Representation of Gender

As the two genres my group picked, drama and sports, are not very common in films together, I decided to analyse multiple films of both genres individually for representation of gender and then compare the two to see if there were any similarities.

Sport Films

The Fighter (2010)

In The Fighter, the opening sequence is of the lead character sweeping stones off the street. The camera follows him with a level shot which instantly shows the audience the essence of the film. The shot puts the lead character's back on focus, on which large sweat stains are obvious. This tells the audience that he is very strong and is very capable. The setting, early morning in a seemingly empty town, suggests that he is hard-working, so much so that he is doing hard labour in the morning whereas the residents of the town are still resting. This image of the physically fit and hard-working hero fits the stereotype of men, and the conventional lead characters, of the sports genre film.

Fired Up (2009)

In Fired Up, the lead actors are introduced through the scene on the left where both leads are kissing girls. The dialogue that occurs between Nick Brady and the girl he's sitting with on the left strongly suggests that he is manipulating the girl into having sex with him. This unfavourable first impression of a lead character is not typical of sports films. Characters in sports films do not typically involve themselves in romantic relationships, and if they do, it is usually kept to a sub-plot. The decision to introduce the potential of romantic relationships in the beginning scene is not usually done in sports films, although this analysis may not be accurate as Fired Up is a sports-comedy.

Whip It (2009)

Whip It's first scene opens with a pageant for teenage girls. The representation of females is clear from the beginning by the use of the pageant. The costumes worn by the girls is symbolic, it instantly makes the audience link the scene to a traditional Christian church wedding. Showing multiple girls dressed completely in white suggests that the girls are sexually "pure". This does not fit in with the stereotypes of sport films which tend to have more modern thinking behind it.

Whip It (2009)

Whip It is unusual in terms of sports films as it features a female protagonist, Bliss, however she too does fit in with some of the sport genre's conventions. For instance, the first glance we see of her is of her dying her hair with a friend in a small bathroom. It's already been established that the protagonist is supposed to take part in the pageant. The contrast between the other participants, who are all dainty and feminine, and Bliss, who is openly rebelling against that image of femininity is put across clearly to the audience by the use of cross-cutting. The idea of the protagonist rebelling suggests that she's being forced to do something. This supports the stereotype of protagonists of sports films as she's the "underdog" however Bliss also subverts the conventional hero by being a girl rather than a boy.

The three sports films I chose had some notable similarities. All of them had a white protagonist who was physically fit, attractive. While I did find an example where the protagonist was a girl, the majority of sports films are geared towards men and so the protagonist tends to be a male too. The protagonist also undertakes the role of "underdog" in many films in the sports genre.

Drama Films

The Help (2011)

The first scene opens with Mabel in the middle of a secret interview where she's talking about the troubles in her life. The use of a mid-shot to present Mabel tells the audience that she will be a central figure in the movie. This is typical of drama films as they tend to focus on women, especially middle-aged women. Another way Mabel is shown to be a conventional protagonist in a drama film is through the sound. Non-diegetic music is used to instantly show the audience the general atmosphere the film will have. Soon after, Mabel turns away and a voice-over is used over the mid-shot of Mabel. This shows that she is upset and showcases her as the victim which enforces the conventional protagonists of drama films. However, she is black which subverts the expectations of the audience for a stereotypical drama film.

Ask Me Anything (2014)

Ask Me Anything introduces the protagonist in a visually dark scene through the use of a long shot. The low-key of the setting may be to establish what the central figure is feeling - isolated, upset, confused. This is extremely stereotypical of drama films in which emotions play a large part in the story and so it fulfils the conventions of a drama film.

Ask Me Anything (2014)

The protagonist fulfils most of the conventions of a protagonist in a drama film. Soon after the film starts, this medium long shot is used. It clearly shows the audience that she is white, and a female. However, she is a teenager which isn't normally the case in drama films. Added to that, the use of the long shot to show her entire body strongly implies she is a confident person, in her body and as her own person which isn't the norm.

Kill Your Darlings (2013)

My final drama film starts with a scene where the low key lighting is the most noticeable feature. This could be to suggest the protagonist's frame of mind, similar to the beginning of Ask Me Anything (2014). It could also be to suggest that the events that have concluded in the scene shown were dark and traumatising. This is conventional for a drama film as the drama genre often deals with emotionally taxing issues. 

Kill Your Darlings (2013)

The protagonist is similar to the conventional protagonist but he does differ in some respects, most notably him being a male. He is also younger than the conventional protagonist. Like most protagonists in the drama genre, he is white and is noticeably in emotional trauma. The emotional trauma is shown by his body language and facial expressions.



In drama films, the protagonist tends to be female and white. The film typically revolves around an emotionally-difficult event or the aftermath of said event in relation to the protagonist who is the victim. The victim ultimately emerges able to accept the changes in their life after having to confront them.

Over this analysis task, I noticed some similarities between the two which my group will ultimately use. The protagonists tend to be white and undergoing a journey. Whereas in sports films, it's usually a competition of some sort, in drama films it's usually a metaphorical or emotional journey. Most importantly, in sports films, the protagonist tends to be male, whereas drama films are usually female-centric. Low-key lighting was used in both genres and will be vital for our own project.