Mini mock plan + draft

Compared with the past, David Gauntlett argues that in the media today ‘we no longer get singular, straightforward messages about ideal types of male and female identities.’ Evaluate the validity of this claim with reference to the set episode of Humans and Les Revenants

butler - gender being performed 
polysemic meanings and definitons  

David Gauntlett is credited to theories of identity. Gauntlet believes that despite many negative perceptions of the media, audiences are capable of constructing their own identities through what they see on television. He writes how there are many more representations of gender than the traditional 'gender binary'. He constructs the belief that stereotypes can be argued against to construct individual perceptions of gender, identity etc. This is evidenced throughout both modern series Humans and les revenants. 

Humans is a sci-fi/drama series that was first released 14th June 2015. In this postmodern science fiction drama creates the ideology that the boundaries between the real world and the world of the media have collapsed, creating overlap. Robots vs mankind. This emphasizes Gauntlett theory about how polysemic representations can be created, making it harder to distinguish what is reality and what is a simulation. A key scene where this can be seen is the flash back scenes which break the equilibrium of the narrative. 

In the flash back scene:

• Muse en scene - rebellious sythns trying to escape or hide from something. Enigma code for audience showing they are in danger from something, creating a contrasting rise of tension and climax in comparison to other scenes. this intrigues the audience in more and makes the audience want to watch more. Proairetic code (sythns running and splitting up to find a place to rest) emphasizing how human like they are and their desperation. 
• Use of setting, wild natural woodlands - typically English looking, this wild, shrub location resembles the sythns desperation to 'break free' and be 'wild'. 
• Lighting is very bleak, dark, connoting much darker themes of this series. Misty setting, stereotypical of a thriller. Creating a sense of mystery. 
• Sound is very low-key, a sound in the bushes startles them  which represents another very humanistic characteristic, however later is identified as a fox by Fred. Shows his skill of awareness . These characteristics are Binary oppositions, showing the overlap between reality and the simulation of sythns. 
• This flash back scene juxtaposes the initial opening scene; purposefully done to show how stereotypes of these sythns are initially perceived as  this simulacra copy of a 'perfect' human made into a  robot/simulation  but as the episode progresses the audience are Able to create a relationship with these robots or dictate a dislike for them.  series can be viewed as a tool to create the parody of commonly held stereotypes
• This supports Gauntletts theory of ideal types of male and female representations. Audience are made to concentrate on their own judgment of humankind vs simulation (robots) rather than creating straightforward messages and judging the roles of male and female characteristics. The protagonist Female sythn role "anitta" is actually rebellious, goes against patriarchal hegemony beliefs.

Contrasting scene: Opening credits including the opening of the Synth factory 

• -Low angle of the moon shining through the ceiling of the synth factory demonstrating the importance of the moon to the codes and conventions of the episode. Functions simultaneously as a proairetic code and a hermeneutic code.
• High angled long shot of synths lined up in warehouse emphasizes the loneliness of their existence
• O/S close up shots of nude male and female bodies, with the camera tracking slowing down on female bodies. Assumes a heterosexual male audience. However forces the audience in to a voyeuristic position, where the synths are cold, dead... creepy! Binary opposition between life and death. Questions the audience's ethical beliefs.
• -Cold, blue colours, artificial LED lighting connoting unnaturalness and creating a creepy atmosphere, emphasized by the low key lighting = binary opposition of lighting used in flashback scene in woods

similarly to humans, Les revenants which is a French series which was released 26 November 2012, can also be viewed as a polysemic media product that offers multiple interpretations and messages about the ideal role women and men should play. This series can be considered to be of a cult genre, which is becoming more mainstream. In the cast the majority of the protagonists are female, and they are represented to be bold and rebellious much like Anita in Humans. 

• Stereotypical teenage girl, she initially apologises for being back late and staying up to make food. Stereotypical for her mother to be worried whilst she was gone. 
• Her mum looks after her whilst she is still in shock, she gets her a towel for her bath. 
• Camille's image is very innocent and shows adolescence, she is wearing lots of colour, no makeup.
• Typical teenage behaviour she is rude and lacks respect for her mum, comes in abrupt and does what she wants. Has an attitude about a cup on the kitchen table. 
• Claire's (her mum) actions show her hesitance to do anything overdramatic or sudden, she stays in shock for a while. 
• She eventually calls her ex husband  to get some advice and tell him, stereotypical for the woman to run to the man for any sense of help or guidance  
• The music/sound effects adds to the atmosphere, it is very earry, nothing dramatic. 
• The audience could infer that this woman is seeing her dead daughter, stereotypical that a woman is going 'crazy' in the head. 
• supports the argument that Les Revenants depict a diverse range of subversive representations which allow the producer to explore and to challenge dominant ideological perspectives. 

• Mid-shot of Lena wearing white top represents purity and virginity
• The leaves in the background are representative of youth and purity
• Hermeunetic codes as we start to learn to about the characters
• Mise-en-scene of kitchen sink appears stereotypically middle-class  - aspirational middle-class family.
• Lena 'pulling a sickie' to sneak in her boyfriend is a relatable moment for the audience
• Birds eye view close up of Lena and her boyfriend positions us with them, which feels uncomfortable, positioning us is a voyeuristic way. - this is anchored through the use of low-key lighting which connotes intimacy, privacy and ultimately, sex.  
• Lena's boyfriend looks stereotypically low-class through the use of costume. The difference  between the class of the couple creates a diametric opposition - Lena is different from the rest of her family, she is rebellious.
• This is generally a consensual and positive representation of sex (sex positive).
• The mise-en-scene of the coach forms a binary opposition between the two scenes - the colours on the coach are ordinary, boring, with cool tones. Whereas when it cuts back to the sex scene, the colours are more bold and hot.