Notes on North and South

In class we were given an essay question to answer, and these are the notes I made during the clip of North and South. The notes helped me to write my essay, the essay question is: 'Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of gender in an extract from Episode 1 of North and South.'

• Camera shots, movement and composition
• Editing
• Sound
• Mise-en-scene

Ellipses is used while Margaret is waiting in Thornton's office and this shot shows Margaret was waiting for about an hour. Clock to her shows the passage of time, and the close up of her face shows her expression which engages the audience into the mise-en-scene and its more personal also shows the important of her character. The shot engages us into Margaret's impatience.

Gender is constructed by the close up of Margaret where she dominantes 2/3 of the mise-en-scene. Her stance is haughty (attitude) and her gaze is firm, her chin up which suggests she is assertive. Margaret is out and about on her which also shows her independence. Margaret is very wide-eyed, with no hunched shoulders. She also doesn't rely on clothes to show the audience how wealthy she is because her costume doesn't show 'wealthy'.

When she is in the mill and walking she dominates the mise-en-scene again and her walk is very determined in what she wants. Non-ambient lighting, and an optimistic soundtrack. When Margaret coughs in the mill this shows an unhealthy enviroment. When walking into the cotton room its like 'the children entering Narnia' the shot shows that the mill world is foreign to her and her expression is full of wonder.

The shot of Thornton's masculine image is constructed by a low-angle shot which makes him seem dominant. There is something quite 'predatory' about him like he is looking for something wrong. There's something dark and dangerous about him and the stony face indicates a harsh man. Margaret looks at him because he is different and she hasn't ever seen a man like this before and she is 'taken' with him.

A shot of a weak man with 7 kids is shown because he is putting the whole mill in danger by smoking a pipe. Thornton yells, 'I SAW YA' which puts Thornton in a lower rank because of his common accent but he still has more power than the workers. Gender is constructed in the 'fight' scene by power, and Margaret just watching. Thornton is physically dominant by using violence. Mrgaret interferre's which is unlike a woman by yelling, 'STOP'. This tells us again that Margaret is assertive, brave and doesn't fit into the ordinary female role. Thornton responds, 'Who're you? What you doing here?' Margaret has never been spoken to like this before because she is of higher class. Margaret gives her full name which shows she is confident about her identity and wealth. 'Get her out of here' Thornton yells at a worker, suggests he is ashamed of what he is done or he doesn't want her to see this side of him. Also suggests his contempt for Margaret, and he doesn't talk directly to her anymore.

There is a shot of women and children looking shocked because it shows they rely on Thornton for employment and if they do something wrong they will be fired. The fact they are doing nothing to stop the violence shows that the way Thornton treats his workers is not uncommon and its a quite 'natural' way of dealing with them. The audience at home are shocked because we don't treat anybody that way now. The close up of the woman at the mill shows she admires Margaret for standing up to Thornton, also there is a comparison between the two women. The woman who works at the mill is not doing anything to stop the violence which is how women should respond, while Margaret steps in and inteferres which is uncommon.

Social Class Notes

• Low angle shot of Thornton which shows he is dominant and his masculine image is constructed by a low angle shot.
• Thornton 's clothes are sharp and smart which shows he is higher class than his workers, but Thornton is still considered to be 'working class' compared to Margaret.
• When Thornton asks who Margaret is she gives him her full name which shows she is confident about her identity.
• When walking around the mill, Margaret walks powerfully with her shoulders back and her chin up. She walks around on her own, and she doesn't wait in the office like Thornton's worker asks. This could mean that Margaret is confident person all the time, or she thinks she is better than the people in the mill so she does as she pleases.
• Margaret doesn't dress like she is from a wealthy background, but she dresses differently from people who are from the mill. She has a hat, full-skirted dress but the materials on the dress are very bland, and dull so she isn't flaunting her wealth.
• When Thornton is beating up the workers there is a high angle shot of the worker which shows he is vulnerable, and that Thornton has all the power.