Mock Exam

Hey blog, this post is about a practice exam I did to evaluate a excerpt clip of the film Agent Carter. Hope you enjoy!

 This extract from Agent Carter holds many technical elements that help contribute to the meaning. There is a clear focus on females in a men run world throughout this excerpt.

One of the many ways a technical elements contributes to the meaning of this excerpt is the applications of mise en scene. The colors used during the office scenes lighting stand out to portray meaning. Specifically, the heavy blue lowkey lighting and atmosphere seemed to represent carter's loneliness, sadness, and discontent with her situation. This blue could also represent carter's hurt and feelings of loss after what happened to Rogers. Another significant color used that was tied to meaning was red. During the distress call scene Carter becomes lit up with a strong red glow accompanied by a loud alarm. This red signifies the sense of urgency required and i believe the red also represents a fire being lit in carter as she is presented with another opportunity to get out in the field and prove that she is capable despite being a woman. Another major aspect of mise en scene i felt had significant impact on meaning was the setting, both the location and time period were significant. The office setting present during some of the excerpt represents a stereotypical location for misogyny and discrimination based on gender, especially offices during this time period. The fact that Carter is the only woman in this office displays the theme of her and women alike being the underdogs in the workforce and also how she doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of the guys. 

Equally, editing and transitions had a similar strong effect regarding meaning, and there are a couple meaningful moments to mention. One such moment was during the dialogue between Carter and Steve during the flashback. This moment utilized crosscutting to give us both characters' perspectives and help us feel the heavy emotions. We were able to see the love Carter has for Steve and this sets up for the heavy effect of his disappearance on her throughout the film. Another important moment to mention was during the fight scene at the end of the excerpt. The sort of shot reverse shot editing used adds two significant pieces to this film. One being that the person that the camera was cutting back to was acting very carefree which we can see through his expression as well as the props such as food and music he has. This shows that this man was severely underestimating carter's abilities, likely due to her gender. This adds to the theme of women during this time period getting little respect and recognition. Also, the transitions during this scene add comedy and help to lighten up the film in contrast to the heavy themes. The constant standard cuts back and forth are funny as they show people fighting and then someone completely carefree while still being in very close proximity. 

Additionally, sound is significant piece that leads to the development of meaning in this excerpt. This is especially apparent with the dialogue during the office scenes. For example Carter's boss makes the following quotes, "let's take em down!" and "relax, war's over, we'll handle the rough stuff" The first quote shows how encouraging and supportive the boss is towards the many male members of his team which is apparent through his word choice and tone. The second quote shows contrast, in which his attitude towards Carter is condescending and shows that he sees women as incapable and isn't willing to put her in the field despite her already proving herself previously. This highlights systemic injustices regarding women's roles in the labor force.

No less important, camera movements are another significant source of meaning through technical application found in this excerpt. A moment to mention is the POV shot from carter as she retrieves the paper document she was just asked for from her desk. By using this angle and emphasizing the paper the camera is displaying the significance of it as a symbol of carters hard work and dedication to her job regardless of her coworkers' unfairness and the clear disadvantage she has in her work place due to her gender. Another camera movement was the tracking shot leading up to the end fight scene. This shot helped to empower Carter's character and signify to the audience of her developing determination to get back in the field and perform at her job to the best of her abilities. 

In conclusion, there are an abundance of technical elements that hold great meaning found in this excerpt.  In all, the most important themes I witnessed portrayed through technical elements were: sexism, misogyny, the effects of loss, and hard work despite being at a disadvantage.