Case Study - Agent Carter

Hello! Today in class, our teacher assigned us a mock exam that was going to help us practice for the upcoming AICE exam in 2026. The film that we used to write our essay was called "Agent Carter.”

Agent Carter

   In the scene of Agent carter, it involves the protagonist, Peggy, working at an agency. During the scene, the movie represented Peggy as a strong independent woman despite the treatment she was receiving from her male workers. The scene took place around the 20th century, where men were viewing women as inferior, shown by the dominance of men at the agency while Peggy was the only woman working amongst them.

   During the scene, the scene revealed a wide shot of the office, showing that the agents there were all male except Peggy. This shows the superiority / dominance of men in the working field compared to women. Women are viewed as inferior, people who aren't capable of handling jobs that men typically do. But for Peggy, she was trying to break that social norm. Although she's working as an agent along with the male agents, she can't seem to fit in because of how unfairly she gets treated. Peggy isn't content with the treatment that she receives because she's a woman. There was a close-up shot of Peggy's annoyed expression after her boss was choosing only male agents to go on missions. That scene helps further prove about the inferiority of women that is created amongst the men. Later in the clip, the boss told Peggy to clean up the office while he and the male employees headed out somewhere together. The office went dark and a few light sources remained on. This creates low-key lighting, which creates a sense of emptiness and isolation in the office with Peggy being alone there. The lighting creates a sense of pity for Peggy, seeing the way she was left alone in the office as if she doesn't fit in. According to the Stuart Hall theory, people interpret media based on their environment and beliefs. In this case, the audience could interpret in the scene that Peggy's male workers don't view her the same because she's a woman based on the way the boss was treating her. 

   To continue, Peggy was able to reveal / represent herself as a strong, resilient agent near the end of the clip. Near the end of the scene, it shows an aerial shot, revealing Peggy's surrounding as she walks to a small building that was mentioned over the phone call that she answered at the agency. From the shot, it shows that Peggy is alone, indicating that she is capable of handling the missions like the men. Two suspicious guys in he building, probably a cabin, were sent outside after being told to. From the looks of the situation, it makes them seem as if they aren’t up to no good. The clip escalates to Peggy punching the guys while incidental music plays in the background, making the fight scene more intense, intriguing or immersing the audience into the scene of the fight. It then involves crosscutting editing used during the fight to highlight Peggy’s fighting skills. From that, it makes Peggy look powerful, capable to go out on missions like the other agents. It breaks the social norm that are typically viewed between men (superior) and women (inferior). Another example that support the idea that Peggy is capable is when she took the phone call. While all the men were going out, she stayed at the agency and took over a call that required her help. She didn’t hesitate to take the call and coordinates because she didn’t want to keep being treated unfairly, not being able to take calls and go out on missions like the male agents at the agency.

   To summarize, Peggy was seen as inferior to the men, but was able to break the social norm of women being weak. From the scene, she was able to represent herself as a strong and capable like men. Women in society are viewed in a way that make them seem inferior, but woman can do so much more and achieve anything they want.

   

Editing and Transition

 Hello! Today in class, we were asked to choose a scene of our choice from a movie, then try to identify 10 different cuts / transitions throughout the scene. An action movie would have a lot of transitions so I've decided to pick the movie Avengers: Infinity War, the scene where the fight in Wakanda took place.

1. Action Match

- At the start of the scene at 1:05, Captain America and Black Panther were dashing towards the enemies and jumping midair, which then action match was used to cut into the action of them punching down the beasts in front of them. This helps create a smooth, continuous flow in the fight while also showing the face-paced environment that they are in as they have to defeat a hoard of monsters. 

2. Short Take

- At around 1:08, they used a few short takes that switched from Captain America fighting to Black Panther fighting off the beast as well. The short takes create a fast, chaotic vibe to the scene, creating a overwhelming feeling towards the audience because of how fast the switch-up is, creating a sensory overload.

3. Slow Motion

- Near 2:15, a bit of slow motion was used when Thor used his hammer, Stormbreaker, to smash it down amongst the big group of beasts. The slow motion was used to give a dramatic effect to scene, while also displaying Thor's strength, It allows the audience to savor the moment of his strength, giving a sense of awe towards Thor. 

4. Eyeline Match

- At 2:26, eyeline match was used when Iron Man was getting swarmed by these little beasts that Thanos created from the rubble that surrounded him. This allows the audience to see what Iron Man was dealing with and feel immersed as if they are also involved into that scene, 

5. Insert Shot

- Around 2:43, an insert shot was used when Doctor Strange was focusing on the Gauntlet that Thanos was wearing, which then cuts to the Avengers trying to prevent Thanos from using his Gauntlet. This insert shot hints to the audience that the Gauntlet has a huge significance to the Avengers, which also hints that it could be tragic if it gets into the wrong hands. This helps build up tension amongst the audience.

6. Crosscutting

- At 3:02, crosscutting was used to display the multiple actions that were happening on Thanos at the same time. Doctor Strange was gripping onto his arm while it cuts to Drax kicks Thanos off his feet. Then it cuts to Quill shooting this electrical device that holds Thanos other hand down while Spiderman wraps around him with his webs. It helps build up tension towards the audience and shows the urgency of trying to defeat Thanos. 

7. Cutaway

- At 4:35, a cutaway was used when the big drill-looking machines started to breach the barrier of the battlefield, interrupting the main fight that was currently happening. This cut shows that it was a unanticipated threat that occurred, something that the characters were not expecting. It creates anxiety for the audience as they wonder how the heroes will overcome this situation. 

8. Shot/Reverse shot

- At 7:05, a reverse shot was used where it cuts from Doctor Strange asking Thanos to spare Ironman's life to Iron Man staring back at Doctor Strange. This shot allows the audience to see more closely towards the emotions that the characters convey during the negotiation with Thanos. It helps build up panic as the audience wonder what Thanos will do.

9. Ellipsis

- At 9:47, ellipsis was shown when the scene showed multiple cuts of each character character to dust or turn into ash. This action shows the instant, horrifying scale of the "loss" of the characters. This evokes a emotional response from the audience as they are witnessing a dire, horrific event that's happening because of Thanos. 

10. Visual effects

- In 9:47, visual effects are also involved into the scene when the editor generated the effect of the characters "dusting' or fading into ash. It gives a sense of finality of the fight, which could make the audience feel devasted that the heroes didn't win the battle.