character are talking to each other. By having over the shoulder shots, it is giving a clear shot of their faces so that the audience focuses on the speech and so that we can also see their facial expressions as they are talking. This is also allowing us to see what the character is seeing so may be trying to make us feel as though we are in their shoes. The male character is higher up as he is on a slopped road which shows that he is higher up and has more power than the women. 

Extreme Close Up- There are extreme close ups of the images that the male character is holding. This is so that we are able to see the images clearly and so that we understand what the character is talking about. If we did not see the images it may make the explanations that the man is giving confusing as we may not fully understand what he means. The male character having all of the pictures organised suggests that he is organised and gives the impression that all men are like this.

Close up- There are close ups in the clip in order for us to be able to see the expressions of the character as they are in that certain scene. By allowing the audience to see the facial expressions of the character, it is allowing them to fell as if they know them more and they can understand their thoughts and feeling towards the certain things more. If there were no close ups and you were not able to see their facial expressions, it may make the certain section harder to understand. This is because we would not know if the thing that is happening is good or bad.

High Angle- There is a high angle shot of a man on the floor in the drug den. By us viewing him at a higher angle it is showing that he is a weak character and as though he is beneath us. We get the feeling that he is not a good person and that we are better than him. This is after another character smashed his head against the wall. This shows that he is much weaker than the other character and has been made this after what has just happened. However, by us being presented with a weak male, this is contradicting what we have been seeing throughout the rest of the drama.
Hand Held Camera- There are different parts within the clip that are filmed with a camera that is hand held. This means that the video is shaky and not as easy to watch. The first section that is filmed where the camera is hand held is the first clip that is tracked that contains the man walking after the women. This section being shaky may be to represent the shaky relationship between the two characters and their chaotic life. The second section that is in the abandoned house. This was to represent the chaos that is about to happen.
Through Bars- There is a shot that is through a fence that shows the male and female character. The fence looks like prison bars and this gives the impression that both of the characters are trapped. This is also representing their job and what their job consists of. This may also be trying to show that men and women are both stuck in the male gaze.
Crane Shot- Having a crane shot is showing the distance between Alex and Tony. It shows that Tony is higher up than Alex so may be representing his authority and power. It is showing that Alex is powerless. This is representing the fact that men more powerful than women.
Close Up- There is a close up of Tony as Alex asks him to babysit her son. This is to show his facial expression, which is fear. By showing that he is scared at the thought of babysitting it is representing the fact that women are the people who are meant to look after the children and that men do not know what they are doing.

Editing

Cross Cutting- In the first part of the clip, there is cross cutting from one character to another. This is so that we are able to see them as they talk. This is an easy way to show a close up of the character that is talking but move and preform the same shot as the other character begins to talk. By the camera being at the same height when the male and female characters are talking, it showing that both of them are strong and neither of them are going to back down from what they are saying. It is showing that the characters are equal to each other and one is not above the other.

Cut to Past- There is a part in the scene with the men in the house that cuts to a little clip of the man being tied up. This is showing us the past and may be why he has a problem with the characters that he is in the room with. This is an effective way of showing the past as it shows exactly what happened but in only a second so also leave mystery to the clip. this is because it is not explained so the audience does not know what has happened and what the clip was about.
Jump Cut- There are jump cuts as Tony is looking through the pictures for his investigation. These are jumping from the pictures to him. This is to show his quick thought process and to show how rapidly his brain is thinking. This is suggesting that he is intelligent and may be trying to say that all men are also intelligent.
Fast Pace- There is a scene with Ben and Tony that is put together where the different cuts are put together to make the scene look quick. This is to make everything look fun and as though they are having a good time. This may show that men are a lot more fun to be with then women because Ben is having more fun now, with Tony, than he was before when he was with his mum.

Sound

Music- When Tony, the male character, walks away from Alex, the female character, there is music haunting and mysterious music played. This may suggest that something bad is going to happen and it wasn't a good thing that just took place. This is a good way to make the audience think about what is going to happen as it makes them wonder why that music was played. 

'Whats wrong Alex?'- Tony asks Alex what is wrong which is replied with silence. This is suggesting that something is wrong with Alex that she doesn't want to talk about. This is leaving mystery to the clip as the audience will want to know what is wrong. This is also showing Tony's concern for Alex and that he cares for her.

Talking to himself- There is a clip in Tony's house where he is talking to himself. This is to show what he is thinking as this is the most realistic way of doing so. This allows the audience to understand his thoughts without the show having to pretend that we can listen to his thoughts, that would not be realistic. Also, this may be showing that he lives alone as he is talking to himself and has no one else to talk to. This is showing his intelligence and may be trying to show that men are intelligent.

Phone call- Alex is on the phone trying to get someone to look after her son for a few hours because she has to go out. She sounds desperate and as if she really needs to leave but can't. This shows that she also lives on her own with her child as nobody is home to look after her son. This is then the similarity between them, they both are single. She is trying to book a babysitter which shows that she is unorganised which is the opposite to what we originally believe through her job. This is also showing that she puts her child second because she forgot to arrange a babysitter as well as having to go out for her work. This may be trying to show that women are unorganised.

Telling people what to do- Alex tells people who she works with what to do. This shows that she has an important position where she works. This shows that she is important and and is authoritative. This may also suggest that she is more important than the male character. However, the man is looking over her which shows that she may be giving the orders but he is still in control which may be used to show that men have the power.
'Tony i need your input'- This is what Alex says to Tony as he is walking away from her. This is showing that Alex needs Tony and is not able to do it on her own. This is showing that women need and rely on men and are incapable of doing anything for themselves.
'Please'- Alex then says please to Tony as he continues to walk away. This makes it sound as though she is begging for him to stay and as though she needs him. This is therefore backing up the idea that women need men and are unable to do anything on their own.

Mise-en-Scene-

Tidy house- Tony's house is very tidy and organised. This is showing that he probably lives on his own without any children. We also get the image through the fact that there is no pictures on the wall of anyone that he may have a family with. This may show that he has is a tidy person and likes things to be kept neat and tidy. There is a plant which shows his caring side as he is willing to look after it and keep it alive. There are also butterflies on the wall which is to show that he is scientific which backs up his job. He has dark red walls that are masculine but also can be seen as blood which also shows his job. Overall, we get the impression that men are tidy and organised.

Untidy house- Alex's house is very untidy as there is toys and paperwork everywhere. This is showing the chaotic life that she leads as she has not got enough time to tidy the house. This may be trying to show that women have a lot more to do than men for the fact that Tony's house is very tidy. She has walls that are a similar colour to Tonys which may be used to represent her job but can also be seen as though she needs masculinity in her house as she is a single mother. This is trying to show that women need men to balance out the family life.

Smart Clothing- Both Tony and Alex wear smart clothing to work which may show that they have a good and important job. Alex is wearing a black, turtleneck top that is covering her. This is showing that she does not want to be objectified and she wants to be seen equal to the men. However, she is feminising herself through her hair and her earrings. This is showing that women can not be in control of the male gaze and it is just a natural aspect of life.
Ben's Pajamas- Ben's pajamas are also red which may be used to show Alex's job and may show that he comes second best. This can further be backed up by the fact that Alex has to get a babysitter to look after Ben as she has to go out to a meeting.
Abandoned House- As the car pulls up to the abandoned house, the lighting is dark. This may be used to show that something bad is going to happen and that these are not good characters. It is a male character that is in the car so this may be used to show that it is men that have the power and only they can be in charge of situations.
Popcorn Maker- When Ben and Tony are making the popcorn, the popcorn is going everywhere and the scene is chaotic. This may be used to show that men do not know what they are doing when it comes to kids and it ends up not going that well.