Question 1 Mock AICE Exam- Agent Carter

Analyze how the extract from Agent Carter constructs meaning, including the specific representations of individuals, groups/events/places through the following elements, 1. camera shots, angles, movement/composition, 2. sound, 3. mis en scene, 4. editing.

In the movie Agent Carter, the theme involves misogyny and Peggy not being taken as seriously due to being a woman. She works in a very male-dominated field, and her inputs are often not taken seriously. This shows gender bias, as she is not being taken more seriously due to her gender. Multiple elements of film: camerawork, sound, mis en scene, and editing work together to showcase this theme.

The camerawork significantly adds to the theme of sexism in the workplace. At the beginning, close up shots are done of both Peggy and Steve. In that moment, Steve is telling Peggy that a decision he is making is his choice, and the camera moves very close to Peggy's face to show her worried expression. This camera movement adds the emotions of desperation and urgency to the scene for the audience to feel, and Peggy's eyes are shown to be pleading. There is an aerial shot of the plane Steve is flying. This serves to show Steve's role in the show, adding more information about both his character and Peggy's worry about him. There is a close-up shot of Peggy crying, presumably out of worry for Steve. This causes the audience to see Peggy's character as having a moment of vulnerability. There is an establishing shot of Peggy's workplace, which is meant to give more information to the audience about her character and role in the show. Peggy is shown to be standing in the very back of the office, showing how her male boss and male colleagues likely view her as inferior and having less of a place in that office due to her being a woman. There is a wide shot of the office, and the purpose of this shot was to show Peggy as a gender minority. This is because in this part, Peggy is shown to be the only woman in that office and is surrounded by several men. This is meant to explore themes of misogyny in the workplace and what it is like to be a minority in your place of work.

The sound is also very important is showcasing the theme of misogyny in the workplace. In the dialogue, Peggy is often not being taken seriously, as shown when Steve ignores Peggy's input about his decision to fly that plane. When Peggy's boss, Agent Flynn, is asked to pick three agents for a task, he picks three male agents and ignores Peggy despite her being qualified. This shows Agent Flynn does not take Peggy's capabilities at her job seriously due to her being a woman and would pick a man for a job even if a woman could be qualified to do it. The soundtrack throughout the majority of the extract is suspenseful and apprehensive music, which is meant to show the urgent atmosphere of the workplace and how high-stakes their jobs are. The dialogue is shown to be sexist, condescending, and inappropriate. In this part, Agent Flynn approaches her as she is sitting, puts his hand on her shoulder (showing his entitlement to touch women without their permission), and asks her, "How are you holding up, sweety?". The pet name of "sweety" could be interpreted as if Agent Flynn is trying to flirt with Peggy, as if Agent Flynn doesn't take Peggy seriously due to Peggy being a woman, or even both. Peggy confronts Agent Flynn due to not giving her any assignments even though she's already had the job for three months. Agent Flynn responds by saying "We'll take care of the rough stuff.". "We" is heavily implied to mean Peggy's male counterparts, showing that Agent Flynn doesn't really consider Peggy as an employee and takes his male employees much more seriously. His word choice of "rough stuff" shows that Agent Flynn thinks the tasks are too difficult for Peggy to take care of. Agent Flynn slams the door after being confronted by Peggy. This diegetic sound shows Agent Flynn's entitlement, as he is slamming the door of his workplace. This also shows a lack of respect for his workplace. Later on, the dialogue is again condescending towards Peggy, as the task she is being given by Agent Flynn is to polish field reports while him and his male employees go out for a drink, and he calls her the pet name "darling", which has the same connotations as the pet name "sweety".

Mis en scene is also crucial in showcasing the theme of sexism in the workplace. Peggy is often shown wearing red lipstick. The color red, especially on the lips of a woman, is meant to show confidence and strength. Picking this lip color to wear is symbolic for Peggy because it shows that even though her boss and colleagues don't have confidence in her capabilities as a woman, she has that confidence in herself. Throughout the excerpt, low-key lighting is often used to show the seriousness of the workplace and Peggy's anger and sadness over not being treated as an equal to her male coworkers. The costumes for both Peggy and the men she works with consist of blazers and button-up shirts, showing their values of professionalism. Whenever the buzzer goes off, it emits red lighting, signaling urgency to the audience with the bold color.

Last but not least, editing is highly valuable in expressing the theme of sexism in the workplace. There is an establishing shot of the interior of the plane Steve is flying against Peggy's wishes. This is meant to add to the plot and show Steve's role in the show. There is a jump cut to show the passage of time as a shift from Peggy crying over Steve to a sky with the words "One Year Later" written on it to show the passage of a year's time. There is a dissolve cut, which shows Peggy's surroundings fade to black. This cut is meant to make the audience feel a sense of hopelessness as Peggy was crying and was not able to dissuade Steve from flying the plane. There is a cross cut to shift from Agent Flynn commanding a portion of his male employees to complete a task to Peggy's angered and disappointed facial expression due to not being selected herself, showing the audience how Peggy feels. 

To conclude, the elements of camerawork, sound, mise en scene, and editing were crucial in showing the theme of sexism in the workplace. The details such as how the camera moved, how the characters dressed, how the characters spoke, and editing really meant to show how the interactions with Peggy were to be interpreted as misogynistic and condescending. It could also invoke a sense of relatability to women in the audience who are treated similarly in their own jobs.