Sample Exam Question #1

     In the extract from Agent Carter, the technical elements come together to shed light on women inequality. After recently losing her husband, Peggy Carter starts her new job as an agent, where she is the only female. She has to wear a suit, to dress up like the rest of the men in the office and reduces the make up.  The film shows an establishing shot of "the city where she resided in after the loss. Carter answers to her boss, Agent Flynn, who has been giving her loads of desk tasks.

    Agent Flynn receives a phone call and it is depicted through an extreme-closeup, of him answering it. The element gives a sense of anticipation to the rest of the office and the audience of who is getting chosen for the next mission. The voice over the phone said the mission called for two agents and once the call was over, there is a dolly shot of Agent Flynn walling through the office, evaluating his next choice. The scene is set up to where the audience can feel the tension that arises on the agents, with every step, that is portrayed to be non-diegetic, is taken by the boss. In this moment, Agent Carter is hoping that she will Finally get the chance to prove herself.

    The boss chooses 2 male agents to go out on the field. Agent Flynn then goes by to Agent Carter's desk to ask her to complete more tedious assignments. A two-shot scene is shown where Peggy is asking for a change to show her skills and how she is capable of doing more on the field. The boss places his hand on her shoulder, which is body language usually done by men to women that is done to undermine the woman in a inappropriate way. This also shows the audience that Flynn thinks she is attractive and that he underestimates her skills. Dialogue goes on between them and he refers to her as "sweetie, confirming his thoughts to the audience.

    In another scene, carter is shown in a close up, staring at a picture of her husband, Steve. The technical element brings out the sentiment and value of that image, with the sad expression on Carter's face. She misses her husband and this audience can infer that he treated her with the equal respect she deserved. He was not like the rest of then men in her environment. The boss interrupts her daze and a wide shot of all the male employees are shown in the back, as he asks and assumes that Peggy was staying late, for her to lock up. This was meant to emphasize that everybody in the office was going out for a drink except for her, and she wasn't invited because of being a woman. 

    When the rest of the office leaves on their outing, the office phone rings and a long shot depicting Carter going to answer the phone occurs. The shot shows Peggy Carter's body language going to answer the phone, as you can tell she was excited. The called was answered and there was a mission to be completed. This was the moment where Carter realized that she would have the opportunity to be able to prove herself, that she is not just a woman, but, a capable independent agent on the field as well.

    Finally, as she approaches up to the mission location, there is low-key lighting that emphasizes that where she is going is dark and mysterious, hinting to the kind of danger Carter is stepping into alone. The robbers are seen arguing in an over the shoulder shot, where Agent Carter appears and they mistake her to be a lost young woman. They speak to her in an undermining tone as well, due to this, and she starts taking them on all at once. She fought the multiple robbers together and the scene displayed as well as emphasized her strength by displaying an action cut of her kicking one of the robbers onto the glass window, so hard, that he fell through. This whole scene played a part in creating a strong image for the agent. Not only was she a woman combatting with men that are deemed "stronger than her," she also was able to fight off multiple with her own skills.