Representation of Gender - The Bill

At the start of the extract, an establishing shot is used to show the area in which a crime has been committed. Ambient sounds of police sirens, radios and people talking add to the event and make it seem more realistic. The camera somewhat tracks a car straight away and long shots are used throughout on the women that gets out the car. Straight away we know this women is of some importance due to the amount of camera time on her. Furthermore, she doesn't wear the normal police uniform, offering the idea that she is higher up and of more importance to those around her.

The camera then tracks her and another man, out of uniform; a low angle is used on both the man and women, this suggests that they both have the same amount of power but are of more superior than the others on duty. This is also shown through the high angle on the girl on the floor, somewhat belittling her even more and making her seem even more smaller, vulnerable and inferior. We don't get to see this girls face and her name is non-existent; again making her seem irrelevant although the case is about her.

A sound bridge is then used to hear a man speaking about the events that has just occurred, this links in with the women hearing him and not believing what he is saying to the officers. Here we see her have complete control and power over the man as she belittles him by asking him about 'CCTV' etc. Which he denies they have. At this point, the 180 degree rule is not broken, which gives us a sense of how important it is to find information on the events.

Throughout the short extract, we see a strong, independent women being mostly in charge and being of a more superior than those who work with her. Yet with a complete contrast there is a girl who is vulnerable and is dependent on others that she doesn't know which gets her into trouble. This could be due to the generation difference of both women, one knowing that women have equal rights whereas the other allows men to treat her badly and in ways that could hurt her.