Queer as Folk
Blonde Male Character
This character is gay but is the countertype of this stereotype. This is because he is not 'camp' and does not speak any different from the other male characters. He also does not walk how gay people are expected to walk. This means that people are unable to tell that he is gay until he tells the other character about his new boyfriend. He is not seen to be feminine which people may not expect as this is how people associate gay men to be. This shows the audience that the stereotypes are not always real and they are not a true representation of how all gay men actually are. The character may also be used to show a younger gay audience that they do not have to act 'camp' if they are gay and they can act in which ever way they feel is best for them. This is because if there is a gay man in a TV programme, they normally act feminine and this may pressurise gay boys to act feminine if they are also gay.
Brunette Male Character
This character gets angry when the blonde male says to him 'you missed your chance'. This may mean that this character is gay but does not want to be. This means that he sees being gay as a bad thing and does not wish to be with men. It shows that he feels as though if he tells himself that he is not gay, then it means that he is not and no one will know that he is. He may believe that there is a cure for being gay or that it is just as phase that he will soon get out of. He may also feel as though he is not normal if he is gay and that he is less of a person because he does not like the opposite gender. Because of the fact that he gets angry when the other character says this may mean that he is angry that someone has realised that he is gay and is angry at himself for letting this show.
The Boyfriend
The boyfriend of the blonde male fits the stereotype of gay men. This is because he acts 'camp' and talks in a feminine way. This is the representation of gay men and this is how people expect gay men to act and talk. He also walks in a way that gay men are expected to walk which shows how he further fits the stereotype. He also dresses up with the little girl which shows that he is in to, what is seen to be, feminine things. He also tells a story of how he has dressed up as Brittany Spears before and rein-acted the music video. This shows how he chose to dress up as a women rather than a man which is a stereotype of gay men. This is because gay men are seen to be in to more feminine things rather than masculine. This character fits in with Tessa Perkins theory that most homosexual men talk with a lisp and act feminine.
The Women
The women is telling her children how she got with the man who is talking when she was 15. This shows that she is the countertype of heterosexual women as she does not stick to one person. She did not wait until she was married until she slept with her husband but instead had sex with someone that she didn't know. This is the counter type as heterosexual people are seen to only have one partner and they are seen to be with this partner for the whole of their life. However, this female character is talking about how she slept with this man so shows how she has not only had one partner.
The Mother
The mother of the blonde male character is a heterosexual women. She fits the stereotype that all heterosexual people have children as she has two. However, she is no longer with her husband which shows that she is the countertype of the idea that heterosexual women stay with one man their whole life. However, this fits Tessa Perkins theory that heterosexual couples have high levels of divorce.
Camera Shots
Long Shot- There is a long shot which allows the audience to see what the character is wearing and how he is walking. He is wearing a school uniform which shows his age and shows that people of all ages have their own sexuality and there is not a certain age in which people suddenly decide what sexuality they are. He is also walking in a way that looks quite feminine but it a way that is forced. This may be used to show that this is the way in which he chooses to show his sexuality as he feels as though he is unable to present this in any other way. By it looking quite forced, this may be used to show how he feels as though he has to walk like this if he is gay which shows that there are unfair stereotypes in society.
Over The Shoulder- There are over the shoulder shots when the blonde male character is talking to the other male, brunette character. This is used to show the characters point of view and to show the character how the other is seeing them. This is also a shot which shows their facial expressions so that we are able to see what they may be thinking. The first way that the brunette male looks at the blonde male is by looking him up and down. This is quite a intimidating action and may be used for this purpose. This character may be trying to be shown in a way that makes him look as though he is cruel and a bully. This may be used to show the difficulties that gay men have to go through and the stereotypes that come along with their sexuality.
Two Person Shot- There is a two person shot which is used to show both of the characters reactions at the same time. This is when the brunette character is angry at the other male character for saying that he has 'missed his chance'. This shows that this character may be ashamed by his sexuality and does not want anyone to know about it. This shows the difficulties that people who are gay have to go through and feel as though they are different if they are not straight.
Long Shot- There is another long shot used which shows the blonde male and his boyfriend. Here, we are able to see what the boyfriend is wearing and how he is walking. People are able to link stereotypes to this character from what they see.
Editing
Cuts- There are cuts used when the conversation between the male characters is taking place at the beginning of the scene. The cuts are used to enable the audience to see the two characters as they speak to each other. The shots are over the shoulder of each character, jumping from one to the other as the speech changes to a character. These shots may be used to show that these character are the same, they are both homosexual. This is because the shots allow a familiarity to take place between the two characters.
Cutting Rhythm- During the conversation, the cutting rhythm is quite slow, allowing time for all of the speech to be said before it changes. This makes the audience feel as though this is just a conversation between two friends who respect each other. However, when the brunette male character become angry, the rhythm changes and the cutting becomes a lot quicker. The anger is witnessed by the audience through the sudden cuts and it makes the conversation look a lot less smooth.
Jump Cut- There is a jump cut which takes place to change scenes. The scenes change from the school to other characters in another scene. This switch may be used to signify that these characters are seen to be different because of their sexuality. It may be used to show how people view people being homosexual completely different to those who are heterosexual and they are not viewed to be equal.
Jump Cut- There is another jump cut which changes from the boys walking down the street to all four characters sitting around a tale having dinner. This jump cut shows that time has passed and that it is not later in the day than it was when the last part of the clip took place.
Sound
'Got myself this boyfriend'(Diegetic)- This is what the male character says to the other at the beginning of the scene. This may be used to show how he does not see him as being important but he sees the fact that he has a boyfriend the important thing. This may be used to show that gay people are not seen to be important and they are not seen to be equal to straight people.
'I only had him the once'(Diegetic)- This is what the women says to the other characters as they are sitting around the table. This line may be used to suggest that she has slept with a lot of people and has one night stands. This is opposite to the stereotype that heterosexual women only have one partner for the whole of their lives. This shows how stereotypes do not apply to everyone who is in that group as people are not the same just because they have the same sexuality.
'Sex and that'(Diegetic)- This is what the blonde characters says to his boyfriend as they are walking down the street. Here, he is telling his boyfriend to not talk about sex whilst they are having dinner with his family. This fits the stereotype that gay men are obsessed with sex and that this is all they talk about. Also, by him telling the other character what to do it shows that he believes he does not know how to behave and believes that he will act inappropriately.
'That's not Tudors and Stuarts'(Diegetic)- By the blonde character proving his boyfriend wrong this is trying to make the boyfriend look unintelligent and as though he does not know what he is talking about. This may make some humour for the audience at the expense of the male character. This may be used to try and show that gay men are not intelligent and that they do not care about education.
'Big frocks though, same difference'(Diegetic)- This is the characters response to what has just been said. This suggests that all the character cares about is clothes and fashion and this is the only thing he thinks about. This may be used to show the stereotype that gay men are very feminine as this is a thing that is normally associated with femininity.
'I know you're new to all of this'(Diegetic)- This is what the mother says to her son when they are talking in the kitchen. This line may be used to suggest that being gay is just a phase that he has gotten into and will soon be back out of it, which is a stereotype that a lot of people feel about homosexual people.
Mise-en-Scene
School Uniform- The characters at the beginning of this scene are all in uniform which shows that they are at school. This shows the age of the characters and shows that sexuality is inbuilt and is not something that is decided at a certain age. The uniform also shows how all teens are grouped together and are acted to act one way as they all look the same. This may be used to show how older people do not believe that teenagers are capable of knowing what their sexuality is and sees them all to be the same.
Bright, feminine clothing- The boyfriend of the other charter is wearing quite bright, feminine clothing. This shows his personality as he is seen to act quite feminine. This is the style of clothing which people would expect homosexual men to wear so therefore fits the stereotype of this character. The bright clothing may also be used to show how homosexual people are seen to be different and stand out from the crowd and people who are heterosexual.
Masculine House- The house colours are seen to be quite masculine colours. This is unusual as the mother is a single mother as the father left. The masculine colours may be used to show how the mother believes that the children still need some masculinity in their life and is expressing this through the colours of the house. This may also be used to show that heterosexual women have to have a man in their life as this is expected by society.
Bright Colours- The colours in the kitchen are quite bright and feminine. This may be used to show how women are expected to be the gender who are in the kitchen the most and do all of the cooking. This shows the stereotype of heterosexual women and how this character fits this stereotype.
The Mother
The mother of the blonde male character is a heterosexual women. She fits the stereotype that all heterosexual people have children as she has two. However, she is no longer with her husband which shows that she is the countertype of the idea that heterosexual women stay with one man their whole life. However, this fits Tessa Perkins theory that heterosexual couples have high levels of divorce.
Camera Shots
Long Shot- There is a long shot which allows the audience to see what the character is wearing and how he is walking. He is wearing a school uniform which shows his age and shows that people of all ages have their own sexuality and there is not a certain age in which people suddenly decide what sexuality they are. He is also walking in a way that looks quite feminine but it a way that is forced. This may be used to show that this is the way in which he chooses to show his sexuality as he feels as though he is unable to present this in any other way. By it looking quite forced, this may be used to show how he feels as though he has to walk like this if he is gay which shows that there are unfair stereotypes in society.
Over The Shoulder- There are over the shoulder shots when the blonde male character is talking to the other male, brunette character. This is used to show the characters point of view and to show the character how the other is seeing them. This is also a shot which shows their facial expressions so that we are able to see what they may be thinking. The first way that the brunette male looks at the blonde male is by looking him up and down. This is quite a intimidating action and may be used for this purpose. This character may be trying to be shown in a way that makes him look as though he is cruel and a bully. This may be used to show the difficulties that gay men have to go through and the stereotypes that come along with their sexuality.
Two Person Shot- There is a two person shot which is used to show both of the characters reactions at the same time. This is when the brunette character is angry at the other male character for saying that he has 'missed his chance'. This shows that this character may be ashamed by his sexuality and does not want anyone to know about it. This shows the difficulties that people who are gay have to go through and feel as though they are different if they are not straight.
Long Shot- There is another long shot used which shows the blonde male and his boyfriend. Here, we are able to see what the boyfriend is wearing and how he is walking. People are able to link stereotypes to this character from what they see.
Editing
Cuts- There are cuts used when the conversation between the male characters is taking place at the beginning of the scene. The cuts are used to enable the audience to see the two characters as they speak to each other. The shots are over the shoulder of each character, jumping from one to the other as the speech changes to a character. These shots may be used to show that these character are the same, they are both homosexual. This is because the shots allow a familiarity to take place between the two characters.
Cutting Rhythm- During the conversation, the cutting rhythm is quite slow, allowing time for all of the speech to be said before it changes. This makes the audience feel as though this is just a conversation between two friends who respect each other. However, when the brunette male character become angry, the rhythm changes and the cutting becomes a lot quicker. The anger is witnessed by the audience through the sudden cuts and it makes the conversation look a lot less smooth.
Jump Cut- There is a jump cut which takes place to change scenes. The scenes change from the school to other characters in another scene. This switch may be used to signify that these characters are seen to be different because of their sexuality. It may be used to show how people view people being homosexual completely different to those who are heterosexual and they are not viewed to be equal.
Jump Cut- There is another jump cut which changes from the boys walking down the street to all four characters sitting around a tale having dinner. This jump cut shows that time has passed and that it is not later in the day than it was when the last part of the clip took place.
Sound
'Got myself this boyfriend'(Diegetic)- This is what the male character says to the other at the beginning of the scene. This may be used to show how he does not see him as being important but he sees the fact that he has a boyfriend the important thing. This may be used to show that gay people are not seen to be important and they are not seen to be equal to straight people.
'I only had him the once'(Diegetic)- This is what the women says to the other characters as they are sitting around the table. This line may be used to suggest that she has slept with a lot of people and has one night stands. This is opposite to the stereotype that heterosexual women only have one partner for the whole of their lives. This shows how stereotypes do not apply to everyone who is in that group as people are not the same just because they have the same sexuality.
'Sex and that'(Diegetic)- This is what the blonde characters says to his boyfriend as they are walking down the street. Here, he is telling his boyfriend to not talk about sex whilst they are having dinner with his family. This fits the stereotype that gay men are obsessed with sex and that this is all they talk about. Also, by him telling the other character what to do it shows that he believes he does not know how to behave and believes that he will act inappropriately.
'That's not Tudors and Stuarts'(Diegetic)- By the blonde character proving his boyfriend wrong this is trying to make the boyfriend look unintelligent and as though he does not know what he is talking about. This may make some humour for the audience at the expense of the male character. This may be used to try and show that gay men are not intelligent and that they do not care about education.
'Big frocks though, same difference'(Diegetic)- This is the characters response to what has just been said. This suggests that all the character cares about is clothes and fashion and this is the only thing he thinks about. This may be used to show the stereotype that gay men are very feminine as this is a thing that is normally associated with femininity.
'I know you're new to all of this'(Diegetic)- This is what the mother says to her son when they are talking in the kitchen. This line may be used to suggest that being gay is just a phase that he has gotten into and will soon be back out of it, which is a stereotype that a lot of people feel about homosexual people.
Mise-en-Scene
School Uniform- The characters at the beginning of this scene are all in uniform which shows that they are at school. This shows the age of the characters and shows that sexuality is inbuilt and is not something that is decided at a certain age. The uniform also shows how all teens are grouped together and are acted to act one way as they all look the same. This may be used to show how older people do not believe that teenagers are capable of knowing what their sexuality is and sees them all to be the same.
Bright, feminine clothing- The boyfriend of the other charter is wearing quite bright, feminine clothing. This shows his personality as he is seen to act quite feminine. This is the style of clothing which people would expect homosexual men to wear so therefore fits the stereotype of this character. The bright clothing may also be used to show how homosexual people are seen to be different and stand out from the crowd and people who are heterosexual.
Masculine House- The house colours are seen to be quite masculine colours. This is unusual as the mother is a single mother as the father left. The masculine colours may be used to show how the mother believes that the children still need some masculinity in their life and is expressing this through the colours of the house. This may also be used to show that heterosexual women have to have a man in their life as this is expected by society.
Bright Colours- The colours in the kitchen are quite bright and feminine. This may be used to show how women are expected to be the gender who are in the kitchen the most and do all of the cooking. This shows the stereotype of heterosexual women and how this character fits this stereotype.
Interesting ideas Quinn but you need to analyse this clip from the perspective of the four areas of TA! You can include what you know regarding stereotypes and countertypes in relation to those 4 areas.
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