Researching representation of gender and ethnicity in crime drama's. Focus on "Luther" staring Idris Elba as protagonist, unique factor as Black males are not conventionally cast as main roles in crime dramas.
Task; Watch and analyse representation of females in a British crime drama of your choice.
Spooks BBC One. (Series 9 Episode 1)
- · Was the violence integral to the plot?
Violence was the recurring theme in the programme, as it is based on the British Security Service and their efforts to keep the nation safe; scenes including explosives and gunshots were continuous.
- Was the violence shown extreme and shown in detail, or was it mainly off-screen?
The violence was mainly on screen and extreme, I think this type of portrayal of violence in television drama add’s to the intense drama/thriller genre. Characters fighting without weapons also creates tension and conventionally the protagonist in the TV show wins the brawl, emphasizing the “hero’s” power
- Did the victim have to be female?
The victim in the programme was not female, although there was violence towards several females in the drama; for example: As Somali pirates hijacked a boat containing explosives from the port of tangier in Morocco, a woman appearing to be a blonde Russian woman kidnapped for prostitution was manhandled and degraded on the boat, yet towards the climax, she was revealed to be a fellow agent working for a private security contractor and ends up saving the protagonist’s life. This is a typical portrayal of females in the media depicted as prostitutes and scantily-clad, whereas in this drama the female was the vital factor in ensuring safety and ‘saving the day’. Another example, in the same episode was the hunt for an Al-Qaeda computer hacker, who was tracked to a residence in south London, when the m15 arrived they arrested the father. Unaware that the real culprit was his teenage daughter.
- Would it have changed the meaning and impact of the narrative if the victim had been male?
Yes, I think that if all the characters were male and presented in a conventional chauvinist way, then it would not have been as interesting as integrating female characters with equally important roles. It also breaks the barriers of sexism and display’s females and males equally in the media.
- · Is there too much violence against women on TV?
I don’t think there is necessarily too much violence towards women, but I think there is prejudice towards them because of the conventions of a woman as a homemaker as opposed to males as a dominant sex. Despite this, women are gradually being represented in a parallel way in the media industry, (for example Angelia Jolie as Agent Salt and Lara Croft/Tomb raider and Uma Thurman in Kill Bill) Even though women as central characters in crime drama’s have existed since the 70’s and the introduction of “Bionic woman”, “Charlie’s angels” and “Wonder woman”
- · Think of the reasons why writers depict violence against female victims in crime dramas.
It is based on the stereotypical views since the beginning of life; women carry the children and continue to carry the rest of the burden. During the feminist movement in the 70’s the media industry began to accept females as powerful characters, yet I believe in present day we have slipped back into narrow-mindedness because women are seen as easier targets, which correlate to crime rates, women are vulnerable in society and are still represented as vulnerable in the media. The media industry is stuck into a conventional ideology, but i don’t think the providers of media should be the ones to blame because they are merely showing us what we want to see and what we will accept, for example would a homosexual male as a lead protagonist in a crime drama be as well received as an attractive ladies man? I disagree with this and believe that genders, nationalities, sexualities should be equally represented, because it seems even though our society and technology are advancing, our views and attitude are still stuck in the past.
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