Coronation Street Scene Analysis

Gay Coronation Street

At the start of the scene we see Gail looking out of the upstairs window, dressed in a pink, dressing gown. This is a typical image that is associated with women in the media, portraying her to be a regular house wife and quite feminine because of the colour pink. This actually clashes later in the scene, as we see her aggressive behaviour challenge the feminine stereotype. Whereas Todd, is seen looking out of the curtains through the downstairs window is not given a stereotypical image, as he is shown to be scared, as he hides in side. The low angle on Gail makes her look intimidating, whilst the low angle on Todd shows him to be vulnerable and inferior to Gail in this situation.

This scene explores the gender images shown in the media. It displays the regular stereotypes, but also challenges them. We see a short section between Fred and his girlfriend, a tracking shot, so we are able to follow the conversation as they walk. Her voice is very soft, quiet and high pitched, this is a contrast to his, which is loud, deep and bold, reflecting his masculinity. Her is dressed in a suit, while she is dressed in a very feminine way with her hair and make-up done. These two characters display the major difference in gender, and both reinforce the usual expectations from each gender. In another section, we see a conversation between sally and Kevin. In this scene, like Gail, sally is conveyed as a regular mum and house wife, as she is nagging Kevin about their daughters schooling. This still, two-shot shows Sally looking up at Kevin, whilst he is barely paying attention and keeps looking out the window. Here we can see Sally is quite submissive to Kevin, and he is clearly in control of the relationship. This is the normal view on relationships.

The lighting throughout the scene is usually natural, to make it seem more realistic, whereas, when we see shots of Todd and Sarah in the house it is quite dark as the lighting is low, to show their embarrassment and fear. This a usual expectation labelled with women, however it isn’t something usually associated with men. The sound used is generally ambience, with the sounds of passing by cars and people, to reinforce the realism of the scene. As soap operas need to seem, because that’s what attracts their audience.

When Gail, Eileen and Todd are outside, Todd speaks a lot quieter and softer than the two women, who are louder and more aggressive in their speech. They have very strong body positions, and the short distance between them reflects how they are challenging each other. This challenges the stereotypes generalised with women, as they wouldn’t be expected to fight in the street. The shots used in this section are tightly framed, so that in two-shots it is either of the women who fill the shot, leaving Todd with little space. Another shot is an over the shoulder shot from behind Eileen, focussing on Gail, and in the background you can see Sarah stood looking very timid and a lot more feminine than her mum. Even though the women are behaving aggressively, they are discussing their children, this reinforces the ‘mother image’ linked with women.

As two more men arrive, Todd’s brother Jason is dressed as a builder, making him seem a lot more masculine than Todd. Even though Todd is gay, he doesn't confirm the homosexual stereotypes, however he does challenge the stereotypes labelled towards men. His facial expressions portray him to be innocent and feared, not something generally out with males. When the three men are stood on the curb, they are looking down on Gail, which reflects how she has lost power in the situation, so she goes back to been the more vulnerable of the group, something expected to be seen in women.