The representation of females in Sin City

Various Sin City female characters have the typical noir character type of a femme fatale. Goldie and Wendy, the prostitute sisters are both dependent on men and use their sex appeal to gain power. Goldie fears she will be killed so in order for protection she seduces Marv and spends the night with him. Marv is fooled into believing this is love but Goldie has used Marv for his strength, gaining power and ultimately getting what she wants.

There is also a negative representation of women as being naive and dependent on women. There are a few cases where females are under the illusion they are able to fight their own battles, but are unable of doing so without a male aid. Lucille is the lesbian parole officer of protagonist Marv. In a scene where herself and Marv are hiding in the woods from the police, Lucille forcefully takes control by knocking Marv unconscious. She then attempts to talk to the police before being shot dead moments later. She is naive and somewhat dim to think she would be able to chat to the police and regain the equilibrium. Later on in the film, Marv is forced to knock prostitute Wendy unconscious so that he can sort out the problems without her interference, a perfect example that females have only one purpose: for voyeurism. Attempting to support Marv would just hinder him and he swiftly removes her from the situation.

Miho subverts from this representation and instead is very strong and independent. She is tough and is not afraid of violently slaughtering her enemies. Instead of being dependent on men, men are afraid of her and protagonist Dwight is awkward around her. Miho takes on the role of a ninja, a role usually portrayed by men and she still maintains some sex appeal as she is slim and attractive. 

'The Killing': At Last, a Crime Drama With a Real Woman Lead

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/04/the-killing-at-last-a-crime-drama-with-a-real-woman-lead/73316/

The new AMC series focuses on a female detective who struggles to be a good mother as she solves a devastating crime

 

Crime Drama Conventions.

"Narrative: usually closed episodes (ie a story each episode), 3 part structure (beginning - crime is established, middle-solving it, end - resolving the crime and making an arrest), a crime (usually a murder), set pieces such as discovering the body, making an arrest, chase scenes, interviewing suspects.
Character: police detectives, private detectives, crime teams (eg CSI). Often duos of crime solvers - a main detective and a sidekick. Main detective tends to be clever but cold, sidekick is the "brawn" and is more relatable. Women often play scientific roles and the victims.
Setting: often city settings but some rural settings. Police stations, interview rooms, police cells, dark empty streets, crime scenes.
Style: Naturalistic and realistic - uses realistic props and noises, music is used to add effect to dramatic scenes, often quite dark and eery. "


http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120129091048AAl9vPx


"Characters

 The lead character will often be a detective or some sort of police investigator.  They will usually be a white male - 40 years old plus.  The lead character will have some sort of major personality defect or flaw such as a failed marriage, alcoholism, gambling addiction etc, sometimes there may be a physical one as well eg Ironside is confined to a wheelchair whilst Columbo has a glass eye..

There will often be a sidekick character - a younger and more inexperienced individual.  This is sometimes a woman though women are usually in scientific advisor roles.  If there is a woman there will usually be some sort of sexual tension between the two.

There will often be a group of support characters or 'gang' who help the lead character in their investigation.

There will often be a superior officer or 'police chief' who the lead character must report to and will often be in trouble with.

Narrative and Theme
The narrative will usually be centred around a detective trying to solve a crime - often a murder.  There will be an investigation taking place which involves clues and red herrings.  The killer's identity will often be revealed at the end of the episode.

There will often be chase scenes present.  There may also be an interrogation scene.  There will usually be a teaser or 'hook' sequence at the start which shows the crime being committed or maybe the body being discovered.  Its purpose is to draw the viewer into the narrative.

The theme of justice and good vs evil will be prevalent in the narrative.

Format  

Episodic but usually with stand alone episodes.
Iconography

 Police cars, blue flashing lights, crime scenes, police tape (do not cross), murders, dark lighting, guns and weapons.  Flashlights in dark places.

Sound

Serious and dramatic non-diegetic music.  Often this is very sombre and brooding during dark
moments and fast-paced and bombastic as action sequences occur.

Settings
Interview rooms, urban settings, police stations, crime scenes, forensics labs, morgues, the killer's lair - often dark, ominous and threatening."


http://trinityfilmandmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/conventions-of-television-crime-drama.html


"Television and film crime/cop drama is very popular with a wide audience. Crime Dramas seek to anchor the representations of all types of police officers, criminals and victims as ‘believable’ characters, with ‘realistic’ plot lines, set in urban locations.The genre has been taken up in the US under the heading of American Quality Televsion (AQT) - see under heading AQT.

Codes and Conventions

Crime dramas:

• are constructed realities
• depict constructed versions of reality that appeal to audiences
• encode hegemonic values and ideologies
• represent current societal responses to crime
• use formulas
• employ some stereotypical representations
• make iconic use of hand guns, police cars, banks, uniformed and ununiformed police, and explosions

Modern TV crime dramas put the reconstruction of realism at the forefront of their appeal to audiences, particularly in their use of media language – see further down.

Representations

Television crime dramas have ongoing characters who slowly evolve over time as in a soap opera. The audience develops a relationship with main characters like Morse, and Bergerac who change very little. For an audience a main part of the attraction of a crime drama is knowledge of a main character, the enigma of the plot and a sense of suburban comfort with the genre.


http://media.edusites.co.uk/article/understanding-crime-drama/

"Codes and Conventions of a Crime/Drama.

Typical codes and conventions of a crime/drama film would be:
- A chase (usually car).
- A lot of involvement with props that can be harmful such as knifes or guns.
- The villain (protagonist) would usually have some unidentified problems that will be revealed at the very end of the film.
- The hero (protagonist) who saves everyone will have a partner (usually very intelligent or very dopey).
- Characters will usually include someone vulnerable and gangs.
- Crimes will usually be murder/dramas will usually be to do with family of the protagonist.
- Conflicts due to difference in policing.
- Someone’s private life becoming public.
- Betrayal."

 

 

http://elisebakermediaas.weebly.com/codes-and-conventions-of-a-crimedrama.html

Crime Drama Conventions

"There have been some serious ideological shifts in the production of police/crime dramas over the decades"

"The police were a good force"

"Public perceptions of the role and status of the police force began to change"

"Police behaviour towards the public, towards themselves could often be unacceptable. Intimidation, physical violence, corrupt practices, racism, sexism were all suddenly on the agenda"

"Women and ethnic minorities come in for much verbal abuse"

"Women police officers are 'plonks', while most other women are 'tarts' or 'birds'"

"The emphasis on realism found an echo in the real world"

"Blurring of the boundaries between law-enforcer and law-breaker continues to inform current crime series"

"Dramas posed questions rather than answers, expecting the audience to think about the moral dilemmas and make up their minds about the issues raised"            

"Drama serials...continue the trend of high production values, big-name actors, health, crime and largely predictable storylines"


Massey, Michael (2010). Studying TV Drama. Leighton Buzzard: Auteur.

Conventions of a television crime drama (UNFINISHED) from Shelby Brown

The Killing, BBC Four, review

Sweaters and subtitles: Danish drama The Killing signs off in style, says Neil Midgley.

Women as partners in crime dramas

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF01811016#page-2

Quotes about Ellie Miller:

"her resentment over losing her promotion, and her emotional connection to the case" 

http://www.bbcamerica.com/broadchurch/characters/detective-sergeant-ellie-miller/

Quotes about Sarah Lund:

Lund is the antithesis* of the glossy female cops of series like CSI. Instead of lip-gloss and catwalk looks, Lund is middle-aged, make-up free and dresses down in jeans and a cream-on-brown Fair Isle sweater

- "What Lies Beneath? Sarah Lund and Lisbeth Salander – the feminist icons of Nordic noir" by Jonathan Nunn

* antithesis = a person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else

Lund subverts the maternal stereotype as she repeatedly lets down Mark, her teenage son and leaves him in the care of his grandmother. Although this causes friction, he is shown to be proud of his mother and her achievements

- "Girls allowed? The representation of women in Danish Drama" by Claire Pollard

Articles.

TV Review: Third Time Not the Charm for AMC's 'The Killing'

An Obsessive Killer Is Revealed in a Stylish Whodunit

Emmy Week 2011: Why Steely Homicide Detective Sarah Linden Is So Refreshing

Why Are There So Few Female Antiheroes on Film?

Investigating The Killing: Episode 10

Good joggers, bad mothers, and a boat called Adela.

By Jessica Voelker

We all struggle with the work-life balance thing, and detective Sarah Linden is hardly an exception. Finding time to mother her son, for instance, seems to be a challenge.

‘The Killing’ and the Misogyny of Hating Bad Mothers

‘The Killing’ and the Misogyny of Hating Bad Mothers

Primary Research

Television Listings for Saturday 9th November on 3 mainstream TV channels:

BBC1 -  Reality TV: 1 Sport: 3 Gameshow: 0 Crime: 0
BBC2 -  Reality TV: 0 Sport: 4 Gameshow: 1 Crime: 0
ITV1 - Reality TV: 3 Sport: 3 Gameshow: 1 Crime: 1 

Conclusion:
The genres of sport and reality TV have taken the place of classic and new crime dramas.

Crime Drama Statistics.

Source: http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/resources/library/BBC/MEDIA_CENTRE/TeleScope_infographic.pdf